The NHS (National Health Service) is a publicly funded health care system that functions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

As the election looms on, nine out of ten people fear the NHS being cut. Yet, there are plans that five years from 2011, the NHS will suffer a shortfall of £15Bn. This will no doubt affect services, and be detrimental to the service that the NHS provides.

However, historically there have always been cuts made to the NHS, which had its spending slashed within the first three years of its establishment: £8.5bn (in today’s prices) was spent on the NHS, in 1951-2, it fell to £8.4bn, and in 1952-3, to £8.3bn. Notably it was a Tory government in place, fronted by Winston Churchill whom performed the cuts due to ‘promising to slash taxes’. However, overall spending has increased in the past 60 years.

I shall now look at the forces behind establishing the NHS as we now know it today.

It was the Cabinet Memorandum. Social Insurance and Allied Services. Summary of Report by Sir William Beveridge. 25 November 1942, that looked at social security and how it was distributed in England, in the report Beveridge made a LIST OF PRINCIPAL CHANGES RECOMMENDED, a pivotal change he requested was

“…the Separation of medical treatment from the administration of cash benefits and the setting up of a comprehensive service for every citizen, covering all treatment and every form of disability under the supervision of the Health Department.”

Prior to this report, Individual families had to receive care from a variety of different organisations, each trying to fill the gap between the individual services, much like America’s free market health system today. The irony being it was the so-called ‘threat’ of socialism, that pushed a conservative government to establish the universal healthcare system, using ‘kindness’ as means to attain ‘power’.

In 1919 the Ministry of Health Act created the Ministry of Health, consolidating under a single authority the medical and public health functions of central government, and the co-ordination and supervision of local health services in England and Wales. The newly formed Ministry took over aspects of child and maternal welfare and medical inspection, as well as the treatment of children.

By April 1924 a conference was held under the auspices of the Labour Party, attended by a wide variety of organisations including the British Medical Association, the voluntary hospitals and members of professional staff associations. The conference was called to discuss the desirability of further state aid to extend and maintain the hospitals.

“The only way out of the impasse was for the state to accept the responsibility of providing hospital treatment for all who needed it, transferring the poor law infirmaries to the local authorities, and giving the voluntary hospitals the choice of remaining as they were, or of coming to an arrangement with the local health authority.”

The NHS was established in 5 July 1948 under the intention that the healthcare is a right, not a privilege.

• It was financed from central taxation.  The rich paid more than the poor for comparable benefits and Bevan regarded this as a crucial part of the scheme

• Everyone was eligible for care, even people temporarily resident or visiting the country, though now if you’re without the adequate insurance you’ll have to pay.  People could be referred to any hospital, local or more distant.

• Care was entirely free at the point of use, although prescription changes and dental charges were subsequently introduced

As the recession hits, all of the three main political parties are calling for cuts to public services, this will include the NHS.

Jacky Davis the Co-chair, NHS Consultants Association, as well as Dr Hamish Meldrum Chairman, British Medical Association, have both attacked the Governement’s use of the private sector, with the idea that ‘private is cheaper’.

“We must dispel this myth that the private sector can always do better. While there will always be opportunities to improve efficiency, the NHS consistently provides high-quality care at exceptionally good value for money. ”  - Dr Hamish Meldrum

“I recently met Paul Corrigan, one of the chief architects of the NHS “reforms”, at a debate about the role of the commercial sector in delivering NHS care. I asked him to produce the evidence that the private sector delivered cheaper, better-quality care with more innovation. He said it was “too early to tell”. There is no evidence. Those who say otherwise should be challenged to produce the proof. ” - Jacky Davis

Lilian Macer, chair of UNISON’s Health Service Group Executive, said “the reality is that the NHS continues to provide excellent care regardless of income or employment, and at a fraction of the cost of the American system”.

Britain’s largest trade union has opposed the privatisation of the NHS, as well as the BMA, and the NHS consultant associations.

The ‘backdoor privatisation of the NHS’

The following is from a report conducted by Alex Nunns

Payment By Results

Under payment for results, hospitals are paid for procedures undertaken, rather than being allocated a budget with which to meet identified need. This puts hospitals in competition with each other for patients, as well as with private sector providers. More patients equals more funding, creating inflationary pressure. Prices are set according to a tariff, which has produced perverse incentives and encouraged gaming

Choose and Book

The facility for patients to choose the site of their secondary care from a limited “menu” of providers, including at least one non-NHS facility, acts as a golden stairway for the private sector to raise its business within the NHS. Tony Blair has said that by 2008, 40% of the work carried out by private hospitals will be paid for by the NHS.

Independent Sector Treatment Centres

ISTCs are stand-alone private sector clinics specialising in a limited range of simple treatments, such as cataract operations or hip replacements. The NHS contracts ISTCs to carry out procedures at a fixed global price, which is paid whether or not the operations are actually performed. They also have a negative impact on clinical training. Neither do ISTCs provide value for money: the Department of Health admits that on average these centres have been paid 11% more than the NHS for each procedure, despite only taking on simple and cheap cases and not having to train junior staff. With these factors added in, ISTCs are being paid around 30% more.

Outsourcing the commissioning function of Primary Care Trusts (PCTs)

The tendering process is currently being handled by the Department of Health, which is drawing up a framework agreement and a list of approved companies that PCTs can contract to take on commissioning. Private companies would thereby gain control over which treatments patients receive and who provides them.

