All of this furore about the UK Supreme Court ruling on the legality of the government’s “back-to-work” schemes and its decision that the unemployed were not being given enough information on sanctions for people on jobseekers allowance who refuse jobs that could help them back into work. Oh no! that smacks of slave labour! And WORK is a four letter word which is the last thing that a lot of them want.
It brought to mind a parody that went the rounds during the dark days of ‘Darling Harold’s government. If I remember correctly it went something like –
Over five thousand years ago, Moses said to the children of Israel “Pick up your shovel, mount your asses and camels and I will lead you to the Promised Land”. Then along came Harold Wilson (spit) and said “Lay down your shovel, sit on your asses, light up a Camel (cigarette), this is the Promised Land”.
As is the general way of things there was worse to come, and the satire has been brought up to date and verses added. . . . . “Then Gordon Brown (spit) came along; stole your shovel, taxed your asses, raised the price of camels and mortgaged the Promised Land”.
“Now David Cameron has loaned my shovel to a third world country, not realising that we are now a third world country, raised my fuel bills, lent my money to a crowd of greedy, incompetent ‘Merchant Bankers’ (cockney rhyming slang intended) and increased VAT to 20%.”
I was so depressed that I called the Samaritans; they diverted my call to a call centre in Pakistan. When I told them that I felt suicidal they got really excited and asked me if I could drive a lorry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . even they are trying to give me a job!
