FFS, the man only became PM today. Already there has been scaremongering in the press in relation to (unannounced) policies, huge headlines about how the South of England feel he does not represent them (heaven forbid, those of outside the southeast and London have lived with this for decades, but being the troglodytes we are this is apparently okay).
This is the 7th PM since David Cameron came into power since 2010 and totally destroyed and divided this country through his austerity programme (which most studies of any merit conclude did more harm than good to our economy) and then his arrogant decision to take the country to the Brexit referdum- which actually was a vote against austerity- let's blame it on immigration (enter Farage).
This country is fucked. It is like a ponzi scheme in which our young people are being expected to prop up everyone. As my wonderful dad acknowledged, his age group had the best of everything re the welfare state and nhs. The vision at the time was that this would support people out of poverty and we all would benefit. But the world changes and the increasing move to neoliberalsim in a county which a completely stranger to meritocracy means that we have seen the gap between rich and poor grow larger and larger.
As one of the richest nations in the world, their is absolutely no reason that children should live in poverty, and parents have to access food banks etc. The disgusting narrative and division is caused by the sustained negative attacks on those that need to claim benefits, driven by right wing agenda, shows us up as a nation. Lots of these families are actually working, but the state has to substitute low wages because we have allowed businesses to get away with it.
Yes mumsnet is full of threads about how much family's are 'raking in' undeserved benefits, which is odd. Because I work in Child Protection and over the last decade, unless there is a parent drug dealing, all I have seen is increasing poverty and children suffering as a result. And also all services being totally cut because council budgets have been cut by millions year on year. Also, lots of essential services were privitised under the last government. My LA has to fight for placements for vulnerable children, at the low end £5000 a week, for the most vulnerable easily £20 000. Let's not pretend the staff working in these places are well qualified or earning big bucks, the investors are including many from overseas. This is your council tax being spent to make people richer.
Birth is a lottery. The increased nationalism and xenophobia in the UK is hateful. This is a nation built on immigration and the current trend to hatred and mistrust is really worrying for those of us who have roots outside the UK. Many of us have families who escaped persecution and warfare and have made homes here and contributed hugely to the UK. I think most people would do the same if they just happened to have been born in a war zone. Putting up some flags on a lamppost is not really contributing to your society.
So this is a long essay, but there are a couple of sayings. One is that you get the government you vote for, not so much this one as the level of scrutiny and hatred from the press compared to the last lot is pretty telling. People kept the last government in power for 14 years whilst they stripped away the welfare state, bankrupted councils through underfunding (all social care, adult and children's services is provided at local level), privitised essential and statutory services such as children and adults care homes so their mates made money etc. Then there was the whole Brexit shitshow which saw us leave the biggest free trading block in the world. Then we had arguably the biggest benefit giveaway ever during covid, again whilst their mates made loads of money through PPE contracts etc. That is without even touching the no 10 parties, Liz truss crashing the economy etc. etc.
The second saying is that you can tell a lot about a country in the way it treats it most vulnerable. I have little hope that as a nation we are even close to this discussion. A starting point would maybe to allow the new PM a chance and allow some grown up discussions about what needs to change rather than blaming those at the bottom for decades of under investment and social change