Privatising GP services

The Alternative Provider of Medical Services contract is the vehicle being used to bring the private sector in to run GP services. This is a new form of contract, which according to the government is intended to be “light touch and low bureaucracy”. It requires a dramatic shift towards a commercial business model, as contracts must be tendered in a competitive process. The Department of Health has taken control of the procurement of GP services in 30 areas. The deals will be worth £150-200 million.

Practice-based commissioning

Practice-based commissioning allows the commissioning power for purchasing treatments - including hospital operations - to be transferred from PCTs to groups or consortia of GPs. It is part of a move away from the needs-based planning of health services towards a fragmented market with entry opportunities for the private sector.

Outsourcing PCT provision

Commissioning a patient-led NHS, published in summer 2005, set out plainly the Government’s vision: PCTs were to stop providing services, which would be delivered by a patchwork of the private sector and social enterprises.

Unbundling of primary care services

Primary care services are being broken up into saleable commodities in a process known as unbundling. The services required of all GPs have been whittled down to a core, which can then be topped up with locally negotiated additional elements provided by traditional GPs or, increasingly, by companies and corporations. These new entry points and market opportunities for commercial providers are already being exploited for out-of-hours services and immunisation, and mean that in many situations patients have no choice but to use the private sector.

Integrated Clinical Assessment and Treatment Service

ICATS sit between primary and secondary care, carrying out diagnostic tests and performing some procedures, but also have the power to refer patients on to hospitals and ISTCs. There has also been

“concern regarding the inadequate engagement of professionals and partner agencies in the development of    the proposals” regarding the use of ICATS within Royal Bolton’s Hospital.”

Private Finance Initiative

Under the private finance initiative an NHS trusts signs a contract with a consortium of companies, which builds and maintains a hospital. The NHS trust then rents the hospital from the consortium, typically over a 30-year period. The purported purpose of PFI is to transfer risk to the private sector. But once the hospital is built that risk is so small that astronomical profits can be made from refinancing deals - as in the case of the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital, where the Octagon consortium made gains of £95m, and tripled its original expected internal rate of return from 19% to 60%, but left the hospital with extra potential liabilities of up to £257m should it need to terminate the contract early.

Local Improvement Finance Trust

LIFT is often referred to as the primary care version of PFI, but there are differences. The rates of profit flowing out of the NHS to private shareholders is just as high, despite the much lower risk of building a GP surgery compared to building a hospital. LIFT projects are costing up to eight times more than traditional ways of building. In Newham in east London, two LIFT premises that cater to just 9% of the local population are taking up 28% of the PCT’s expenditure on accommodation.

Subsidising private sector infrastructure

Recent Department of Health guidance on commissioning seeks to “reduce the risk for providers and consequently make the provision of new services more attractive to… new entrants”. It advises that this be done by paying a “supplement… to cover the set-up or development costs faced by a new provider”; by guaranteeing the “minimum income to be provided”; and by “lowering the barriers for new providers” through “reducing the capital investment required from the provider” - i. e., supplying the buildings.

Privatisation of NHS Logistics

The government decided to outsource it and a large part of the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency to the German delivery firm, DHL, and its sub-contractor, Novation, in the biggest single privatisation in the NHS yet. Novation will carry out the crucial role of procurement with control over £4 billion of NHS money. There are serious outstanding allegations against Novation in the US. The Department of Justice is currently investigating the company over bribery and defrauding American public health schemes. There is also a wealth of evidence to suggest that Novation’s activities inflate the price of medical supplies in the US.

Privatisation of oxygen supplies

The service supplying oxygen to patients with breathing difficulties was privatised in February 2006. Previously it had been run by local pharmacies working with GPs, and oxygen was delivered within a strict target time of hours. But after the service was handed over to four multinational companies - Air Products, Allied Oxycare/Medigas, Linde and BOC - there was chaos, with patients arriving at pharmacies blue in the face after being unable to obtain oxygen for three days.

Privatisation of pathology services

In August, the Government announced an expansion of private sector involvement in pathology and diagnostic tests. Five independent providers were chosen as preferred bidders to supply more than 1. 5 million diagnostic procedures, including X-rays, ultrasound scans, and blood and other tissue tests, under contracts worth £1bn over five years. This came after a review by Lord Carter warned of the dangers of fragmenting pathology through the privatisation of the sector - a position reinforced by the Royal College of Pathologists.

Private ambulance services

Where the contracts are won by the private sector, there have been problems. For example, the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust is having to transport patients who private company GSL have been paid and contracted to carry.

Off-shoring medical secretaries

An increasing number of NHS trusts are cutting trained medical secretaries in favour of cheaper services abroad - typically in India or South Africa. This has raised fears for safety, with examples such as hypertension being mistaken for hypotension, with potentially fatal consequences.

Connecting for Health

The NHS’ ill-fated IT programme has given corporations a huge slice of public money and unprecedented involvement in shaping the way the NHS will deliver care in future. Latest estimates suggest the cost to the taxpayer could reach £20bn, compared to an original figure of £6.2bn.

A Vision for the future

Just across the pond, we can view a system of what the NHS could eventually be.

The question however, is this - how did the US get there?

Between the 1800s - 1912, took no measures to make sick insurance compulsory for every citizen, what then occurred was that the states were left to rely on private and voluntary programs for healthcare. Though there were some voluntary funds available, there was no laws in place during the 19th century, or in fact the early 20th.

In 1906, the American Association of Labor Legislation (AALL) established a campaign for healthcare. They sought not to remove capitalism, but to reform it (where have we heard that before?) unlike the fragment parties of the left, they were able to draft a model bill for healthcare in 1915, after having established the first national conference in 1913.

