CANADIAN POVERTY

"The recession may be officially over, but six in 10 Canadians are still surviving from paycheque to paycheque, a national survey showed Monday. Fifty-nine per cent of Canadian workers say they would be in financial trouble if their paycheque was delayed by just a week- the same proportion as last year when the economy was still mired in a downturn, according to a poll of 2,766 people by the Canadian Payroll Association. The survey comes as the OECD today warned that record high debt levels have left many Canadians vulnerable to any future adverse shocks." (Globe and Mail, 13 September) RD

BEHIND THE RHETORIC

Politicians' stock in trade is pretending to represent the whole of society when in fact only representing the owning class. Thus we have Nick Clegg of the Liberal Democrats claiming that he is concerned about the poor and exploited at election time, but in power forced to declare his real aims. "Poor must accept benefit cuts: Clegg on collision course with own party by backing welfare axe. Nick Clegg has waded into the row over welfare reform by warning that benefits should not be there 'to compensate the poor for their predicament'. On the eve of the Liberal Democrat conference, the Deputy Prime Minister backed the Coalition's programme of welfare cuts and dramatically shifted his party's policy on the subject." (Daily Mail, 16 September) If you represent the owning class, despite your glamour TV image, you sometimes have to tell the truth. You are poor? So what, we are not here to "compensate" you! RD

WAR MEANS BIG BUCKS

 

 "The Obama administration is set to notify Congress of plans to offer advanced aircraft to Saudi Arabia worth up to $60 billion, the largest U.S. arms deal ever, and is in talks with the kingdom about potential naval and missile-defense upgrades that could be worth tens of billions of dollars more. The administration plans to tout the $60 billion package as a major job creator—supporting at least 75,000 jobs, according to company estimates—and sees the sale of advanced fighter jets and military helicopters to key Middle Eastern ally Riyadh as part of a broader policy aimed at shoring up Arab allies against Iran." (Wall Street Journal, 12 September) RD

CLOSING PRISONS AND BRINGING COURTS TO A STANDSTILL!

Socialists can't tell just how everything will operate in a socialist society; one thing they can say is the tremendous amount of social energy used in the protection of private property will be available for other purposes once the common ownership of the means of production is a fact.
In this article from the September issue of Labour Research, claims an annual budget of £9 billion; the general secretary warns there is an alternative, unfortunately, it's an alternative that leaves the working class producing wealth for the profit of the bosses.

One in five justice jobs at risk

The PCS civil service union has warned that 15,000 of the 80,000 staff at the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) could be at risk of losing their jobs. The warning follows an announcement that the department has to make £2 billion worth of cuts from its £9 billion annual budget. As the MoJ is the first department to agree the actual scale of the cuts, the PCS is expecting more bad news to come. General Secretary Mark Serwotka said: "This is the first indication of the true scale of the cuts being imposed upon departments by this coalition government, and it paints a devastating picture." According to the PCS, the cuts are equivalent to the entire budget for prisons, or the money the department spends each year on courts and tribunals. And it warned that cuts on this scale cannot be delivered without closing prisons and bringing courts to a standstill. "lt is clear that the civil service will simply not be able to cope," Serwotka warned. The union "will take every opportunity to remind the government and the public that there is an alternative and that these politically-motivated cuts are entirely avoidable", he said.

GRIM PROSPECTS

"Last week, defense group BAE Systems said it was cutting near 1,000 jobs, while 700 were lost at Connaught, the social housing group that fell into administration last week. BAE chief executive Ian King's comment at last week's defense select committee were chilling. He claimed the cancellation of a £5 billion contract for two Royal Navy aircraft carriers would jeopardise Britain's entire shipbuilding industry." (Observer, 12 September) RD

THE FAILURE OF REFORM

The number of people in the U.S. who are in poverty is on track for a record on President Barack Obama's watch, with the ranks of working-age poor approaching 1960s levels that led to the national war on poverty. Census figures for 2009 the recession-ravaged first year of the Democrat's presidency are to be released in the coming week, and demographers expect grim findings. It's unfortunate timing for Obama and his party just seven weeks before important elections when control of Congress is at stake. The anticipated increase from 13.2 percent to about 15 percent would be another blow to Democrats struggling to persuade voters to keep them in power." (Yahoo News, 11 September) RD

CAPITALISM IN ACTION

Capitalism is a very wasteful society. When fruit growers have a more than bumper crop it is common to let some of it rot unpicked. When charities ask for the surplus they are told that to give it away would lower the price and that these charities at present pay for the crop that is picked. Here is a recent example in the retail clothing trade. "High Street retailer Primark has been criticised by charities for its policy of shredding damaged and unwanted clothes. Aid organisations have described the practice as "worrying" and "a shame" - saying items could be used to raise vital funds. Primark said the practice was common and was to protect consumers." (BBC News, 13 September) Overlooking the hypocrisy of Primark's "to protect consumers" remark, the purpose of all production inside capitalism is to sell goods in order to realise a profit. Capitalism isn't interested in protecting consumers or aiding charities. Fruit can rot while people go hungry and clothing can be destroyed while people go about ill-clad. That is how the capitalist system operates. RD

schooling

Save the Children's head of Scotland, said: "Poverty kills childhood and severely affects life chances. Too many children in Scotland are not reaching their potential at school simply because they are poor. Poverty continues to be a key determining factor in how well a child will do at school and this is absolutely scandalous.Many of Scotland's poorest children live in sub-standard housing, have fewer books and educational games at home, lower aspirations and less confidence in their own ability to achieve their dreams.At every stage of school, children from poorer backgrounds do far worse than their better-off classmates..."

