What Seriously?

UK Citizens to Cameron & Clegg... "That's ANOTHER fine mess you've gotten us into!"

The story of the week has to be the cap on tax relief for Charitable Donations...

Feeling genuinely sick at the prospect of cancer charities and children's charities and LGBT charities losing out on money because these pricks are so determined to avoid a return to the 50p tax!

The people this will hurt are LITERALLY (and I really mean that), the most vulnerable in society. The Manchester Children's Hospital, Age UK, The British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research - will ALL miss out (not to mention the rest), because of this bungled, muddled together legislation. In my opinion (and this is only my opinion), if celebrities and rich people want to give large amounts of money to charity as a way of LEGALLY avoiding paying tax, that's absolutely fine. I'm happy for them to keep their tax as long as they are saving children, protecting the most vulnerable and assisting in finding cures for diseases (plus all that other amazing work that charities do!)

In the paper this morning, I've seen some of our richest citizens threaten to stop giving to charity in protest of this new legislation. It would be easy to vilify them for their actions. I mean, how dare they try to avoid paying tax! But it's not about the tax. It's about the charity.

My fab Dad and I were chatting again about this foolish and hasty statute. We talked about who is really to blame and who thought up this ridiculous legislation and we both agreed that it doesn't matter who came up with the idea that a cap on charity tax relief was efficacious to society. Those steering the country (i.e. Cameron and to a lesser extent, nodding dog Clegg) had the final say. Do not let the headlines blind you to the fact that this is a direct attack on the most vulnerable in society and don't forget to focus your blame in the right direction.

Lydia

So What Now?

Thanks for all the feedback on my last post! Knowing that others feel the same way made me feel incredibly humbled and though I don't seek to speak for anybody other than myself, it was reassuring that I'm not going mad!

For a while now, I've felt like a big change is coming, like something's going to happen. I don't know what that might be, but I know I want to be a part of it. Imagine people, members of the public, all classes coming together for a common purpose.

I'm not talking anarchy, or the dissolution of the government, or a move towards a socialist Britain, or abandoning capitalism. I'm talking about 6 million people quietly stating that the status quo is unfair. So what do the people want? I can't speak for everybody, but my requests are simple and small.

1) Take the tax burden away from the most vulnerable (the elderly) and put it on the wealthiest by bringing back the 50p tax.

2) Reduce duty on petrol to allow members of the general public to move freely and get to work.

3) Find a better way to fund pensions which means that we can retire at 65.

Three small changes which will affect every person in the country. So, will you stand up and be counted? Will you reclaim your Britain for the people?

Time for a British Spring?

I've just had my Dad round to do a DIY job (I'm one of those non-manual lesbians!) and after he re-hung the towel rail that I broke about six months ago, we got to chatting as we do (I inherited my soapbox from him) and the conversation turned to politics. This is a volatile subject for anyone in these difficult times but for me and Dad it just seems to set us off. He has been lied to and lied to and lied to through his whole life by a series of never-ending and seemingly never changing political parties - but whereas in the old days you could live in hope for the next general election, today I swear we have one guy who keeps changing his tie - red, blue, yellow... What he said next scared me.

"I've NEVER seen it this bad" 

And why did that scare me?

My Dad is in his 50s, and in his lifetime, he has been through the 3 day week (1970-74), the Winter of Discontent (1978-79), the Introduction of the Poll Tax (1989-91), the Early Nineties Recession (1990-93),  and the Early Millennium Recession (2000-01). He's lived through 15% interest rates, Record Inflation of 10.9%, Sky High Local Rates which forced the family (including a two year old me) out of our home and yet he told me today;

"I've NEVER seen it this bad" 

He, and his whole generation were told they'd retire at 65 and then somebody spent their pensions. I know I'll never retire. I'll probably keel over aged 80 at my desk in my final office job.

And whose fault is it? The government, with their deception, spin and outright lies would have you believe it is your fault, or somebody else's fault, or the bankers fault, or the immigrants fault. These same fat cats are the ones making the policies on tax, health, education etc, whilst constantly and consistently undermining the laws they impose. Choosing private schools over public, choosing private health over the  NHS, creating companies in their own names to avoid income tax.

I used to blame the bankers, but now I realise that anyone will do what they can get away with including gambling with money that doesn't exist, insider trading, price fixing, paying extortionate bonuses to the gamblers, mis-selling PPI, offering poor financial advice to poor people, offering mortgages that people could never pay and then repossessing peoples' homes  - the Government should have protected the country's coffers and the money of the working man with regulation, laws and statutes.

I used to blame the high level of immigration (although I am the product of immigration), but now I finally realise that free movement is the right of every law abiding man woman and child on this planet and capping the number of immigrants who come into this country is a violation of natural law. The government should have made it easier for those coming in so they have no need to live and work here illegally and can contribute to this country.

I used to blame the rich, but once again, I realise that they do what they can get away with including refusal to pay a liveable wage, refusal to protect the environment, refusal to respect their employees health and safety, refusal to provide employment opportunities in the UK and instead sending their business overseas. The government should have protected its people and its industry.

And will it get better? I can't foresee a change for the better within my lifetime.

I used to blame the very poor who claim benefits, but now I realise that the poor sod who lost his mining job in the 80s left school with no qualifications and has been left behind by a society which can't even educate its kids anymore, never mind adults struggling with literacy. Unfortunately, they too will do what they can get away with - claiming their dole, HB, CTB, Tax Credits and Child Benefit, spending it giant TVs, Sky, iPhones, drugs, booze, anything to distract from the monotony of a desolate life. The Government, instead of throwing billions of pounds into developing this benefit culture, should have enforced a liveable minimum wage.

I've ALWAYS blamed myself, but now I realise that I too will do what I can get away with, like other normal people. When I have money, I'll spend rather than save - just like the government and my £10,000 debt is nothing compared to the £1Trillion owed by the country. The government should have set a better example frankly - but I'm not blaming them for my own downfall, that was my own doing.

There is nobody left in our Government who can be trusted to save this once great nation. Each and every one of them lies and deceives. I feel sick that my options in the next general election will be three wolves in sheep's clothing - in fact, no, they're not even in sheep's clothing. They make no attempt to disguise their true selves.

So what next? Is it time for action? Is it time for a British Spring? Or is it time for someone to stand up and say NO MORE? Because it's NEVER been this bad, and the only thing we're all in together is The Shit.