ROBBER BARONS

George Monbiot in an article titled Robber Barons, as seen on v2catholic on Wednesday 3 July and which can be read here wrote that:

Last week, the Chancellor stood up in parliament to announce that benefits for the very poor would be cut yet again. On the same day, in Luxembourg, our government battled to maintain benefits for the very rich. It won. As a result, some of the richest people in Britain will each continue to receive millions of pounds in income support from taxpayers.

The article points out that the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy was about to be changed. Currently farmers are paid a fixed amount per acre of land they own and farm. This policy benefits the larger farmers and it was proposed to change the policy to either cap the payment at 300,000 euros or to reduce the payment per acre after certain amounts were paid out. The British government voted against this policy so the rich and large farmers could continue to benefit while the unemployed, sick, handicapped and low paid workers face extra austerity measures as outlined by George Osborne, the Chancellor, last week.

Why is there no outcry against such behaviour? Why have we not heard from the Labour Party? Is there no one out there who cares about the rich getting richer while the poor get poorer? How bad does the situation have to get before there is a public protest?

There was an interesting and related article in The Dungannon Observer, a local Northern Ireland paper, of 28 June 2013. The headline read Clergy Commit to help end Hunger and Suicide. What a headline in the United Kingdom, part of the European Union. The article stated that:

Clergy from Cookstown, Coagh, Kildress, Moneymore and Cookstown have committed themselves to working together to tackle the issues of hunger and suicide in the Cookstown District Area.

The clergy plan to work together with local agencies to help set up a “food bank” to provide for families and people struggling with debt, unemployment, the effects of the recession, and poverty.

This was the AGM of the Cookstown District Clergy Forum whose members included local Presybterian, Catholic, Methodist and Church of Ireland ministers and:

The clergy discussed how poverty and debt were often linked to poor mental health and suicide.

This is excellent work by the clergy involved, but is a very sad reflection on the society we live in that some people are so poor and destitute that a “food bank“ has to be set up and people often see suicide as their only solution, while at the same time the Government increases austerity measures for the poor even as they are insuring that badly needed funds go to rich farmers.

What can people do to counter this situation? Firstly, pray, then contact their local politicians, organise and take part in protest marches if possible, vote for candidates that do not support such policies. Follow Pope Francis’ suggestion and go out and help the poor with personal contact as we read here, then continue to pray.