Sunday, February 05, 2006

Barclay’s and Blair. Pariahs

Barclay’s and other banks advertising is typical and it runs something like this:

Borrow money from us - it’s so easy.

What they never say is:

... so we can make lots and lots of lovely money out of you.

Of course, nobody needs to borrow money, do they. Ever increasing taxes (Council Tax, petrol tax, etc, etc,etc). Wait for that day when the oil runs out. The flood of easy revenue will stop. Instantly. It'll make the Wall Street crash look like a minor interlude. The greed that runs the world will stop because life will stop. At the worst, we’ll all be dead. At the best it will be a true Mad Max scenario.

Not everybody has this penchant for the filthy lucre and that's what it is: filthy. It’s dirty. Imagine washing in oil. Greedy people never have enough financial support. So consumed by greed. Enough just to be comfortable isn't enough. Enough to drown in isn't enough. Enough is never enough. So short-sighted, but there's none so blind as those that will not see. King Midas couldn’t live on gold. Paradoxically, oil came from life and this black life-blood has indirectly sustained life, but it will ultimately be the downfall of life. We’ll become the oil of the future.

Lending money apparently without any real checks as to whether someone is able to afford to repay it. An assumption, perhaps. WITH INTEREST, of course. It’s business. The more that is lent then the more that theoretically becomes payable. By someone. It’s quite disgusting. Immoral, but it’s within the framework of business ethics.

As I understand this, the government would have us believe that a loan taken out to support being at University becomes payable only when a certain amount of salary is earned when in full-time employment. A reward for the hard effort of gaining a degree. Actually, the interest is accrued right from the start. It only becomes part of the contract to start paying it back later. But, the interest is continuously added right from the start. A low interest loan operated in this way is much the same as paying the minimum necessary on a credit card. The interest accrues at an alarming rate. Over 3 years much needed funds (University fees, basic needs for living costs) becomes a large amount.

Is this carefully explained or just encouraged to borrow more? I will monitor this one closely.

Students who undertake courses going nowhere are ill-advised from the beginning. Perhaps these courses should not be supported through taxation. Those courses that are the future - the science based courses - should be more generously subsidised. Scientists are becoming a rarity. The easy option courses are wasting everyone’s time. The students and their finances. But it keeps the Universities solvent. Government must not be allowed to absolve itself from responsibility. It has become simply a cost cutting exercise. There are victims of despair. I cannot imagine someone so filled with hopelessness that they would do to themselves the ultimate damage.

So, how is it that Barclay’s sent out a demand for the full amount of loan arrears? Allegedly.

Blair’s government cannot escape this. Blair cannot escape this. The prime minister, like the managing director of a company, along with all other directors (ministers), they are all responsible for the manner in which their company (government) operates. The corporate responsibility ethic. Nice idea, but "not me guv". By sharing out the "responsibility" so much, it has become so diluted there is no blame left to apportion. They must share an equal blame - if not more. No controls over the banks. Actually, not bothered. Probably encourage it as it's big business and there's lots and lots of money at stake. For the bank, of course. Blair always plays the sycophant. It's always towards big business and never, ever in favour of citizen-UK's interest. It's sickening.

The amount of £14,000 is not a lot! these days. Loan liabilites can be much higher. Ridiculously high. But the loan is needed to live on and educate oneself.

Pushing it out into the private sector. Second houses being "let out". Even University staff seem to be cashing in with their second homes.

Students (undergraduates) are the future of the country and they have to pay for it themselves. It's a disgrace. A national sham(e).

"Tony" has become the twin of Thatcher. It’s a horrible thought. Divest all responsibility from government and push it onto the people. We should privatise government, perhaps. Blair would be debarred from having shares. Goes without saying? It's enough to make a parasite sound decent. Blair’s epitaph (if anybody feels like adding one) should be:

"I'm proud to have been responsible for the misery and despair of millions. Hitler and Stalin did it crudely, but I'm so smart nobody noticed".

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home