Children from wealthier homes in Scotland perform around 60% better in exams on average than those from poorer backgrounds who get free school meals.

WHAT RECESSION?

A two stone ring with a rare triangular blue diamond the size of a quarter on a gold band with baguette-cut diamonds could bring at least $15 million when it is offered at auction in New York next month. At 10.95 carats, the stone is the largest triangular-shaped fancy vivid blue diamond ever to come to auction, Christe's told The Associated Press in advance of the Oct. 20 sale. It is paired with a 9.87 carat white diamond cut in the same shape. ( Yahoo News, 10 September ) RD

No religion too

The Humanist Society of Scotland yesterday unveiled the message that 40% of the population do not follow an organised religion. The billboard sits on Paisley Road West, near Ibrox Stadium, which is on the route of the Pope’s cavalcade.

It believes that the two million figure is an underestimate and suggests 66% of Scots are not religious.

Also see our early pamphlet Socialism and Religion

LOADED POLITICIANS IN USA

"The rest of the country is still struggling with high unemployment amid a sluggish-at-best economic recovery -- but the wealthiest members of Congress are in high cotton. Indeed, the top 50 wealthiest lawmakers saw their combined net worths increase last year, according to the Hill's annual analysis of financial disclosure documents. Combined, the 50 lawmakers were worth $1.4 billion in 2009 -- an $85.1 million increase over their 2008 total . ...The list of 50 lawmakers spans both parties (27 Democrats and 23 Republicans) and both chambers of Congress (30 House members, 20 senators), the Hill reports." (Yahoo News, 1 September) RD

HUNGER AMIDST PLENTY

"India's grain warehouses are bursting at the seams and sacks of rice and wheat lie rotting in the open for lack of storage space. These government-managed stocks are for offsetting a fall in agricultural production in the event of drought or floods, but are also meant for sale to the poorest segment of the population at subsidised prices. But because the public distribution system (PDS) is undermined by bureaucracy and corruption, 60m tonnes of grain is lying in warehouses or under plastic sheeting, and, according to the Hindustan Times, 11m tonnes of it has been destroyed by the monsoons. A committee of experts appointed by the supreme court has claimed that this is nothing short of "genocide", and last month the court ordered the free distribution of the grain to the poor rather than have it eaten by rats. Since the 1970s green revolution, agricultural production has continued to rise, but not to benefit the hungry. Half of India's children aged under five suffer from malnutrition, and the rate remained stable between 1999 and 2006 despite the economic growth in those years. India is the world's 11th largest economic power but still has more people in poverty." (Guardian, 7 September) RD

MODERN BRITAIN

"Nearly 54,000 children living below the poverty line will be pushed farther down the scale by cuts to housing benefit, according to figures from the charity Shelter. Their families will be left with less than £100 a week once housing costs have been paid. Of these, 33,00 children will be in families trying to live on under £50 a week." (Times, 7 September) RD

LAND OF THE FREE?

"One out of every six Americans are in government anti-poverty programs, according to USA TODAY. More than 50 million Americans are in Medicaid. Forty million receive food stamps and 10 million receive unemployment benefits. The long and deep recession has increased federal assistance by about $200 billion a year." (The Atlantic, 30 August) RD

A GOD OF LOVE?

Workers in this country should be well aware of the hypocrisy of Christian claiming they have a God of love while Popes and Bishops bless armies before battles, but the Christians don't have the only claim to hypocrisy, Jews and Moslems are pretty good at the same game. Here is an 89-year-old Rabbi's latest rant. " Only days before US-brokered peace talks between Israel and Palestinians, the spiritual leader of an Israeli party in the government has called on God to smite the Palestinian leadership of President Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen. "Abu Mazen and all these evil people should perish from the earth," said Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who provides religious guidance to the ultra Orthodox Shas party, which holds several key ministerial post." (Times, 31 August) Not to be outdone Judism the Moslems are at the same theme of death and damnation. "An Iranian newspaper said yesterday that Carli Bruni deserved to die after expressing solidarity with a woman sentenced to be stoned for adultery. ...The newspaper's editor is appointed by Iran's supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei." (Times, 1 September) RD

