26 January 2012

What A Week For The Welfare State.

I was dumbfounded yesterday to hear they had voted to do away with the social fund, as I've explained before this is essential for people on benefits as the money we receive to live on does not cover clothing and new appliances etc, we have to get a "budgeting loan" which we pay back for these items. And in the event of a crisis like benefits not turning up because of computer errors or other emergencies "crisis loans" are essential, and these are also paid back.
I'm also dumbfounded by the complete lack of attention the media seem to be paying to this, it's an incredibly serious situation, desperate vulnerable people will be driven to loan sharks and crime by this.
Once the changes actually go through I don't know what me and my partner are going to do next time we need something too expensive to afford out of our fortnightly benefit money. There has been no talk of what will replace the social fund, what on earth are we supposed to do in the meantime? Go without clothes and basic home appliances like a fridge and cooker that everyone takes for granted? And what about in the event of a crisis? Should we just lay down and die like they appear to want us too?
Here's a theory on what they are trying to do, and believe me it's not that unlikely either, remember the state needs crime to wield it's power over to try to win votes. Before the Condems came to power crime was at it's lowest rates since the 80's. They are clearly trying to force people even further into poverty and therefore to commit more crimes, this will make society worried about crime again, so come election time they can claim they will get "tough on crime" to win votes. Hopefully other parties will point out crime was dropping yearly before they came into power.anyway, and not just join in with the "tough on crime" approach.
I agree with Bendy Girl when she says society must be "Hallucinating through the round window" in some kind of opiate haze to allow these things to happen without a word. People really have to stand up and say something before it's too late and we end up with no welfare sate whatsoever.

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