Tories piling misery on the needy

After all they can see firsthand how the cuts are draining the financial lifeblood from the councils coffers.

In consequence it’s piling more misery on the vulnerable with essential funding for the most needy gone. It’s clear now that the Government is deliberately vandalising the very social fabric of our society.

It was therefore disappointing when (after the recent budget meeting) all councillor Peter Wood could come up with was, that old chestnut, blaming “the splurge in spending by the Blair-Brown Government, which led to the deficit.

Councillor Wood was repeating the words of George Osborne, who in 2010-11 constantly maintained the national debt was out of control because of gross government overspending so public expenditure had to be cut.

However, the budget deficit was only 3% in 2007 and rose in 2009-10 because of the billions spent on bank bailouts, loan guarantees and asset protection for the banks.

The facts are the financial crisis was not caused by public sector borrowing but by private sector indebtedness on a grand scale.

As for Government borrowing, until 2007 Labour’s annual spend did not exceed Thatcher’s lowest annual spend in eight of her 11 years and only rose because of the bank bailouts.

So the councillor will have to look elsewhere for a scapegoat to blame for his Government’s agenda to shrink the state, privatise all public services and minimise welfare.

Tory ideology where the rich get wealthier and the poor have no chance.

W Quinn