Keeping in Touch.

It’s local election time again on Thursday so it isn’t much of a surprise to see those familiar red, blue and yellow coloured leaflets popping through letterboxes across the country, each one attempting to persuade us all to vote for so-and-so in any way possible.

My local area has predominantly been Liberal Democrat territory for many a year both in both local and national level. Andrew Stunell has been the local MP for 15 years now and they’ve controlled the local council for a very long while with my councillor in particular being a Lib Dem too. His name is Dave Goddard and he’s the leader of Stockport Council.

Now, I’ve voted Lib Dem at every single local election in the past but on Thursday my cross will not be going into Goddard’s box. Not because the Lib Dems voted in favour of the student fee increase, though that would usually be a good enough reason, but because the communications representing his campaign are disgusting.

The Nanny State Schools.

The public sector strikes are on the horizon again with little chance of being resolved by Wednesday.

The public sector workers have been losing support as time has gone on; largely thanks to the government’s unfair analysis of them. They claim the public sector are being irresponsible by striking when talks are still on-going. The thing is the talks haven’t moved in months.

Striking is the only right workers in Britain have left and they wouldn’t be doing it if they didn’t feel so strongly about the unfairness of the reform. It’s not a case of total disagreement; it’s about the severity of cuts and the devaluation of their roles.

The Heavy Hand of the Law.

Tomorrow there will be a massive student protest in London. They will be protesting against the massive tuition fee hike they’re set to pay in 2012 which leaves them at least £27,000 in debt before they’ve even started their working life.

Tories and other unaffected citizens will no doubt condemn them for protesting. “Just take it on the chin” they’ll say. I wonder if they’d take £9,000 a year leaving their bank accounts on the chin. To be fair, some of them are so rich they probably would.

Rioters: They’re not big, and they’re certainly not clever.

Being British can be embarrassing at the best of times but this week has taken it to a whole new level. For no real reason a bunch of morons have decided to riot across England, looting and leaving a path of destruction in their wake.

All of this started when a man possessing a gun in London was shot by police. During a peaceful protest from that man’s family on the streets where he died, some thugs hijacked it and started rioting. It spread, not just across London, but across England, with riots being started in Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, Gloucester amongst others.

Deal or Deal.

The government is currently on a slashing spree. Desperately clawing back every penny they can in order to get us out of recession and get our economy growing. It was revealed today that Steve Hilton, one of David Cameron’s policy advisors, came out with some ridiculous ideas in a meeting back in March.

According to Hilton, the government needs to scrap maternity leave altogether to stimulate the economy. Really Steve, that’s your big idea? Force women to go back to work immediately after birth? Or is the plan for them to actually give birth at work? Surely that's against the law.

That's no moon.

Today is the end of an era: The News of the World have published their final newspaper in their 168 year old history. Good riddance.

Parent company News International has taken the decision to close the doors after the massive backlash against the paper when it was revealed they’d not only hacked the phones of celebrities and politicians but also those of bereaved families of killed soldiers and the murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler; as if her family hasn’t gone through enough recently.

Ready to Rumble: Public v Private; Serwotka v Maude; Daily Mail v Journalism.

Last Thursday thousands of public sector workers went on strike in their continuing battle against the government’s public sector pension reforms, and depending on who you listen to it was either a massive success or a complete damp squid.

The reforms in question would mean that public sector workers will have to pay 3% more in their pension contributions, work for longer, up until they are 68, and once they do retire receive less money in their pension. The government has called this “fair to taxpayers.” I’m afraid the only government that could see this as “fair” would be a Tory government. Public sector workers pay tax too.

To AV, or not to AV: that is the question.

It’s the big day at the polls tomorrow where the poor souls of the British public will have to vote for who they want as their local councillor and of course that pesky referendum on the voting system.

Yes it’s the AV referendum, the debate that swept across the nation and was promptly swept under the carpet. In the end not many people seem to care about the issue, which is quite sad considering just how dramatic a change it would be if we were to adopt the Alternative Voting system.

Exceptional.

