Shambo the Bull is under threat of being killed because he may have TB. There are various messages being posted about this situation and many of them are racist, ignorant and downright hateful.
The fact that so much opinion is both thoughtless and cruel comments says much about our society's attitude towards animals. There is no reason why this bull should be murdered, he can be kept in isolation, cared for, and may even recover - that is if he even has TB, after all that is still in question.
Some people state a concern with public health as the issue. If there are concerns about public health, then isolation and treatment of the bull will deal with this.
However, if people really are concerned about public health they would call for an end of animal farming and the consumption of animal products which is responsible for multiple cancers, thousands of cases of listeria, food poisoning, countless allergies, and many other causes of human suffering and death including heart disease. If people would care enough to be compassionate towards other animals, they would soon find that the health and happiness of themselves and those around them would improve immeasurably.
Friday, 11 May 2007
Friday, 27 April 2007
Not Now Baby
Fertility rates in Britain are dropping, and in particular many couples are delaying having children for as long as possible. One of the key reasons for this is affordability. For many people it is necessary for both partners to work in order to pay the mortgage, or to pay the rent (rents have increased as house prices have gone up). This makes it increasingly difficult for couples to start a family when they are still reasonably young. More and more women are delaying having their first baby until they are in their 30s. And because fertility rates drop off in both men and women as they age, many families are unable to have as many children as they would wish, or have to seek assisted (and expensive) methods such as IVF.
Parents are also encouraged to get back to work as quickly as possible, and housing costs add a further burden which means that for many the option of one parent staying at home to look after children is simply not there. Evidence suggests that putting babies into nursery care can have long-term negative effects, and again people are forced into making difficult choices based on the need to pay the mortgage.
Parents are also encouraged to get back to work as quickly as possible, and housing costs add a further burden which means that for many the option of one parent staying at home to look after children is simply not there. Evidence suggests that putting babies into nursery care can have long-term negative effects, and again people are forced into making difficult choices based on the need to pay the mortgage.
Wednesday, 11 April 2007
Fool's Gold
We are in the middle of a strange phenomenon. House prices have been pushed up and up. They have risen at nearly double the rate of earnings over the past 35 years. If house prices had increased at the same rate as inflation the average house would cost about £60 000, and not three times that amount.
What this means is that people, while paying off debt, have a perception of wealth. They view their lives through a veil of unreality called – house price – and fail to see clearly. That terraced ex-council house may be valued at £160 000, but it is still an ex-council house. The type of place that, 20 years ago, ordinary folk could afford to live in, pay their rent, pay their bills and stay out of debt. Now people, living in the same house, ostensibly owning it, struggle to pay the mortgage, accumulate additional debt, may be trapped in a job they don’t like, and can’t move, because it’s not that easy to sell an ex-council house.
But having been fooled into believing that because the house has a high value, people are then seduced into ‘releasing equity’, or securing other loans on the house, or taking out non-secured loans.
This in turn is fuelled by the rampant consumerism, or affluenza, that is afflicting Britain today, which is promoted by the media and by the retail industry. The plethora of TV programmes about home improvements, together with ‘buy now pay nothing for 12 months’ deals lure people to over commit financially on things that they probably don’t need. Rampant consumerism hits all areas of peoples’ lives and this, combined with an obsession with following, and copying, celebrity lifestyles further condemn people to higher and higher levels of debt. Recent reports show that many women over 35 have accumulated debts of £8,219.
What this means is that people, while paying off debt, have a perception of wealth. They view their lives through a veil of unreality called – house price – and fail to see clearly. That terraced ex-council house may be valued at £160 000, but it is still an ex-council house. The type of place that, 20 years ago, ordinary folk could afford to live in, pay their rent, pay their bills and stay out of debt. Now people, living in the same house, ostensibly owning it, struggle to pay the mortgage, accumulate additional debt, may be trapped in a job they don’t like, and can’t move, because it’s not that easy to sell an ex-council house.
But having been fooled into believing that because the house has a high value, people are then seduced into ‘releasing equity’, or securing other loans on the house, or taking out non-secured loans.
This in turn is fuelled by the rampant consumerism, or affluenza, that is afflicting Britain today, which is promoted by the media and by the retail industry. The plethora of TV programmes about home improvements, together with ‘buy now pay nothing for 12 months’ deals lure people to over commit financially on things that they probably don’t need. Rampant consumerism hits all areas of peoples’ lives and this, combined with an obsession with following, and copying, celebrity lifestyles further condemn people to higher and higher levels of debt. Recent reports show that many women over 35 have accumulated debts of £8,219.
Debtor's Prision
The term ‘homeowner’ is often a misnomer. For many owning a home is really about managing a huge debt. The way in which language is used is misleading, especially within the realms of the financial services world – ‘credit’ usually means ‘debt’. Mortgage means debt. And for many people debt equals worry.
Britain is fast-becoming a debt-laden society, which means that people are seriously constrained in their life choices. If there is a commitment to debt then this impacts on what jobs people can do, the hours people need to work, time spent with their families and so on. Debt in Britain is reaching alarming levels, with the current figures of debt secured on homes being around £1.2 trillion.
