Given my denunciations of the Guardian, and preference for other sources – OffGuardian, CounterPunch, the Canary, Al-Monitor, Russia Today, Strategic Culture; the Economist even – when seeking to triangulate on what is happening out there, you may look askance at my claim of still enjoying some things Graun.
It’s true though. I still have time for Monbiot, when he’s not talking dangerous bollocks on Syria but earning my approval, guarded and limited but sincere, for his writings on environmental crimes against humanity.1 Ditto decent pieces from a Gary Younge or Aditya Chakrabortty. Most of all though I like the deft wordsmithery of John Crace, who gave us the Maybot moniker and made it stick, and is for my money the finest hybrid writer – part satirist/part columnist – the Graun ever had.
He’s in sparkling form today, on Failing Grayling, but it’s his output of two days ago – Maybot and ‘austerity’ – I want to focus on. Or rather, good as that is, on a BTL response to it. Here’s Fishgirl23, who at time of writing has earned a massive 296 ‘likes’ with this:
Crace, you are a national treasure…
The leading Guardian leading headline today is that of Gordon Brown advocating for Universal Poverty to be abandoned: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/oct/10/gordon-brown-halt-universal-credit-rollout At last, the Daily Mirror is campaigning for the end to Universal Poverty, otherwise known as Universal Credit. Please sign this petition if you feel the same way: https://www.change.org/p/theresa-may-mp-stop-the-rollout-of-universal-credit-and-replace-it-with-a-fairer-system
As Gordon Brown stated, the combination of UC and Brexit will result in devastating consequences, some are being experienced as we post, sleep, breathe and go about our day-to-day activities oblivious to the plight of human need in the UK. Brexit, Brexit fucking Brexit while family members are dying due to austerity. These are families Theresa May cares about so she said. Families Just About Managing: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/gordon-brown-demands-cruel-vindictive-13391179
It is one thing to report news about the plight of vulnerable members of society, but quite something else to make a stand against injustice and using the power of journalism to do just that. Guardian, I am still waiting. You did well one year raising the awareness of the plight and needs of the homeless in our cities. What we know is that a number of families are being failed by this government, May, IDS and McVey. So much so, a series of FOI requests have revealed that the DWP have investigated a number of deaths to claimants of Universal Credit. Still not sexy enough a story eh? What is more, May is refusing to scrap fit for work assessments which have resulted in 50% of attempted suicides by women:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/theresa-may-fit-to-work-assessment-women-suicide-benefits-disability-a8577306.html
Now for austerity, yes it is all related. Austerity has brutalised the lives of the poor. Unless a government is fit to take care of the vulnerable citizens then quite frankly it should cease to govern. Corbyn really shredded May at PMs questions today and performed his own Banksy: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/pmqs-explodes-furious-row-jeremy-13394561
It was a ferocious shredding. Compare that with the number of lives lost to suicide as a result of austerity, welfare reform and much more. Like Corbyn said, the end of austerity is nothing but a huge con. May is a huge con with £20bn in cuts to services by the end of 2020 so expect more deaths: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/end-austerity-theresa-may-promise-20bn-public-cuts-institute-for-fiscal-studies-a8568071.html
Austerity is what it was meant to be, Tories and the rich elite protecting thier wealth while pissing and whipping the backs of the poor and vulnerable in society. I would welcome a summer of chaos.
Well said Fishgirl23. I couldn’t have put it better myself. Come to that, I doubt John Crace could either.
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