Victorian Britain

First topic message reminder :

It would seem that academics have finally woken up, to what some have been saying here on Cutting Edge for some time, that this government is pushing Britain back to the Great Victorian era, with it's values as loved by John Major.

The latest claim is that IDS plans for Benefits will be like bring back the Poor Laws of Victorian times.....

Britons In 'Forced Penury' Due To Victorian Welfare Rules, Leading Academics Warn

Iain Duncan Smith's welfare reforms are forcing many Britons into "forced penury" as they mark an increasing return to the principles of the Victorian "Poor Laws", leading academics have warned.

Dr Chris Grover, senior lecturer in social policy at Lancaster University and an expert on the history of national insurance, told the Huffington Post UK: "We are in a situation where for many people we are heading to a situation of forced penury that is some distance from the optimism that helped frame the introduction of National Insurance benefits in 1912."

Dr Grover's stark warning was echoed by Hartley Dean, social policy professor at the London School of Economics, who told HuffPostUK that successive governments have "retreated from the principles of National Insurance in favour of stigmatising means-testing benefits."

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/01/15/benefits-uk-welfare_n_4596173.html?1389794868&utm_hp_ref=uk

Some of us on here felt that Gove was trying to push Education back into the Victorian era and I have been think about the fact that the Armed forces are going to have to rely more on Reservist Forces to be able to carry out many of it's commitments is like have the old Militia or Yeomanry...

We have had Electricity Companies state that we should get ready for more frequent power cuts.

And the owner of the Care Home I work in has, in the interest of making a bigger profit decided that he will only pay enhanced bank holiday pay for Christmas day and New Years Day (both at double time) and for Boxing Day he has paid time and a half.......There has been no rise in the basic rate for the past 3 years.
Almost Dickensian...IMHO...

Does anyone else feel or have similar experiences?

Although we must all feel total sympathy for anyone suffering a flooded home as a result of the very unkind weather recently, it is noticeable that the maximum publicity has been generated by the (mostly Tory, Range Rover and green-wellies) minority of people residing in the rural fastness of the Somerset Levels. Resulting in a knee-jerk flurry of activity from Government personalities, not apparently duplicated in places such as Aberystwyth.

Ivanhoe. I suspect you have got the wrong end of the stick again, just as you did when you implied that my friend Boudica was a racist, something which discouraged her from posting here.
 
The 'suffering' listed above was posted by biglin, not buckspygmy. One way to ascertain someone's political affiliations (if it matters so much to you) might be to read their previous postings, before jumping to conclusions.

oftenwrong wrote:Although we must all feel total sympathy for anyone suffering a flooded home as a result of the very unkind weather recently, it is noticeable that the maximum publicity has been generated by the (mostly Tory, Range Rover and green-wellies) minority of people residing in the rural fastness of the Somerset Levels. Resulting in a knee-jerk flurry of activity from Government personalities, not apparently duplicated in places such as Aberystwyth.

Well spotted oftenwrong. The BBC are Tory biased, they have to think of their voters.


Ivanhoe

Bear in mind that Aberystwyth is in Wey-uls and therefore doesn't matter.   It is astounding that it made the English news at all.   It was probably a good shot of waves breaking that destroyed the rule of ages.

We are the same here in Scotland Penderyn, the only reason we are getting attention now is because of the referendum  

Redflag wrote:We are the same here in Scotland Penderyn, the only reason we are getting attention now is because of the referendum  

True - but at least you have your own press, whereas we have, at best, the 'Western Mail'.

Penderyn wrote:

Redflag wrote:We are the same here in Scotland Penderyn, the only reason we are getting attention now is because of the referendum  

True - but at least you have your own press, whereas we have, at best, the 'Western Mail'.

You have got that one wrong Penderyn we have the Sun Telegraph & the Daily Fail to name but a few, the only paper that is Scottish is the Daily Record which is the sister paper to the Daily Mirror.  

Redflag wrote:You have got that one wrong Penderyn we have the Sun Telegraph & the Daily Fail to name but a few, the only paper that is Scottish is the Daily Record which is the sister paper to the Daily Mirror.  

 
Ah well - no-ne is right all the time!

One way in which the Tories want to take us back to Victorian Britain is through the continuing emasculation of trade unions. It would appear that Australia under Tony Abbott is going through something similar.
 
If you don't like unions, please fill in the form below and hand it to your employer. Otherwise you are advised to join the 6.5 million of us in the UK who are members of unions.
 

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BhrMOpPIAAAguE6.jpg

This is normal for a right wing party running Austrailia Ivan I just wonder how many of the electorate  are regretting voting this mob in, Unions are a must in todays climate of big bosses not wanting to pay a living wage to their employees.   I think if they thought they could get away with it the minimum wage would go quicker than you can say OOPS.