Here is an interesting article about the way in which the Coalition Government are manipulating statistics in order to scare us and justify, whilst trying to disguise, their ideologically based slaughter of the NHS.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/01/health-statistics-policy?CMP=twt_gu
They also add weight also to my argument a couple of days ago (see below) about the way knowledge is put to use by those in power. The point is statistics ‘do not speak for themselves’, they have to be interpreted.
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February 1, 2011 at 11:23 pm
Kyle
Tell that to the people of Ireland!
February 2, 2011 at 12:46 pm
corinnelindsey
Thanks Kyle, but tell what exactly to the people of Ireland?
February 3, 2011 at 11:20 am
Kyle
Sorry, the comment should have been under the ‘Folly of Cuts’. My point being the Green Party was until a few weeks ago, in government with the catholic social democratic Fianna Fail (who were going to merge with Labour’s sister party the SDLP). Forming a centre-left coalition, that has cut more savagely than the centre-right coalition in the UK.
I’m sorry to see you and other Greens joining the Labour narrative on cuts – Labour left our country with the largest structural deficit of the industrialised world – making cuts inevitable.
I support Molly S-C’s motion passed at GPEW conference- Living within our Means “The unprecedented deficit is an indication that we are living beyond our means in a fiscal sense, which supports the Green Party’s long-held belief that we are living beyond our means in an ecological sense. Our recognition of the link between these two crises constrains the kind of response which the party can make to the current debate about public spending cuts”. Molly identifies the real problem is that most people in the UK have a level of consumption that is way higher than is justified economically or environmentally. Sorry all this “fighting the cuts” trying to preserve the status quo is pointless. The fact is our lifestyles are unsustainable on many levels. Material living standards will inevitably fall in any case as we are living way beyond our means, this does not necessarily mean quality of life needs to fall though. The GPEW should be trying to encourage people to question their wasteful overconsumption, not justifying the idea that our current lifestyles are acceptable or sustainable.
February 6, 2011 at 5:41 pm
corinnelindsey
Please see my posting on ecological sustainability, economics and the cuts for my response.
February 6, 2011 at 3:44 pm
Keith
I think that what is missed when people attempt to justify the cuts in terms of reducing consumption is the lack of social justice in these. The UK is one of the most unequal societies in the developed world and this has got worse under the years of the Labour government. It was rich people who caused the problems- over ¾ of the UK deficit is due to bailing out the financial world, yet it is those at the bottom who are expected to pay to reduce that deficit.
The cuts are ideological, all political decisions must be. My own ideological position on the deficit reduction would be to reduce the wealth and income of the richest sections of society, to bring about a more equal society. This would also reduce consumption, plus, by having a more equal society people would not feel as compelled to display their status through gross conspicuous consumption.
How can Greens justify creating hardship only on the poorer sections of society? If we just look at consumption, we could justify creating massive poverty the world over and just have a few rich global oligarchs running things. Consumption would definitely go down, but sustainability wouldn’t necessarily do so nor would quality of life – except for those oligarchs (actually, we might already be close to having such a system).
February 10, 2011 at 2:20 am
Kyle
Keith, you are right inequality has increased at a greater rate under last Labour government than the previous Tory government. Doesn’t that tell you something? A party ideologically committed to greater equality, not only fails, but dose worse than Thatcher! As I say Molly Scott-Cato’s motion, Living Within Our Means – says it all.
“How can Greens justify creating hardship only on the poorer sections of society?” Irish Green Party MP (TD) Paul Gogarty said there was no alternative but to hurt the poorest, with some very blue language! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVltFNE33XM . Greens were in government in Ireland: The minimum wage was increased in the UK, cut in Ireland. Child Benefit/Family Allowance cut for rich in UK, cut for everyone in Ireland, I could go on but you get the idea. The Irish Green Party are ideologically the same as the GPEW one would image, yet the Irish centre-left government will be worse for the poorest, than the centre-right government in the UK.