Unsecured debt in Britain is about twice the average in Europe. Far from being a nation of homeowners, Britain is fast becoming a nation of debtors.
Britain is fast-becoming a debt-laden society, which means that people are seriously constrained in their life choices. If there is a commitment to debt then this impacts on what jobs people can do, the hours people need to work, time spent with their families and so on. Debt in Britain is reaching alarming levels, with the current figures of debt secured on homes being around £1.2 trillion.
Unsecured debt in Britain is about twice the average in Europe. Far from being a nation of homeowners, Britain is fast becoming a nation of debtors.
Thursday, 5 April 2007
Mortgage Madness
The de-regulation of banks and building societies in the 1980s provided an environment in which lenders could provide larger mortgages to more people. The amount of deposit people needed to find to put down on a house decreased, and so people were able to take on more debt. The multipliers – how many times the income could be borrowed – began to increase, and now it is possible for people to borrow up to five times their salary, sometimes even more.
During the 80s and 90s irresponsible lending flourished, and the now largely discredited endowment mortgages became common place. It is generally recognised that many endowment mortgages were mis-sold, with clients being told of the money they would make over and above paying off the mortgage. Money that could pay for a new car or a dream holiday. It wasn’t long before it became apparent that many of these policies were under performing and would fall well short of paying off the mortgage let alone providing additional income to the borrower.
The problems caused by taking on too much debt include an inability to meet repayments when interest rates increase, problems with negative equity, and ultimately increasing numbers of repossessions. The misery of mortgage madness.
During the 80s and 90s irresponsible lending flourished, and the now largely discredited endowment mortgages became common place. It is generally recognised that many endowment mortgages were mis-sold, with clients being told of the money they would make over and above paying off the mortgage. Money that could pay for a new car or a dream holiday. It wasn’t long before it became apparent that many of these policies were under performing and would fall well short of paying off the mortgage let alone providing additional income to the borrower.
The problems caused by taking on too much debt include an inability to meet repayments when interest rates increase, problems with negative equity, and ultimately increasing numbers of repossessions. The misery of mortgage madness.
Thursday, 22 March 2007
Surveillance Society
The recent event at the Cricket World Cup, with members of the England Cricket Team being caught out drinking and being reported by fans, has surprised some. But why? Britain is fast becoming a surveillance society. There are more CCTV cameras per person than anywhere else. There is a national addiction to mobile phones/cameras. Life in Britain has become one long reality TV experiment, if you're not filming someone, you're probably being filmed.
People report on one another, take photos or film incidents as 'proof'. In Rumania in the past it was thought that one in three people was an informer on their neighbours/friends/families . . . recently released reports from East Germany again demonstrate the extent of people informing on one another. These were people living under difficult circumstances, being coerced by the authorities.
However, what we now see is that coercion is not needed, for Brits at least. The obsession with what other people are doing, or might be doing, is developing a society of spies, telling tales on one another like immature, fearful four year olds.
People report on one another, take photos or film incidents as 'proof'. In Rumania in the past it was thought that one in three people was an informer on their neighbours/friends/families . . . recently released reports from East Germany again demonstrate the extent of people informing on one another. These were people living under difficult circumstances, being coerced by the authorities.
However, what we now see is that coercion is not needed, for Brits at least. The obsession with what other people are doing, or might be doing, is developing a society of spies, telling tales on one another like immature, fearful four year olds.
Tuesday, 20 March 2007
Holy Housing
Home ownership can provide benefits to people. Being a home-owner can increase the sense of security. For many, owning a home is their one real chance of increasing their personal wealth. Others think that at least they have something to show for their money, compared to renting, which is seen by some as simply ‘throwing money away.’
Yet while home ownership in Britain is increasing, many people believe that Britain is in the middle of a housing crisis. In the face of unprecedented housing wealth – estimated to be £3.4 trillion (a trebling over the last 10 years), we need to ask why
- Owner-occupation is the most common tenure of people living in poverty
- 7% of homeowners do not find home ownership affordable
- Personal unsecured debt in Britain is twice the European average
- Debt in Britain has increased by 118% over the past 10 years
- Birth rates in Britain are continuing to fall
- 54% of people would leave Britain if they could
- While we may be richer we are less happy than we were
Successive governments have overseen and encouraged an irresponsible and unsustainable housing market. The deregulation of the financial services industry has meant that people can take on more debt than ever before. The sale of council houses has lead to a severe shortage of quality, secure rented accommodation. This coupled with the stigmatisation of renting has promoted home-ownership as the only real choice and this has further increased demand for houses to buy. The perception of a house as an investment, rather than a home, has in turn created a skewed and unrealistic attitude towards wealth-creation. People are desperate to get on the housing ladder and are fearful of being left behind.
The impact will be greatest on the children of today as they grow up into adulthood. Those with little or no housing wealth will be so seriously disadvantaged that it is unlikely that they will be able to work themselves out of the situation. This means that it will be even harder for children from poorer backgrounds to get on in life. It is now becoming clear that the divide between those with high levels of housing wealth and those without is reaching the level of disparity in Victorian times.
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