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(This is not satire – it’s true)
Believe it or not, the newly-promoted co-chairman of the Tory Party, Grant Shapps, has called the recession ‘an amusement ride’.
Obviously when people are actually struggling to feed their families, he wouldn’t dare say such an outrageous thing under his own name for fear it would affect his party’s electoral prospects – so he didn’t.
He said it under a pseudonym, Michael Green, instead.
Michael Green refers to himself as ‘a successful online marketer’, ‘marketing guru’ and states ‘his wealth is such that he actually flies his very own personal plane and also lives in a fabulous mansion’.
But Grant Shapps, the Tory Party co-chairman, has admitted Michael Green is the pseudonym he uses to separate his business activities (which by the way are having some serious difficulties at the moment) from his political activities.
Mr Green/Shapps has produced what he calls a ‘self-help guide for negotiating your way to better times’ called ‘How To Bounce Back From Recession‘.
It can be downloaded for free from here if you want a copy:
www.howtobouncebackfromrecession.com
In this strange document, Shapps likens the recession to an ‘amusement ride’ and offers invaluable tips for the unemployed to survive hard times and feed their families, such as
- Invest in real estate, futures or bonds
- Buy a house or vehicle
- Borrow money from a bank
- Take a skiing holiday (I’m not making this up, really)
- Learn to knit or play guitar
- Treat yourself to an ice-cream
So thanks to Mr Shapps invaluable advice – we as a nation now know where we’re going wrong on the problem of unemployment.
People without jobs are not buying nearly enough houses, going skiing enough or eating enough ice-cream.
Incidentally, the Tory chairman also suggests that the unemployed can use a library ‘for free’ ignoring the fact that under his government hundreds of libraries have closed or are under threat of closure.
Call me old-fashioned, but shouldn’t this be a scandal?
I still remember a time when such insensitive remarks from such a high-ranking member of the government at a time of hardship for so many people would have resulted in scandal, outrage and immediate resignation.
It hardly seems to be even news these days.
Maybe we should try and make it news?
.
By the way, just in case Mr Shapps decides to take down his document for download, I’ve kept a copy on my computer for safekeeping.
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If like me, you think more people should know about this, please share the information:
Editor said:
Reblogged this on kickingthecat and commented:
More evidence of how in touch and compassionate the Conservative Coalition are!
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retiredandangry said:
I can’t think of many amusement rides that cause poverty, unemployment or inflation to name but 3. Maybe he’ll think a little longer before his next illuminating analogy
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Pingback: Tory Party Chairman Calls Recession ‘Amusement Ride’ | SteveB's Politics & Economy Scoops | Scoop.it
jaynel62 said:
We definitely should make this news
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Editor said:
Google blacklists websites run by family of Grant Shapps
Search giant bans string of 19 sites run by wife, mother or sister of Tory minister from carrying its advertising
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/sep/07/google-blacklists-websites-grant-shapps-family
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Merv said:
Hasn’t his wife taken over the Michael Green pseudonym as part of his distancing strategy from his decidedly dubious business?
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schmukyZ said:
Don`t buy anything from his wife: http://tradingassistant.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?TradingAssistant&page=profile&profileId=157145034
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David said:
His scummy marketing ‘book’ is now also available here: https://docs.google.com/open?id=1IPqMyETVK0UX7yAr1xGoe0mg8wc6w8odrBvBptoBiRZkMLDHKIvqhegrej1g
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Pingback: Tory Party Chairman Calls Recession ‘Amusement Ride’ | Trade unions and social activism | Scoop.it
representingthemambo said:
Reblogged this on Representing the Mambo and commented:
I think the interesting thing about the whole Grant Shapps imbroglio is that we have become strangely inured to all the sleaze stories that we hear about our politicians. As Tom Pride points out, once upon a time this would have been a resigning issue. But as Jeremy Hunt and all the expenses fiddlers can testify, that doesn’t appear to the case anymore. As long as you are willing to brazen it out (or enough of you are guilty of the same thing) then you can get away with it. It’s sad that all our politicians, of whatever hue, appear to be so corrupt and (corruptible). And of course, this piece points out far removed from reality the Bullingdon Boys running our country are from reality. “Amusement park” indeed.
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Editor said:
And another
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2012/sep/08/grants-shapps-altered-wikipedia-entry
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Derick Tulloch said:
At least the pillock is away from Housing where he caused chaos!
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Pingback: Tory Party Chairman Calls Recession ‘Amusement Ride’ | Issues that should Concern All Businesses | Scoop.it
Jan Needle said:
my father always used to tell me politicians were either liars or fools. any advance?
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Not a cunt said:
Or.. or… maybe it was a joke. Lighten the fuck up.
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Tom Pride said:
No. It’s a business document. Please at the very least read it before commenting.
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nollyprott said:
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Tom Pride said:
Just discovered there’s a strong possibility that Grant Shapps is also this guy – ‘Chuck Champion’ – author of How To Pick Up Women… NOW: http://www.howtopickupwomennow.com/
What a guy!
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Mike Moreton said:
Just checked the link to the book and found it still active. However, Green wants your email address to send a link to and, no doubt follow the book up with more fairy tale fiction.
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ladysian said:
yeah but amusement rides can kill the disabled if they ride them (heart attacks for example) – so as much as i hate to sy it – he is a tiny bit right… god i feel violated now….must wash…
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Pingback: 900k dropped disability benefits because of the Tories? Nope. It was the same under Labour | Pride's Purge
chris lovett said:
That link to his site comes up with unrelated rubbish now… q’elle surprise?
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Tom Pride said:
Yes – he’s got rid of the site now. I’ll see if I’ve still got a copy of it somewhere.
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David said:
If you’re looking for ‘How To Bounce Back From Recession‘ I downloaded it and shared it publicly here: https://docs.google.com/open?id=1IPqMyETVK0UX7yAr1xGoe0mg8wc6w8odrBvBptoBiRZkMLDHKIvqhegrej1g
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kvinne s?ker par said:
Spesielt kvinner er skeptiske til casual dating da de gjerne oppfatter det som noe ubehagelig
og farlig. Det er kun den seksuelle opplevelsen som teller og
står i fokus. Til temaet er sex mulighetene mange og man kan utforske mye.
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