Another Class War The Tories Have Got Us Into...

Today it was announced that unemployment reached a 17 year high.
This isn't just about a 'lost generation' of the youth, it's also about class.
The privileged succeed. Greed takes over morals.
The rich become richer...

Youth unemployment is increasing week by week with no thought by the coalition government about what being out of work for young people means. Young people who have left education with qualifications and prospects, only to have their ambitions destroyed by the reality of no work, temporary or work away from what they wanted to do.

The reality for young people is a world that jobs are so rare that people frantically compete for them. University fees have increased. Housing is expensive and cramped.
It's a world where young people feel that they really aren't wanted.

Work that is out there can be temporary, badly paid or unpaid, and the best jobs go not to those who are best qualified or who have worked their hardest, but to those who have family connections and for the fortunate few, can afford to slog their way through unpaid internships.

 It's not just about the young.  It's affecting the disadvantaged, those without contacts.
There seems to be little room for people who are not wealthy and have family connections.

The Conservatives are guilty of encouraging the rich getting rich and the poor getting poorer, but as I watch Prime Minister's Questions today, all I see is a room that is filled with politicians who have no understanding of the reality. A usual Prime Minister's Questions that involves no real talk of action, just shouts of what the past party did wrong, goading, Toff jokes, lies and a goblin with a hammer who shouts 'Order!' a lot.

As a government, they are failing and it's no wonder students, school pupils and unemployed people have been protesting for nearly a year now.
We used to talk and write of the worry for the 'lost generation' now the worry is mass civil unrest.

Let's Not Be Divided...

If you ever wanted proof Britain was divided into two nations, then here it is. But hasn't it always been like this? The youth feeling disenfranchised. Dislocated from the rest of society. Cameron and previous Prime Ministers have ignored this for far too long and it has taken mass social disorder to make politicians notice that something is wrong.

These riots are different from previous riots that have happened in Britain throughout history. These riots are fuelled by pure greed, by a belief that something can be had for nothing. The usual morals and appreciation that this behaviour is unacceptable are largely absent. This, we can blame on four decades of increasing breakdown of the basic network of authority figures that once was there to provide an extra element of control over any bad behaviour in society by young people. The alienation of communities has also become worse over the years and has played a role in the power that the police have handed over.

The police have become more like social workers than upholders of the law and order. And the places that have really suffered as a result are the most deprived, they are the ones that have to deal with the criminality and the fear, squalor and alienation that accompanies it.

Part of the problem is that the breakdown of the family has left a generation of wild adolescents without a father or any adults to act as role models. Parents rarely know what their children are doing and hold little power or authority over them. Instead, their loyalty is to their gang and its rules, rather than answering to the moral codes of the majority of the population. Low-level criminality is a way of life. Drugs, robbery and routine armed violence are everyday activities. They know if they get caught, they are unlikely to punished, or not severely as once was the case.

To find out what has gone wrong, we do not need to go too deep into the specific causes of the past few days. We know what went wrong. The police lost control of the streets not in Tottenham, last weekend, but many years ago.

The biggest problem has been the creation of a sense of entitlement thanks to an overly generous, and no longer affordable, welfare system, which expects nothing in return for the benefits they receive. The awful events of the past few days have shown how far our country has broken and is in desperate need to be fixed. Order and protection needs to be restored firstly and followed by the Government reversing a culture that is now sadly deeply rooted in our society.

Boris Brushes With Raging Residents...

The chants of "Where's your broom?" echoed the streets of Clapham yesterday when Boris Johnson returned from holiday to face angry crowds.
Rambunctious chants of 'How was your holiday Boris?' and 'Why are you here, three days late?' were heard as Boris told crowds he was 'very sorry for the loss and damaged that you have suffered'.
Theresa May, the Home Secretary was even seen looking on uncomfortably before walking off and deserting the Mayor.

No comments have yet been made by Boris Johnson about the use of his infamous 'Boris Bikes' being used throughout London to commit the riots and looting.

Not So Smug Now Piers?

Piers Morgan is trying his very best to protect his high profile job at CNN and his massive salary by releasing a statement denying any involvement in phone hacking while he was editor at the Daily Mirror.

