Two months ago we had a general election. Today George Osborne will reveal to the less than 25% of the electorate who gave his party a majority, what they actually voted for. The Conservatives pointedly refused to discuss where or how they'd find £12 billion of welfare cuts. We will also find out whether this will fund a tax cut for the mega rich. The Conservative campaign was all about persuading people that the other lot were dangerous. After the most dishonest election in history, we are now allowed to remove the mask and see who we went to bed with. The first warning signs are ominous, with cancellation of major rail infrastructure projects and Heathrow expansion. The wealthy backers, who bankrolled the campaign want payback.
What sort of a society are we, where we punish the poorest, forcing them to use foodbanks, and watching homelessness spiral, purely to fund tax cuts for the very richest members of society? The government claims it wants to reward hard work, but those who have to work hardest - those working long hours on minimum wages, get nothing from this government.
I was speaking to one of the local Priests at a Church in Mill Hill recently. He wryly commented that ten years ago, his primary concern was the making sure he said a nice mass for the congregation. Now he lies awake at night worrying that the foodbank collection is well supported and that members of the congregation will be supportive of initiatives for the homeless that the Church is organising. We have seen a massive social change. It is not a good one and I for one never saw any party promise us foodbanks and homelessness. Elections have become exercises in deceit.
The sad truth is that what we pretend is a democracy is a disgrace.
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