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The problem is that you could substitute Cameron’s visage with that of any mainstream politician, and the criticism would remain entirely accurate.
I beg to differ, very strongly
quite
I’d say government by big business, for big business. Mostly Unum the insurance company from what I can work out. I think some shit’s going to start hitting the fan for them soon and in my view it’s certainly not before time. It looks like they’re behind the scheme to stop doctors declaring who is and isn’t fit for work and having supposedly independent assessors (who will no doubt turn out to be Atos the disability assessors) decide it instead. It’s wiudely understood that Goldman Sachs are running the American government, well it appears that Unum are running the DWP and have been for some time. I suspect we’ll all be hearing more about this…
On what basis? No mainstream politician is offering any real alternative, they all believe in a globalist race to the bottom, the only difference between them is the pace at which they’d get us there. The coalition that is currently driving what remains of our economy off a cliff is the embodiment of the dilettantish nature of the modern political class. The broad consensus that defines much of our political discourse is not an environment conducive to the radical solutions the current crisis demands.
The #OWS movement came about as a consequence of the realisation amongst many average working people, that no matter the rhetoric to the contrary, politicians in the mainstream are servants of the international banking kleptocracy.
Labour and Conservative politicians may call each other names in the theatre of the commons, but they move in the same circles, quaff champagne with the same shady billionaires, and answer to the same paymasters.
Not one “mainstream politician” (of note) has publicly renounced “tax havens”.
Why?
Because they are at the hub of an evil system that radiates from the City to provide “resources” and “opportunities” to ensure that the higher echelons of all political parties remain in power.
And obscenely wealthy!
OK: with the exception of Mr. Michael D Higgins
And maybe one or two others ….?
Especially so with all the drivel some of them have been spouting in the last week.
Cameron, millionaire; Clegg, millionaire; Ed Miliband, millionaire…
I can say with some certainty: I’m not!
Only some certainty? Have you got a lottery ticket you haven’t checked yet?
No – but the book might just sell millions
Unlikely, but……
Bill … You are so right to put the finger of Unum who even share with Goldman Sachs a very chequered history of ‘sharp practice’.
The history of the involvement of Unum in welfare reform reads like a conspiracy theory ie. unbelievable. Not only are they sitting on advisory committees, but are funding the psychiatrists, academics and think tanks offering evidence to the DWP. Unum were also backing the re-definition of illness (which is fantastical) and much of the reason behind the ATOS assessments … medics have had to be marginalised because too many have failed to apply the bio-psychosocial model sufficiently.
I wrote about Unum in relation to the appalling absence of care for the 250K sufferers of ME/CFS which has prevailed from the 90s as a result of the bio-psychosocial model. http://think-left.org/2011/08/04/welfare-reform-and-mecfs/
but there are many other sources including Private Eye who are questioning the conflict of interest particularly given the current Unum advertising campaign ‘gracing’ our television screens.
Have you seen my comments on the After Atos group on Facebook on the subject? It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to repeat the whole thing here but it’s widely discussed on Facebook and it sounds as if you have something to contribute. Excuse us hijacking your blog here Richard 🙂 The casual observer might like to Google for Unum scandal and then prepare to be amazed as it becomes apparent this is the company driving the welfare reform policy (and their own internal memos say this, I understand) at the invite of the government. Not just this bunch, you understand, but the previous mob too. My own feeling is some very very senior heads will be rolling when the wider public fully grasp what’s been going on, from both major parties, ministers past and present. The problem there and why I go on to mention this is quite soon in the scheme of things it’s going to be blindingly obvious there’s no major party you can vote for with any conscience. The idea of government has survived because some people still believe in it but I think when it breaks this will be so big and so disgusting I can see it being the end of the idea of central government in this country – and where do we go then, eh? It’s all we’ve known for centuries. Interesting times indeed for those who can survive them.
Or we will see the return of the Courageous State, I hope
I can but hope
And yes, this is a scandal
Thank you Richard for allowing the hi-jack 🙂
I will certainly check out the After Atos FB Bill. Thank you. I’m just finishing another piece on welfare reform/Unum, and have another in train about the biopsychosocial model. As you say, this is a very real scandal, and another reason for the return of the Courageous State (which BTW I have just recieved through the post.)
Keep this coming
You are welcome here
I’m taking you at your kind words Richard. The link to my post on Unum and Welfare reform:
http://think-left.org/2011/11/22/welfare-reform-and-the-us-insurance-giant-unum/
Bill .. I have been accepted onto the After Atos Fb 🙂
In my work I have had to look carefully at the structure of Unum – how it has been pieced together and who has financed its growth. It is clear that the same people who control Goldman Sachs are also in evidence here. I include a link to the Private Eye report.
http://www.meassociation.org.uk/?p=9217
John .. that really doesn’t surprise me 🙁 Of course Lord Freud, who moved seamlessly from New Labour’s Welfare Reform programme to Tory-LD, was a vice chairman of investing banking at UBS AG who also have links with Unum. The New Scientist reported a survey of links between global corporations using a biological population modelling technique and showed the clustering centred around only 50 organisations. We seem to have moved into a global corporatocracy.