Syria hysteria, but who cares about the governments war on the poor?

07_december_2015 A letter a day to number 10. No 1,278

Monday 07 December 2015.

Dear Mr Cameron,

A study this year has found that there are 20 million people in Britain living in poverty, one in three of the population, it reports that poverty has doubled since 1983 and is set to get much worse over the next five years.

A survey by the charity Independent Age reveals that 750,000 pensioners will be choosing whether to heat or eat this winter and Shelter reports that 100,000 children will be homeless this Christmas.

The NHS is in crisis and is abandoning benchmark figures this winter on waiting times, delayed operations and ambulance delays, amongst others, in what Jeremy Corbyn described as government, ‘launching an NHS news blackout’. A Tory MP admitted that the ‘NHS was beginning to miss waiting times “on a routine basis”, and added: “I suspect there’s a degree of wanting to weaken scrutiny from a political perspective”.’

Meanwhile in a hanger somewhere far, far away (RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus) Michael Fallon had this to say about bombing in Syria, “Nobody likes strikes, nobody likes warfare, but when you’re dealing with people who are not negotiating with you but simply want to kill as many westerners or Brits as possible, then you have to use force.” Fallon seems to be suggesting that because the alphabet spaghetti group, ISIS, ISIL, IS, Daesh (take your pick or make up a new name) won’t talk to us, the entire body of government and international bodies are useless apart from dropping bombs on them. I dispute Fallon’s assertion that ‘Nobody likes strikes, nobody likes warfare’, unless by that he means most ordinary people. I put it to you that you’ve been gung ho for war and consider the recent vote a result and that arms manufacturers and dealers are delighted at the jump in their share prices.

You claim that bombing in Syria will “keep the British people safe”, the big question is, from what and from who? The Police don’t seem to share your fantasy as they step up protection for the royal family and you as a direct result of the vote to bomb Syria.

Millions of people in Britain won’t be enjoying any security this winter, casualties of your war on the poor. I wonder what the winter death toll will be this year and whether it will be up on the 40,000 last year? How many people will die from preventable deaths through want? What is certain is that it’ll beat any terrorist threat hands down. Where is the war on want? It’s not even news in all the hype and hysteria about Syria. As Debbie Abrahams said to Iain Duncan Smith over his sanctions regime, ‘People are dying’, but who cares? Clearly not you or your government.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breadline-britain-20million-now-living-5123323

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/saddening-poll-reveals-750000-poor-6950324