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As if West Wing had taught us nothing
May. 17th, 2014 10:21 amSo there I was, wondering why there was suddenly so much furore about Britain First and various shades of UKip/BNP/English Demoncrats. Maybe the right wing is rising, or maybe it's just louder froth at Euro election time. The government have found it useful - while people are squealing about pints and burkhas, Michael Gove's mob at the DoE have ever so quietly proposed the outsourcing of children's services to private companies:
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/may/16/privatise-child-protection-services-department-for-education-proposes?CMP=twt_gu
Jesus. It is at this point we realise how much of the social contract has been lost/forgotten/ignored. The state does not exist primarily as a steady platform for economic growth, useful though that may be, necessary though that may be, it may not always be possible, and it is not the priority of any state. Nor does the state exist to sustain and justify our rich, they have already been sustained and justified, that's how they got to be rich. There are no self-made millionaires. They did not spring fully formed from Britannia's head; they were born through the efforts of others, and like everyone else, their first meal cost them nothing. The best and worst of them use services open to all, created often through centuries of exploitation and abuse; roads, bridges, houses. As people they have the right to be happy, as citizens they have been well looked after and the state requires payment from them simply because they are able to pay while still living very well.
A prime directive of the state must be the protection of its citizens, especially the vulnerable. It is our responsibility. A private company's primary responsibility is to make profits for its shareholders, and that always means cutting costs. This ethos is entirely at odds with a service that should not have money making anywhere near its agenda.
Never mind those union-jack-booted imbeciles on the far right. This government is dangerous because they are utterly venal. They have to go.
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/may/16/privatise-child-protection-services-department-for-education-proposes?CMP=twt_gu
Jesus. It is at this point we realise how much of the social contract has been lost/forgotten/ignored. The state does not exist primarily as a steady platform for economic growth, useful though that may be, necessary though that may be, it may not always be possible, and it is not the priority of any state. Nor does the state exist to sustain and justify our rich, they have already been sustained and justified, that's how they got to be rich. There are no self-made millionaires. They did not spring fully formed from Britannia's head; they were born through the efforts of others, and like everyone else, their first meal cost them nothing. The best and worst of them use services open to all, created often through centuries of exploitation and abuse; roads, bridges, houses. As people they have the right to be happy, as citizens they have been well looked after and the state requires payment from them simply because they are able to pay while still living very well.
A prime directive of the state must be the protection of its citizens, especially the vulnerable. It is our responsibility. A private company's primary responsibility is to make profits for its shareholders, and that always means cutting costs. This ethos is entirely at odds with a service that should not have money making anywhere near its agenda.
Never mind those union-jack-booted imbeciles on the far right. This government is dangerous because they are utterly venal. They have to go.
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