Image Suzanne Beishon

Image Suzanne Beishon   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

20%

Disgracefully, only 48 of Labour’s 232 MPs voted against Tory welfare cuts in Osborne’s latest austerity budget.

Conn artist

Despite much publicised fall in wholesale energy prices British Gas has seen its profits soar by 50% compared to a year ago. This announcement comes only weeks after the Big Six energy companies were accused of over-charging customers by £1.2 billion a year.

Meanwhile, millions of low income households continue to experience ‘fuel poverty’ ie spending 10% or more of income on energy.

Centrica, which owns British Gas, is also expected to announce axing 2,000 jobs. Centrica is headed by Iain Conn who receives a basic annual salary of £925,000.

Oh Lordy

When not doing lines of cocaine and hanging around with prostitutes, several ermine clad peers in the House of Lords are content to busy themselves with “cash for access” ‘duties’ or simply fiddling their expenses.

The Tories and Labour won’t however call for abolition of the Lords because it’s used for political patronage and can act to block legislation of a future left-wing government.


What we saw

Socialist Party member Jacqui Berry appearing in her viral YouTube video blog

Socialist Party member Jacqui Berry appearing in her viral YouTube video blog   (Click to enlarge: opens in new window)

#ImInWorkJeremy. Nurse Jacqui Berry speaks out against Tory minister Jeremy Hunt’s plan to enforce seven-day working in the National Health Service. Many NHS staff already work exceptionally long hours, including weekends.

The Tory government won’t put in the necessary resources to ensure sufficient back-up workers to run a full-service 24/7, and instead is pushing through cuts.