The Dinosaurs Posturing

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The dinosaurs of the trades union movements were out and about yesterday at the start of the TUC Conference posturing about fighting spending cuts and protecting their members’ jobs by means of what one of them called a campaign of civil disobedience. And this before anyone knows where the cuts will fall.

We will hear much about workers’ pay and conditions in the next few days, but nothing at all about those of the union leaders themselves. A report by the Taxpayers Alliance showed that 38 trade union General Secretaries and Chief Executives receive pay and benefits in excess of £100,000 per year. The top six men earn between £106,000 and £127,000.

What do these overpaid people know about the pay and conditions of their members?
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Bring back Sir Humphrey Appleby!

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One of my favourite television series is ‘Yes, Minister’ and ‘Yes, Prime Minister’, starring Paul Eddington as Jim Hacker MP, who eventually becomes Prime Minister, and Nigel Hawthorne as the double-speaking Whitehall mandarin, Sir Humphrey Appleby. The beautifully scripted and hilarious satirical comedy series ran from 1980 to 1988 and repeats are still shown from time to time.

Earlier this week I watched the last episode of ‘Yes, Prime Minister’ in which Sir Humphrey Appleby, believing that a radio interview has been terminated, commits a monumental gaff when speaking about unemployment and the cost of social security payments.

‘Cut off all social security to any claimants who refuses two job offers, there’s genuine unemployment in the north but the south of England is awash with layabouts, many of them graduates, living off the dole and housing benefit. Plus quite a lot of cash that they pick up without telling anybody.’ ‘Most employers will tell you they’re short staffed, but offer the unemployed a street sweeping job or a dish washing job they’d be off the register before you could say parasite. Frankly this country can have as much unemployment as it’s prepared to pay for in social security. And no politicians have got the guts to do anything about it.’

I laughed at the time for there is much in what Sir Humphrey said that it is true today.

But it wasn’t so funny later in the week when it was announced that five million Britons have never worked under this present Labour government and that two million of them have never worked in their lives.

Many of us believe that state handouts have contributed to this situation by encouraging some people not to work. Indeed, the TaxPayers Alliance have said, ‘It’s absolutely right that we have a safety net to help people who fall on hard times, but the government have allowed welfare to become a life choice rather than a last resort’.

A comment by Theresa May, the Tory MP, is also telling. She said about the figures, ‘They will include lone parents which the state has told not to bother trying to work until their youngest child was sixteen’.

According to the Office of National Statistics, the cost of jobless benefits alone in this country are now a staggering £193 billion a year and this has increased from £93 billion in 1997. Add on all the other benefits which are paid to people each year and the cost to the taxpayer must be absolutely mind-blowing.

Can this situation be allowed to continue and will any government have the guts to do something about it? Very good questions!

Bring back Sir Humphrey Appleby!
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