Morgan, who was also editor at the News Of The World stated yesterday
"I have never hacked a phone, told anyone to hack a phone, nor to my knowledge published any story obtained from the hacking of a phone".
    While Morgan is sticking to his guns, James Hipwell, a former Daily Mirror journalist, has spoken out and claimed that hacking at the paper was 'endemic' and it was 'inconceivable' that the editor didn't know about it.
    The accusations have now gathered pace with political bloggers putting their boot in too. The political blogger Guido Fawkes quoted a 2006 article Morgan wrote for the Daily Mail, in which he referred to a phone message left by Sir Paul McCartney for Heather Mills.
"I was played a tape of a message Paul had left Heather on her mobile phone. It was heartbreaking".
    The evidence seems to be stacking up against Piers Morgan and questions are now being raised about his time as editor.
Was he aware of the hacking or was he just a terrible editor who was incompetent at his job? Let's see how long Piers can stay smug for....

Britain's Losing A Virgin

Sir Richard Branson is moving the company that owns the rights to his brand from the UK to Switzerland in order to reduce it's tax bill.

Sir Richard has long used off-shore tax havens to shield his personal wealth (an estimated £3bn) from the UK tax man. Those woolly jumpers he adores conceal a ruthless operator when it comes to paying less tax.
    There is nothing illegal, but next time Sir Richard is presented as some sort of national treasure it's worth remembering that the entrepreneur has a record of doing everything in his power to minimise his contribution to our actual national treasure.

Unhealthy Relationships

Not so surprising news in the records released this week detailed meetings between government ministers and News International executives. The defence Secretary, Dr Liam Fox, apparently gave Rupert and James Murdoch confidential briefings on Afghanistan.

  Eyebrows and questions have to be raised about how appropriate it is for Dr Fox to give private briefings on the subject of defence to newspaper owners.  Virtually every publication in Murdoch's international media empire threw their support behind the 2003 Iraq war. And thanks to a Freedom Of Information request , we are now aware that Tony Blair had 3 conversations with Rupert Murdoch in the month leading to the invasion.

This is just the tip of the iceberg at the level of access the press baron enjoy in our political system. It's unhealthy and the idea of reform in the tabloid press is surely the medicine that society needs to swallow.

Now Is The Time To Stop Murdoch...

It seems News Corporation has many villains and the story of Milly Dowler's phone has shown Murdoch's demon workers to be totally sickening and immoral.
    This is an amorality story of corruption as dark, diseased and destructive as known to a modern Western democracy. This didn't just happen overnight, over many years politicians and police officers have been aware of shady goings on but chose to ignore it.

    To understand how we have come to this, Prime Ministers, politicians and the police force effectively encouraging News Corporation, you have to go back some decades.
    Margaret Thatcher made a pact or a sacrifice, depending on the way you look at it, with Murdoch in the 1980's, giving him his every wish in return for his political support and his papers to sing her praises. This move created the monster we see in its true ugly form today.
    Thatcher gave Murdoch the freedom to have a large media market share, which Murdoch then expertly turned into power over the political elite. He took advantage of the freedom our democracy has and with some sort of dark genius, he bullied and bribed to the point where it has become universally accepted that without Murdoch's help and approval no party can be elected or stay in power for long.
    Once Thatcher let Murdoch have this unjust power, Tony Blair then proceeded to follow Thatcher's footsteps and got Murdoch's support in the 1997 election and now, more cringe, David Cameron is hypnotised by Murdoch's media power and enjoys behind closed doors dinners and parties with the media mogul.

    Surely this should be frowned upon, how can we rely on Murdoch's publications to give us objective news when politicians are in the pockets of Murdoch. The answer is we can't.
    For those searching The Sun when the news first broke this week for an explanation would have been sorely disappointed. All they had to show was a page two, 200 word report, a tiny story that the breasts on page 3 overshadowed.
    There is an overwhelming feeling from the public that we do not need to tolerate Murdoch-Government power any longer. The deceit and manipulation by Murdoch and his media empire should not be tolerated in a Western democracy and it has been allowed to happen for too long.
David Cameron and his covert Christmas dinners with Rebecca Brooks before allowing the BSkyB deal to become closer to reality is a pure example of their plan to abandon any chance of media ownership reform.