Essentially the bill covered the working class, covering the services of physicians, nurses, and hospitals,  Sick pay, maternity benefits, and a death benefit of $50 were also included.

The costs were distributed between the state, the citizens, and the employers.

Progressive Era

Notably during the progressive era of Theodore Roosevelt (1901 -1909), he supported health insurance as he believed that no country could be strong whose people were sick and poor. (Essentially he really means that America could not be prosperous if its workers weren’t healthy).

Most of the reform took place outside of Government, and notably, unlike Europe there was not a strong working class labour or socialist movement that was pushing for reform.

It was in 1917 that the US entered WWI, and with that propaganda emerged, condemning the ‘German socialist health insurance’ , and at this time what with the ‘red scare’ of (1917-1920) which began after the Bolshevik russian revolution of the same year, health care reform proposals were put back until the 1930s.

So why had health care reform failed up to now? This in part due to: Opposition from doctors, labor, insurance companies, and business all of which stood to lose with state funded healthcare, pharmaceuticals in particular.

The Great Depression

The great depression had swept America, and subsequently the social security act was passed: whilst allowing for unemployment benefit (which at the time was in desperate need) and benefits for the elderly, yet healthcare was omitted once again.

The healthcare company Blue Cross begins to offer private healthcare coverage to US citizens, against the counsel of health professionals. As of 2008 Blue Cross profits were $320m.

By the 1960s they were over 700 insurance companies selling health insurance. In the 1970s healthcare costs escalated rapidly, partly due to inflation, the economy, and high medicare expenditure. As the 80s arrive, so too do the corporations, in US hospitals that is. President Reagan initiates the ‘payment by diagnoses plan’ (what this means is you pay the cost of what you have, rather than the cost of treatment).

As the 1990s settled in, healthcare costs had once again doubled against the rate of inflation, and another healthcare reform is failed to pass through U.S. congress.

America, one of the wealthiest countries in the world, and yet:

One in every six Americans under the age of 65 did not have health insurance (18%) in 2006

Almost 47 million Americans lack health insurance coverage, which represents more people than the entire population of Canada.

9 million children are uninsured in the U.S., while another 23.7 million –nearly 30 percent of the nation’s children- lack regular access to health care.

Thirty-eight million people from working families were uninsured in 2006 because not all businesses offer health benefits,not all workers qualify for coverage, and many employees cannot afford their share of the health premium.

Something borrowed, something new

With the Bolkstein Directive being pushed through the EU, Healthcare in England will radically change as it has two aims: to erase any national laws and standards that make it difficult for European companies to enter the markets.

The Second: to allow any business to operate anywhere in the EU according to the rules of its “country of origin.”

Which means that healthcare is likely to be seen as a lucrative (The UK’s healthcare market represents around £75 billion.) this “economic activity”, is a commodity to be traded across the EU much like any other, argued David Rowland.

The official stance of the directive is that the UK government has promised to exclude publicly funded healthcare from the directive, however like tuition and top-up fees, as for long this will last, remains to be seen.

If the backdoor privatisation of the NHS continues, it could see taxpayers contributing up to £24 for every £1 earmarked for lucrative private-sector contracts to run services for British hospitals.

The future of the NHS, is likely to be a hybridity, mixing public and private services, and notably profit will dominate over need, subsequently the original intentions of the NHS will be long forgotten in the ever quenching thirst for profit.

Sources:

http://www.pnhp.org/facts/a_brief_history_universal_health_care_efforts_in_the_us.php?page=1

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Cross_and_Blue_Shield_Association

http://www.pbs.org/healthcarecrisis/history.htm

http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:71zIsl9r6AYJ:www.kff.org/uninsured/upload/7451-03.pdf+38+million+american+without+healthcare&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article24215.htm

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/feb2005/nahs-f08.shtml

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/4758745.stm

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/nine-out-of-10-fear-nhs-cuts-1722630.html

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/health/auditors-warn-of-service-cuts-as-nhs-tries-to-save-200m-1.991121

http://www.personneltoday.com/articles/2009/06/11/51028/nhs-staff-and-training-cuts-unavoidable.html

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http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/report-shows-backdoor-nhs-privatisation-665484.html

http://www.nhshistory.net/

http://www.nhshistory.net/inter_war.htm

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http://www.cipfa.org.uk/publicfinance/news_details.cfm?news_id=28294

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NHS England Scotland Health Care Healthcare Obamacare US Healthcare Socialised Healthcare debt recession national health service money

Disclaimer: I shall be focusing on the English education system, and the subsequent local authorities. All images belong to their respective copyright owners.

The above title is taken from The Telegraph, according to its report: “Young people are facing a bleak financial future in which the state will take almost 50p in every £1 they earn, a report claims today.”

It goes onto state; “Making ends meet: the average student is expected to leave university owing nearly £15,000”.

So how did Generation Y: People in the workforce who were born in 1981 or later, end up in this situation?

Student Debt: How higher education turned into commodity.

It is necessary to understand the beginnings of the education system in England and its progression to the present day, notably the shift in economic and social policy in England to see how the current framework manifested.

Between 1600-1100, two schools emerged: Grammar and Song schools.

The ‘Grammar’ schools bore no resemblance to the structure of language, rather these were preparatory in reading and writing Latin.

Schools of song, were merely where Monks and Priests were educated to sing in Cathedral choirs.

