Roḅt Jnric gwñ t wor wɖ Mici Mǎs z no s’prîz – ɖs guvnmnt z antīćîld t its cor
(Transcription of an Guardian article of 11 July 2023)
Pentñ ovr a ḿṛl z jst ɖ lêtist cruwl twist in 13 yirz v Cnsrṿtiv hostiḷti t faṃliz
Tyzde, 11 Jlî 2023
Pent ovr Mici Mǎs
Brn Ẃr ɖ Wîld Ʈñz R
Pulṿrîz ɖ Lego
Set fîr t ɖ Crisṃs-tri star.
Sīz ol ɖ tediz.
Beri evri scipñ rop
Pent ɖ wōlz darc brǎn
Aboliś ol hop.”
Ɖt’s a powm jst ritn bî ɖt wîz n b’luvid ćildṛn’z ćampịn, Mîcl Rozn, in rspons t ɖ iṃgreśnministr, Roḅt Jnric. It’s a “Stop ol ɖ clocs” fr ćildṛn, n a rtort t Jnric’s ordr t stāf at an asîḷmsīcr rspśnsntr fr ćildṛn t blac ǎt Mici Mǎs n Wini-ɖ-Pù ḿṛlz.
Stāf at ɖ Cnt intec ynit rzistd, bt Jnric wz rportidli aḍmnt, t mc clir, h sd, ɖt ɖs wz a “lw-inforsmnt invîrnmnt” n “nt a welcm-sntr”, dogidli miṃcñ hiz bos, Suela Braṿmn.
Hir wz pforṃtiv poḷtics fr imajind rîtwñ votrz, bt īvn ɖe me hv blenćt, lîc mni v hiz ǒn MPz. Ɖr wz litl denjr v ɖs ynit bcmñ a welcm-sntr, sins its last inspx́n-rport faund ɖ tôḷts “un’xptbli drti” wɖ a “tù liṃtd” renj v tôz fr yuñ ćildṛn n “litl rīdñ-mtirịl”.
A Tori ministr gwñ t wor wɖ Mici Mǎs z pićprfict p’liticl imijri fr ɖ endñ v ɖer ira. Me h b grītd fr evr bî ppl wẹrñ Mici Mǎs irz. Filip Pŭlmn twītd: “Cold, cruwl, ɖ act v a soul ɖt’s śrivld n mīn t its cor.” Stìvn Ciṇc, ɖ śado mîgreśnministr, sd: “Ol ɖe hv left z tuf tōc n cruwl n caḷs poḷsiz,” az ɖ stori flù arnd ɖ wrld t śem s ol yt agn.
So Jnric entrz ɖ frmmnt v inḟmi rzrvd fr poḷtiśnz hu oceźṇli līp ǎt v ɖ rancs v obskṛti intu ɖ hisṭri-bcs az ɖ prfict embḷm v ɖer p’liticl tîmz. Án Widdecombe wz wn, ẃn ś sprañ t noṭrayti az priznzministr fr śaclñ fīmel priznrz t ayn bedstedz wɖ hancufs n ćenz az ɖe gev brʈ: ɖ imij reẓnetd bcz it so prficli capćrd hr parti’z pyṇtiv poḷtics.
Jnric’s vîlnis rvrḅrets bcz h z nt sm mavric ćîldcrunćr, bt an embḷm v a guvnmnt ɖt hz, fr utrli bwilḍrñ rīznz, dlibṛtli foc̣st its osteṛti on faṃliz n ćildṛn. Ɖe hv bòrn ɖ brunt, nt bî axidnt, bt wɖ intnt. Naćṛli, mîgṛntćildṛn r ɖ top targit (unls ɖe dî in ɖ sī ẃn ministrz śed a wōtrfōl v croc̣dîltirz). Ɖ sinistr dis’piṛns v asîḷmćildṛn, probbli stoḷn, fṛm hotelz ẃr ɖe wr dumt wd norṃli si eni siṿlîzd guvnmnt set of a hy n crî t fînd ɖer fet. Bt sins Britiś-born ćildṛn rsiv similr neglijns, it’s no s’prîz ɖt dd’nt hapn: rîzñ numbrz v ćildṛn in cer r biyñ dumt far awe intu proḟtirñ homz in ćīp n dprîvd eriaz.
