Let’s Play Big Society Jenga!

 

For those unfamiliar with the game of Jenga, it consists of a tower of wooden blocks. During the game, players take turns to remove a block from this tower and balance it on the top. The structure becomes increasingly unstable as the blocks supporting the structure from lower down are removed.

The Coalition Government are currently playing their very own version of this game, which I call Big Society Jenga. They are seeing how many basic elements of the structure that supports British Society can be removed before the entire edifice collapses.

Let’s take out Disability Living Allowance, which permits disabled people, who are unable to work, to have something approaching a decent quality of life, and see what happens!

Nothing! No wobbles yet!

Let’s penalise poor and disabled people in social housing for having too many bedrooms!

Look! Nothing’s happened. The tower’s still standing!

Let’s impose ridiculous and perverse capability for work tests! Then we can reduce the income to sick people, who can’t actually get into work in any case!

Still nothing! This is a great game!

What’s next? I know, we’ll reorganise the NHS and in the process reduce funding to make it even more difficult for it to function! We’ll make it so that they have to sack doctors and nurses, reduce the pay of NHS staff and at the same time give them higher work loads. That should be a good one!

Hmmm. Extra pressures on A&E. More old and sick people dying. Wobbling a bit. Still, let’s impose a few targets. That should sort it. And the old and sick can always be looked after by the local authorities.

That gives me an idea! Let’s reduce funding to local authorities!

Well, the tower hasn’t fallen down yet! It’s a bit shaky, don’t breathe too closely to it.

We could always divert attention from the instability by demonising those dreadful economic migrants and health tourists. Everyone hates them any way. Easy target.

The object of this game is to undermine Society. You win if the entire structure doesn’t collapse before the General Election in 2015. And even if it does collapse, then you win anyway, because you can blame it on the previous evil Labour Government, and then privatise what’s left.

Happy New Year!