The UK Public Never Had It That Good.

When you listen to George Osborne or read most British newspapers, you would be forgiven for believing the UK public - you and me - are quite spoilt by comparison to our European neighbours.

That is why we have to accept austerity, in all its forms. Or so the story goes.

The average UK worker has seen his or her wages fall in real terms since 2008. They have been told by George Osborne that this bitter pill must be swallowed because of the extravagances of the previous UK Government.

So those who work have suffered for the good of the country, although their sacrifices have hardly produced results in terms of the health of British Government finances. Since 2009, Mr Osborne has managed to increase the National Debt by a whopping 60% and is now not forecasting even an end to budget deficits ( the cause of the National Debt) until around 2020. Sometime, never, in other words.

Of course, those out of work, for whatever reason, are suffering even more. They have been made the pariahs of our society. All kinds of benefits have been cut, pensions are being paid later - and further pain is on the way as " Universal Credit" goes national. A national disgrace, in the eyes of many.

Is the picture all doom and gloom?

Well, higher levels of employment are often held up as an example of one thing that is going right - and it is certainly true that many new jobs have been created. However, they are mostly of the low paid variety. This is one of the reasons that average wages have fallen so steeply in the UK. Well paid new jobs are few and far between.

Never mind though. We can be grateful that we are doing better than other countries in Europe.

THINK AGAIN.

Take the example of a country like Austria, where I sit writing this article. Unemployment benefit is significantly more generous than in the UK, relative to the cost of living. Pensions are also higher. And, to top it all, healthcare provision is better.

So there you have it. The UK public have been told that austerity has been necessary to recover from the profligacy of the recent past, including over-generous benefits, pensions and healthcare. Yet the UK National Debt goes on increasing - and, as it turns out, UK State "handouts" aren't even as generous as in comparable countries.

Sold a pup? WE HAVE BOUGHT A WHOLE LITTER.

 

 

Thursday, 26th November 2015

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