It matters much more when there's money on it.

I think that we can all clearly see that a massive volume of disingenuous political meddling has had a most undesirable affect upon the way in which our society ‘functions.' Interrelated happenings could occasionally- and with an element of blinkered judgement- be acknowledged as subject to mitigating factors. In a few cases, it should be stated that the ‘victims’ of such abused power may be almost driven to malfunction. But, having first recognised these dark forces it must also be made clear that in most cases where the innocent citizen and politico are in some form of (for want of a better term) ‘collaboration’ the citizen has, at least in part, opted, or been somehow cajoled, into becoming involved. Whether this is because this individual is less intelligent, more corruptible or just curious, there is, almost always, a point at which they have 'chosen' to opt in or out.

Anyone doubting these assertions should avail themselves of one of the few very good books on the subject of the corporatisation of Britain. Obviously you will need to plough through a fair number of bogus claims before you may find yourself face to face with the some of the more substantial evidence, but your efforts will have been richly rewarded, and your faith left in tatters.

Having said all this there are, I’m afraid, a growing number of instances of citizen misdemeanour that simply cannot be attributed to the Councillor species. My own tenuous links with these creatures dictates that I should make this absolutely clear. I have no wish to incur their wrath through a few unthinking acts of misrepresentation. Sometimes it really is just greed that drives the citizen, impure and simple! And the more ‘money’ that there is ‘on the table’ the more it seems to ‘matter’.

Conversely, if there’s very little money riding upon the outcome it barely matters at all. And there we appear to have it, in a nutshell, the underlying government economic philosophy that has prevailed since the last days of the nineteen-seventies.

In the US, in 1980, the salary of the average Chief Executive Officer was about forty times that of his lowest paid worker. It won’t come as a great surprise to discover that this figure has grown, but maybe learning that this figure has risen to three-hundred and forty-four times will anger more than it will shock you. Anyone with half an eye on the TV news will be aware that the so called fat cats have been exponentially increasing their relative circumferences for far more than just a few years now.

Hearing this news you might choose to adopt the Daily Mail response and hedge your bets, rather than to ‘over’ analyse the issue- ever the simplistic approach. Or you might care to note that 1980- hang on, wasn’t that around the time when the British working man or woman was first encouraged to shut up and to be grateful for his/her lot (?)- 1979 actually, marked a massive global a shift in the social 'value' system.

At this point in time the old British class system dusted down and laced up its jack boots and decided to stamp upon a few 'misplaced' fingers. And sadly the poodles that have held the reigns ever since have merely allowed the inequality to accelerate. I don’t know for certain but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the wage gap is now even more pronounced in the UK.

You’ll recall that Gordon- you know, the guy that basically 'stole' all those pensions a few years back- recently made it one of his priorities at the G20 meet not to allow those upstart French and Germans to cap banking bonuses. So, I guess we can expect more of the same. Thanks, Gordon! Naturally it hurts, more than a little, when you get around to realising that the bonuses are only there because Gordon decreed that our taxes should be used to refill those troughs, right up to brim-full yet again. I think I can hear the distracting sound of snuffling, even as I type.

You see, ‘there’s money on it,’ so it must ‘matter more.’

I can think of three- no less- massive areas of financial irregularity that have been helping to shore up our country’s crumbling foundation for so long now that those with towering vested interests have been driven to- panic stations- misrepresent these areas to a degree that has long since surpassed the absurd. Picking between those decisions made due to political dogma and those made through pure greed is labyrinthine in its complexity, so I’ll not even try to at this juncture.



With thanks to blech's photostream

Of course there is the 'housing market', bolstered constantly by a veritable barrage of nauseating TV property programmes. "Marcus and Jemima have got £750 thousand pounds to 'invest' in the property market…" You know the sort of thing.

Living, as I do in Aylsham, near to the North Norfolk coast the stench of landlords and second and third homes can be almost overbearing if the wind is blowing in the wrong direction. There’s a lot of ‘money’ riding ‘on it’ and it 'matters much, much more!' If you can’t afford to live here, that’s because you don't matter. Did I hear correctly? Are we really looking for 'the green shoots of recovery' through a rise in property prices?

The 'banking system' has been roundly condemned to the extent that there is almost nothing left to pull apart. Nobody even tries to defend the bankers (correct spelling?) any more, at least not with a straight face, or an honest one. Interesting then, is it not, that 'our'- we did elect him, didn’t we?- Gordon put great store in the importance of not capping their bonuses at the recent G20 meetings. ‘It matters more when there’s’ crate-loads of ‘money on it!’ I wonder where 'our' Gordon will be looking for work when the electorate finally become involved in his tenure? I forget, we do still involve the electorate at some point, don’t we?

The third major cog that I can see is the 'motor industry', another bottomless pit for all that tax-payer's dosh. Do we really want Gordon- I sight him because he’s there, the next one will slot so seamlessly into place that you won’t even notice; they all dance to the same tune- guiding us 'skilfully' through the current climate debate and dictating which changes are (not) going to happen? Allow me, please, to ask the one question that I’ve not heard a single politician or motor industry representative address or even acknowledge as being pertinent: How might the scrapping of all those old cars, under the government’s car scrappage scheme, affect the person on the minimum wage, when he or she needs to replace an old car with another oldish car?



With thanks to boxchain's photostream

The motor industry is, of course, once again in the news for all the wrong reasons. Reportedly just five individuals at the top have managed to cream off £42 million. And this in the face of a monumental failure to save the company. You'd have thought that the organisation would have been literally raking it in with all this surplus cash rattling about. Nothing illegal there then? Fine! Carry on as usual. More of the same, please!

It matters so very, very much more when there’s loads and loads of money on it!