Posts by Billy Enright

  • Hard News: Yes we canny,

    The point highlighted in Gordon Campbell's anayisis that I found most disturbing was:

    At the other end of the income scale, the tax advantages to those on low and middle incomes has occurred in a climate of ongoing neglect of beneficiaries. Sure the tax threshold changes will help some of them - but this doesn’t justify the reductions in some key beneficiary areas. The amounts allocated for sickness benefits, widows benefits, unemployment benefits, and most outrageously special circumstances assistance have all been reduced.

    I am yet to see any other coverage of this. Cullen's speech emphasised the fairness of the Labour government. A reduction in benefits at a time seems chronically unfair. Especially when we can be fairly certain of increased unemployment in the short to medium term.
    It's great to see an improvement for pensioners but the neglect of other beneficiaries really seems to buy into the victorian division between the deserving and undeserving poor.
    The media emphasis on individual responses to the budget attests to the triumph of 90's rhetoric. Where is the concept of us all being in this together? It seems such a hopelessly outdated approach in the face of climate change, the end of cheap oil, and growing inequality.

    Since May 2008 • 1 posts Report Reply