It has now been revealed by the universities across the country the fees that they will be charging students to study at their university in 2012.

Now, I already covered in my previous blog on April 1st (Cruel Intentions) which Northern universities were charging the full amount, or at least very close to it. At the time they were: Manchester, Leeds, Leeds Metropolitan, Liverpool, Liverpool John Moores, Aston, Birmingham, Coventry, and Loughborough.

Towards the end of that particular blog I said the following:

“Should the likes of Salford, Manchester Metropolitan, Sheffield or Sheffield Hallam succumb to charging £9,000 a year then the North of England might as well give up.”

Cruel Intentions.

It was revealed last week that more universities had thrown their hats into the ring of nine hundred tenners and stated their intention to charge forthcoming students the maximum tuition fee available to them.

There are now 24 universities that have stated their intentions in terms of fees. Possibly most significant of all of last week’s announcements was the one made by Manchester University.

Yes, the pompous older sibling of the three Manchester universities became the first Northern institution to state their intent to charge the maximum tuition fee of £9,000 a year. Incredibly bad news for the North West.

BBC Three does politics.

BBC Three aired a special version of Question Time on Wednesday, the same day as the budget. They made it especially for youths (hence its BBC Three appearance) and named it Young Voter’s Question Time. It was actually pretty good, I hope they do this sort of thing more often as it gets young people involved in politics. Which can only be a good thing.

To keep it down with the kids the Beeb decided to remix the Question Time theme into this weird sped-up version that wasn’t patronising at all, invited 150 under-25s to be in the audience and threw in Richard Bacon to host it. He was actually not too bad, he did sometimes argue with the panellists when he was supposed to be chairman but whatever, I didn’t really care. He otherwise kept a lid on it well and stopped the audience from killing many.

Fighting prejudice with prejudice.

I saw a story last week on a Christian couple, Eunice and Owen Johns, who have been told by two high court judges that they can no longer foster children because of the religious views they hold. The issue in question is their views on sexuality, being Christians their opinion is that homosexuality is wrong.

According to social services, under the introduction of equality laws the couple are no longer suitable to foster children because of their religious faith. The social worker handling the case was Lynda Williams who described the couple as: “kind and hospitable people who would always do their best to make a child welcome and comfortable”.

Surprise Surprise.

Earlier this week I was sat at home minding my own business browsing the BBC News website when I came across a story so shocking I had to put down my brew to avoid any unnecessary scolding.

Cambridge ‘planning to raise fees to £9,000’

Bear Rhetoric.

Sarah Palin has the same effect on me as she does with many people. She makes me excruciatingly angry. A woman so mixed up in her own self-importance that she fails so catastrophically when it comes to simply acting like a normal human being.

Earlier this month, a man opened fire on a public meeting in Arizona killing six people including a nine year old girl and wounding 13 others. One of the 13 wounded was Democratic representative Gabrielle Giffords, who was shot in the head at close range. Fortunately she survived the attack, and is recovering in hospital.

Duck Season.

Well it’s been one memorable week across the pond. No I’m not talking about Doctor Who being aired at the same time as us Brits, this is much bigger news! Something actually got done! In the senate of all places!

Yes, I am of course talking about the bill to finally give US first responders to the 9/11 attacks healthcare funding. This bill took forever to get passed. I can’t believe I just wrote that. I mean, it’s such a no-brainer. Healthcare for 9/11 heroes and survivors, who in their right minds would oppose that?

Republicans. Of course, who else. Apparently this thing was going to cost too much or maybe that money would end up in the hands of an illegal immigrant who went in to save people. Those inconsiderate migrant bastards, how dare they go in and save people’s lives!

Let’s face it, the Republicans were only blocking this thing because Obama wasn’t doing what they wanted, like a child who walks off with the ball, we all know that child, and we all hate him. That’s what they are at times: children. Alright, block some things in some sort of childish protest, but to sit there on your back-sides blocking a bill that gives healthcare to the brave men and women who saved lives during the 9/11 terror attacks in New York is just plain wrong. The same men and women who Republicans won't stop going on about when it suits them!

