At the end of 2009, years of reckless and irresponsible banking practices finally took their toll causing feckless banks to face collapse with the potential economic impact resulting from this event likely to resound on fiscal recovery for years to come. So the UK government leapt at the opportunity to resolve this fiasco. But following years of criticism of the Iraq war, it must have seemed essential to avoid negative publicity from the lack of oversight to foresee this eventuality. So the nightmare began; life mimicked art, and government bailouts of British banks put even Carlsberg bank to shame. Take all that you want or need, no strings attached. Pay it back if you can be bothered, don't worry if you can't, the taxpayers will foot the bill. At all costs keep your bonuses shored up, just please don't threaten to leave the UK. Feel free to maintain the decadence, and if the sound of London burning disturbs the orgy, we suggest you raise the volume.
What's the old adage about banks? They'll gladly give you an umbrella when it's sunny, but demand it back the moment it starts to rain. So how different would it have been if the banks had been required to bail out the British government? One would have expected at least 29.9% APR on all money borrowed to reflect the degree of risk of lending to such an irresponsible borrower. After all, only the irresponsible truly find themselves in need of borrowing. And surely a strict repayment schedule would have been established, based upon the predicted income of the government, with punitive fees and fines at the ready for any failure to comply with the terms and conditions of the agreement.
Yet I digress, after all the initial trigger of my ire was the tuition fees debacle from the end of 2010. Turkeys don't vote for Christmas, students didn't vote for destruction of the British education system. Of course, the violence which has 'marred' the protests has proven most inconvenient making the issue difficult to ignore. If only the pesky students would protest quietly in some forgotten corner to assist the natural course of denial. How much was made of the fact that the public didn't vote for the Iraq war? Did anyone ask why there was no public vote regarding the great bank bailout? And now the British education system faces one of the greatest threats it has ever faced. Perhaps increased fees are merely the first step of a stealth process to enable privatisation of education. With university college status having recently been granted to BPP, part of the US-based, for-profit Apollo Group, how long before the rest of British academia is associated with a price-tag that only the rich can afford? By laws which are passed by those who can conveniently afford such luxuries. How many times over could the economic burden for supporting University education be achieved with the £124bn commitment which the UK government has currently imposed upon the UK public?
Obviously in light of the current economic position, spending cuts must be made, austerity measures must be imposed, but in times of hardship and recovery, the burden of spending must be shared equally. But I don’t see any semblance of equality in these measures. Incompetent tax laws enable abundant loopholes to be exploited by those who have the least need for them. The middle classes face a swift return to their place alongside the poor, and the poor face continued grinding poverty in perpetuity. All power is associated with money and no one in power will abdicate position to benefit the poor if change imposes risk to wealth or position. And nothing short of violent revolution will change the status quo if peaceful protest can so easily be ignored. Alternatively if the collective voice of public opinion becomes too loud to ignore, collective wisdom may still win the day. Although 2010 has already been marked by violence, hope for peaceful resolution to this impasse in 2011 rests upon the unity of protest. So unity in protest not only brings hope for change, it offers hope against violence. So if not to support the cost of higher education, then protest for justice and equality. If you desire peace, not protesting is no longer an option so stand tall and proud and raise your voice for fair change.
As a final note, I apologise if you find the AdSense advertisements objectionable. As indicated in my profile, I work full-time. Actually more than full time as I currently average about 60 hours a week. Furthermore, although from the start of the economic downturn I have refrained from further spending on my credit cards; I have ensured all payments were made on time and in excess of the minimum payment. However, this has not prevented the major high street bank with which I hold my credit arrangements from raising the APR on the outstanding balance from 17.9% to 25.9% over the course of the last year. So I have chosen to whore my blog with the hope that income generated by this process might help to offset the inexplicable increase in credit card interest. So if you see any adverts that you find of interest, please demonstrate your interest by clicking on these links as I receive some minimal benefit from this action. I may be poor, times may be tough, but I refuse to give up without a fight and I will no longer remain silent in my struggle.
