The Tory Record of Strong and Stable Finance - Pull the other one

This morning Teresa May was interviewed on the Andrew Marr show (Sunday 30th April 20107), inevitably Andrew asked if his was going to be an election of sound bites and then the words 'strong and stable' were used. Of course May then goes on to state this is the most important election she has experienced in her lifetime. It would be because she's the who is running for PM it doesn't take an idiot to realise this. The underlying emphasis of Teresa's interview is the Tories are doing their best to build a strong economy and it is only through a strong economy the country is able to finance everything, be it the welfare system, education system or the NHS. But really we have to ask how effective has Tory governance been in achieving this? For it seems a strong economy means to the large disadvantage of many and the advantage of a few.

The Tories and May are constantly arguing it is only possible to have good Education, NHS, Welfare benefits etc etc if we have a productive and strong economy. Yet the UK has probably the worst economy since the second world war. With the total deficit now reaching £1.7 trillion pounds of debt. Under Tory leadership in the last 70 years than any other government. Counting 42 years of Tory rule and the total borrowing of the Tories £961.80 billion pounds. Since 2010 that is the last 7 years this Tory government has borrowed £555 billion pounds. It is working families who are now using food banks more than they have ever before, not just those who are living of the welfare system. May tells us 'she' has taken 4 million of people out of the tax, however this begs the question why is it 4 million people earn so little they don't pay any tax, for it shows we are increasing the number of low paid employees. Fact, nurses have had a reduction in their income by 14 percent since 2010 and are having to attend to food banks because they are unable to afford food to feed themselves as well as those people claiming benefit or in work benefits. The Trussell Trust has reported last year a massive 1.4 million food parcels were given out by food banks the most ever provided. Lets add a few more important items since the introduction of Universal Credits and austerity, the UK is now seeing a rise in infant mortality rates, child poverty is rising to such an extent there is nearly 1 in 4 children living in it. Additionally the rise of elderly deaths due to poverty is now higher than it has been seen the second world war.  The Work Capability Assessments have led to 600 suicides and highlights how this government deals with the disabled.

The table below can be seen with others from Richard Murphy see link below

http://www.taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2016/03/13/the-conservatives-have-been-the-biggest-borrowers-over-the-last-70-years/

As mentioned in yesterday's BLOG making a dividing line between rich and poor will kill the prospects of a Labour win in this election even if the statistics are true and clear that poorer people the disabled, the elderly and even the working people die and the middle classes are being neglected. They are not represented by the Tories.  Whilst the wealth of the business classes always look to the Tories in search of support reducing their taxes and increasing their profits. Their big bucks get a voice and it is heard whereas the voting voice only gets heard when there's an election.  There is no apparent social conscience because the Tory's respect wealth and it influences every legal decision made in the House of Commons. The consequence is the streets of Britain are now lined with more homelessness and poverty than they have ever been before. Policies implemented by the Tories are creating the worst an most unequal society ever, which will continue to get worse than it is now if the Tories continue to remain in power. Tax avoidance and non payment is the game, as we all witness the largest multi-corporate companies making their money and not paying tax because the find a way to offset it against some other expenditure.

BREXIT has been a massive spanner thrown into the political works of government. And unfortunately it has become a contributing factor in the decision which are being made by MPs. Yet it was not necessary to have an election to cement BREXIT, for the EU does not care what the majority levels are of any government. They are only concerned with screwing the UK over as hard as they can. Rightly Tim Farron leader of the Liberal Democrats has highlighted how crazy the notion of BREXIT was, we all know Cameron's decision to bring about the referendum was to shut up his own Tory MPs and to give him a get out of jail card, for he was tired of government. Perhaps it must of been taking a toll on him telling all the lies he has.  BREXIT like the current pending election was for one thing, for the benefit of the Tories.  It should also be noted Tim Farron didn't want to remain in the EU but he could see the impact of being taken out of the EU was far worse than breaking free. It is sad to see how easily the electorate has been split by an issue which is likely to be based more on immigration that actually anything else. For immigrants are seen as the easy scape goat of blame rather than the party in power.

