No Homes Fit for Heroes? The Latest Dispute over the Problem of Homeless War Veterans in Britain.
By Stephen Wilson, one of our reporters abroad
The Minister of Veterans John Mercer has been called for account for breaking his promise to end homelessness among discharged members of the armed forces. A famous presenter Carol Vorderman, who is an outspoken critic of the Government confronted the minister by quoting the latest government figures which indicated the level of homelessness among veterans in England had shot up 14% by the end of 2023.
“Homelessness among armed forces veterans in England rose by 14% this year” {i.e. 2023}. It is a worrying state for so many. I pointed out he'd said he would end veterans' homelessness by 2023 and yet it’s risen by 14%. His childish response claimed, “I tweet as I've a sh*t lonely life… No one normal cares… and I am mad…”
That response to an ex-presenter of Countdown and the Queen of Mathematics is not what anyone would expect from a rational politician. It is just cheap personal insults which mirror the appalling quality of political discussion in Britain. To claim that “no one normal cares” about homeless veterans begs the question of what those politicians believe is “normal.”
The presenter recently resigned from a job of her post on the B.B.C. because her outspoken political views would break new stringent guidelines laid down about what presenters can express in public. And Carol Vorderman, 62, represents one of the most passionate and outspoken critics of the British government. She is an unapologetic critic of the state. She declared, "I have got nothing to apologize for, so I live without apologies and where I feel a sense of right and wrong, as opposed to right or left, I call it out."
Gone are the days when Carol Vorderman once sat on the fence and declared herself “politically neutral.” But perhaps her sense of anger becomes understandable when you learn she grew up in great poverty in Wales under a single mother left to fend for her own abandoned family. She fully understands how humiliating and demeaning poverty can be especially when politicians openly insult poor single parents.
Carol Vorderman.
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A Tory politician blasted parents who could not afford to buy toothpaste for their children saying they should not have had children in the first place. Vorderman, like most normal people, found his comments insulting. The Tory politician Bailey answered her strong criticism with crude and vulgar sexist comments such as “Look, on the one hand she's got all that stuff, you know, she's a serious commentator, and then if you look at Instagram it’s all pictures of her bum and boobs. So what is it here? You can't have it both.” Vorderman retorted with “So Shaun thinks that women who wear lycra in the gym shouldn't be allowed a political opinion or I assume a vote! Made a Lord. Yet another Tory honor for Dishonor.”
Carol Vorderman was a presenter, who viewers, with stunned silence, marveled at how she could quickly solve complex calculations on the quiz show 'Countdown.' Like most mathematicians, she adores solving difficult puzzles, riddles and baffling problems. However, even a genius of her caliber was bemused by the ignorant response of Tory politicians who betrayed a gross ignorance of the problems which women experience with the menopause at work and in education.
Vorderman described the views she had encountered at a hearing in parliament as being '100 years out of date.' She once described the government as “A lying bunch of greedy, corrupt, destructive hateful, divisive gaslighting crooks.” She makes the Labor opposition leader Starmer appear tame and agreeable to the Tories!
John Mercer, the Minister of Veterans, promised that he would end homelessness by the end of 2023. He aimed to achieve this under a program called 'Operation Fortitude.' The program received 8 million pounds of funds. John Mercer was optimistic about fulfilling his promise going as far as to state he would want to know why soldiers were still homeless as he had gone out, secured the money, and worked hard on this project. In his defense, he has claimed to have helped around 400 veterans.
Those claims won't appease the critics. A Labor analysis of the figures showed 500 veteran households are being made homeless every 3 months. As many as 2,110 households in England were affected by homelessness from 2022 to 2023. This is up from 1,850 the previous year.
And that is not all! Many currents soldiers have turned to an estimated 2500 food banks for aid. As many as 1 in 3 of armed personal are living in poor quality accommodation.
Joining the armed forces has often represented an attractive option for many poor people. It offers a relative degree of security and stability in terms of consistent pay, food and accommodation. You can also learn a useful trade and skill such as becoming a mechanic or a driver. You might be forgiven for believing that the career prospects of ex-soldiers should be bright.
Ex-members of the armed forces are often led to believe they have a distinct advantage in the job market. Surely potential employers are impressed by the useful experience and proven skills of many who served? Sadly, this is not always the case. And after being discharged from the armed forces they need to quickly find a place to stay.
Contrary to what some believe, it is not unreasonable to ask why so many ex-members of the armed forces have to endure destitution and living without a roof over their heads. Even John Mercer once made a claim that if things went wrong, he would want to know what had actually gone wrong with Operation Fortitude! {At that time he had previously presumed 100% guarantee of success.} It is not too late for this or any new government to make amends.
No homes fit for heroes? With a bold will and great determination we could easily avoid all this unwanted pain and suffering!
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Author's notes
1. John Mercer is a Tory Minister for Veterans of the Armed Forces.
2. Shaun Bailey is a Tory who was knighted by the former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and had taken part in the election for Mayor of London but lost to his rival Labor candidate.
3. Keir Starmer is the existing leader of the Labor Party. He has taken a very cautious and moderate position going so far to make a statement to woo some uncertain Tory voters who might be swung over by expressing admiration for former Margaret Thatcher. He has already broken many of his promises on offering state benefits as well as on nationalizing some private companies. Under Starmer the labor party has moved to the right. Many British voters have a problem distinguishing the difference between the positions of the labor and Tory Party never mind Americans.
4. The British Labor Party is viewed as a party based on socialism which supports state intervention, free medical care, free education and a more generous welfare state which provides improved benefits for the poor. However, on issues like Law and Order and foreign policy they can often take a stance identical to Tory policies. It was originally viewed as the party which defended the interests of the working class.
5. The Conservative or Tory Party. This is the party of big business which is mainly opposed to any state intervention with the exception of increased funding for the police and armed forces. They support a free-market economy and have been slowly attempting to dismantle the welfare state and free National Health Service. They favor tax breaks for the rich and a strict monetarist policy based on the ideas of Chicago Economist Milton Friedman. The Tory government have moved further to the right over the past 40 years making Margaret Thatcher appear moderate. The party which defends the interests of the rich and middle class.
6. Britain is viewed by many as one of the most class-conscious countries in Europe and holds one of the biggest gaps in inequality between the rich and the poor. Britain has become a much more polarized society over the past forty years in terms of not only of wealth but nationality and cultural wars. Some critics predict the demise of the United Kingdom, but polls indicate the Scots support for independence hovers around 40 to 45% and may be set to even decline over the next few years.