10/19/2010

Milch Cow To The Masses


I have driven back from a meeting in Cheltenham and was listening to a programme on 'the middle classes', the kick off point for the piece was a definition of what it was to be middle class.

Somebody who had a whitecollar job, was paid monthly and had a mortgage ventured some 'bright' academic, somebody who was liberal, valued education wanted to take responsibility for their lives, lived green lives , ate cous cous ventured another.

I started thinking about my own definition.

That of Milch Cow


milch  (mɪltʃ) 
n
1. ( modifier ) (esp of cattle) yielding milk
2. informal milch cow  a source of easy income, esp a person
[C13: from Old English -milce  (in compounds); related to Old English melcan  to milk]


The working classes (a diminishing resource in this day and age) know what they want, they want 'looking after' by the State, they don't want personal responsibility because they have rights and entitlements. If they cannot get a job it is up to the State to provide 'free' everything. They have the right to have kids, the right to not to acquire too many skills beyond that of the three 'R's. They have the Labour Party and the Trades Unions to keep them were they want to be dependent, poor and with limited horizons. The Middle Classes can pay.

The upper classes they also know what they want, they want to be ' in charge' by God's own ordnance. They will organise their financial affairs in the most 'tax efficient' way a la Millibands. Whilst they are 'in charge' they can screw up the economy, the banks, start wars, it matters not a jot, they have the Tory/Labour Party and besides the Middle Classes can pay.

Then there is the vast raft of the Middle classes, largely apolitical, subscribe to the 'mustn't grumble' political philosophy of the never getting angry. They get in debt through crushing mortgages and university fees, but never talk about it, because they are the only ones out of the whole of the middle classes that are struggling, WRONG they are the coping classes who have been shafted royally by the see-saw of successive Lab/Con Governments. They are the easy targets. Like the grey vote. They will not complain ever, even while they are having their financial teeth kicked in by Nu Labour/Cons/Social Democrats.

They cutely believe that they live in a free country despite all evidence to the contrary. They believe that British is best even though seventy five per cent of British manufacturing  is owned by foreigners and that the Queen is Head of State not the European Commission.

Their Political Party is the Militant Masochistic Tendency, you can beat them over and over again and they will gladly pay over and over again. The Middle Classes are dangerous because they are delusional, they believe everything they are told.

Is there the slightest chance that Jonty and Isabella might be getting the message, that no matter how broke they personally are, the State and the Banks are going to ask for even more money next year. At what stage do the Middle Classes say enough is enough, there has to be a better way.

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