From 1100-1500, there was a real progression in education in England (even if it was slanted with a religious angle)

In the 12th century cathedral schools increased in their numbers, and by the 13th century universities began to emerge.

In 1226 in the city of Cambridge, as there were numerous scholars, whom were represented by an official called a chancellor, arranged regular courses of study, and so the University of Cambridge began.

Other universities followed suit; University College which was established in 1249, Balliol in 1260 and Merton in 1264.

During this time, the grip of the church on education was being loosened, as changes begun to take place in school curriculum, as the concept of a more liberal education with the intention of preparation for specialised study in Law, Medicine, and theology.

Within this period the roles of teachers began to be formalised and they were now licensed, rather than appointed. University degrees were licences to teach.

Two of these independent (now referred to as public) schools were: Eton and Winchester.

Winchester college was founded in 1382 by William of Wykeham, Bishop of Winchester, together with New College in the University of Oxford.

Eton college was founded by Henry VI in 1441, and has overseen eighteen prime ministers, Royal families from Asia and Africa have sent their sons there, and Prince William and Harry of Britain’s own Monarchy. Aswell as the socialist George Orwell (Eric Blair).

By the end of the 15th century; in addition to song and grammar schools, newly established independent schools were created. These were separate to the church, and were accessible to those that were able to pay fees.

For the labouring poor education was denied to the majority as only the elite were able to pay fees, and with Eton’s fees as of 2009-10 - £28,851, it would seem this will remain for the meantime.

Ask me my three main priorities for government, and I tell you: education, education, education. - Tony Blair (1997)

As for the current system in Britain, this began in roughly in the second half of the 19th century. It was in 1870 that the Education Act was passed, which allowed for two systems: voluntary denominational schools and non denominational state schools, much like their grammar and public counter parts in that respect. By 1891 with the passing of the Education act, elementary education was in effect free.

There were numerous obstacles in the formation of a national system of free compulsory education.

Of which these included:

• The higher classes of society had no interest in advocating the cultural development of the working classes. On the contrary, the effects of the revolutionary spirit in Europe reinforced conservative attitudes that were certainly not conducive to advocating the development of the critical faculties of the people as a whole. It should be noted, that this attitude was reserved for the lower classes, not those of middle or upper.

• Neither did the vast majority of the working class have any real interest in education, my reasoning behind this was due to several factors: economic, social et al. Child labour was common practice in this period and working-class families were very reluctant to give up the earnings of their children for the benefit of education. The employment of children continued to increase even after 1850. With 2.9 million children in poverty under a Labour government in 2009, it would seem that even in the 21st century the shackles of Britain’s past are still in place.

• The idea of secular education had never been popular during the century. Education had almost exclusively been under the control of the established church. Furthermore, we should not forget the conflict between secular and religious thought that characterised the century, especially the latter half. Given the cultural and religious climate of the century it became obvious that any non denominational system of education would be well nigh impossible. It was only in the 20th century, with the rise of indifference towards religious teaching, that general non denominational schooling became possible.

“Religious schools, however, tend to divide society because, as a result of them, pupils become segregated by denomination or religion. The sectarianism, perhaps unwittingly accepted or encouraged at home, and reinforced at school often leads children to develop a circle of friends predominantly-even if subconsciously-chosen on religious grounds. This sets a pattern which can carry on throughout life and be transmitted to offspring, perpetuating the problem.” - National Secular Society (2002)

University Challenge

In the 20th century ‘red brick universities’ which were universities founded in the major industrial towns in England which achieved university status before World War I. They were predominately focused on sciences/engineering.

Following the end of World War II the Local Education Authorities paid student fees and provided non-mature students with a maintenance grant. Under the Education Act 1962 a national Mandatory Award of student maintenance grant was established, payable by the LEAs to students on most full-time courses.

In 1963, the Robbins Report recommended expansion of the British university system. The universities established after this report are often known as the ‘Plate Glass’ universities.

Taken for granted

In 1944, the Education Act introduces equality of access and educational opportunity for all. Local authorities were empowered “to grant scholarships, bursaries and other allowances…for the purpose of enabling pupils over compulsory school age to take advantage without hardship to themselves or their parents of any educational facilities available to them”

In 1960, the Anderson Committee was set up to consider a system of grants for students. The Committee report stated: “the country is…committed…to a large expansion in the places available in higher education, and it is the function of the awards system to ensure that those qualified to take advantage of these costly facilities are not deterred from doing so”.

The Robbins Committee on higher education stated in 1963: “That courses of higher education should be made available to all those who are qualified by ability and attainment to pursue them, and who wish to do so”.

“Courses of higher education should be available to all those who value them so highly they are prepared to commit resources to them”.

By 1984, the minimum maintenance grant halved to £205. Student Travel Costs Reimbursement abolished (with the exception of Scotland).

As 1985 arrived, the minimum maintenance grant abolished, leaving a ‘fees only’ minimum award. Cabinet Ministers reject student loans as an option for student financial support.

Not content with abolishing the grant, in 1986 Students lost their entitlement to Supplementary Benefit and Unemployment Benefit during Christmas and Easter vacations. The Government also withdrew Housing Benefit for students in halls of residence.

In 1988, Government announce its intention to introduce student loans in White Paper ‘Top-Up Loans for Students’, much to the dismay and anger, the NUS were against this move by the Government (which was Conservative) and condemned decreasing resources to students.

By 1989, the Banks had announced they were pulling out of the loans scheme.

As the university population rose during the 1980s, as those from a working class background had their fees and maintenance paid for them.

