While I was trying to get home earlier and listening to Radio 2, there was a discussion about what Jesus would make of the protesters outside St Pauls. Some rancid old vicar and author came on to denounce the protesters in a pretty hysterical way. His entire argument seemed, as far as this piece is concerned, based on the idea that a) the protesters are all scroungers and layabouts (bollocks) and b) that such people shouldn't be allowed to protest. He was pretty adamant about this. In other words, protest - freedom of expression and dissent - are an economic right afforded only to those who 'pay their way'. That of course has some pretty interesting ramifications for the people in charge of our sick society. What an odious opinion. It just goes to show how far we have fallen. But the anti scrounger message is certainly alive and well.
I may get around to watching John Humphrys documentary on welfare on the iplayer, but that will have to wait until my sanity returns. I don't think I have the requisite emotional strength to deconstruct that kind of nonsense just yet. I saw a couple of minutes when it aired involving him talking to people from Poland who seemed to be cast in the role of benefit bashers while coming over here from an even more austere system. I couldn't wrap my head around that, nor why, again, the immigrant card was being played. What on earth do the Poles have to do with why I should be called a scrounger by the ingnoranti?
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