Wednesday 19 February 2014

Ghost Writers and Fat Cats

The Ghost Writer was in his office today and, as I explained about a week ago the organisation he works for may lose all its funding from the local county council. What the local council do is fund the core structure of the charities organisation; this allows it to get funding for other projects from other sources, to fund an assortment of other things. So as a result of one hundred thousand pounds per year from the county council, they have been able in the last ten years or more to increase this by two or three hundred thousand pounds plus.



 And because of the nature of the organisations work helping people with debt, benefits, housing and employment issues plus folk with disabilities and mental health issues they have worked out that they have achieved financial gains of over two million pounds to the people of the county in the last couple of years. Which of course mostly gets spent in the local economy, so indirectly the county councils money brings more money back into the county, which in many respects is almost a profit.

Although the organisation is a national organisation each part of it is dependent on the local council for core funding which is a weakness, because the local council when they are keen to save money will always cut funding to outside organisations first.. Folk were rather angry today because last nights council meeting saw the councillors all vote to cut 100% of the organisations funding again there are three meetings in all (well think of all those travelling expenses clocking up). I have been told that the councillors get rather good allowances and travelling expenses and a few other perks which appear to have avoided all the cuts (gosh).


 Anyway all is not well and many folk are very angry indeed . . . . I thought of the old well known saying of . . . . . . Putting the Cat among the Pigeons, but then thought it was not the right saying as it occurred to me that one cat among a load of pigeons would get confused and end up catching none. I know this to be true as we have cats and there are loads of pigeons here too  as they pinch all the bird food we put out for the birds (yes OK strictly speaking pigeons are birds, but greedy ones) anyway after some thought I have decided that the old saying (slightly modified has more relevance) should be . . . . .


Putting the Pigeon among the Cats . . . . . (that’s Fat Cats with large allowances and perks). . . . . You see the poor old pigeon has no chance and is a goner for sure, which is I suspect what will happen to the charity the Ghost Writer works for.  He will then be a down and out old has been, so no change there then . . . . . .HAH H HAH HA HAH HA HA HAH HA HA hahah ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha haha.

14 comments:

  1. I could send you a pound of something. I wonder how many pounds (money) are equal to one pound of weight.

    I made a few dollars today printing a name on the side of a bag using my machine that was broken, had just got it back from the repair shop. The lady said she has lost several bags at the day care center and spent eXtra money putting the child's name on the side in hopes that it won't get taken by "mistake".

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    1. A great idea as long as the children do not all have the same name

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    2. I had never heard of the name Chevelle for a child before yesterday. I think that was a car several years ago ....

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    3. I think now the name has appeared on my blog Mr ESB it will soon be popular with parents and car owners.

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  2. That is infuriating. The public good seems to be slowly, methodically getting cut, slashed, smothered, drowned, hanged, filleted, beaten, tea-bagged, urinated upon, and generally humiliated in full view of the public while the short-sighted and greedy speed our decent into societal chaos. Surely the proletariat will continue to endure this treatment ad nauseam with no recourse?
    Sorry, as someone who works in a non-profit, the idea that we constantly need to cut public services instead of other things like war mongering, is infuriating.

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    1. It is indeed very annoying, I heard someone on the radio today justifying huge director and executive pay and bonuses on the grounds of the need to pay the going rate for the job or they move elsewhere. I suspect none of them move to become nurses, mechanics, electricians or the like. But apparently it is tough at the top, all those meetings over lunch and putting up with not being popular with the public and the cost of private schools for the kids and a yacht to maintain. . . .

      Life is becoming more unequal in the west and those who need help one way or another are seen as scroungers or undesirable. Society is becoming more cutthroat. . . . .

      OOooo I came over all political there I better go and lie down.

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  3. I know a pigeon that you can put amongst the fat cats, as long as those fat cats are on Twitter.

    Sorry to hear that things aren't going well. I signed that petition and got an update which sounded like there was a lot of support. I just hope they start listening soon.

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    1. I do know of which pigeon you speak and you are right. . . . .

      Form a personal point of view the Ghost Writer says he does not like working and hopes not to be one of the hard working families that politicians speak of. However is is the most vulnerable who appear to be taking the hardest hit in these cut backs.

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  4. So frustrating when they have no problems giving money to themselves but when it comes to helping out the people who need it most, it's cut, cut, cut.

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    1. It takes a very good person to put others before themselves, and very few in politics are those type of people....

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  5. Boy you can really turn a phrase. They just roll off the tongue. Sorry about the charity.

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    1. I can do the same with marbles and jelly babies. . . . . OK not jelly babies I usually chew and swallow them. I cant do that with marbles, well I can swallow them but it is not such a good move really particularly very big ones with spikes on . . . . Maybe they are not marbles thinking about it?

      DAMN I may have swallowed a medieval fighting implement (well it is easily done).

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  6. Fat cats and the big bank theory, which aint a theory, should be helping make sure that charity keeps its funding. Welcome to austerity where those who are the most vulnerable get crapped on!

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