my metaphorical pen to.
Then I found myself reading the local papers and several stories came together
both from today and from the last few months.
Taunton Fire and Rescue: Authority members are meeting on July 10 to vote on
proposals to cut 20 of the 50 full-time firefighters at Taunton Fire Station.
Avon and Somerset Police to cut more than 200 Staff. This is to meet an
additional £15 million cut to from the police forces budget.
Council staff under pay freeze have suffered a 13% reduction in pay due to
inflation over the three years of the local government pay freeze.
More stock needed for Taunton Foodbank
Almost five hundred people have turned to Somer Valley Foodbank for support
since its launch less than six months ago.
MPs respond to questions about 15% pay rise. It’s not our decision; the raise is
set by IPSA.
40% of the full time firemen in my area are looking at losing their jobs. 40% of
the men who run into burning buildings to rescue the helpless, 40% of the men
who respond day or night to fire and emergency calls are facing redundancy
and joblessness.
Avon and Somerset police are looking at cutting yet more police from a force
that is looking to shut down the police station in the county capital and handling police
calls from 10 miles way. Officers could be based in the council offices by 2014, if
there is room. The county capital with no police station. To me that means that police
responding to calls will be driving from 10 miles away making the response time in
traffic half an hour, even with sirens and a suicidal driver when the roads are clear
police response times are going to be 10 to 15 minutes. Hope that 999 call wasn’t urgent.
Inflation keeps going up, the price of food, petrol, heating and electricity keep going up.
The weekly shop in the supermarket keeps going up.
Without a matching increase in wages the real time ability of people to pay the bills goes
down.
Foodbanks. Our fastest growing charity section. Hundreds of thousands now dependant
on them for food because they can no longer afford to feed their families for the whole
week. Great Britain, in the 21stcentury, world leader, wealthy nation, G8 member.
FOODBANKS........
IPSA the independent body assigned to monitor the pay of Members of Parliament
after the expenses scandal has recommended that MPs basic pay be increased by 15%.
Says the BBC: The government could propose a motion calling for IPSA's recommendations
to be ignored, but Nick Robinson said this could "undermine the independence of the
new system" and would be unlikely to win enough support from MPs.
Local Somerset MPs were asked for their opinions. One of them responded with the comment
It’s not our decision; the raise is set by IPSA.
So it’s right and worthy to lambast the bankers for huge bonuses when things are bad. It is right
and just to speak against people being paid large sums of money for things they have not done.
It is proper to demand in both the private sector and the public sector that those who are paid
the highest salaries actually earn them.
But when we have MPs who are too busy to keep an eye on our own security services monitoring
our emails and digital activity. When our government is sending thousands of people to beg in the
streets by cutting the disability support they truly need. When our MPs with one expenses scandal
still fresh in peoples’ minds have their noses firmly in the trough with payments for their children.
When so many people in this country have expense accounts to pay for those second homes closer
to work or to pay for the company car to drive them a few hundred yards and of course those
gold plated pensions,
Oh wait, they don’t.
The excuses, IPSA is making us take the pay rise. It’s not our fault, we have no choice. We are
taking the 15% increase against our will. Besides MPs in Europe earn more than we do!
Ladies and Gentlemen of Parliament. What is the weather like on your planet!