UNIVERSAL CHILD

By Stanley Collymore

Euphemistically I’m called a senior citizen by some
although colloquially it’s as an old aged pensioner that I’m
universally known by everyone: a state of affairs that for the
vast majority of those who’re either richer or much younger
than me automatically conjures up for them the instinctive
and rather demeaning notion of someone bordering on
senility; a situation not in the least made any easier you
see when quite involuntarily and unfortunately for me
in my advanced years I’m saddled with unavoidable
monetary arrears and forcibly obliged to live in
relative poverty: courtesy of the banks, their venal
financial accomplices in the City and Wall Street
who individually and collectively have either recklessly
squandered or defrauded me of my hard-earned dosh
ably assisted by the indifference and greedy
sycophancy self-interestedly paraded, as any
intelligent mind will obviously see, by their loyal
friends in government that couldn’t give a toss
despite their lying claims to the contrary in
regards to how much they really care
about and want to see done
for ordinary folk like
you and me.

Instead we’re told we must severely tighten our belts while
cynically encouraged to do all that we can to rein in and
significantly relieve, our governments would have us
stupidly believe, the alarming trend of stagnant
economic growth, spiralling debts, high
and increasing unemployment, accelerating
foreclosures and the worrying spectre of once viable
businesses now going bust through lack of proper
investment and fiscal trust; necessary measures
that have been most carefully and objectively
thought out are these governments repeated
mantra and official policies, but steps reluctantly taken
nevertheless with the best interests of the entire country
at heart and specifically tailored to positively kick start
our deeply embattled and crumbling economy,
warding off in the process, the loquacious spin
doctors of these discredited regimes persistently attest, the
onslaught of an even greater calamity, which would certainly
exist in the marked absence of none of this; reminding us too
in this
highly charged, choreographed and verbal excess it’s what
their deeply concerned, publicly committed and caring
political masters know they must objectively do, and
wishing them every success in their determined quest
all responsible citizens of every political hue in
giving them their wholehearted support would want
them to, to positively prevent; then having clinically
administered their cynical and unremitting coup de grace,
steadfastly continued apace by unctuously suggesting that
though ostensibly seem as a regrettable and highly
contentious enactment the massive bailouts of
these unaccountable and prodigal banks by their respective
governments wasn’t by any means as is generally believed a
cowardly act of irresponsibility or timid appeasement, far
less any kind of profligate event but in reality, and
specifically for the good of one and all, money
that on closer examination everyone will
sensibly agree was wisely spent.

No mention though while publicly extolling and rather
disingenuously promoting the virtues of collective
civic responsibility, personal sacrifice and fiscal restraint,
of the adverse and lasting effects that taking on such
burdensome and disproportionate liabilities will undoubtedly
have on those of us not accountable in any way for any of
this but none the less will still be expected to bear the
full brunt of what is potentially a ruinous but was by
all verifiable accounts also a totally avoidable
credit crunch. While those who are at fault
for creating this toxic mess and quite clearly in the
circumstances couldn’t care less about the many hardships,
the personal duress and recurrent stress suffered at their
hands by practically everyone and the terrible harm done to
the fabric of our society from all of this, persistently and
openly refuse to admit that what they did is both legally
and morally wrong, claiming quite dishonestly in their
stalwart but inexcusable defence that there’s no
logical reason for them to say sorry, and as such
they owe no apologies to anyone; knowing full well
that in adopting this wholly inflexible and markedly
immoral stance that self-confidently but all so cleverly
they’ve opted for, those at the very centre of political
power with its attendant influential clout and vast array of
discretionary patronage to dish out and itself eminently
characterized by a coterie of avaricious and artfully
ambitious politicians that routinely allow themselves
to be easily bought, handsomely paid for, and therefore can
reliably be counted on to always help out in any unfolding
exigency, will not only be available at their patrons behest
to automatically rubber-stamp their every stated request
but equally and very significantly no less will also be
quite eager too to fulsomely and unequivocally
demonstrate, as expected to and will always do,
their craven but undivided loyalty; freely
allowing in the process those whose singular, shameless
and unrepentant greed have largely and unquestionably
assisted in creating this unprecedented and catastrophic,
financial quandary they’ve put us in to carry on
nevertheless with their criminal wrongdoings, unpardonably
and without a solitary care in the world it seems rewarding
themselves with massive bonuses while the rest of us
understandably under protest but forced through
Hobson’s Choice to do what’s best for the country,
collectively and with the utmost pressing need
strive stoically to hopefully but far more
importantly permanently rid ourselves
of the proverbial Sword of Damocles that
hangs quite menacingly over
all our heads.

Sacrificial lambs we undoubtedly are, and considering the
gravity of the situation that we now find ourselves in would
always have been seen as prime targets for this most
unacceptable calumny: hapless victims on whom they could
conveniently pin their immense guilt and stinking shame,
while from the moral high ground that they’ve deviously
commandeered and insolently bestride, obscenely and
rather absurdly too with straight faces that only the
most unconscionable of folk could similarly
muster, proceed to patronisingly lecture us on
how best we can save the economy that either by
virtue of their predatory light-fingeredness
or gross inefficiency has in realistic terms, been
immeasurably and for the long-term rendered bust.
Even so, the firmly held and overwhelmingly
perceived conviction of these people is that there’s no
intrinsic need by them for any personal remorse or
genuine expressions of regret that should be
forthcoming, and why should there be they
laughingly declare when for their obvious acts of
criminality they’ve already been granted complete
immunity by politicians who’re thoroughly in
their debt; and if the penny hasn’t dropped yet
then take a closer look at the United States
Congress or come to that the current UK
Cabinet with its privileged and elitist
backgrounds; and where among the
twenty therein, eighteen of them
are wealthy multi-millionaires.

© Stanley V. Collymore
12 November 2010.