Sunday 21 June 2015

THE DEAR PEREGRIN LETTERS

Peregrin,

I'm determined not to waste a second in delivering our manifesto commitments.

So since the election, we have:

1. Brought forward plans to help families who want to work hard and get on by giving 30 hours' free childcare to working parents of three- and four-year-olds

2. Announced new plans to turn all failing schools into Academies and to make sure all children study key academic subjects, so they get the skills they need

3. Carried on backing businesses so they can keep creating jobs - with 2 million more people in work since 2010

4. Announced important measures to cut down on waste in the NHS, so that every penny goes on getting patients the best possible treatments

5. Continued to help people secure a home of their own, with over 100,000 families now helped onto the housing ladder through our Help to Buy scheme

6. Introduced the Referendum Bill to Parliament to give everyone in Britain a say before the end of 2017


We will keep working through our plan to create more security and opportunity in our country - and, with your help, we can secure a brighter future for everyone in Britain.


Thank you,







Ah what a joy to get a "Dear Peregrin" letter from the prime minister of  the UK, even if this time he left off the "dear". (I fear he may be coming a little cross with me, as I have despite many letters, resisted the temptation to either send him money or join his party.)

As far as the points in the letter are concerned:

Numbers 1, 2 and 4  have nothing to do with Scotland. Why would I want to fund them? In any case, employers have recently called for people to study more practical subjects at school. Not every job really requires "academic" qualifications. And it's fair to say that most commentaries that I have read on the health service suggest that there are not enough doctors or nurses to staff the English health service, and not nearly enough money for what is required. Additionally the government seems hell bent on selling it off to anyone who wants to buy it regardless of their competence. 

Number 3 is hardly an achievement of this government. The 2 million he claims is a (dubious) result of the coalition. In any case, time after time that figure has been disputed. Many of the jobs are for nothing more than a few hours per week, or are commission only; most of them are low paid posts that require tax credits or housing benefits of some sort to make them at all viable. At the same time they have rid us of many highly paid jobs.

Number 5 again seems to me to be an achievement that dates back to the coalition. They haven't got 100,000 families buying houses in the last month.
Note to Miliband: This is how to eat poor people's disgusting
food in an elegant fashion.
Finally the referendum bill is undisputed, and a good thing too. I congratulate them on its introduction. Just remember though, all the things they said about a referendum in Scotland going on and on and causing uncertainty.  What did them call it? 'Neverendum' wasn't it? I'd just remind them that the end of 2017 is a long way off.  

The Conservatives might add to their list of achievements that they are about to cut another £12 billion from the most vulnerable people in the country. We don't know how that will impact, because IDS has managed so far to get away with keeping secret how many people his current cuts have killed.

Maybe he'd like to come to the food bank with me tomorrow and see how much of a bright future he is creating for some of Britain's population!
Perhaps something a little more approaching reality, is this?
Or maybe we are just viewing the achievements from a
non-Eton and Oxford viewpoint
I'm wondering what it is he thinks that his party and my money can build together in "this country" (presumably England). Crematoria?

Final Note: The letter is copied verbatim. Errors are the author's, not Munguin's.

26 comments:

  1. Austerity is a political ideology nothing else as it has nothing to do with financial matters other than transferring yet even more wealth to the richest in society on the backs of the many. A modern day fascism is how I would describe it.

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    1. Indeed. Many say it makes the economy worse.

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  2. The Tories are desperate to raise cash through cuts and selling off anything they can before the anticipated hike in interest rates hits their debt mountain repayment plan.
    Borrowing for HM government is about to become much more expensive.

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    1. Yeah, it can;t be put off much longer. According to some the bubble is close to bursting and this time will make 2008 look like a day out. See Max Keisler...

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  3. The Tory solution is cut, cut, cut and sell, sell, sell. The Conservatives do have a number of MPs who are successful business people, but the those who have influence have all been born into money, rather than earning it. They don't have a clue about business.


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    1. Their theory appears to be "trickle down", which is a good theory...in theory!