I think we can all agree that this is a good bill. We can argue about the new healthcare bill (not Obamacare by the way, whoever coined that needs to be jettisoned into orbit as soon as possible) as there are actual arguments to be had, but this one is so painfully without fault the Republicans do nothing but look like idiots opposing it.

It doesn’t matter if you’re a Democrat or a Republican just vote yes and be done with it! Your issue is with Obama and the other Democrats in the senate, don’t take it out on people who quite frankly deserve to have healthcare funding, not to be hindered in their daily lives while you swan around in a large room waiting for the end-of-school bell doing nothing! Thankfully they passed it on Wednesday, and none too soon!

But that wasn’t all! The senators clearly had their Weetabix that morning as they passed another bill! And yes, it was yet another no-brainer, this bill allows US troops to serve in the military as themselves. Yes, I can’t believe I just wrote that either. Yes, it’s the gay issue. The senate has decided to overturn the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy, meaning gay and lesbian servicemen and women can openly serve in the military whereas they would previously be forced to lie about their sexual orientation.

It came out of the blue really, I thought Republicans, in particular John McCain, would never be turned on this! He had demanded to see surveys, analysis of surveys, more surveys, more accurate surveys, a survey on the surveys, before he would even talk about the idea of possibly looking at the policy, let alone change it! All the evidence pointed towards the military being fine with it, but McCain needed more than this. You did get the feeling he just kept on batting it away and asking for something he thought was impossible, like a jubilant manager telling a rookie employee to go and find a long stand, only for them to return with a long stand.

But it somehow managed to pass through the senate on Wednesday! It really is a landmark bill, especially for America. It’s amazing how the senate, after months of pretty much doing absolutely nothing, decided to do so much on one day. Were they up for a review or something?

But that wasn’t all! They even passed a bill to reduce the amount of nuclear warheads between themselves and Russia by 30%. Which I think we can all agree is a good thing. I honestly don’t know how the Democrats have done this, how did they manage to get the Republicans out of bed? Never mind vote in favour of these bills! What, did they find some dirt on Boehner or something?

Either way they somehow managed it, and during the so called ‘lame-duck’ period too. It doesn’t get any better than that. Barack Obama has called it “the most productive post-election periods in decades.” And he’s probably right, Obama has been under fire in recent months, he took a big hit at the mid-terms and he’s been having serious problems getting things done with the Republicans opposing even his lunch orders. But this week he can be proud, as he’s managed to get some major bills passed and he’s got the senate producing some form of productivity again.

What’s so lame about that?

Gordon Brown's new book for Christmas.

Out now in all good bookstores, and many many bad ones, is Gordon Brown’s new book: ‘She’s a Bigot’. A frank account of Gordon’s tenure in charge of the nation, and what he would do to fix all our problems. Such prepositions include a total dismemberment of Rochdale from the Commonwealth, and legislation stopping Jeremy Vine from being allowed on radio.

Throughout the book Gordon talks candidly about his troublesome relationship with life long Labour supporter Gillian Duffy. The highs, the lows, the time he called her a bigot. Ah, such great memories.

The book even has a foreword from a very special guest: Sue.

It's the perfect stocking filler this Christmas! So go out and grab your copy now, you’ll love it. And if you don’t, well, you’re a bigot.

***

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Beyond-Crash-Overcoming-Crisis-Globalisation/dp/0857202855

Nil Points.

A few days have passed now since the big decision not to give England the 2018 World Cup and the dust has hardly settled. It was on Thursday when Fifa president, Sepp Blatter, opened his envelope and revealed that it would be Russia who would be hosting it. Not England, not Spain/Portugal, not Belgium/Netherlands. But Russia. Fair enough.

The backlash to it has been fierce in places, and you can understand it to a degree. England’s bid, which was clearly the best bid on the table in terms of stadia, transportation, history and policing, managed a mere two votes and was subsequently eliminated from the running in the first round. At that point I was desperately looking round for Graham Norton, it’s like Eurovision all over again!

