It’s been revealed that the uptake in charitable food
handouts in Britain
has tripled recently. Oxfam (yes,
the Oxfam)
says that government welfare cuts have gone too far and true destitution is now
rearing its ugly head in the poorer areas of the country. The government
department responsible for making the cuts responded – rather wittily for a government
department, it has to be said – by saying that benefit reforms are 'designed to
improve the lives of poor people.' (Note the predictable euphemism, by the way.
What everybody else calls ‘cuts’ because that’s what they are, the government
chooses to call ‘reforms’ because that’s what the comfortably off like to hear.)
It’s really quite astonishing that people in positions of
power, and being paid salaries to match, can make statements that are so
mind-bogglingly crass and so dangerously inflammatory. I really do worry that
we won’t make it through the next two years without serious social
insurrection, and it won’t be pleasant.
Meanwhile, there are rumours of contingency plans afoot to
turn Botany Bay back into a penal colony, just in case the odd rapscallion or
two takes it into his head to steal a couple of apples from Tesco to feed the
kids. Nothing like getting back to the good old days, eh?
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