tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129943063330427887.post4631716755123863313..comments2024-03-29T13:40:52.350+00:00Comments on WEMBLEY MATTERS: How the hell did they get away with it? Michael Rosen explainsUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129943063330427887.post-41429515867699263792015-04-08T00:48:51.049+01:002015-04-08T00:48:51.049+01:00Rosen does a good job of setting out the issues. ...Rosen does a good job of setting out the issues. My explanation for why it has been allowed to happen comes down to business interests.<br /><br />Any party that attempts to blow the whistle will find themselves undermined in some way by big business. That is, if they get a hearing in the first place given that the media is also big business. Of course there is always the possibility that you will find yourself and your family completely trashed - and so on.<br /><br />Would it be too cynical to suggest that if you get into power, you too will want some of the 'benefits' of power - the non-executive directorships and consultancies etc, so perhaps it's best not to upset those that have the power to dish out the sweeties? I think we refer to this as "corruption" if it happens in a third world country - clearly they lack our sophistication and finesse there.<br /><br />For all the years I can recollect, the public sector has been hopeless at negotiating contracts when they outsource services to the private sector and we see the same mistakes made time after time, with the public purse losing out on each occasion - presumably we just believe that public sector staff are complete dimwits to keep doing this.<br /><br />I also can't get to the bottom of whether politicians and commentators - those who tell us what to think - are congenitally lazy or whether deliberately so. Every time questions come up on controversial subjects, no one seems to have the figures although everyone is happy to take up a position.<br /><br />On immigration, we have no idea what is the ratio of tax paid by foreign workers is, to that of any claims they make for benefits. <br /><br />On the NHS we keep hearing that the number of managers has been cut and there are more doctors and nurses. No one asks how much money is instead being spent on consultants - the McKinsey, Pricewaterhouse Coopers people, not the medico types. As for more nurses and doctors, are these the people whose temp contracts have now been made permanent? <br /><br />On zero hours contracts why does no one point out that if you are on zero hours there is no sum on which to base calculations of Statutory Sick Pay or maternity benefits. Another salient point would be - how many people on zero contracts regularly work over 16 hours per week. This is relevant because you can claim certain benefits if your contract is for less than 16 hours. The zero hours people I have come across never seem to get any holiday pay. Once again, it it up to the poorest to bail us out. <br /><br />We the people, are generally a pretty fair-minded lot. We really don't mind business leaders being rewarded for their hard work and enterprise. Why would we begrudge them the fruits of their labours? What we object to (in our quiet, non-revolutionary way) is when business leaders themselves fail to recognise that the wealth they have created owes its birth and its continued existence to us plebs.<br /><br />It always amuses me to hear that if we made big business and the banks pay their taxes they would simply take their toys and leave. Really? And go where?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129943063330427887.post-86908691391303629642015-04-07T09:42:46.589+01:002015-04-07T09:42:46.589+01:00Labour were never going to save us Martin.
They &q...Labour were never going to save us Martin.<br />They "played us" <br />and we fell for it <br />only to end up regretting it 13 years later.<br />13 years later we now know that "new Labour" Didn't have our best interests at heart.<br />and all the Labour party is doing now is what they did in 1997,<br />"playing us once again"<br /> Trevornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129943063330427887.post-50394627055303777222015-04-06T10:45:01.844+01:002015-04-06T10:45:01.844+01:00They got away with it cause they are clever.
They got away with it cause they are clever.<br />Trevornoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2129943063330427887.post-18102817377736545522015-04-04T17:18:59.321+01:002015-04-04T17:18:59.321+01:00Thanks for republishing this, Martin. Something I ...Thanks for republishing this, Martin. Something I reckon is important to highlight backing up Rosen's argument about so much blame being landed upon one political party that had been in prime ministerial office from 1997, is that there is less highlighting of which corporations have been advising UK governments on key policies for even more years. Take the example of Amercian health insurance giant <a href="http://dpac.uk.net/2012/04/a-tale-of-two-models-disabled-people-vs-unum-atos-government-and-disability-charities-debbie-jolly/" rel="nofollow">Unum</a>. Unum has been found guilty of fraud in a number of countries since 2000, and yet they have still been 'advising' successive UK governments despite those court rulings.Kilburn Unemployed Workers Grouphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17281633520479831796noreply@blogger.com