      Of course in practice it doesn't work, because the people who make the money so often don't spend it in any way that benefits ordinary people. They eat in restaurants where a glass of tap water costs £15, and wine may be £2000 a bottle...but where the staff are only paid just above minimum wage, or they weekend in Paris or Barcelona, Reykjavik or Rome.

      And the tax that they would be expected to pay, which might trickle down in the form of services, they pay rich accountants to avoid.

      I wish they would sell off the BBC.

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  4. Tris

    The sad thing is that the vast majority of the media will neither challenge or report this rubbish spouted by the Tories. We are also only at the start and I must admit if you are poor, vulnerable, unemployed, or sick you will be dreading GO's budget in July where I suspect that the austerity ideology will be ramped up big time. They have five free years to do the utmost damge to anyone not in their club and even if there is a chance to inflict a defeat on them Labour will sit on their hands and no doubt the Liberal Democrats also.

    We will also have their civil war over europe dominating everything as this year and next moves on and no doubt those in real need will be lost in the malee and in Scotland Labour will continue to sing the SNP bad mantra and Willie Rennie will shout for someone to resign over something. Still I must admit their is the sick part of me, the part that loves politics that is interested in seeing where it all goes, how much will this country take, how defeated are we by the system.

    Interesting if somewhat depressing times.

    Bruce

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    1. I certainly don't disagree with any of that Bruce... and, a bit like you, I wonder just how far these people can push the poor before something snaps.

      It's undoubtedly true that they are pushing austerity for ideological purposes, not economic ones. It hasn't worked; it doesn't work.

      If you want your economy to grow, why would you reduce the amount that ordinary people have to spend, by depressing wages and removing benefits.

      It's a given that they don't care about the suffering of the lower classes but surely they can see that if the poor don't have anything to spend, they won't spend anything; won't buy anything.from the business classes.

      Oh well...

      How far can they push people before they say "Enough".

      As for Scotland... we have a good leader. I doubt if Labour will elect a good leader. With respect Willie Rennie is pretty rubbish, and Ruth , although she has moments of decency, isn't up to much.

      That the Tories are catching up with Labour is less to do with the Tories doing well, and more to do with Labour doing badly, I'd suggest.

      Labour has to look very carefully at itself. It is not the SNP to blame for the fact that their vote collapsed. Maybe if they started blaming themselves and stopped saying SNP bad, they would win back some support.

      Maybe if they told London Labour to go to hell and started proposing Scottish left of centre policies, they would get on better.

      The constant barrage of SNP BAD didn't work then. It won;t work in the future, and I reckon that now, even when the SNP is doing bad stuff, no one will listen to Labour's whines.

      The boy who cried "Wolf".

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  5. They're Tories, doing what Tories do, that is; shit on the many, to please the few. Sadly, Labour mimic them, that's why they're dead in the water, and it's why the bad bad bad (as the MSM and unionist trolls, hello Nico) SNP, are so popular, they (the SNP) are trying to help the "huddled masses".

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    1. Yes....

      Dear Labour

      Whist I hesitate to help out the opponents, I feel obliged to point out to you that it might be an idea to try doing something to help people who are hurting after 5 years of the Tories, and with 5 years of the Tories to come.

      Wings had a really good article on it the other day.

      Signed Munguin.

      As for Nico, I'm a bit worried about him. It's not like him to disappear for this long.

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    2. http://wingsoverscotland.com/the-arithmetic-of-aspiration/

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    3. I read that (the Wings article) earlier. Nico is a bit quiet, hope he and his family are OK.

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    4. If you're still out there somewhere Nico...get in touch.

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    5. I'm a bit behind the times, I was at my sisters house for a family get together at the weekend. No interweb for me, good weekend though.
      It turns out, I'm to be a grandfather, my son and his girlfriend are having a bairn. Arlene, as you can imagine, is over the moon, and I've got to admit, I'm pretty chuffed too.

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    6. Hey... Congratulations to you both from Munguin and me.

      Excellent news. Grandad Jim!!!

