I’ve got plans for the end of the month. Specifically November 30th. I intend to get up well before the sun pops its milky winter face over the horizon. I don’t like getting up, I don’t like mornings, but on 30th November I will make an exception. At that time of the morning and at that time of year, its going to be cold. Very cold. Even down here on the Costa Del Essex it could well be somewhere below freezing. I’ll make sure I wrap up especially warm, I am going to need it. Why am I doing this?
Well I want to be at work very early. Very early indeed. Though I don’t intend actually going to work. I intend standing outside it for several hours. Holding a placard and occassionally shouting some slogans. If I am lucky I might get to speak to various members of the public who are passing by, some of which will no doubt work for various media outlets.
Last time I did this was 30th June, in glorious sunshine. It was a really good day, because I didn’t have to shout any slogans at people who work in the same place as I do. Because none of them came to work. Well some did, but they stood outside with me. I am more than hopeful it will be same in November, except somewhat colder.
In order for me to have my day in the sun (or snow as it may well be), I will sacrifice about £50 of my salary. That may seem a lot, and it is. But its not a lot as £63 every single month until I retire (or more probably die). When you look at like that, its not bad odds. You see, whilst many may grumble about not coming to work on 30th November because of the financial implications, every single one of them knows that the financial implications of losing this dispute are a lot more serious. For some, it will result in total financial meltdown.
You see the crux of this is that the country is in debt. A considerable amount of debt. Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t recall spending trillions of pounds in recent years and I don’t recall betting billions of pounds on the money markets and losing. (though I did win £44 on a football bet some time ago). I do, however, remember paying my all my taxes at the correct rate and the right time. Unfortunately there are plenty out there, mainly those with a lot of money, have spent trillions, have lost big time on the markets and don’t pay their taxes.
You would think that any fair and sensible government would ask those people to pay back the money they’ve lost, wasted or stolen. No, this government decides to steal from those who can least afford it whilst the guilty ones continue to snuffle in their troughs. And not only that, I will be paying for this until the day I die. Me and millions of other ordinary working class people who just happen to work in public service.
And that’s why I will be standing outside my workplace on 30th November. That’s why millions of public sector workers will not be going to work on 30th November. That’s why this isn’t just a dispute about our pensions, it’s a straight faced, hard nosed rejection of this government’s policy. Government is supposed to be by the people for the people. This government is simply by some of the people for a limited amount of people who can afford it.