By the early 90s, a  New system of student financial support came into operation:

• Student Loans introduced to ‘top up’ awards
• All full-time students become ineligible to claim Unemployment Benefit throughout the duration of their course of study
• The vast majority of full-time students become disentitled to Income Support and Housing Benefit

As Oct 1990 approached, the NUS met with the Student Loans Company to express reservations concerning repayment schedule and method of collection.

Faced with the loss of Social Security benefits two students successfully took the Government to court in 1995, over the matter of their intercalation. To amend this embarrassing expose over the erosion of amenities for students the Government decides to introduce regulations, that ensure that if a student is on holiday (for example the summer holidays) that they are not eligible to claim benefits.

The Further and Higher Education Acts in 1992 made changes in the funding and administration in higher education within the United Kingdom. The most apparent of these changes was to allow thirty-five polytechnics to become universities.

Consequently in 1993, the Government announced grants to be cut progressively by 10% each year over 3 years from 1994/95 to 1996/97 and loan to be increased to compensate, but the operative difference being a loan must be paid back.

Following an investigation into the future of universities, the July 1997 report of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education,chaired by the then Sir Ronald Dearing recommended the ending of universal free higher education, and that students should pay £1,000 towards the cost of their tuition fees, which would be recovered in the form of a graduate tax, however in New Labour’s manifesto of 1997 they state: “The improvement and expansion needed cannot be funded out of general taxation. Our proposals for funding have been made to the Dearing Committee, in line with successful policies abroad”, yet the Evening Standard in 1997 published a list of 50 questions to Tony Blair, weeks before polling began, and in it he states: “Labour has no plans to introduce tuition fees for higher education”.

In 1999,The Secretary of State for Education and Employment, David Blunkett, says ‘top-up’ or differential fees are not on the agenda and outlawed by the Teaching and Higher Education Act.

New labour’s 2001 manifesto goes onto state on page 20: “We will not introduce top-up fees and have legislated to prevent them.”

The irony being in an interview given with a legal magazine, Cherie Blair stated: “The truth is, if I hadn’t had the funding from the state to go to university I would have worked in a shop.”

At the time of the Dearing report, fees were still paid by the government, student grants of up to £1,755 (£2,160 in London) were linked to family income, and a subsidised student loan of £1,685 (£2,085 in London) was available. Instead of following Dearing’s suggestions the Government decided to replace the grant-based system with the newly formed loan scheme, introduced for students starting in 1998. From 1999, the grant was abolished altogether.

Subsequently, top up fees were raised in 2006 to £3,175, and according to vice chancellors report, as of 2009  they look to increase tuition fees to a whopping £6,500 a year.

This means that far fewer applicants from working class or under privileged backgrounds will attend University, irrespective of the fact that they’re capable, they simply cannot afford to. This is the reality of New Labour’s education.

Sources:

http://www.know-britain.com/general/education_in_england_2.html

http://www.dg.dial.pipex.com/history/text01.shtml

http://www.vexen.co.uk/religion/faithschools.html

http://www.cam.ac.uk/univ/history/records.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Etonians#Old_Etonians

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution_of_1848

http://www.winchestercollege.co.uk/

http://www.etoncollege.com/PrimeMinisters.aspx

http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/newsandgallery/gallery/prince_william_turns_18_at_eton_college_987809497_356701151.html

http://www.guardian.co.uk/gall/0„973821,00.htmlhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/gall/0„973821,00.html

http://www.know-britain.com/general/education_in_england_1.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/5070583/Eton-fees-frozen-as-recession-hits-parents.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universities_in_the_United_Kingdom#Funding_history

http://qotd.me/q2007-05-13.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3017042.stm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/may/07/economy-child-poverty-target

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytechnic_%28United_Kingdom%29

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=104836&sectioncode=26

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/mortarboard/2009/feb/25/universitiesnew-administration

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/4781291/New-universities-could-revert-to-polytechnic-format.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Further_and_Higher_Education_Act_1992

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plate_glass_universities

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuition

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top-up_fees

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2004/ukpga_20040008_en_5

http://www.channel4.com/fc/quote.jsp?id=73

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top-up_fees#Introduction_of_top-up_fees

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/6360629.stm

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/topup-fees-will-increase-to-1635000-413748.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/universityeducation/5001170/University-tuition-fees-need-to-rise-to-6500.html

http://hrcouncil.ca/hr-toolkit/HRToolkitGlossary.cfm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4372216.stm

http://www.insolvencyhelpline.co.uk/students/student-financial-support.php

http://www.dg.dial.pipex.com/history/text05.shtml

http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=157931&sectioncode=26

http://www.madeinatlantis.com/smartshopping/loans_versus_grants.htm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2005/nov/08/cherieblair.highereducation

Blair, Blackadder Education Eton Generation George Student Telegraph Tony Y age challenge debt education reform act fees grammar higher classes interest latin money new labour orwell rates top up tuition fees universities university world war 2 young ones david blunkett

Above: The clash between a protester, and the fascist police.

Money, Money, Money….

The G-20; where finance ministers and central bank ministers get together from twenty economies. Collectively, the economies featured in the G-20 comprise 85% of global gross national product, 80% of world trade (including EU intra-trade) and two-thirds of the world population.

The G20 is made up of the finance ministers and central bank governors of 19 countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and the European Union.

It also features the International Monetary Fund, as well as the World Bank  organisation.

