This article caught my eye. Father Tim Jones announced during one of his sermons that the poor should go out and shoplift. He wasn’t suggesting that all shops should be targeted, just the large multi nationals. That way no small family shops would suffer and the multi nationals would just bump up their prices a bit, effectively taxing those that can afford to pay and helping out the poor.
Father Jones, you are stark raving bloody mad! There are exceptions, but in general the poor are poor because they have no sense of responsibility. We have one of the most generous benefit systems in the world and I know of a number of people on benefits, the responsible ones, who seem to be able to live very well and even run those absolute essentials such as cars and mobile phones, which taxpayers should quite rightly pay for.
On the other hand there is an uneducated and rapidly growing underclass that receives generous benefits but chooses to spend it smoking 60 cigarettes a day, going to the pub seven days a week and eating take away pizzas and kebabs. There are also drug addicts who make the choice, every day, to spend their money on drugs. (Let's not do the legalisation debate again!) That is why they are ‘poor’ and shoplift clothes and food etc. to subsidise their irresponsible lifestyle.
I had a quick look at the crime statistics in Utopia and this year is no exception; shoplifting starts increasing in the middle of November and peaks on the 23rd December. This is just a record of the ones that get caught, of course. About half of those caught are on benefits. If being on benefits is the criteria that makes you poor, it appears that they don't need any encouragement from Father Jones. Some very expensive items are stolen and many of them are presents for family members.
How many people will be waking up on Christmas Day and receiving nice presents from their 'poor' son, daughter, husband etc. Do they think about where it has come from? Do they give a damn?
Happy Christmas to one and all and best wishes for the New Year. Bah Humbug!
Father Jones, you are stark raving bloody mad! There are exceptions, but in general the poor are poor because they have no sense of responsibility. We have one of the most generous benefit systems in the world and I know of a number of people on benefits, the responsible ones, who seem to be able to live very well and even run those absolute essentials such as cars and mobile phones, which taxpayers should quite rightly pay for.
On the other hand there is an uneducated and rapidly growing underclass that receives generous benefits but chooses to spend it smoking 60 cigarettes a day, going to the pub seven days a week and eating take away pizzas and kebabs. There are also drug addicts who make the choice, every day, to spend their money on drugs. (Let's not do the legalisation debate again!) That is why they are ‘poor’ and shoplift clothes and food etc. to subsidise their irresponsible lifestyle.
I had a quick look at the crime statistics in Utopia and this year is no exception; shoplifting starts increasing in the middle of November and peaks on the 23rd December. This is just a record of the ones that get caught, of course. About half of those caught are on benefits. If being on benefits is the criteria that makes you poor, it appears that they don't need any encouragement from Father Jones. Some very expensive items are stolen and many of them are presents for family members.
How many people will be waking up on Christmas Day and receiving nice presents from their 'poor' son, daughter, husband etc. Do they think about where it has come from? Do they give a damn?
Happy Christmas to one and all and best wishes for the New Year. Bah Humbug!
Who is the bigger thief: the guy who nicks an i-pod for his kid, or the head of the local housing quango who 'commands' a salary of £2500 a week for sitting on his arse? Or the troughing MPs, salting away millions of public money in 'expense' payments? Or, indeed, the top ranks in the Police, who seem to be little more than talking (but not necessarily thinking) heads?
ReplyDeleteBefore anyone can expect the 'underclass' to take more responsibility for their actions, there clearly will have to be much improvement in the behaviour of the more fortunate.
As for what Father Jones suggested, it is logically, as well as morally dubious. If the church condones theft by the poor, then logically, the priests should be out every night nicking the lead from their own roofs to raise money from the poor. And when that's gone, they should be around your place for the crystal goblets and the Beamer in the garage.
Happy Christmas, Inspector!
Dunno how it works in the UK, but in Canada retailers aren't allowed to raise prices because of shoplifters, so to make up any losses, hours get cut, meaning the hard-working lower wage types are the ones who're hosed. It doesn't matter whether it's a big box store or mom and pop's, if you steal, it hurts the bottom line. You have to sell at least 2 to make up for one stolen, if not more.
ReplyDeleteI dealt with an addict, (since OD'd) who never stole anything but food and drink.
ReplyDeleteHis 'twisted' logic was that if he spent all his benefit on drugs and stole food to eat, he would plead poverty and hunger and get a lighter sentence than someone who would steal electric toothbrushes, batteries, coffee and razors to sell/swap for heroin.
The Rev Jones was obviously wrong in advising people to shoplift. Edgar, I support what you say about those in high places, but two wrongs never have made a right, and they still don't.
ReplyDeleteHaving lived on benefits some years ago, it was no picnic. If it hadn't been for my in-laws, we'd have been right up the proverbial creek. My lovely wife also knew how to make ¼lb of mince make a dinner for three! (Rice is the key.)
My sympathy for the underclass is very limited, but my sympathy for those out of work through no fault of their own is boundless.
Merry Christmas to all - including those on benefits.
Huh, apparently the good Reverend missed one of those pesky commandments during his religious studies.
ReplyDeleteWhat a weird thing for a Father to advocate.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
And Bah Humbug right back at ya : D
If anything, the good reverend is the one robbing the poor... of their dignity and integrity.
ReplyDeleteThere is a reason loosers are loosers...they make so many wrong choices in life...and the rest of us end up supporting them in one way or another. If some would just stay home and watch the TV and pass out on the floor it would be less work for us.
ReplyDeleteTheft from a multi-national corporation or theft from a National Treasury. I know which one I'd prefer the police to concentrate on.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas from the underclass.
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ReplyDeleteYet another tragic example of the total ignorance displayed by large, well-meaning swathes of our middle classes.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to live in this happy, imaginary world where all shoplifters are just trying to feed their cute families because they've fallen on hard times through no fault of their own, and where all illegal immigrants and overstayers are hard-working brain surgeons and charity workers (despite their disproportionate showing in our over-full prisons) - and of course, where ALL kids are innocent and chucklesome, despite evidence that many of them roam the streets in feral, violent gangs, armed to the teeth!
Naturally, where they have accidentally stabbed someone to death - it was only because they 'didn't understand the consequences of their actions', and was probably all the fault of a social worker or police officer.
What a lovely place it must be!
the church is extremely rich - should not the good father be encouraging people to steal from there?
ReplyDeleteMarkUK. I didn't try to claim that it was OK for the poor to steal, just that there is no incentive for them to stop when their 'betters' are just as dishonest.
ReplyDelete