People Power Shames the Comrades
It was the day 'People Power' shook its fist at our New Labour Leaders - when 500 of the elderly, the disabled, and the vulnerable marched in protest at the huge increases in home care charges proposed by our masters.
Lambeth Town Hall has seen many 'demos' in its time - usually organised by 'Spartist' types straight from the scrapbooks of Old Labour or feral Maoist children in matching tee-shirts goaded on by unsmiling bearded lefties and shaven headed Labour councillors. Rarely, have so many real people marched to show their disgust - one woman hobbled two miles there and back on crutches from her Vauxhall home in the rain.
Predictably, our masters failed to budge an inch from their determination to raise home care charges by some 120 plus per cent and to tighten the eligibility criteria as well. They also proposed slashing cuts in grants to voluntary organisations - the very people who do the caring when the Council refuses to pick up the tab. Yet there was another way, and even a third way. The increases in charges and cuts in voluntary organisation grants were all avoidable.
Both the Conservative and the Liberal alternative budgets offered other savings that would remove the need for penalising the elderly and vulnerable. Only the Conservative budget was unqualified by the finance officers advising the Council. Nevertheless, had Labour councillors exercised any degree of common sense they would have 'picked and matched' from the alternative budgets and balanced the books without punishing the most vulnerable people in the borough. Sadly, when it came to the crunch they all voted like muppets for the Labour package. Their eyes said one thing - their votes another.
Despite our masters' uncaring public image, the situation could still be salvaged. Two days after the debacle, I met privately with the Labour Leader and offered him support in any cross-party initiative to avoid increasing the home care charges and cutting the voluntary sector. Let us hope and pray - and watch this space. There is just enough time to think again - but don't hold your breath.
Lambeth Town Hall has seen many 'demos' in its time - usually organised by 'Spartist' types straight from the scrapbooks of Old Labour or feral Maoist children in matching tee-shirts goaded on by unsmiling bearded lefties and shaven headed Labour councillors. Rarely, have so many real people marched to show their disgust - one woman hobbled two miles there and back on crutches from her Vauxhall home in the rain.
Predictably, our masters failed to budge an inch from their determination to raise home care charges by some 120 plus per cent and to tighten the eligibility criteria as well. They also proposed slashing cuts in grants to voluntary organisations - the very people who do the caring when the Council refuses to pick up the tab. Yet there was another way, and even a third way. The increases in charges and cuts in voluntary organisation grants were all avoidable.
Both the Conservative and the Liberal alternative budgets offered other savings that would remove the need for penalising the elderly and vulnerable. Only the Conservative budget was unqualified by the finance officers advising the Council. Nevertheless, had Labour councillors exercised any degree of common sense they would have 'picked and matched' from the alternative budgets and balanced the books without punishing the most vulnerable people in the borough. Sadly, when it came to the crunch they all voted like muppets for the Labour package. Their eyes said one thing - their votes another.
Despite our masters' uncaring public image, the situation could still be salvaged. Two days after the debacle, I met privately with the Labour Leader and offered him support in any cross-party initiative to avoid increasing the home care charges and cutting the voluntary sector. Let us hope and pray - and watch this space. There is just enough time to think again - but don't hold your breath.
Labels: Budget, Care charges, Demonstration, People power
posted by Cllr John Whelan on Wednesday, March 07, 2007
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