The sad state of affairs is that whatever the battle, whatever the stakes, in the end Murdoch wins.
    After the phone hacking scandal there is hope, although small, that there could be change. The public have been left feeling disgusted and this feeling should be taken advantage of and used to stop the media becoming controlled by one man and his chosen minions.
    A full independent inquiry needs to be carried out immediately and needless to add, an instant reversal of the green light on the BSkyB deal should also be automatic and it is unbelievable that the takeover could still happen. The decision has been delayed until September. Murdoch has never been so vulnerable and this opportunity should not be missed.
    This is a historic opportunity for parliament to exercise their most aggressive power to stop Murdoch's growing media monopoly once and for all.

Where is our music revolution?

Are we really the 'Lost Generation'? We are in the middle of a recession, unemployment figures are at an all time high, kids are coming out of uni with no jobs, society is at a loose end and to top that off there seems to be no music to even represent our frustrations.

 
Take the late 70's and 80's...Thatcherism was going strong, but so was people's frustrations. The recession of the 80's brought people together, people protested on the streets and voiced their worries and anger.
This was all helped by music. Music such as The Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Specials and The Jam. All of whom created a hype and appreciation around them as finally there was a movement and a subculture that represented and spoke for the people.

The Jam's 'Eton Rifles' truly captured the nation's anti-establishment views and referenced class warfare and the unfairness of the class system. Paul Weller was inspired to write that track after witnessing unemployed demonstrators from the 'Right to Work' march.

The Clash and their single 'White Riot' was inspired by the Brixton Riots in 1981. It was at a time that saw high unemployment, low wages and high crime rates in inner city areas. Instead of laying back and letting all the problems pass them by, people stood up and reacted and they were helped by musicians displaying the same affections as them and in effect this brought more people together.

Who do you see in the UK music industry doing this nowadays? I have been searching for months, even years now and all that appears in the music industry are meaningless lyrics, half hearted riffs or Simon Cowell inspired artists that clog up the commercial chart with their mindless, dull and empty music. I'm calling for music that has raw energy, passion and lyrics that are significant. Music in the UK has been stale for some time. A subculture is surely needed, people can finally relate to a movement that is anti-establishment and anti-Simon Cowell because to be fair, there is enough of this anti feeling out there. Everybody I seem to speak to has these opinions, so why is nobody speaking out?!

This week it was even announced in the commercial charts it was the worst show for British music in the charts with only two UK acts being in the top 20, them two being Jessie J and The Saturdays...
Where is British guitar music really going? In 20 years time when we look back on the music scene, who are we going to say changed society? Who represented our feelings and frustrations?

We look back nearly 30 years ago now and you can see great bands that changed the musical landscape and stood up and represented a generation...

The way the music industry is heading at the moment, we really are the 'Lost Generation'.

Surprise Surprise, Nick Clegg Is A Hypocrite...

 An advert on the Liberal Democrat website advertised unpaid internships, just two months after Nick Clegg caused a fuss and said unpaid internships were wrong and interns should be paid the minimum wage.

The job on the advert clearly states that it is an unpaid internship, there is a small reimbursement for travel and £5 or less for lunch every day. Working for free is worth it according to the advert as the interns benefit from
"...the opportunity to gain experience of the practical and professional side of Party politics...and experience life in the heart of Westminster."
It was only last month Clegg launched a national internship scheme, in which interns will be paid and it should meet the minimum wage.
Yet again, Clegg has made himself look an idiot, simply because he hasn't stuck by what he has said or promised.
Nick Clegg...a national joke.

When Will He Go Away?!

Justin Beiber is now bringing out his own perfume for his female fans and even promising his fans that in buying his perfume they gain 'intimate access to his heart'.

The perfume comes out in June and is named 'Someday'. There seems to be no apparent reason why it's called 'Someday', as it's neither a Bieber lyric or a homage to The Strokes, instead it's a way for his fans, or naive idiots, to get close to the pint sized popstar.
The makers have stated that 'Someday'
"...is a fragrance Justin can't get enough of and can't stay away from, making those who wear it irresistible...Journey deep into a world of possiblities...into the world of Justin Bieber."

Seriously do people really fall for this b***s***?