Monday 16 February 2009

Joined-up thinking

Lots of people are losing their jobs. Sensibly, many of them want to achieve new qualifications and have rushed to apply for university places in record numbers. We're always being told to be 'flexible workers', and it seems sensible all round to opt out of the job market while improving your potential when things improve. But no, the government has decided it would rather leave these enterprising, motivated people on the scrapheap. They've already withdrawn funding for anyone studying for a qualification equivalent to one they already hold, and now they're reducing the number of university places available because they arsed up their budget by £200 million. 

OK, a year ago I'd have thought £200 million was a lot of money. Not any more. There seems to be an enormous amount of cash around to save banks (last one I heard was the Gordon was raising £100 billion - so £200 million is absolutely sod all to invest in citizens' futures. I shall do what all bourgeois liberals do in an emergency - write to my MP. I encourage both of you to do the same.

1 comment:

Benjamin Judge said...

A letter. Right. Might I suggest that this is a complete waste of time. The actual solution may include the words 'parade' 'head' and 'pike'.

As for bank bail-outs. Has anyone worked out when we passed the point where it would have just been cheaper to guarantee all savings and write off all debt?

And bailing out car firms! Wouldn't it be cheaper to just give all the workers a hundred grand and a tankard each?

I'm looking forward to when the oil runs out and we are bailing out ESSO and BP.