Thursday 4 April 2013

Daily Mail and Precariat status!

Every time I see that rag I fume more and more.

As a benefits claimant - yes that's child tax credit and child care element of working tax credit I am insulted by the accusations of the hate rag. I cannot even begin to comment on their horrid claims that the Philpott bloke is an example of welfare Britain!


 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2303071/Mick-Philpotts-story-shows-pervasiveness-evil-born-welfare-dependency.html

How dare they use this tragic tale to further their diatribe against the welfare state. AN Wilson- I have no words to describe your vileness.

People are falling for this moral panic!  Good sense will tell most people that there are some frauds and cheats who work the system. This is wrong. There are many more who get paid a pish wage and to raise a family and  work require support from the state either in payment or in the provision of social housing.  Those such as I would be royally fucked without child care assistance and would be claiming a lot more and paying nothing back in, not paying a pension and not paying national insurance.

Where are the what welfare enables people to do stories???? There are many out there frugalling away making their pennies stretch. What are the figures for the long term unemployed? Overall how many are in this category? Not as many as those who are temporarily unemployed and move back into work. I would hazard a bet that its more fluid than the cretins of the Daily Mail and their non thinking readership would have us believe!

There but for the grace of god!  Stock markets can falter and pension investments can be wiped out and house prices descend to negative equity.....


Our new class system!

Apparently I am a precariat. New social status - The lowest of the low if you go in for all that crap. The new social class takes account of your cultural and economical capital and social preferences/connections.

WTF Precariat means I really don't know.Apparently something to do with having a precarious lifestyle! Its below Marx's proletariat clearly! Working class people now own property. So not me then! If I work the answers and use preferences to reply rather than what I actually can afford to do socially then I become an emergent worker... Again WTF????

I am not emergent. I have been at the working game for a long time.  I am not young.

If you want to take the test its here! As social scientists I am sure they have a well though out methodology and rationale. Ok society ain't what it used to be  - see the two Ronnies and John Cleese clip from the 60's, 70's - upper, middle and working class nice and easy distinctions but I don't know enough to comment as to whether this new structure is the best description . Interesting bits are the percentages for each new tier I suppose.



Life's looser that's me - I shall shout it from the roof tops to all Daily Mail readers and Tory voters and doff my cap and catch crumbs from their lordships tables....  yellow stickered grub that no bugger else wants approved foods etc ! Technically the waste that I am truly  thankful for!

Yes my life is precarious!  If I crash my car tomorrow it will be a disaster, If my fridge breaks down it will take a chunk out of my meagre savings. New furniture is not an option. Yellow stickers are my staple. Second hand clothes make up my entire wardrobe. Foreign holidays not in my league. I am not the only one. There are plenty of us out there, More than the moralisers think. Charity shops and 'vintage' has never been more popular. Free cycle and skip diving - more and more competition!

Daily Mail readers have an open invite to walk a mile in my shoes with my finances but be warned I do not shop at Waitrose or M & S not sleep between Egyptian cotton sheets not use the central heating.

My washing liquid is nearing its end. I bought in bulk last time from AppFood lets see if some Daily mail reader can find me as good a deal or maybe I shall set them to work making me some washing liquid???



http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/collections/p00gs4vy#p00hhrwl Just because its good.




NB. I treat my finances separately to that of Biggles who is apparently in a much high class than me. He is slumming it with precariat me!