The first past the post system of of politics does not work. It would only be through some kind of proportional representation true political awareness and issues could come forward. But it's not going to happen. So to vote is to vote tactically, vote for that candidate who is more likely to be a stronger opposition to the Tories just to ensure the Tories are out of office than to split the votes into smaller segments which will ultimately no be represented at all.

The new Social Care paid by Council Tax

When listening to the Today Programme on Radio 4 during the week, the topic of social care and funding came up. The presenter began by using these very words "we are a rich country." Within a moment the red veil of anger descended, eyes rolled back and the persona of a pissed off person woke up the birth of my morning. Here is a fact we are not rich, we are a broken bankrupt country, but we just don't get it!  As mentioned in other blogs, the UK is £1.6 trillion pounds in debt and this equates to a personal debt of £25,000 for every single man, woman and child. So to say we are a rich nation is a lie, to say we should be able to fund good social care for the elderly is a lie. It's not going to happen. In the mean time those elderly who get only the basic pension £155.60 per week and many will complain they are unable to make ends meet, yet those on basic Job Seekers Allowance (single adults over 25 years of age) get £72.40 per week, and Employment Support Allowance (paid to those with can't work because of a disability) begins at £73.10 and then depending on circumstances can move to £109.30, these figures are subject to change because each individual claimant has different circumstances and may actually qualify for other benefits.  To put it simply those on subsistence level incomes provided by the state don't have a lot of money and are effectively living in poverty.  It also means if they are not working or have some kind of other income they are likely not paying taxes, certainly not direct taxes. Indirect taxes will be paid and no one can get away from them. Therefore as the population ages and it is about to be a very elderly country, how is social care for the elderly going to be financed? 

The Tory government have decided Local Authorities will fund social care for the elderly. Now it is necessary to understand what care is required and how much it is going to be. There are of course many different levels of social care. Some people like to be fearsomely independent, others have allowed themselves to become dependent, and others were just unfortunate to age badly and need help even though they would rather do it themselves.  This is not just elderly for lets not think it is just elderly people who need care it is people of all ages. Some are disabled, some are mentally ill and some are just in the system when they shouldn't be. In the worse case scenario, an individual who lives in their own home and needs 24 hours of care a day to help them sleep, eat, drink, and move about will have a care bill of about £100,000. This is just one person, now throw in a few more and it is not long before this figure starts to reach the millions mark. Again this does not count those who require different levels of personal care. So it is a fact, social care is very expensive, but at the same time the country can not afford it. The country can not afford anything which is not contributing to reducing the national debt. The country can not afford bed blocking elderly people for the costs of an NHS bed and support is even more expensive than 24 hour care for someone bedridden in their own home. How can this government come to the conclusion increasing Council Tax by 6% over the next two years will pay for all the necessary care needed?  It is a sticking plaster to a government which does not have any answers, a government which is proving to be incompetent on a daily basis.

What tests relationships and any personality is not when people live through good easy times, it is when they have to live through bad times. When they are confronted with a crisis, when responsibilities are piling up and pulling you left right and centre. When it is unrelenting and doesn't stop. It's the same for management of teams. When you have a great team of people who work hard then it's not necessary to actually tell them what to do, they will self organize and get on with it. They will support each other and management becomes easy. However, when your team is not a bunch of the sharpest tools in the box and the pressure is on, this is when management and personality come into play. Getting the best out of a bad team is about managing individuals and gaining each other's respect. It is more difficult than having an easy ride. Dealing with the least competent and bringing a fractious group together is real management and involves real skills.