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    7. Thanx,Tris. Though Arlene's calling me "grumpa", like Bruce; I'm kinda grumpy too.

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    8. Ha ha... How she gonna like being Gran?

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    9. She's really liking the idea, of being a granny.

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    10. Pass on our congratulations please, Jim.

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  6. Here's a laugh. I just got another message from Cameron.

    Today David Cameron set out our plan for extending opportunity in Britain – by focusing on strong families, a great education system and a welfare system that encourages well-paid work.

    Who is he kidding and what is he on?

    Here's the video that came with it. I only managed to watch "I'm here at a..." before the nausea overcome me adnI had to put it off.

    Just in case anyone has a stronger stomach than I do...

    Ha ha ... a welfare system that encourages well paid work... comic genius.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gl6CYttZKr8

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  7. I get email updates from all the main political parties as I like to see what crap is coming out!

    Here's my suggestion for Call-Me-Dave......... (in no particular order)

    Build social housing before introducing help for first time buyers. Social housing will allow those who are clobber by the Bedroom tax to move into suitable accommodation, and allow the families stuck in B&B's to have their own proper housing. That will reduce the cost of payments to B&Bs, and additional costs to the NHS caused by putting disabled and stressed people under more pressure to move.

    Stop interfering with education. Every time a politician gets involved in education policy, things get screwed up. And to be fair, ALL bloody parties are the same. By all means have professional oversight, but listen to the professionals who know what they are doing.

    Have a flat rate of tax for all except the lowest paid, who should be exempt. However tax avoidance / evading tax should be a criminal offence, and there should be no loopholes. If everyone paid the same rate, you will have already clawed back billions.

    Get PFI out of all public services. Have a law so that private companies running a service must justify any cost which is obviously too expensive. Have a cap on all payments.

    Stop bonus schemes within government funded departments, as only a certain percentage of employees are eligible. Channel the money into wage rises so everyone is treated fairly.

    Reform the House of Lords so that all members are elected freely. Have some additional members who are selected based on professional experience and qualifications. These individuals must not have any political connections past or present.

    Sorry, away in rant mode here but Cameron irritates the hell out of me. I don't give a damn about how much money someone has, but I hate it when they become patronising gits.

    Wonder if I should email Cameron with my suggestions.......

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    1. Well. I agree with all of them... but i think you'd be wasting your time sending them to him.

      That is worth an article in itself...

      You should write one.... :)

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    2. Building Social housing, now where would those Tory Landlords get their money. I would like to say that thanks to the Scottish Government who pushed for new social housing, and unsaleable housing at that to be built Scotland is at least trying. I know we would have been in dire straights when we first got married without Livingston New Town and their house.
      I agree with not interfering somewhat in Education but here in Scotland the EIS is labour run with an agenda which is frankly terrifying in that causing trouble seems to be all they are good for.
      Listening to my friend and my Brother in Law the other week about things, my Niece who is a very bright child, but is a terrible writer, my Bro in Law was told not to worry about it as she will spend her day in Secondary on the computer. My Friend is head of department in a Secondary School who told him this is absolute rubbish and her writing needs to be improved as she will lose marks if it is unreadable. So it would appear that Primary School is not working with the Secondary Sector.
      No sure about the flat rate tax, look at the mess we were in with the Poll Tax and that was more or less flat rate, the council tax is not much better. Still working out how I have moved into a two bedroom bungalow and am paying the same as a three bedroom house, both detached?
      PFI, time Government said enough is enough and use the old, no government is bound by it's predecessors.
      Oh yes stop bonus payment, I no longer work in that. Was used in our instance to pay increases in wages, also time and study.
      Sorry Abolish the HoL and institute a proper upper chamber, one which is fully elected. Get shot of calling people Lord this or Lady that, easy we are all Lords and Ladies.

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    3. Wouldn't that be a brilliant way to spike their aristocratic guns if we all called each other Lord and lady. Munguin, despite being a republican quite likes the idea of being Lord Munguin!!!

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