During today’s PMQs Theresa May continued her relentless campaign to save Christmas, which is nice, because for a lot of neglected elderly people this will probably be their last.
Jeremy Corbyn was, rightly, very concerned that the Chancellor didn’t mention social care in the Autumn Statement, even though there is a huge funding gap, a constantly ageing population, and possibly no foreign people to care for them in the future. Wiping a pensioner’s bottom might not be a skilled job, but it is an essential task to maintain the dignity of older people in our society.
May defended the Chancellor, and said that the “social care precept,” will cover the gap. For those of you who don’t know what that is (nearly every normal person) it means Local Authorities can increase council tax, but only for social care, to fill the black hole left by central government cuts.
This means that more affluent areas will find it easier to raise adequate funds, as poor areas already have a weak tax base. For the Tories there is also the added benefit that people will hate the council even more than they already did. Wham!
Anyway for the millions of old people in desperate need of care this was getting in the way of the important issue of the day…saving Christmas.
Fiona Bruce, MP, told the PM that Christians are afraid of talking about Christmas at work. Deeply religious herself, so much so that Theresa hopes God can sort out the bilateral Brexit trade deals for her, she responded that people should be able to: “Speak freely about Christmas.
“We are now into the season of advent, we have a very strong tradition in this country of religious tolerance and freedom of speech and our Christian heritage is something we can all be proud of.”
The nation’s dogs marched towards Westminster in unison after that response. Don’t worry about frail pensioners lying in their own faeces, alone, for days, we’ve saved Christmas from those Muslims/lefties/gays or whoever it is they think is stealing our festive frolics.
When your party has literally no idea what to do about Brexit, the health service is on its knees and your main ally has run off with a Russian bombshell (in the most literal of terms), all you have left is to prod the beast of populism. A dangerous game and one I don’t believe fussy grammar school Deputy Head Theresa May would be able to tame, perhaps, indeed, she might not even want to. The yuletide is turning in a dangerous direction.
Sycophantic question of the day
Festive posturing aside, Kelly Tolhurst, Con, told the house how great grammar schools are, well she would, Kent never got rid of the 11plus.
Winner
Well now Cliff is free and Theresa May has come to the rescue it’s…CHRISTMAS.
