We often hear David Cameron say: "We're all in this together." The truth is that Mr Cameron and his cabinet of millionaires sit there in a pool of cash whilst there are over three million children in Britain living in poverty. Under the Tories, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Whether it's dinners for donors in Downing Street or giving millionaires a tax-cut, it's the same old Tories who leave all the ordinary hard-working people of this country to suffer.
Democratically elected governments are voted into power to represent the views and interests of the majority of the nation. However, it appears to be one rule for the Tories and another for the rest. For example, Tory MP, Nadhim Zahawi claimed expenses that paid to heat his stables. This is simply outrageous. Millions of people are struggling to pay their energy bills but Mr Zahawi saw fit to use the taxpayer's money to heat his stables. The Tory party represent the interests of the very few privileged millionaires in Britain and leave the rest to fend for themselves.
At this present moment we have a huge crisis in the energy market. People can no longer afford to pay their bills. In the three years this government has been in power there has been a 37% increase in energy bills. The Tories don't care about this, their millionaire friends won't be affected and some of them will just use the taxpayer's money to pay for their bills. If the Tories really cared for the ordinary hard-working people of this country, they would immediately impose a price freeze on energy bills to help consumers deal with the cost of living crisis.
With the recent welcomed economic growth, Mr Cameron has talked down the cost of living crisis. The most important part of economic policy is that there must be a rise in living standards for ordinary families. Figures show that working people are £1500 out of pocket since 2010. The reason for this is that prices are rising faster than wages. The Tory government are trying to compete with the likes of India and China. First of all, it simply isn't fair as both nations are much larger geographically than the UK and also we must learn to walk before we can run. So we have a living crisis and people can only afford the bare minimum and the Tories decide to give millionaires a tax cut.
Many people argue that some wealthy people have worked very hard for what they have achieved. I agree, however somebody has to pay tax in order for the country to run. There's a choice between taxing the poor or the wealthy. This Tory government decided to give millionaires a tax-cut during a time when we have a cost of living crisis and we have had the slowest economic growth in 100 years. It's only right that the richest in the country pay the most tax but that logic obviously doesn't relate with the Tories.
It seems that the Tories policies on higher and further education suggest that they believe only the rich are entitled to it. Scrapping Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) forced thousands of students to opt out of higher education. EMA gave money to 16-18 year-olds who continued their education after the school leaving age. This benefited me greatly and motivated me to attend classes and I used the money to pay for things such as school dinners and to save up for university. The trebling of tuition fees to £9000 again reflects that the Tories believe that further education is only for the rich.
It is understandable that the government needed to raise tuition fees in times of economic hardship where cuts have to be made. However, trebling tuition fees was and is a very unfair approach especially to the working class. Figures show that there was a considerable drop in the amount of students applying to university due to the rise in tuition fees. The National Union of Students says that raising tuition fees to £6000 would have been unfair to students but an understandable measure.
This Tory government has introduced the Bedroom Tax which is simply an unfair, cruel policy. This policy will inflict hardship and suffering on children in poverty and people with disabilities. 375,000 children in poverty will suffer as a result and 420,000 disabled people will be worse off. This appalling scheme is costing the tax payer more money and it should be scrapped immediately.
The Tories have imposed a bed room tax which has a negative impact on the most vulnerable people in the country. They failed to introduce a mansion tax which would help the majority of people in the country and contribute to tackling the cost of living crisis. It seems the Tories only care about their mates in the city. The governments policies need to benefit the majority of the population not just the privileged few.