Terry Carey
"Empiricist"
Membership Level: Full
Posts: 7767
Status: Offline | Back to the bad old 30’s
I find it hard to credit Scouse’s assertions of a Labour Government imposing a Means Test on he and his family although I am sure he is telling the truth. Knowing his character as I do I can’t believe that he would lie in that manner but it doesn’t sit with what I know of the 60’s. Maybe in Liverpool the DHSS worked on different levels to elsewhere but as far as I know no-one in those days anywhere in Britain had to sell things before being given assistance.
It happened in the 30s all too often and the favourite story I heard many times was that families had to sell their piano. Why so many families had a piano to sell when no one could play one is a mystery and I am not seeking to make light of the subject.
In fact the 30s was a decade which saw a superb recovery in Britain after the Wall Street crash of 1929. Initially the 30s were ushered in by a Labour government which was quite incompetent (where have I heard that before?) but which was, in 1931 or 1932 superseded by the National Government led by and dominated by Tories.
Neville Chamberlain, a man who was certainly not born with a silver spoon in his mouth became Chancellor and did what was required. That is that he cut expenditure and waste. During the Thirties there was a massive boom in house building enabling many to own their own house for the first time, Income Tax was cut, the car industry boomed as did ship building and by 1939 we were a prosperous country once again.
Britain in the Thirties came out of recession quicker and better than any other nation.
I was born in 1930 and although we were poor by modern standards my Dad always managed to get a job. He died at the age of 57 totally worn out by this but I grew up well nourished as did my siblings. The Sixties were generally a boom time, it was the era of Live Now and Pay Later, HP enabled most to have a car, TV, holidays and many things now taken for granted.
The greatest problem facing Britain is, after the disgraceful dereliction of National interests by Blair and Brown that their successors are proving to be shiftless and farting about with such matters as Gay marriage and House Of Lords reform which are the last things that should be on their minds.
I recently mentioned that the legislation introducing fixed five year Parliamentary Terms has mainly slipped under the Radar to most people. This means that any set of dead legs is safe for that period should they get elected. All they need do is draw their salaries without fear of rejection at the polls until the time is up.
This will never make for good government. Governments can no longer be defeated by losing a vote of confidence even if one is called.
Just to let every one know where I stand on the House of Lords I never found any fault with the way it used to be. Peers of the Realm discussed and voted according to their consciences generally without bothering about Party but simply on the merits of the matter to hand.
What spoiled that was the ennobling of people simply for donations or carrying the Party flag for ’X’ number of years and the desire to create as many Life Peers as necessary to get a Party’s legislation through into law.
I think that’s enough for now.
TC. |
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