A quick run down on those two organisations:

International Monetary Fund: is an international organization that oversees the global financial system by following the macroeconomic policies of its member countries, in particular those with an impact on exchange rates and the balance of payments. It is an organization formed to stabilize international exchange rates and facilitate development. It was founded in 1944.

World Bank: provides low-interest loans, interest-free credits and grants to developing countries for a wide array of purposes that include investments in education, health, public administration, infrastructure, financial and private sector development, agriculture, and environmental and natural resource management. It was also founded in 1944.

“Democracy is always a struggle for justice against the powerful” - Tony Benn

Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash.

“In view of the objectives of the G-20, it was considered important that countries and regions of systemic significance[1] for the international financial system[2] be included. Aspects such as geographical balance and population representation[3] also played a major part.”

Above is an extract from the G20’s main website, regarding the criteria of the G20 and what the Governments involved aim to achieve. As you can see where I’ve highlighted in bold and underlined;

1. Regarding the monetary economic system that the G20 Governments abide by, its very important.
2. The international finance system are essentially, a global organisation that are made up of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Trade Organization as well as private institutions such as: Commercial banks (Natwest, Abbey National, etc).
3. This refers to the location of the country and the quota of the population.

“In times of universal deceit, telling the truth will be a revolutionary act.” - George Orwell

Please allow me to introduce myself…

So what this means:

• $500bn for the IMF to lend to struggling economies
• $250bn to boost world trade
• $250bn for a new IMF “overdraft facility” countries can draw on
• $100bn that international development banks can lend to poorest countries
• IMF will raise $6bn from selling gold reserves to increase lending for the poorest countries

So from what has taken place, essentially the IMF is like an International bank, imagine like your local Natwest but on a global scale, they even have an overdraft fund and according to a clause in Point 19 of the communiqué, the IMF are about to print their own money. What’s also interesting is that the IMF plan to sell Gold reserves to attain money to aid the poorest countries, as well as print money - so we’re seeing the transition of wealth between real world, to the one that is attributed, and/or created.

I have a major concern with, what is essentially a global bank given that amount of power.

The Recession hits

2 million Unemployed, the average loaf costing £1.09, shops have gone into administration: both Zavvi, and Woolworths.

These are bleak times, in Hackney alone for every one Job available, there’s thirty applicants. Thirty.

The number of homes repossessed by the Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML), rose last year by 54% to 40,000.

Jobs are hard to come by, mortgage payments are getting harder to fulfill, food and utility bills are rising.

Those men will brake your bones, Don’t know how to build stable homes.

“Three elements are often mentioned in the British recovery: the abandoning of the gold standard in 1931, the adoption of higher tariffs and the devaluation of the pound.”

Forward to 2009, this is exactly what we are facing. Just looking briefly at the ’30s Recession, often referred to as “The Great Slump” in Britain, The similarities are worrying, but then goes to show me that all of it is false, by having a down turn economically it adversely effects millions of people. In doing so a “New world order emerges from chaos”, which given the recent cases of unemployment, people will willingly accept.

Slave to the wage.

A Brief Look at the Rise of Capitalism

Feudalism: the social system that developed in Europe in the 8th century; vassals were protected by lords who they had to serve in war)

Mercantilism: (an economic system (Europe in 18th century) to increase a nation’s wealth by government regulation of all of the nation’s commercial interests)

Capitalism: an economic system in which private individuals and business firms carry on the production and exchange of goods and services through a complex network of prices and markets. Although rooted in antiquity, capitalism is primarily European in its origins; it evolved through a number of stages, reaching its zenith in the 19th century. From Europe, and especially from England, capitalism spread throughout the world, largely unchallenged as the dominant economic and social system until World War I (1914-1918)

Rebel, Rebel…

Capitalism isn’t working, we have reached its limit, the G-20 has occurred as a final emergency to save Modern Capitalism. It’s unlikely even that will. People are losing their homes, their livelihoods, for what exactly?

For Profit Over people.

1. Good Times, Bad Times - Sang Led Zeppelin, but in Capitalism, good times means your Bosses taking home the profit that you help achieve, and when we’re in an recession, you’re expendable!
2. Monopoly - Property is own by the Bank, not you, a Mortgage is a lifetime debt, some are never even paid off, so when your property owns you, that’s not Freedom, it’s enslavement.
3. Hierarchy - by its very nature is based on the rich (with capital) ruling the poor (without capital, just selling their labour)
4. Capitalism rewards hard work - You remember that myth, that if you worked hard you’d reap what you sow, not only is that a lie it is a complete fallacy, a farmer who might work a 10 -15 hour day earns considerably less than a footballer who will earn more in a month than the Farmer will.
5. Poverty - Billions for wars, a trillion alone was raised for the IMF, and yet millions are still in poverty.

The Alternatives to Capitalism:

I want you to spin the wheel of Revolution:

Anarchism: is the political belief that society should have no government, laws, police, or other authority, but should be a free association of all its members.

Socialism: An economic and political system in which private property is abolished and the means of production (i.e., capital and land) are collectively owned and operated by the community as a whole in order to advance the interests of all.

Communism: An economic system and theory of government in which all basic and non-basic industries are owned by a central government for the benefit of all citizens.

“It is only the dead who have seen the end of war.” - Plato

Oh, life is bigger, It’s bigger than you…

This is why I protested the G-20 meeting, because even in the 21st century, there is still poverty, hunger, famine, war, and injustice.

In the 21st Century: Capitalism is still the dominant global economy.

This needs to change, and with it, in time the world will; it won’t be perfect, but it’ll be beneficial to the needs of the planet and the needs of Humanity, not the wants.