How does this happen? How does the best bid come out last? Well the probable reasons have all been surfacing over the last few days. Primarily the blame is being put at the BBC’s door for airing Panorama, a show that looked into the controversial subject of corruption within football’s world governing body, Fifa, claiming that three officials took bribes in the 1990s and that Fifa vice-president Jack Warner is still to this day involved in selling on tickets to touts. This was aired on Monday.

Obviously the bid team tried to calm it down branding the programme ‘an embarrassment’. Many have said they shouldn’t have aired it before the host nation was revealed. I personally think they should have aired it, we have a free press, deal with it Fifa. But to be honest, what did it matter? England were not going to win the bid anyway. That much is clear. We sent David Beckham, PM David Cameron and even Prince William and they still couldn’t persuade them to choose England’s bid. It’s not exactly a secret that Fifa aren’t too keen on England.

Fifa’s main reasoning is that they wanted to give the tournament to a ‘developing’ nation. Which they seem to be doing recently during Sepp Blatter’s era in charge. He awarded South Africa with the 2010 tournament, and now Russia and Qatar have benefited from his methods. So if this was Sepp’s big plan, why did England even bother making a bid in the first place. Why did we waste £15 million just to sit there and take last place. Last place! Even Belgium beat us! We were beaten by a Blackadder punch-line!

Whatever the reasoning behind it, Fifa have certainly been under fire since. Commentators in England have been damning to say the least, with the whole thing just not smelling right. Roger Burden, acting chairman of the FA, has decided not to run for the position permanently stating that he can no longer work with Fifa as he can no longer trust them. Although this is seemingly a small drop in the ocean it will certainly rock Fifa’s boat and they will have to address this issue rather than ducking it as they have always done in the past.

There is a real sense of injustice and betrayal in the country. Apparently the bid team were promised more votes than the two they received, however they did not materialise. So did Fifa officials straight-up lie to our faces? Maybe they made the exact same promises to Russia. Who knows. Either way the system is a colossal failure that clearly needs to be changed. But don’t hold your breath.

Are Fifa corrupt? I don’t know, but there is a lot of smoke, that much is for sure. I don’t really mind Russia being awarded the tournament, it will be the first time an Eastern block nation has hosted the games, and Russia are actually an up and coming team in the world game. What I don’t understand is Qatar. In 2022 Qatar will host the World Cup. That’s right. Qatar.

They managed to win with their bid against the USA, Australia, Japan and South Korea. Now, okay don’t give it to the States, they had the World Cup in 1994 and Japan and South Korea both had it back in 2002, so they we’re never going to realistically get it. But I genuinely thought Australia would win it over Qatar. The Oceania Football Confederation has never hosted a World Cup, and although technically Australia now play as part of the Asian Football Confederation, they are their best chance of becoming hosts.

Australia, as a nation, are sporting mad. Football over there has boomed in recent years for whatever reasons. World Cup fever takes over the country every time it’s on. The A-League is making good progression even with the meagre resources it has. They have some of the most passionate supporters in the world who are always out in force in other nations when they hold their World Cups. Okay, it’s not the biggest sport in their country, it probably ranks behind Aussie rules and cricket, and maybe even rugby, but you’d be surprised to see how big football is getting over there. I really think they are a World Cup away from it really taking off over there. Giving the tournament to Qatar just feels like a missed opportunity by Fifa in all honesty.

Giving the 2022 World Cup to Qatar bemuses me. They will become the smallest country to host the games, and I seriously want to know how they hope they’re going to pull it off. All of the games will be a stone’s throw from one another; how on earth are they going to effectively police this? Surely it would have made more sense to share it with a neighbour, maybe Saudi Arabia, for example. It would be like hosting the World Cup in Glasgow, only with even more trouble. It gives hope to Liechtenstein’s next bid anyway.

