Times are hard. The gas bill arrived a week ago and the heating has been off more than on, in spite of the cold chill which has been around us all week. Until the weekend it will remain like this, so I have turned to the candle to keep me warm and save using the lights. This is because the electric bill will follow in a week or so, and that is worse than the gas. This made me realise several things. One is that matches are hard to light when lying in a cupboard for several years. Another is that in those days when the only light came from an oil lamp or candle, if available, those who wrote books at night did not do much good for their eyes. The great William Gladstone wrote all the time, letters, reports for Victoria of the parliamentary day, his own bills, and numerous other items, all this leading to harm for his eyesight. Getting older did not help this either.
Consider all those books, reports, manuscripts and other literature great and small written by such light. The UK has a lot of darkness during the year, houses were not always gifted good windows, and therefore lighting by candle or other means was poor. Yet masses of works arrived, and many are still read today. The drivel scribbled on the web will, I suspect, not last into future millennia. All this will be lost to posterity, and consider how the future will suffer when it misses our writing.
What?...oh!
Talking of work, I notice the DWP, those caring benefits people, have been ensuring that the disabled must be willing to work if they want benefits. With the number of people unemployed reaching a high of 5.2% in the UK, but only 3.8% in Scotland, the question being asked is 'Where are the jobs?' If those with university degrees, years of experience, and willingness to work and struggling to fond a job, what chance has a seriously disabled person? None whatsoever.
So, the caring PM has taken another step is helping the sick, he will ensure that any one who applies from a certain date now will have the benefit cut in half, to encourage them to find work.
What a heartless, cruel and savage act this is.
All this is part of the rich ensuring the weak pay the cost while they dodge the taxes. The same wealthy people who give large donations 'for the office,' of MPs.
