Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
The impact of the Housing Benefit cuts on the borough
A couple of pieces from Lucy Purdy at the Advertiser, 3rd November, 2010 edition. (Click images to view full size):
Tags for Forum Posts: cuts, housing benefit, public spending cuts
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Old-Age-Emporium(OAE) on
-
If you're of a religious bent you may have noticed St Paul telling the Thessalonians in last Sunday's second reading: "Even when we were with you, this we commanded you: that if any among you would not work, neither should he eat. (And as for £400 each seventh day, the unearned fruit of idleness, let him forget it.)"
If you're of a more historical bent you may recall that under the Statute of Labourers of 1351 those who refused to work, "giving themselves up to idleness and sins", were to be rounded up and placed in the stocks. Haringey still has a few crossroads and open spaces suited to stocks and the occasional gallows.
Note that the Statute of Labourers bought their masters a full three decades of valuable breathing space. The Peasants' Revolt didn't occur till 1381.
-
Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
-
You might be on shaky ground here, OAE.
My reading of the Statute is that it was enacted at a time of severe labour shortages, due to the bubonic plague which led to demands for higher wages.
". . . that because a great part of the people and especially of the workmen and servants has now died in that pestilence, some, seeing the straits of the masters and the scarcity of servants, are not willing to serve unless they receive excessive wages".
So the Statute attempted to force the workforce remaining to stay in their jobs and made it an offence for anyone to accept a wage higher than "accustomed to be paid" five years before, in 1346.
The Statute also made it illegal to pay or even offer more. Which applied - in theory at least - to "the lords of the towns or manors". If they gave inflated bonuses tobankers and consultantsworkmen and servants.
. . . then in the Counties, Wapentakes and Trithings suit shall be brought against them in the aforesaid form for the triple penalty (of the sum) thus promised or paid by them.
Which is not quite the present position when there are many more unemployed people than jobs. Although I expect Mr Duncan Smith might be more than happy to see wages as well as benefits cut back, Though not, of course, for Government ministers, MPs and corporate bosses.
-
Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
-
Mr Duncan Smith might be more than happy to see wages as well as benefits cut back for the middle class graduates employed at decent rates by government quangos. You can't pay a cleaner less than minimum wage but you can pick up an experienced and hard working graduate with no competition from the government at the moment.
Banks in the city are about to dump 5-10% of their staff in time for Christmas (and not have to pay them a "bonus"). They'll all be pitching up together at job interviews with everyone else after the new year. To Keith Flett's VERY measured observation may I add that I think middle class salaries will plummet too, especially for accountants who cannot use spell checkers.
-
-
Then, as an accountant, maybe you'd like to spell out for us your own accurate estimate of the figures Haringey will need to cut from our budget as a result of reduced government grants. Of course, bearing in mind the "front loading" issues (partly explained by Inkjetpack).
Would you also like to tell us your own estimate of the numbers of households - families and individuals - who will have to move from the centre of London? Would you agree with Boris Johnson's view that London needs to avoid the banlieues of Paris and that:"the last thing we want to have in our city is a situation such as Paris where the less well-off are pushed out to the suburbs".
-
-
So you don't know the figures but you are certain Haringey Labour "cabinet" has got them wrong?
And you think that Boris Johnson was talking about Cobham, Totteridge and Marlow; and that these are the equivalent of the Paris banlieues?
Amazing. -
-
-
Right, Alan, I knew I risked making a bubo or two in relying on my Senior Cert History 1960.
Seems a pity that, having weathered the worst the Black Death could throw at them, those sturdy labourers could not benefit from market forces or exploit their sudden scarcity level and the straitened circumstances of said masters!.
-
Permalink Reply by Liz on
-
All pensioners 'will lose out' on benefit cut, from the Today programme plus housing benefit reforms could leave some elderly people on such low incomes their health may be at risk, the charity Age UK has warned.
- ‹ Previous
- 1
- 2
- Next ›
© 2024 Created by Hugh.
Powered by
