THERE’S something particularly nasty about this so-called conservative government expecting the taxpayer and business to shoulder the cost consequences of its totally disproportionate and reckless Covid response – £372 billion and rising – that could have paid for social care and more.
Talk about shooting the economy in the foot, again. The promised dividend tax rise, coming on top of a huge planned increase in corporation tax, will be another major blow to business, the self-employed, and Britain’s tax competitiveness.
Adding insult to injury its mandatory care worker vaccine policy is exacerbating the crisis social care already faced.
The Guardian reported yesterday that care workers are quitting to become Amazon warehouse pickers and for other better-paid jobs ‘in a growing staffing crisis which operators now warn could leave 170,000 vacancies by the end of the year’.
Given the emerging evidence of the vaccine’s reduced efficacy on top of the growing catalogue of known adverse reactions and risks, is it any wonder that so many are refusing to be bullied into having the jab?
Backbench MPs are alarmed by the Government’s plans. No wonder. Not only will raising employee National Insurance contributions, immediately reducing take-home pay at a time when (lockdown policy-related) inflation is just starting to take off, but workers will be hit by wage growth being held back.
Yet once again, Boris Johnson’s opponents in the Cabinet and among Northern Tory MPs appear impotent. They would be sensible to deny their support unless the Prime Minister retracts his care worker vaccine mandate. They might also point out fairer and better ways of finding the excess money needed.
Halting all criminally wasteful and destructive ‘Covid’ spending programmes would be a start, including the reckless vaccine rollout to young people and the introduction of Covid passports or certification.
Even better ways of returning some efficiency to the economy would be to relax all travel restrictions, cease all quarantine except for those diagnosed as actually ill with Covid, close down all Cabinet Office and Sage-generated propaganda programmes, close and disband the ‘Nudge Unit’, Sage, and end all mass testing – in other words, bring the Covid gravy train to a complete halt.
Then and only then should MPs be prepared to discuss social care tax increases in the context of its reform.
Please feel free to discuss the issue and make your suggestions as to spending cutbacks that would pay for social care.
