Squandered

Hello,
I'm afraid I've been reading again and it's left me furious! Fit to be tied! What could have got me so riled? Well it is a fine book by the name 'Squandered' written by David Craig and it details how our wonderful leaders have wasted billions of pounds of our money on sod all of any use to anyone. Though that said they have been very kind to themselves.

I haven't finished the book yet I kept having to pause and wonder why it hasn't sparked a bloody revolution. Despite living in one of the wealthiest countries in the world (I refer to Britain as a whole -not Scotland obviously before anyone starts emailing) we have a health service which manages to kill at least 34,000 patients unnecessarily every year. Though given that 34,000 is the health services own figure the real total may be much higher. It also confirms my suspicion that the NHS isn't a mess because of underfunding at all. It's a mess because of disgraceful, bloated management and outsourcing of important services like food and cleaning. Under Labour -those passionate advocates of the health service billions has been squandered on increased management and toothless watchdogs all at the expense of patient care which is the whole point of the bloody thing.

Still at least we're not at war....oh wait a minute...oh dear. Well the good news is most of us aren't in the armed services but it's bad news if you are. Despite being war crazy the government are curiously tight fisted when it comes to forking out for basics like medical supplies, guns that work and devices that offer protection against roadside bombs and the like. Frankly if it came to light that there are entire regiments in Iraq fighting with peashooters and water pistols I would not bat an eyelid. On the bright side if you come back in one piece and work very hard you might get a job in the MoD headquarters . They're very nice apparently and so they should be as they're costing us £78million a year for the next thirty years.

It came as no surprise to me to learn that the benefits system is in complete disarray, though even I was surprised to learn the DWP had it's accounts rejected by the Auditor General every year for the last eighteen years. I part company slightly with the author on the possible reasons for this. He blames an overly complicated system which I agree that it is for claimants but given that I can understand it -it can't be that difficult. I do, however note that the Inland Revenue now require no formal qualifications for new recruits -they used to require a minimum of five GCSEs. I'm not being snooty but given that exams are now almost impossible to fail you'd have to be a real dunce not to have any qualifications. For heavens sake in 2007 97% of GCSE pupils passed their exams. Who are the other 3%? Admit you want to know too so you can take the piss as well.

I could go on but if I write about fucking Europe I will explode with sheer rage. I will confess to having a list of everyone who has ever mocked me for my Euroscepticism and will be taunting them with the relevant details and requiring them to explain how exactly being opposed to fraud, waste, stupidity, excessive bureaucracy and corruption is xenophobic?

I am only 3/4 of the way through the book and already I'm hopping mad. I didn't even vote Labour, I never have mainly because I hate them yet they've even managed to let me down. Not the the last Conservative administration get off scot-free either having been responsible for some appalling waste themselves. I used to hate people who whined that there was no point voting or caring about politics but they have got a point really. Prior to becoming a communist for two years a fifteen I was an anarchist and the more I see in life I'm starting to think I was right in the first place.

It's an illuminating read and one that I shall be quoting great chunks of to Gordon Brown if he starts on me with his 6am crank calls.
Cheerio