Photos courtesy of Luke Christodoulou.

Sources:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financetopics/g20-summit/5075115/G20-what-is-it-and-how-does-it-work.html

Sullivan, arthur; Steven M. Sheffrin (2003). Economics: Principles in action. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458: Pearson Prentice Hall.pp. 488. ISBN 0-13-063085-3.

http://www.pearsonschool.com/index.cfm?locator=PSZ3R9&PMDbSiteId=2781&P

MDbSolutionId=6724&PMDbCategoryId=&PMDbProgramId=12881&level=4.

http://www.imf.org/external/np/exr/facts/glance.htm

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/EXTABOUTUS/0„pagePK:50004410~piPK:36602~theSitePK:29708,00.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/comment/ambroseevans_pritchard/5096524/The-G20-moves-the-world-a-step-closer-to-a-global-currency.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7979483.stm

http://www.cyberessays.com/History/163.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbU_Po4sfnw

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7979918.stm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/oct/05/creditcrunch.marketturmoil1

http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?o2=&o0=1&o7=&o5=&o1=1&o6=&o4=&o3=&s=feudal+system

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761576596/Capitalism.html

http://www.investopedia.com/articles/economics/08/capitalism-history.asp

http://www.anti-capitalist.org/

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/7304300.stm

http://question-everything.mahost.org/Socio-Politics/AnarchyCapital.html

http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAanarchist.html

http://www.indiana.edu/~ipe/glossry.html

G20 Protest Anarchist Communist Socialist Orwell Plato Tony Benn Fascist

The 1990s, In its heyday it brought us Brit-pop, Britney Spears, New Labour, The Spice Girls; and it saw the birth of Channel Five.

Not a lot then, no.

Before Mobile phones took off, prior to Twitter, and Facebook - keeping in contact meant leaving messages on answering machines, and keeping on time (hurrah, that with the advent of technology with have far more ways to forget, be late, and detach ourselves from each other.)

This Life was first broadcast on BBC Two on 18 March 1996, it featured a group of five lawyers in their twenties. It ended up defining a generation of Twenty - somethings, (whom are now in their Mid - Thirties, as of 2009).

This was not ‘Friends’ (1994), unlike its American counterparts ‘This Life’ broke boundaries, displaying the lives of five lawyers, who share a house together in South London.

Egg

Football-Loving, Trying-to-find-his-place, Egg; who is also the boyfriend of Milly. Perhaps a template of the ‘Modern Man’.

Milly

The Shy, quiet, cautious one, Milly is the reserved, Intelligent, humble, girlfriend of Egg’s.

Miles

Dry wit, likes a drink after work, has a voracious appetite for sex, and “damaged goods”.

Anna

Sarcastic, as she is bitchy, Anna is a barrister with her talons out, with a tough exterior, and red lipstick to match.

Warren

The boy from the valleys, who rose to do good, no, it isn’t Tom Jones, but Warren, perhaps an anchor for the moral compass of the show.

For its time the show broke many taboos, showing a sex scene that was honest and tender, and not soft-core porn like, you know the surreal type, with great lighting, and bed sheets that remain stuck to a mattress like super glue; really now after coitus - how does a woman’s hair remain so pristine? Soft lighting, I presume.

I also found after watching series 1 & 2 that the relationships depicted in ‘This Life’ mainly Egg and Milly’s, felt sincere, this wasn’t just the typical on-screen happy couple, that split up and get together again, and had trivial arguments. No, this to me felt grounded in a foundation, it featured couples that showed tenderness, and respect to each other.

Also the on-screen friendship between the guys, the lads, the crew, the boys, the A-team, and so on. Felt genuine, you had working-class-with-a-degree Egg, privately-educated-Miles, and .. in between I-worked-damned-hard-to-get-here Warren. However, irregardless of their socio-economic backgrounds, when discussing the matters of life, over food and drink, or sharing a beer together its as if these friendships had been formed for years, and good friends as we all know are like these. Granted the casting was a stroke of superb, as the actors all feel at ease with another.

I feel its success came as an amalgamation, of good casting, a great theme tune (I don’t care what you say, the theme tune is a very important part, it sets the tone for the show) the scripts of course, were just so well-written, by a different range of writers ho each honed in on all these character’s flaws, and their good attributes, and in doing so created a palette of characters that spoke for young adults in the nineties.

R.E.M. is an alternative rock band formed in Athens, United States in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist/keyboard player Mike Mills, and vocalist Michael Stipe.

Automatic For The people was released by Warner Bros on: 05 October 1992, I was four years old. I discovered the album much later in my life.

Also a neat little fact here; “The first record I wrote on computer was automatic for the people.” - Michael Stipe

I will now do a track-by-track review at one of my favourite albums, morbid and lugubrious in lyrics and tone, it appealed to me straight away.

1. Drive

Michael Stipe’s Homage to the David Essex song ‘Rock on’, also it contrasts with the youthful rebellion of say ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, ‘Drive’ is a far more jaded and cynical look at youth culture. I think that’s because Stipe + Co were in their thirties whilst recording this album.

2. Try Not To Breathe

Perhaps the most morbid song on the album where ‘Drive’ dealt with the cynicism of rebellion, ‘Try Not Breathe’ is rooted in the art of dying. The song is sung through the view point of somebody elderly, who is reassuring perhaps a family member or somebody close to them, that in their dying it’s the best decision. Yet, the song is greatly uplifting, it serves to rouse a feeling of calmness, and security.

