RUNNING OUT OF ENERGY….
The Tories seem to be late with everything, except a party!!
LATE with action on the pandemic – lockdown decision, provision of PPE, acting to stop Covid infected elderly people being moved out of hospitals back into care homes, imposing travel restrictions and quarantine regulations.
LATE with action to help people with their energy bills.
LATE with investing in and developing wind power on or off-shore_ regulations stopping on-shore wind farms still in place.
LATE with paying compensation for the Windrush group.
LATE with action on Social Care provision which is blocking release back into the community 25% of hospoial beds being occupied by people who don’t need to be there.
Now TOO LATE, after a prolonged hiatus, the proposals to cap the wholesale price of energy for businesses, hospitals, schools and some charities have been announced too late to stop some businesses from closing down. Many more will go to the wall, jobs will be lost and the economy will shrink. The 6 months allowed is too short, businesses say, to give them the confidence to continue to trade.
The Head of a school in Sussex stated on the day of the latest announcement on the cost of energy, that there will be no money from the school budget to pay for staff to provide any extra support for pupils. Only the core curriculum can be provided. So much for the importance of mental health support for our young people! It is inevitable that Special Educational Needs provision is going to be further cut.
A previous Deputy Chief of the Bank of England stated on BBC’s Today Programme (22/9) that the government and the Bank of England are pulling in two different directions and that economic growth is likely to shrink in the next year or so. And interest rates are going up which is going to result in more people being able to pay off loans, meet their mortgage repayments and increase the cost of student loans.
But, hark! I hear a slogan from a new Prime Minister – “A NEW BRITAIN FOR A NEW ERA”. What happened to the old Britain- the Conservative one with her best mate Boris Johnson at the helm? No, with Liz in charge all will be well. She has it all worked out.
And I hear this morning that Therese Coffey also has a slogan to solve the problems of the NHS. She is the PATIENTS’ CHAMPION. How wonderful! What could there possibly be to worry our little heads about. She is going to raise standards by asking doctors to give GP appointments within 2 weeks. Surgeries are going to be allowed to employ more support staff so don’t be surprised if,when you attend for your appointment, the health worker you see before you, is the young chap who delivered your letter in the morning!
Jane Darling
22nd September 2022