Let’s rîfl ʈru guvnmntprîoṛtiz v ɖz past 13 yirz, t śo ɖs z nt hîpŕḅle. Hvr hard ɖ tîmz, y mt xpct eni siṿlîzd ssayti t pt ćildṛn frst, yt tîm n agn ɖe cm last.
Wɖn a stricn NHS, mtrṇtisrṿsz hv sufrd ispeṣ́li badli; a ʈrd v hlʈvizitrz r gn; n īvn in mntl hlʈ, ćîld n aḍlesnt srṿsz hv ɖ longist wêts.
Ɖe mt cōl ɖs osteṛti’z axdntl c’latṛl damij, bt beṇfitspoḷsi dlibṛtli impovṛśz ćildṛn. Jorj Ozbōrn léd ɖ ćarj wɖ beṇfitcuts ɖt stript £37bn mostli fṛm faṃliz. Hiz tū-ćîld limit on beṇfits dprîvd peṛnts v £2,800 fr a ʈrd ćîld, n pśt 1.1 miłn mor ćildṛn intu poṿti, mcñ a totl v 4.2 miłn last yir. Hiz beṇfitcap cruśz ɖoz in hî-rent eriaz. Ɖ asid ton wz set bî Devid Camṛn in 2012, seyñ: “Qt simpli, w hv bn incuṛjñ wrcñ-ej ppl t hv ćildṛn n nt wrc.”
Lebr liftd 800,000 ćildṛn ǎt v reḷtiv poṿti, bt f ɖ Toriz r stl in pǎr bî 2027 ɖe wl wîp ǎt ɖ last v ɖt gen, sz ɖ Reẓluśn Fǎndeśn. Wn ttemic rzult wl last: Britiś ćildṛn hv śrunc in hît in rleśn t ɖoz in similr cuntriz.
Hir’z anɖr ifct: ɖ brʈ ret rouz in Lebr yirz, ẃn bebiz wr welcmd wɖ a ćîld trustfund at brʈ n wɖ 3,500 Śr Start sntrz, nǎ mostli gn or radicli rdyst. Bt sins 2012, brʈs hv pluṃtd bî an alarmñ n ic̣nomicli harmfl 12.2%. Ćildṛn hv bcm un’forḍbl t a jeṇreśn ɖt z wrs of ɖn ɖer peṛnts at bebipṛdysñ ej, nǎ spendñ a ʈrd v ɖer wejz on nrṣriz, wɖ lowr incmz, hayr rents n hevi dét.
Lc ẃt els ćildṛn hv lost sins 2010. Plesz t ple r dgredd bî £330m cuts t parcs’ upcīp, ofn līvñ rect plêgrǎndz. Mor ɖn 700 cḿṇti ftbōlpićz hv gn, alñ wɖ 200 scūl pleyñfīldz sold of n 400 swimñpūlz clozd. Nirli 800 lîbrriz hv gn, ɖoz hêvnz fr ćildṛn on wintrdez. In culćṛli dplitd scūlz, cuts in artstīćrz hz left a 40% fōl in stydnts tecñ eni JSSE arts.
Ol ɖs hd olrdi hapnd ẃn ɖ pandemic struc: ćildṛn peid ɖ Covid prîs, loct in n śut ǎt v scūl, nt t sev ɖmslvz bt ɖ lîvz v oldr ppl. Ẃr’z ɖ grattyd fr ol ɖe lost? Faṃliz hd £20 ript of ɖer yṇvrsl credit az sn az it wz ovr; tde’z Reẓluśn Fǎndeśn rport śoz ɖt ɖt hlpt t tip anɖr 100,000 ppl intu abṣlut poṿti. Mî tripl-loct jeṇreśn jst got a 10% pnśnrîz, ẃl ćildṛn’z oṿwrct n unḍstaft tīćrz r ofrd 4.3%. Ɖs z ɖ p’liticl bacgrǎnd t Jnricizm, ɖ antīćîld cor v hiz guvnmnt, ingrend dīp in ɖer nećr.
