Billy Young's Blog - Posts Tagged "slavery"
29th August 2015
Got word back from the course I was on. I passed, wooohoo. I will get my certificate early next week but I was on the SIA site to apply for my badge yesterday. Though it will be next week before I can pay for it. Hopefully it shouldn't take as long as the last one to be processed, well I can't see why it would. Of course you never know. I just have to wait and see.
Got word through this week about that work programme the jobcentre are sending me on. I start it on the 8th September for four weeks. 30 hours a week for my jobseekers allowance. Yes that means I will be working for less than the minimum wage and if I were to refuse then I wouldn't get anything from the state to help me through these hard times. As you can tell I think this is tantamount to slave labour. I agree that as I have been unemployed for over six months that I should have to do something more to continue to get state help. I would agree with them forcing me to do two days a week which would then mean I would be working those to day at the minimum wage which is set by the government. That would be fair of course when is the Westminster government fair. I can't remember them ever being that. No they always like to give those of us at the bottom of society a bit of a kick now and then while blaming us for the struggling economy. The poor are to blame for everything that is going wrong in the world according to them. We after all are easy scapegoats.
Yes I admit there are some who don't want to work but they are a small minority of those claiming benefits. After all what you get doesn't really go far. I would for one prefer to be working which would then provide a better standard of living for my family and myself. It is for this reason I decided to get training to open up more possibilities into work. Of course the government won't tell people of those of us who want to work and go forward for training to broaden their options. No the only stories you hear from Westminster politicians is of those few who have given up so are happy to claim dole money. As for the rest of us, well we have to keep on as we are until we get another job. While accepting that in the eyes of those in charge we are less than nothing. At least until they need us to vote for them again.
Got word through this week about that work programme the jobcentre are sending me on. I start it on the 8th September for four weeks. 30 hours a week for my jobseekers allowance. Yes that means I will be working for less than the minimum wage and if I were to refuse then I wouldn't get anything from the state to help me through these hard times. As you can tell I think this is tantamount to slave labour. I agree that as I have been unemployed for over six months that I should have to do something more to continue to get state help. I would agree with them forcing me to do two days a week which would then mean I would be working those to day at the minimum wage which is set by the government. That would be fair of course when is the Westminster government fair. I can't remember them ever being that. No they always like to give those of us at the bottom of society a bit of a kick now and then while blaming us for the struggling economy. The poor are to blame for everything that is going wrong in the world according to them. We after all are easy scapegoats.
Yes I admit there are some who don't want to work but they are a small minority of those claiming benefits. After all what you get doesn't really go far. I would for one prefer to be working which would then provide a better standard of living for my family and myself. It is for this reason I decided to get training to open up more possibilities into work. Of course the government won't tell people of those of us who want to work and go forward for training to broaden their options. No the only stories you hear from Westminster politicians is of those few who have given up so are happy to claim dole money. As for the rest of us, well we have to keep on as we are until we get another job. While accepting that in the eyes of those in charge we are less than nothing. At least until they need us to vote for them again.
19th September 2015
Got a call about a job this week while I was at the Work Placement in Irvine. Calum took the number down but the place was closed by the time I got home. I phoned promptly the next morning from the Placement but they seemed clueless to what I was talking about but said they would call me back. Of course that phone call never happened so it would seem the Government's slavery programme has cost me a potential job. I am not happy about it though there is little I can do now.
The scheme itself is going well other than the fact that I have been ill all week. An end of summer cold has gripped me. It has left me crabby and very tired and seems to not wish to break. I thought I was turning the corner with it the other day but yesterday and today has assured me that it still has the better of me. I hate being ill and I really dislike that yucky feeling that comes with the common cold. I will be glad when I can finally shake it.
My garden suffered more vandalism this week. One of my cherry trees being the victim this time. Just the one branch was snapped off. I would have thought it wild life had it not been for the fact that the branch was pushed under the hedge as if to hide it which would suggest kids looking for free fruit and feeling a certain guilt for the damage they caused. At least that is how I see it though I doubt I will ever truly know how the damage occurred. Sadly it hasn't been a great year in the garden this year. Really poor weather has caused much of what was planted to fade into nothing. Though I did get some good tatties last month as well as some juicy blueberries this week. So I will be looking forwards to the pie Magz will make from them.
The scheme itself is going well other than the fact that I have been ill all week. An end of summer cold has gripped me. It has left me crabby and very tired and seems to not wish to break. I thought I was turning the corner with it the other day but yesterday and today has assured me that it still has the better of me. I hate being ill and I really dislike that yucky feeling that comes with the common cold. I will be glad when I can finally shake it.
My garden suffered more vandalism this week. One of my cherry trees being the victim this time. Just the one branch was snapped off. I would have thought it wild life had it not been for the fact that the branch was pushed under the hedge as if to hide it which would suggest kids looking for free fruit and feeling a certain guilt for the damage they caused. At least that is how I see it though I doubt I will ever truly know how the damage occurred. Sadly it hasn't been a great year in the garden this year. Really poor weather has caused much of what was planted to fade into nothing. Though I did get some good tatties last month as well as some juicy blueberries this week. So I will be looking forwards to the pie Magz will make from them.
