One sunny afternoon in 2010, David Cameron and Nick Clegg announced to the uk that they planned to work together in coalition government, promising put the dark days of the previous government behind us and forge a "new politics." Fast forward to 2012 and its rapidly becomming clear that this "new politics" does not herald a brighter future for all.
Over the past year the government has used the media in a more odious way than New Labour ever managed during their time in office. Tony Blair and his cronies used the free press to spin stories in their favour, massaging the truth and burying bad news stories where they could. Of course all parties do the same, but no one had raised to an artform in the way that Alastair Campbell managed.
The current pattern is far less subtle, but considerably more brutal. The government make a policy announcement, usually regarding cutting back spending in the public sector, under the banner of increasing fairness for all, they refuse to negotiate with groups affected by the changes, and then go on the attack in the press, claiming that only their policy is the fair way, and labeling those trying to stand up for their rights as greedy and selfish. It has led to strikes by nurses, teachers, university lecturers and a mass demonstration by the police who do not have the legal right to engage in industrial action. Each group has been targeted with pension cuts, erosions of terms and conditions and had their ability to provide a high quality service hindered by poorly thought out policies.
Rather than focus on the real issues at stake, such as increasing class sizes, cuts to special needs funding, fewer policemen able to walk a beat and punishing hours for NHS workers in understaffed wards up and down the country, the government spins the story that its all about money and starts to get personal.
The have not's are pitted against the have littles as David and co, despite putting their own ministerial pension review on hold indefinitely, claim that its just so unfair that Teachers and Nurses and Doctors and Police get a pension when so many people out there don't have one, aren't we all in this together? they say, why should the public sewctor be entitled to a pension, when so many in the private sector have seen theirs devalue over the years?
This argument is specious, it assumes that the only truly fair state is if everyone has nothing, although of course the mainly private school educated cabinet will not be affected by any of the changes they are suggesting as their own bank balances are more than healthy enough to see them through very comfortably.
This week, the story has got even more absurd, with the Prime Minister singling out comedian Jimmy Carr and discussing his private tax affairs, branding them immoral. While it can be claimed that a minister has the right to discuss the motivations of large proffesional bodies, there can surely be no justification for an elected representitive to single out a private citizen in the press and discuss his personal financial dealings. Distasteful though Jimmy Carr's practice may appear, he has broken no laws, merely acted on the advice of an accountant who has taken advantage of a failing in the taxation system. Surely it is the governments job, not to expect citizens to make a moral judgement over what they are entitled to avoid paying, but to ensure that any opportunities to exploit the system are dealt with. Jimmy Carr has been shamed into paying a few hundred thousand pounds extra in tax, but this is nothing comapred to the millions being avoided by others in the same scheme that have not been highlighted.