But this isn’t the main reason why it bemuses me. During summer Qatar has a habit of reaching over 40’C. Celsius! Not Fahrenheit. Celsius! That….is…..insane! During the summer months Doha’s temperature varies between 35’C and 47’C. How are the players going to handle that? The standard of football will obviously drop but not only that, there’s a serious question whether this is going to be a safe place to play football. There will need to be water breaks, at least one or two per half, but not only for the players, the fans will need it just as much. There’s a huge health and safety risk here, people will get sunstroke, will dehydrate, and will faint. And these are just the minor health implications! It's alright being a local but what about the supporters who are coming from other nations? Let's say Sweden, they might not be used to the relentless heat of the Middle East.

There’s been talk of moving it to the much cooler Winter period. But that would disrupt every countries league seasons. It’s bad enough when the African Cup of Nations is on never mind a World Cup. I just love the fact that none of this has been brought up, Qatar have just been given the World Cup and now we have to sort it out. If Australia had the World Cup, it would have been in the middle of their Winter. Perfect.

Qatar winning the bid just highlight’s Fifa’s problem. It does make them look corrupt, even if they aren’t. Fifa’s current system is just wrong in my opinion. It encourages bribery and corruption. You literally have to win the vote of a Fifa official, so you go and talk to them and present your bid and hope you sway them into voting for you. So it’s understandable how bribes could exchange palms. At least we can be happy knowing that we didn’t grease them.

Because there are two rounds of voting I often get left confused as there have been cases where officials have voted with one in the first round and with another in the second round. I don’t think they should be allowed to make ‘promises’ to bid teams as it just isn’t right. Maybe Fifa just wanted to punish us for our media, or maybe it was just to embarrass us in front of the world.

Either way, football’s not coming home. Not for a long time.

Vive les étudiants!

I turned on the news this week to find the French out in force again. Taking to the streets rioting, destroying buildings, injuring each other. They’re absolute maniacs, you can say what you like about them but at least they have some fight left in them!

But then on closer inspection, after reading BBC News’ ticker, I found that these weren’t images of the French at all, they were Brits! Actual Brits doing something about the gigantic cuts. These Brits were, of course, students. It was only a matter of time before someone got up and did something, rather than taking the beating lying down like everyone else seems to. In the 80s it was the miners, last Wednesday it was the students.

In a nutshell around 50,000 students and lecturers marched through Westminster peacefully until a small group burst forwards holding aloft an effigy which was obviously burned to a cinder much to the applause of the crowd. After that happened it all got a bit ugly. You know once you see someone in a balaclava that it isn’t going to end particularly well.

And it didn’t. Placards were burned resulting in masses of smoke covering the crowds, and the protestors somehow smashed their way into the Conservative Headquarters, where staff were evacuated. Some clowns even got on to the roof and decided to launch a fire-extinguisher from up high. It was ugly, well by British standards it was ugly.

The images were quite interesting to watch, mainly because there was such a diverse bunch of people involved. There were the extremists in their balaclavas and there were regular students responding to what they were witnessing, some with excitement, others with infinite fear. No one really knew how to respond. Those who did respond did so with violence, which pretty much ruined it for everyone.

Naturally people have condemned them for their actions, mostly the Daily Mail’s readership but others have too. The president of the NUS, Aaron Porter, came out and said none of these events were planned: “This action was by others who have come out and used this opportunity to hijack a peaceful protest.” It is true, you can’t just blame students for all of this, it was the work of a minority who may or may not have been students. Although some unions have come forward and refused to condemn their actions.

The newspapers were full of it, everyone was talking about it, radio phone ins became popular again. People seem split on the issue, some branding it a disgrace, others saying they were left with no choice. I personally think, though they were wrong to go as far as they did, it was okay for them to show some aggression. After all, we’ve had countless protests from students in the past. Try to name one. Difficult isn’t it? That’s because all that happens is a peaceful stroll through Westminster, followed by everyone going home, having tea and resuming their lives, changing absolutely nothing, solving absolutely nothing. It seems sometimes this violence is the only way to get noticed. If there was no aggression on Wednesday where would this story be? Page 36? It probably wouldn’t even have run on some news networks. Becoming aggressive forces the media to turn its ugly head and take notice.

