The Budget for poverty George Osborne strikes

I used to get excited about budgets, wondering who the winners and losers would be, hoping that I would be in the former category. Of course what is given with one hand is taken with another, I’ve learned that over the years.

The first budget of the new Tory government was different. It was not a budget for growth, despite what Osborne claimed. The air punching from Duncan-Smith and grins from Cameron said it all, the Tories were going to do what we all knew they would do......hammer the poor into submission. The ex Bullingdon Club boys have finally had their day, and no doubt celebrated with expensive champagne as families up and down the country, especially those who are unable to read between the lines of the right wing press, groaned with fear.

Political allegiances aside, I am unashamedly socialist. This has more to do with my religious convictions than political theories. I believe in equality, liberty and freedom. At the same time I believe in responsibility as well.

There is always something to whinge about after every budget. I’m not whingeing, I expected nothing less from these right wing, out of touch lunatics. Rather I am very concerned. Firstly, an increase in the minimum wage – sounds great on paper and I can see the logic. Employers pay more, and so the state ends up paying less in tax credits. Good plan Mr. Osborne, however there is a flaw, a big flaw. Many employers don’t have the resources to raise hourly rates to such an extent. The result in many cases will be a reduction in working hours, more zero hours contracts or at worse redundancies. Yes, of course there are laws to protect all these things, but many employers find ways around them.

Then there is of course the rule that from 2017, except in exceptional circumstances, claimants for tax credits or Universal Credits will be restricted to a pay out based on two children only. I hear the Daily Mail celebrating loudly !

Finally, the cycle of young women getting themselves pregnant by as many men as possible to claim as much benefit as possible is coming to an end (the Daily Mail take on things NOT mine) ....the poor have been restricted, short of making it law that anyone claiming tax credits can only have two children, this is the closest Osborne can get. If you have a nice house in rural Buckinghamshire and a good salary you can fill your bedrooms with as many children as you can produce, because of course it’s you, and not the state that are paying for them.

Now I am not suggesting that the state should pay to bring up our children, however today’s children are tomorrow’s future and so there should be a corporate investment in them. Parents do need to take responsibility and it is important to bring a child into this world with at least some sort of plan for the child’s future security. BUT, and it’s a big but, life isn’t always like that. I have experienced a scenario first hand that will cause mayhem in 2017. A child on the way, good prospects and then, something beyond my control went wrong. Thank God there was a safety net in the form of a few quid from the state, just to tide us over until things were brighter.

People claiming tax credits are some of the poorest and most hard working people in the country. Many are unskilled and have little prospect of increasing their earnings save taking on yet another part time job that erodes family life and increases stress and mental health issues. Children need a balance between financial security and love.

Mummy and Daddy working so many hours that there is no time for interaction and love can lead to just as many social issues as living in poverty. Of course there will be the issue of unplanned pregnancies – no form of contraception is 100% safe. A rise in abortions, and I suspect a rise in children being taken into care. All this will cost the state even more, and the emotional cost will be even higher, a cost that will leave huge scars for future generations. But of course, the Bullingdon Club Alumni have had their little day – they have hammered the poor at last. The smug grins from the government benches were akin to the smirks from bullies who know that they have won. Won they might have, for a while, there is little any of us can do but express our distaste. Eventually every government is brought to its knees by the ballot box, or the voices on ordinary people protesting on the streets. I suspect it will be the latter that sends this lot on their way, but by then the damage will already have been done.

#2015budget #ukgovernment #childpoverty #injustice