What Local Authorities have just witnessed is the divergence of central government and worse still it is a Pontious Pilot washing of hands. If central government can defer responsibility to the LAs then it can justifiably say it was nothing to do with them. The Tory party can say they knew nothing, took no role in the collection of finances for social care and even say everything is fine. When it is not and more lies are fed to gullible people. Gullibility which is financed through media control and the best Tory owned media control as well. Local Authorities administer care for people in the community, they ensure carers are sent out, they keep an eye on finance and on quality. However, quality goes out of the window when costs go down. In an employers market then taking on carers to work in the community doesn't cost as much as qualified carers. People want jobs so it doesn't take much in the way of training to get them wiping arses, handling and moving people or making a sandwich. Caring has become a service industry with little in the way of standards. This is why the media is constantly full of horror stories. The government and LA's have been given no choice but to drive down caring costs as much as they possibly can. In doing so they help save tax payers money, because we are bankrupt. If the service users are affected by poor quality care then so what? It's cheap and at least they get a service. I bet  there are Tory supporters who are even part of a Harold Shipman supporters club and secret thank the murdering bastard for reducing care costs.

Those who pay Council Tax are not all residents in a borough. For this tax is only paid by the persons named on the bill, usually the ones with the highest interest in a property or the one who is living and renting the property. So unfairly it is just council tax charge payers which now foot the bill. Some people may get benefits or exemptions or discounts from their charge so they don't have to pay the full bill or any of it. To try and pay for social care by using this only mechanism to finance it is a little like stirring a pot of soup with a single chop stick. It will be ineffective and was not made for the job. Just as the financing for the NHS is now at rock bottom in comparison of what it is expected to do and the number of users trying to access it. Like the deficit social care must be financed and like the deficit the two are inextricably linked. It's now time this government put into place real Tax gathering laws ones which will return finances back to helping the country grow and care and educate itself. Lets start by hitting the big fish, Amazon, Google, Starbucks to name a few, and any other business which views this country as a walk over. Unfortunately the Tories don't really give a shit, because lets face it they can afford the best care in the world but it doesn't matter about everyone else.

Wake up Britain find out how much is your debt hole!

Politics is a wonderful, crazy, infuriating thing. Any adult who does not have an interest in politics is in my mind suffering from a self imposed lobotomy, probably done with a knitting needle in a back room while watching soap TV and not giving a care about the results but having a hell of a good moan about it when they don't have money in their pocket to pay for their next cup of tea. Consequently lets move onto the next biggest thing facing the lobotomised community of the UK, it's the budget deficit.

The UK has a budget deficit fact. But not a lot of people know that, fact. A lot of people understand the UK is in debt but they really don't fully grasp the notion of how much and how this really has an affect on them. It's those pesky lobotomisers again you might say and possibly be right. Further when the government talks of deficit the definition of deficit doesn't hit home either. To make it clear, the deficit is the total value of all debt the UK has. How much? Well, the UK debt mountain or rather the UK debt hole stands at 1.6 trillion British pounds. Again what does this mean, what does a trillion look like in numbers?  Everyone knows what a million is but do they appreciate the enormity of a trillion? Such is the question.  Well I checked it up and one trillion is:

Yes, it has twelve zeros added to it. So the UK debt is:

£1,600,000,000,000

Yet in real terms it is 99.99% of the UK population still doesn't understand how much this is, the reason why is because it is not put into personal terms. So lets make it personal, lets make it very personal and imagine this debt was transferred to every single adult and child in the UK then what would the figure look like, per person? This means finding out the total population of the UK and then dividing it into this £1.6 trillion to give a personal debt level for each and every person.

The current population level as given by http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/uk-population/ is today slightly over 65 million people i.e.