BEHIND THE GLAMOUROUS IMAGE

Marks and Spencers like other high street clothes retailers like to project a glamourous image, so we have models like Twiggy twirling on television adverts to extol the virtues of the latest M&S fashionable outfit. Behind this trendy image lurks the awful reality of capitalist exploitation. "Workers at an Indian factory used by Marks & Spencers claim they have been beaten up while protesting about poor working conditions. The Viva Global factory in Gurgaon, on the outskirts of Delhi, was exposed last month by an Observer investigation for paying workers as little as 26p an hour and forcing them to work excessive overtime." (Observer, 5 September) RD

£1.2bn boom in 'pay day' loans

Pay day loans which carry sky high annual interest rates are surging in popularity, according to today's Metro, I'm sure the popularity comes from the pawnshop owners and not necessary from the people taking on these loans. The article goes on to read,
"The number of people taking loans, which can be approved in minutes on the web or by phone, have quadrupled since 2006. Some 1.2 million people are now borrowing £1.2bn from the increasing slew of short term money lenders, say researchers.
John Lamidey of the Consumer Finance Association, which represents most short-term loans firms, said "People want to borrow a smaller amount of money for their immediate needs and desires and pay it back quickly. If this is not a product people really like, then why is there the growth? We really don't want to lend to people who aren't in work," he added
He said high APRs are misleading because most customers repay straight away, paying between £10 and £30 for every £100 borrowed.

Well that makes one feel much better

Food for thought

Canada's new `get tough with crime' legislation, costing billions in new construction, is going ahead despite an ongoing debate on the validity of locking up large numbers of people in the US. The argument of Tory minister, Stockwell Day, in face of the declining crime figures in Canada, is that there is an increase in 'unreported crime'. That logic escapes most people with brains. More, and longer, prison terms for misdemeanours only seems to result in wasted lives, angry people on the street on release, and more disrupted families. Neal Pierce (Toronto Star, August 15, 2010) tells the tale of the 65 year old Texas orchid importer who was accosted in his own home by armed police in flak jackets, frisked, held incommunicado for four hours while police ransacked his home and then charged with smuggling flowers. He was thrown into prison with murderers and drug dealers and sentenced to seventeen months, and then, suffering from Parkinson's disease, was put into solitary confinement for 71 days for bringing prescription drugs with him to prison. Another consequence of higher rates of incarceration will be higher rates of homeless people on the street as it means higher numbers of released prisoners coming out of jail without money, contacts, or jobs. It's just another form of intimidation by the state.
Toronto Star sports writer, David Perkins reported that it is unlikely that National Hockey League players will be available for the next winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. The reason? Time zone difference means prime time live games won't be available and hence the NHL will not get the media coverage it wants for scheduling a two week break in the middle of the season and it's not worth the risk of injury to star players for the clubs. Perkins agrees everyone WANTS to see the best play the best, but what everyone wants is not what everyone gets, especially if it costs other people's money. It sort of sums up capitalism – it's not what is wanted or needed that counts, but what works for the profit system. John Ayers

Food for thought

Gwynne Dyer in EMC, a local newspaper, writes that Pakistan's problem with water is not too much, but too little. India and Pakistan, by treaty, share the six rivers descending from the Himalayan Mountains. Trouble is, the glaciers are diminishing, demand is increasing, and Pakistan's rivers are disappearing faster. What will happen in a few years when the problem becomes crucial? Dyer expects water wars, as would be the norm in capitalism – all wars are fought over economic/resource factors. As with the global effort to reduce greenhouse gases, cooperation is not an option in a competitive system.
Final figures for the G20 weekend are in. The total number arrested was 1,105, the largest mass arrest in Canadian history. By Saturday morning, only 20 had been arrested, Saturday night 150 and 700 on Sunday. Of those arrested, 278 were charged, 827 unconditionally released or never booked. Most of the 278 are expected to be discharged or get a token sentence. We'll see if the state intimidation will have worked at the next rally. John Ayers

Food for thought

As expected, Canada's economic recovery is cooling off as national unemployment `seasonally-adjusted' figures rose to 8%. Insecurity is the order of the day, as usual, for the working class.
The futility of reform – The Ontario Provincial government promised tough new labour laws to protect the 700 000 most vulnerable workers - temporaries. Right to holiday pay, overtime and other basics were to be mandatory. That legislation has now been `modernized', i.e. workers will be forced to confront employers with their complaints before filing a claim with the Ministry of Labour, rendering the law virtually useless.
Canada's environment minister, Jim Prentice, is elated that the arctic ice is receding. An investigator buff, he is happy that the ice-free ocean has turned up the HMS Investigator, sank 155 years ago while searching for Sir John Franklin's doomed Northwest Passage expedition. In his article, Peter Gorrie (Toronto Star, August 7, 2010), observes, "Climate change will unseal many other arctic treasures over the next few years. Most important – less romantic but incomparably more lucrative than an old boat – are oil and gas." No wonder they do not want to admit to, or do anything about, climate change! John Ayers