Sunday 21st May

We assume that turkeys are rather stupid birds, that they are simply interested in gobbling as much corn a possible and getting themselves nice and fat for Christmas platters.  But they are still kept in the dark.  Farmers say that this is because in their twilight pens they are less likely to peck each other to death as they scratch around ankle deep in their own excrement (hope you aren’t having turkey for dinner).  But maybe they are kept in the dark about their ultimate destination.  And for good reason; if they knew then maybe they wouldn’t be so keen to get fat, and might actually attack their captors.

Election Manifesto’s are rather strange beasts – part wish list, a few promises and one or two policies fleshed out.  But….you must be careful not to give too much away, Hence the 2010 Tory statement that they had no plans to increase VAT, only to do so a few weeks later. And so, I was surprised, amazed even, that Mrs. May was trumpeting big changes to Social Care, and she seemed proud of them.  And crucially gave away far too much detail.  Not only is she going to means-test the Winter Fuel Payment, and of course means-testing costs money and often deprives the most needy.  On top of that she is dropping the triple lock on pension increases.  As if that weren’t enough for mostly Tory-voting turkeys to take in she declared a massive change to Social Care.  Under her next Government if you need Social Care provision in your own home the costs will be added up and when you die it will be taken out of the value of your house – but you will be allowed to keep £100,000 to pass on to your children.  How kind of her.  So, you save all your life to pass on something to your kids; and if you are lucky (hahaha) and die of Cancer in hospital they will get it, but if you suffer for years with Dementia or some other debilitating disease which does not require hospitalization but you need home help and nursing you lose most of your house.  How popular will that be with the older turkeys traditionally voting Tory?  Not very, I would have thought.  It is simply a death tax – repaying the costs you thought you had paid into via your taxes all your life.

I am amazed that Mrs. May did not consult a few farmers; they would have told her to keep the turkeys in the dark….