Letter from Parliament - Jim Dobbin MP

Jim Dobbin MP

The impact of George Osborne’s budget is becoming clearer as the hidden small print emerges.

Tax cuts for the wealthy, including the 29 millionaires in the Government, tax increases for the poor and loss of funding for charities because of changes to the tax system.

These are just a few of the decisions taken by the Coalition that are creating chaos for the innocent citizens of the U.K. Chaos at home- and where is the Prime Minister; sailing the seven seas, strutting the global stage, lecturing the Far East. I wonder if there is a country anywhere in the Globe that this frequent traveller has failed to visit. If there is, they should count themselves lucky.

David Cameron’s daily pronouncements are peppered with generalities that contain little detail or understanding of life for ordinary people. His party is in turmoil internally, but does he care? Obviously not or he would be at home sorting out the mess his Coalition Government have created. Never mind, the ‘Big Society’ will rescue us all. As the State run services are killed, our massive army of volunteers will fill the gap providing Adult Care, Education, Health, sweeping the streets, emptying the bins and generally look after the growing elderly population and their needs, as well as providing comfort and support for the rising numbers of unemployed. It will be a heavenly land we live in- What a Laugh! As prices are escalating, people are losing their jobs, wages are frozen, taxes are rising and benefits are cut. We await the chaos that will almost certainly occur. The Health Service is finished under this Government and now education is doomed to suffer the same fate. Michael Gove’s investment in free schools forgot that they would need premises. Over fifty per cent of them still have no buildings in which to work. An Education system without schools!

The financial constraints that are hitting people now are drawing them towards these pay as you go ‘sharks’, who openly advertise on television at frightening levels of interest rates, some as high as 1700%. That’s the world of personal debt that we are heading into. If individuals need to borrow then join a credit union and enter an ethical financial agreement that is affordable. The 29 millionaires in the Government would not understand the needs of ordinary people who are forced to borrow to live. They only borrow to speculate on the financial markets. They are a bunch of innocents, aren’t they?

I am pleased that the petition from the Coalition for Marriage, of which I was an early signatory, is reaching 500,000. This should send the strong message to David Cameron that a large majority in this country wish to retain the authentic definition of marriage. He should ditch this draft proposal.

Parliament has been in recess and this gives me the opportunity to work in the constituency. The Easter break provided time for the family and grand-children. They work and play at a speed that is sometimes difficult to keep up with but never-the-less is most enjoyable.

It was back to Parliament this week to deal with the Finance Bill with all its complexities.