Westminstenders: The Mask is Slipping

[RedToothBrush]

This week has seen the department of the Chancellor who launched a 50p piece, the serious contemplation of a tin pot bridge, the rebirth of eugenics as a subject for cabinet, the announcement of the end of the BBC as we know it, the cabinet chanting after the PM in a way Orwell would be proud of, suppression of a report into trade deals which dares to mention the effect of distance and geography, worrying signs of an ever growing rift with Europe over negotiations for a deal, an appointment which starts to make our membership of the ECHR look very dodgy and there have been rather a lot of floods which so far seemed to have escaped the attention of those in London busy in their own swamp.

It's becoming apparent very quickly just how Trump like our new government are and how they want the UK to emulate the very worst aspects of America.

We are falling fast and its not looking like it will be pretty.

All we need is a major global issue to test our national resilience and the incompetence will truly be laid bare for us all to see... But not necessarily speak of. Such us the way it works.

Brexit Britain is not a nice looking prospect.

RTB
I assume I'm one of Patels "inactive" persons.
Except....
Dh works away a fair bit so most childcare is down to me.
I look after my elderly, frail mum. Saving the taxpayer £££
I also have 2 pretty full on voluntary jobs which make a real, quantifiable difference to vulnerable local people.
So patel and her right wing ilk can kiss my arse.

I am also one of the economically inactive . I am interested to know how Priti Useless Patel is going to force me back to work too...

What are "discouraged workers"?

It's a whole, very interesting possibly separate discussion. Bringing in the issues of those caring (children, disabled, elderly), those volunteering (maybe because they want to, or because there are no suitable paid opportunities), or those who don't 'fit' the locally available jobs.

I'm 58, I won't be picking fruit. I am overqualified for every job locally. So I see it as down to me to pick up more freelance work as and when I can, and accept that my income fluctuates.

How does she intend to get the 'economically inactive' from point A (home) to point B (their place of skilling up)?

Do they all have cars?

And how are parents taking care of children in the home or adults taking care of elderly parents 'economically inactive'? They are saving the government a mint in childcare fees and elder care. Maybe they should be given a decent stipend and their categorisation changed.

Its not quite as true as it was last year, but DH's job made it near impossible for me to work. I would have to find something in school hours, which paid more than childcare and was close enough so I didn't have extra worry of time commuting.

When DH doesn't work he spends a lot of time volunteering in the community. I help facilitate that. He couldn't do it, if I didn't run around doing everything else.

On paper I do nothing. In practise its rather different. Economically inactive is a term which doesn't value the work that many people do unpaid which supports others in various ways.

Discouraged worker: In economics, a discouraged worker is a person of legal employment age who is not actively seeking employment or who does not find employment after long-term unemployment. This is usually because an individual has given up looking or has had no success in finding a job, hence the term "discouraged".

These are the people who the Daily Mail seem to think make up a huge percentage of those who don't work. Real percentage being less than half a percentage. I think these are the ones Patel thinks need training and to get jobs to solve our turnip picking problem.

red Priti Vacant only really means those on benefits

Noone in a high income household would ever be targeted

She or her SPAD may be the OP in the AIBU thread about forcing 1 million unemployed to do care work

• no suggestion there about conscripting any SAHM with a high-earning spouse

Well I'm buggered if I'm picking turnips or anything else - back is fucked, so that's out the window. Priti Fucking Useless Patel can fuck right off with her 'economically inactive' without whom the world would grind to a halt.

She doesn't say so, of course
but we all know the Tories will target the poor

Our school dinners were cooked offsite, as we had no space for kitchens (despite having a fleet of mobile classrooms). That was the baby boom for you. Everything with mash. Then custard. Except for the days when "salad" was on the menu. Slices of luncheon meat and things that crunched. On salad days I went hungry

There were no school dinners whatsoever in Ireland. You brought your own lunch. Many schools don't even have a common area in which to eat.

A pilot scheme is under way to test the concept.
www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/hot-school-meals-for-all-a-solid-start-in-battle-against-child-poverty-1.4014899

I live 20 mins drive (on a good day) from the nearest town. The bus is once an hour and takes 45mins. Good luck getting a job if you have kids at school and don't have a car.

I volunteer at DS's school one morning a week (at least). They are currently desparate for parents to help, but are finding it increasingly difficult as the house prices in the area have gone up, meaning that the percentage of houses where both parents have full time professional jobs has gone up. So the problem is worst is with the youngest classes.

Last week, as I was leaving I was collared to help out on a local trip as one year group had no parent volunteers yet for the trip. Its not my sons year, but I still said yes as I figure it helps him indirectly. If they can't find enough help for trips then they will stop them all.

but we all know the Tories will target the poor

Shes a nasty piece of work

She thinks that people on minimum wage are lazy and dont want to work

So fuck knows what she thinks of the unemployed!

The only way the govt have of forcing people to do those jobs is by stopping any benefits they receive

So people not on benefits can't be touched

• unless she is planning some kind of compulsory national service for all 18-66 year olds (which is too batshit even for her)

She doesn't say so, of course but we all know the Tories will target the poor

I wouldn't mind betting that it's the poorer ones in the community who are already doing more than their share of the unpaid caring work. I don't know how old Johnson's children are but I wonder how much baby sitting he did when they were young?

(which is too batshit even for her

I admire your optimism

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Examiner

The conservative rag that published Daniel Hannan's mendacious opinion piece on SF's election success in Ireland.

Strangely predictable bedfellows.

Priti Vacant said the economically inactive. Not merely the unemployed.

I'm assuming the sick and disable are included in this 'lazy' narrative because they are on benefits.

You say that the SAHM with a high earner spouse isn't included. I think you are right, but she certainly didn't just mean the unemployed.

I wouldn't be surprised if there is an intention to cut the number of economically inactive by reducing the number of students too.

She thinks you are lazy even if you are actually working!

But yes i agree with the inactive and unemployed comments

I wonder what she thinks of the current Prime Minister then?

is it ok to say she's a complete cunt? There are not many people I actively loathe, but suffice to say most are in this govt, whether elected or merely 'advisors'.

I think that she gives cunts a bad name tbh...
Dreadful, dreadful woman.
But oddly fitting for our brave new Brexit albion*

*only the rich need apply

I'm another economically inactive. Two preschoolers, small age gap. I'm a teacher. No way am I working under current pay and conditions to spend it all on wrap around childcare. Instead we get by on dh's wage and that's that. I do voluntary work twice a week. For one occasion I actually pay for younger to go to preschool to give me time to volunteer. But Priti probably doesn't care about that, I imagine I'm a real disappointment, what with that teaching recruitment and retention crisis they've created.

No Priti doesn't just mean the unemployed - it's the AIBU OP who specifically wanted them forced to become care workers

The OP may not be Priti, after all

I wonder if this is step 1 in cutting benefits to the longterm sick, disabled and unempoyed ?

and the Cummings clique may want them on forced longterm contraception too