Ɖ YC’z purist ppl hv bn utrli abandnd bî ɖs îdịlojicl ćanslr
(Transcription of an article published in the Guardian on 25 March 2022)
H cd hv ʈroun ɖm a lîflîn. Instd, h z pśñ ʈǎzndz mor intu ɖer rancs
Pōl Cisac, Frîde, 25 Marć 2022
I c’nt rcōl a wrs fiscl ivnt ɖn Wnzde’z sprñstetmnt.
It hd nʈñ mīnñfl t se on ɖ big stṛtījic ćaḷnjz ǎr icoṇmi fesz. Acordñ t ɖ prîm̦inistr, leṿlñ p z ɖ dfînñ miśn v ɖs guvnmnt. Ɖ ćanslr cd’nt brñ himslf t īvn mnśn it. Ɖr wz similrli nʈñ t lrn abt net ziro or ɖ YC’z prodctivtićalinj.
It wz fisc̣li inc̣hiṛnt. Īvn ɖ mîld-manrd Insttyt fr Fiscl Studiz wz left śǎtñ “Ǒ fr gdnis sec” at ɖ nyz ɖt Sŭnac z rezñ naśnl inśuṛns ẃl cutñ incmtax, incrisñ taxz on ppl hu wrc t pṛtct ɖ incmz v ɖoz hu ofn d’nt, includñ landlordz n wlʈi pnśnrz.
Az a set-pìs ivnt, it unravld wɖn aurz. Sŭnac wouc on Ʈrzde t a fl spred v hostîl fruntpejz. Jrñ mīdia inṭvyz ɖt mornñ, h bcem incrisñli ratld n teći. H sīmd tecn abac ɖt so mni v ɖ qsćnz pt t him foc̣st on ɖoz hu wl strugl most t ber ɖ cost-v-livñ crîsis.
Ɖs śd nt hv cm az a s’prîz. Ɖ rîzñ cost v isnślz afcts s ol, bt nt īqli. Ppl on ɖ lǒist incumz r at gretist risc, bcz un’vôḍbl spendñ on eṇji n fūd tecs p a hayr pṛporśn v ɖer bujit ɖn eni uɖr grūp. Olrdi ɖe hv nʈñ t cut bac on.
Fest wɖ ɖ gretist ʈret t livñstanddz fr jeṇreśnz, it z imposbl t jusṭfî ɖ dsiźn t līv olmst evrwn at ɖ śarp end v ɖ crîsis ǎt in ɖ cold. Rɖr ɖn streñʈn ɖ s’port aveḷbl, h ćouz t cut beṇfits in riyl trmz, līvñ hǎsholdz in poṿti £445 ǎt v pocit fr ɖ yir ahd; 600,000 mor ppl wl b pld intu poṿti bî ɖs dsiźn. Arnd a qortr v ɖm r ćildṛn.
Ɖ ny taxćenjz ɖt wr anǎnst dlivr nʈñ fr ppl hu r unebl t wrc n ɖoz rnñ tù litl t pe tax or naśnl inśuṛns. Mni lo rnrz hu rn jst inuf t gen fṛm ɖ rîz in ɖ naśnl-inśuṛns ʈreśhold wl fînd mor ɖn haf ɖ gen teprd awe ʈru ɖ subsiqnt rdux́n in ɖer yṇvrsl credit.
Ɖ ćanslr’z rspons t ćaḷnjz on hiz lac v ax́n wz ɖt h hd prîoṛtîzd ppl in poṿti in hiz bujit last ōtm. Ɖt, y mt rcōl, wz ẃn h cut yṇvrsl credit bî £20 a wīc, in ɖ fes v wîdspred opziśn, includñ fṛm mni v hiz ǒn bacbnćrz. Sm prîoṛtîześn.
Dīlñ wɖ a cost-v-livñ crîsis v ɖ cuṛnt scel wz nvr gwñ t b an īzi tasc. It cōld fr ɖ bst tūlz aveḷbl. Ɖ adiśnl £500m anǎnst fr ɖ hǎshold-s’port fund z dworft bî ɖ cut t beṇfits n ɖ scel v nīd ɖt caunslz nǎ xpct t si. Īqli fṛstretñ z ɖ dificlti ppl hv axesñ ẃt litl s’port ɖr z. It mst b sòt ǎt, aplaid fr, n difṛnt crîtiria naṿgetd dpndñ on ɖ locl eria. Mni v ɖoz hu jump ʈru ɖz hūps wl fînd ɖe r ineliɉbl fr eni s’port.
G on ɖ guvnmnt’s ǒn websait n y wl fînd a clu t anɖr tūl aveḷbl. In ansr t ɖ qsćn “ẃt z yṇvrsl credit?” ɖ websait sz it z “a pemnt t hlp wɖ yr livñcosts”. Ɖ guvnmnt spent sevṛl yirz n mni miłnz v pǎndz bildñ ɖ sistm. In ɖ pandemic, it śoud ɖt ɖ guvnmnt riyli wz’nt hlplis in ɖ fes v a crîsis n cd pṛvîd a lîflîn t ɖoz at risc v biyñ dragd intu poṿti. Bt nǎ ɖ ćanslr’z îdịlojicl rzistns t yzñ ɖt tūl mīnz h z cutñ ppl adrift.
Ɖ besic ret v sośl s’kṛti wl sn b at a 35-yir lo. Ɖ impact v ɖs hz bn steḍli growñ clirr. Īvn bfr ɖ pandemic, desttyśn wz rapidli growñ in scel n intnṣti. On ɖ brinc v ɖ pandemic, a larj n incrisñ numbr v ćildṛn wr growñ p in vri dīp poṿti. Ɖ pandemic itslf hd dzastṛs n wel-dokmntd ifcts. Bt most wuriyñ v ol r ɖ pridix́nz fr ɖ yir ahd, az infleśn rīćz a 30-yir hî. Ɖ fact ɖt fūdbancs hv wns agn bn cōld upn t dlivr ɖer vrdict on ɖ ćanslr’z stetmnt śd tel s ol w nīd t nǒ.
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Pōl Cisac z ćīf xektiv v ɖ Jozif Rǎntri Fǎndeśn