3. The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite

Borrowing the melody from ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’, the song ‘The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite’ was born. Also John Paul Jones’ the bassist from Led Zeppelin, arranged the strings for this song. There is a sense of levity regarding the song noted by Stipe himself as he giggles after singing “a reading from Dr. Seuss”.

4. Everybody Hurts

The anti-suicide song, the song I recall played when Princess Diana passed away.

“Everybody cries. And everybody hurts sometimes” sings Michael Stipe, his rallying cry for you to hold on. and it’s the empathy the tenderness in his voice, in which, we the listener pick up on. Whilst often to it’s attributed to be a song about pain; it’s a song about overcoming it, not dwelling on it.

5. New Orleans Instrumental No. 1

The only instrumental featured on this album, its aptly placed between ‘Everybody Hurts’ and ‘Sweetness Follows’. Perhaps this is due to the contrasting nature of both songs, ‘Everybody Hurts’ is about overcoming hurt, whilst ‘Sweetness Follows’ deals with emotional detachment.

6. Sweetness Follows

If ‘Try Not To Breathe’ was about the act of dying with dignity, then ‘Sweetness Follows’ is perhaps dealing with the loss of the loved one. Now I don’t think the two characters in the songs are related. The lyrics read about a sense of detachment from seeing their parents buried. There is this overarching sense of numbness and emptiness, conveyed through the lyrics.

7. Monty Got a Raw Deal

Montgomery Clift was an actor was an actor in the 60s. He was a handsome man, who indulged in sexual relationships with both men and women. The world was his oyster, so to speak, until a car accident left him disfigured and impotent. Here we see a character questioning himself, but asking Monty why he feels this way. Its about coming to terms with sexual identity.

8. Ignoreland

Written at a time of the Reagan era, this is Michael Stipe’s attack on the state of US politics in 1992. Angry and bitter, he states ‘I’m just profoundly frustrated by all this. So, fuck you, man.’ It also highlights how the media has a part to play in not just reporting politics, but publishing propaganda as well. Which to my knowledge has been done, since World War one.

9. Star Me Kitten

A failed relationship, the end of a marriage, all of these things spring to mind regarding ‘Star Me Kitten’. The title is actually a reference to sex, as the last lyric is ‘Fuck me, Kitten’. It’s about two people who were once together in a long term relationship, are now dependent on each other for their physical needs, but not their emotional ones.

10. Man On The Moon

‘Man On The Moon’ is based on American comedian Andy Kaufman. The song makes references to his wrestling and his intentionally awful Elvis impersonation. the song based around the theory that the moon landings of 1969, were in fact faked. The lyrics are very abstract, referring to historical figures and/or events. In particular Moses and Darwin are mentioned, two people who went against the grain, a bit like Kaufman perhaps.

11. Nightswimming

This is a special tack if not just for the musical arrangement, Mike Mills on Piano, John Paul Jones’ string arrangement which really add to the sense of nostalgia, and oboe played by Deborah Workman. Just he instrumental at the beginning is enough to get your mind wandering. The song is about skinny dipping. Its about youth, and just treasuring time spent with people that you care about: your friends.

12. Find The River

This song is symbolic, it talks about finding your path, searching for your own way, instead of following. it’s about destiny, fulfillment, happiness.

First off, what is Monkeyland?

Monkeyland is a song by the post-punk band ‘The Chameleons’. ‘The Chameleons’ formed in 1981, ‘Monkeyland’ was featured on their 1983 debut album ‘Script of the Bridge’.

I titled my first post after the song, as it represents where I am currently; trapped in ‘Monkeyland’. Of course, ‘Monkeyland’ is a metaphor for the mundane, the rut of suburban life.

Surroundings affect us; from how much light we receive, to what we see. It’s what I see that displeases me, granted there are a few houses that I pass whilst walking, that take my fancy. They are rich with character and age, they also have three floors. I think they are of the Victorian period (I’m not sure on this).

Also this particular road has huge overarching trees, which have been there since my childhood, and I’m pretty sure, are over a hundred years old.

I’m curious as to why people are so satisfied around here, why are they so pleased by their underperforming schools, their cigarettes and Sky television, and getting drunk on a weekly basis, is something that is performed with a religious zeal.

Take for instance, my local newsagent; they stock up on ‘The Sun’ a right wing conservative paper. However they have few copies of the broadsheets, and for some absurd reason don’t stock ‘The Independent’.

Not just that there’s a local McDonalds, we have two betting shops located nearby (in case one was never enough). Surely the local businesses here just show what people consume near me, a plethora of fast-food, alcohol and ignorant views printed by ‘The Sun’.

The local telephone booths get vandalised fairly often, who ever smashes the glass must get a kick out of being destructive, but given their surroundings why not?

It feels like where I am it’s a social experiment, a test of integration, identity and culture. Can all three co-exist, or will they invariably segregate themselves. I guess I just recall seeing a bus top full of people of different backgrounds and races. Yet, they were all distanced from each other; their body language was closed up and defensive.

We need literature here, we need art. We need a place for music, a place to grow. We do not need another generic shop.

Sure there’s a library but they have new books every so often; the library is losing its place in the 21^st century, it needs to be modernised, it needs a better selection of literature, some cult authors and other interesting works, works that will reinvigorate people’s interest in literature.

Only we don’t get this, we get a new KFC instead.

For the times they are a-changin’ but not for the right reasons Bob.

The Chameleons Monkeyland surroundings Surroundings Houses Age Metaphor 80s Post-Punk