April 1st 2014

It should be noted somewhere - and it seems to have escaped the attention of the mainstream media - that N I has so far escaped the worst excesses of welfare reform. I am not sure if it's the result of principled decision making or the standard stop stop slow wheels of policy making at Stormont but whatever has caused it, N I hasn't implemented the Welfare Reform Act in full.
It's an interesting wee conundrum - it seems that some of the parties are vehemently opposed to welfare reform, while others would like it to be implemented as soon as is humanly possible. While they are 'negotiating', the deadline has passed and the coalition has given notice that NI will be 'fined' to the tune of about £100 million this year. Out of that £100 million, around £68 million will be cut from the NHS budget.
Now, to me, we have a golden opportunity for political parties to show a bit of leadership. They could be hosting public meetings to make people aware of the nature and extent of both welfare reform and the impending budget cuts. They could be checking out how we feel about it. They could be organising or at least facilitating resistance to welfare reform and cuts. They could be working with the trade unions, community groups, professional bodies, random individuals, media - anyone really to get the message out. They could be galvanising their electorate.
What we get instead is something of the patronising, patriarchal political statements where they (occasionally) tell us not to worry our pretty little heads about it. We can stay in the political kitchen making the tea and the big lads will take care of it for us.
Welfare reform will affect working people, unemployed people, private sector employers, public sector employers, Catholics, Protestants, heathens, republicans, loyalists, nationalists, unionists, socialists, commies, the apathetic, the young, the old, the sick, the disabled, priests and pastors.
It is an equal opportunity, non sectarian, cross community attack on the population of N I. As such it needs an equal opportunity, non sectarian, cross community response. A big, loud, unified response. It might even work
Perhaps that is the problem. Perhaps if we find out that beating off attacks from the Tories is a unifying thing, we might not want to get involved in the things that divide us. Where would our politicians be then?