And everyone noticed. Even mayor Boris was forced into action saying he was: “appalled that a small minority have today shamefully abused their right to protest” and that those involved would “face the full force of the law.” I’m sure they’re quaking in their boots Boris. This is a justice system that gives a paedophile 18 months behind bars for grooming and sexually assaulting a girl under the age of thirteen.

Nobody agrees with the fire-extinguisher incident. But who really cares if a bunch of students vandalised the Conservative HQ? It’s covered on insurance isn’t it? I do feel sorry for the 50,000 students who were there as most of them were peaceful in their protest but now, because of a small minority, they’re all labelled as scum. I have to say it was amusing seeing the police doing seemingly nothing about it, having to ask nicely for the students to get off the rooftop. They were so timid they make Mr Jingles look like freaking Danger Mouse!

Of course the police have been criticised for not having enough numbers, which I find ironic. All that does is subconsciously highlight the strain they’re going to feel soon enough when an estimated 40,000 to 60,000 jobs could disappear. Ouch.

If they allowed it to happen, who could blame them? They could be out of a job before Christmas, is it worth putting yourself in danger for that? Is it worth putting yourself in danger for anything? Take the military, they’re out there fighting for our country and dying for our country, and what do they get in return when they come home? A P45 of course! More ouch.

In the end, these events have brought forward the cause of the students in the country, exposing further the deep cuts that are being sliced through the education sector. It is probably the most dangerous budget to cut, because you are literally dicing with the future. Future doctors, teachers, nurses, scientists, police, civil servants, and all other professions are all being jeopardised by these cuts and rises in the university fees. The future needs funding or the UK will be in serious trouble in years to come.

In a decades time we could find ourselves in a country where skilled workers are a thing of the past and people will be being immigrated in to fit the requirements of jobs Britons are no longer able to satisfy. It’s easy to see why the students aren’t happy about it, they have every right to feel betrayed, especially by the Liberal Democrats who signed a pledge before the election promising they would not vote in favour of a rise in tuition fees. They’ve changed their tune.

The annoying thing for me is that most the people who sit in parliament making these decisions all received their education for free. So why should new students have to pay for it when they got it for diddly squat? I wonder if the MPs would be in favour of a new piece of legislation saying that all MPs who didn’t have to pay for their tuition will now have to fork out 10% of their wages between now and the end of time. 

Somehow, I don’t think that legislation would be approved.

A pledge too far.

Well it’s been a fair few months now of the coalition government in Britain, and I’m not so sure it’s a coalition anymore at all. This week saw Vince Cable, a Liberal Democrat MP and Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, who before the election promised, along with all other Lib Dem MPs, that he would not vote in favour of a rise in student tuition fees, backing just that. A rise in tuition fees.

This is a party who have always opposed student tuition fees full stop. Yet now they’re speaking out in favour of Conservative legislation attempting to raise the tuition fees cap from £3290 to unlimited. Yes, that’s right, unlimited.

You have to feel for British working families who have been smacked in the face with a cricket bat yet again. It’s just relentless at the moment for them. The change in housing benefit, with some people having to fork out hundreds of extra pounds a month just to stay in the house they own. The change in the child benefit system which seemed to have good intentions but instead decimates certain families across Britain. And now this.

Think about it, under the proposed scheme, a seventeen year old thinking of going to university will now have to pay around £7000 a year for the privilege. Now, if that seventeen year old is in the upper class bracket of Britain then that’s fine, the parents can simply open up their wallet or money sack and hand out the sum that is required. So what if the seventeen year old is of a much poorer background, one where neither parent works, and hence cant afford to send them off to university. Well there will be financial help for them. Which is a good thing.

Now imagine the same seventeen year old, who is from what is known as middle Britain where both parents are working (hard I might add). Financial support probably won’t be there for them, at least not as much, so a loan will be in order. Realistically you’re looking at around £30,000 of debt before you’ve even worked a day. And that will have to be paid back, with a higher rate of interest than was previously given.