65,280,902 UK population

So here is the math:

£1,600,000,000,000 / 65,280,902 = £25,509

Consequently at this moment in time every man, woman and child owes £25,509 of debt and if they were to pay this up right away we'd no longer be in recession and have a zero balance sheet. We could get all the services we wanted provided we were willing to pay the appropriate tax levels which supplies those services. More generally that everybody in some way was willing to work. Which might be difficult for some groups of people, especially those who are frail, infirm, disabled etc. Lets say we now adjust this figure and be generous to state the population who are unable to work is probably about 20 million. This is a very rough guestimate figure and it may be wrong. So making this adjustment the new revised personal debt level of all those who are able to work and should be contributing to society changes to this adjusted math:

£1,600,000,000,000 / 45,280,902 = £35,335

So there we are! This is the real debt of those people who can work in the UK and should be working and should be paying in order to move the deficit into the black rather than it be settled in the red. Yet were Job Bloggs to be approached in the street he would not accept this debt. Yet at the same time he would take help if he went into a NHS hospital needing an operation. He'd walk on the paths, use the roads, sit and wait for the fire brigade to come if his home was burning down and then arrange support from social services to look after a frail relative needing extra care.

Wake up Britain you are responsible for your debts.

So what does the future hold? This is a tough question to answer, because the number of variables are infinite. No country is an island, although technically Britain is an Island, we are global machines of trade and commerce and as such are also affected by those nations around us. Individually, we could emigrate to Germany which is probably the richest nation in the world and get guaranteed health care and social support through the rest of our lives. This option is only available while in Europe and though joking has actually an element of realism to it.

There is a saying which goes along the lines of, if you keep going on the path you are then you will end up where you are heading. With this in mind the UK's future would suggest a catastrophic bankruptcy of the nation and of living standards. In a few decades it could mean only the rich can get health care, only the rich can be buried, only rich can afford comfortable living conditions because quite frankly the rest of us are fucked.

Amazon, they don't just screw the Taxman

Here is one of those bugbears which can make you go absolutely crazy and demand real justice. It's one of the most loved internet shopping sites in the world, Amazon. In the last few days it has come to be found of over four billion pounds of sales, the actual tax paid by Amazon was about 0.1 %, and it received more in the way of UK government grants than it paid in tax. This is one of the biggest growing companies in the world and they screw over the Taxman. Now when it is a run of the mill ordinary individual who manages to get away without paying a little tax, you might think well good for them. As long as this is not an everyday thing they do, as long as it is proportionate. But celebrities, rock stars, comedians, footballers, actors who do it, well they deserve the full weight of the law against them.  In a similar sense the same should happen with Amazon.  But this isn't new news, it had been common knowledge for some time, but the enormous scale of tax avoidance they are using means this is not just despicable, it is a wanton criminal act.

It is tax which pays for the services to the country. Tax pays for hospitals, fire  brigades, doctors, nurses, police, local amenities, such as parks and play grounds for children. Tax helps pay for Universities, it is through tax the jobless and disabled get welfare benefits given to them and because of tax pensioners have a state retirement pension. So when I purchase goods of Amazon I am effectively getting a slightly cheaper item but taken into account the tax which is not being paid and hence the profits Amazon is making, I am losing out. The country is losing out, every child, man, woman who uses a service which has been paid by taxpayers money loses out. Amazon are not just screwing the tax-man they are defecating on every ordinary individual who buys goods from them. By getting grants from the government higher than the tax they pay Amazon is in effect participating in legalised immoral theft. So Amazon, do you think the public will let you get away with it?

This is a pertinent question.  Personally since December 2012, I have not purchased a single item of Amazon. I've checked over my last year's worth of bank statements, as I didn't have much to do at the time, and there nearly every month there had been some kind of purchase through Amazon.  In the last year these purchases were over a thousand pounds.  I am just one individual. Now if this were to be multiplied by a few more individuals Amazon would find it does not pay to shit at the same table you eat from, which they now do everyday.  The last book I bought I got through a high street shop a couple of weeks ago. Now I intend to use high street shops or UK proper tax paying businesses for any purchase I'd of normally bought through Amazon.

My advice.  Don't just sit there and click on their web site, get up, go out, and spend your money somewhere else. It might cost a couple of quid more, but in the whole scheme of things it will be money spent to support your own country, not to furnish the pockets of an organization which allegedly is based in Luxembourg.