Now imagine that same hardworking family has a fourteen year old child as well. The family will do its utmost to give the education to their eldest, possibly stretching themselves to breaking point in the process. So child number one manages to get through uni, all be it with massive debt, but they make it nonetheless. What about child number two? Can they afford to do it again for them? I think you’re asking a little much.

Okay, so universities will need to find the money from somewhere as the government is slashing the subs they used to give them. But what about the likes of Oxford and Cambridge? Surely they can just charge whatever they want right? They’ll still have demand for places no matter what they charge. Is that right?

The same goes for other universities who may have an outstanding course running at their institution, let’s say music, and if little Jonny wants to learn how to play the clarinet there really well then they’ll have to fork out a heck of a lot more than let’s say a geography student on a less prestigious course at the very same university. Is that right?

The problem with this is, the already huge gulf between the classes is about to become ginormous. Only the rich will end up going to the best universities and will therefore land the top jobs. Leaving the lower classes and anyone North of Milton Keynes to fight over the scraps. This is all well and good but Britain is already haemorrhaging talent, we cant afford to lose much more. Now it will all be about financial clout rather than your actual ability. The talentless amongst the rich will take jobs that talented poorer individuals could have filled, and done a much better job. Which means we’ll need to immigrate more people, because in a few years time we are going to have a very low number of skilled people in this joint.

The other classes aren’t getting off scot-free however, these cuts can be seen as painful for everyone. Though they are necessary, perhaps not to the drastic length they’re going for but still necessary. I don’t think Labour would be doing much different, perhaps they wouldn’t be as severe. I doubt they’d raise the student fees to unlimited status, and their child tax credits policy would most likely be a lot fairer. But we’ll never know, maybe they’d have gone even further, who knows.

What is increasingly worrying though is the way the middle class is having to get hit the hardest, as if they are just the collateral damage necessary in getting us out of this mess. It’s now more beneficial to rent, rather than own your own home. Jobs are disappearing and university education is slowly becoming nothing more than a pipe dream for the working families of the country. It just doesn't feel fair.

Take a quick look at the new reformed child tax credits. Any family with a member earning £44,000 and over can not get any child benefits. It sounds reasonably fair but upon closer inspection you’ll see that it is harrowingly unfair. A family with two working parents, let’s say the husband is earning £42,000 a year, and the wife also £42,000 (because I‘m not sexist). Combined, this family earns £84,000 plus child benefit. Now let’s take another family where husband earns £44,000 and wife does not work (I flipped a coin). Their total earning is £44,000 with no child benefit. Hitting these people ‘because they can take it on the chin’ is bluntly unfair and simply taking advantage of them.

Soon there will be no incentive to earn at all. The UK is heavily reliant on some people’s work ethic. People who work because it’s what they’ve been brought up to do. People who will never turn down work or overtime. People like carers who work tirelessly saving the NHS millions upon millions of pounds every year, and all for little to no reward. And that’s the problem. Britain, instead of rewarding hard work, rewards laziness. People who wont work, because it can’t match what they receive in state benefits. And who can blame them? Why do something for nothing when you can do nothing for something?

But all this doesn’t answer my question. Why are the Liberal Democrats doing this? Their manifesto at the election earlier this year stated the following:

“Britain, for all its many strengths, is still too unequal and unfair, a country where the circumstances of your birth and the income of your parents still profoundly affect your chances in life….
…We will scrap unfair university tuition fees so everyone has the chance to get a degree, regardless of their parents’ income.”

So how do these statements do complete U-turns in five short months? Jumping into bed with a binary opposite political party is one thing. Turning your back on all your core values is totally unbelievable. I don’t understand what they are getting out of this deal any more (apart from unlimited power of course). They were supposed to be there to provide a leash, to hold back the Tories from going totally wild inside the chicken coop. But that leash is starting to look like a pretty yellow bow around the neck, and feathers are flying.

Are they literally doing all this just to repay the Conservative party for letting them sit at the captain’s table? Or do they genuinely feel that the Tories’ policies are right for Britain? Who knows? Not me. Maybe they’re just political chameleons turning bluer by the day. It would be interesting to hear what the late Sir Cyril Smith would have to think about it all.