Allegedly ‘skint’ nation finds £2.1bn to spend on preparations for being even skinter

A confused man and the Treasury's promise to provide £2.1bn for no-deal Brexit planning


Support us and go ad-free

So the good news is that the allegedly skint Great Britain has found another £2.1bn down the back of Treasury’s sofa. The bad news is we’ve already spent it – namely on something which is almost certainly going to see us vomiting money like a busted cash machine.

Magic money tree

The last decade has revolved around Tory politicians saying:

No, we don’t have any money for poor people; no, we don’t have any money for the NHS; no, we don’t have any money for disabled people – oh wait! I just found some money to do this thing that we want. Ah – sorry – we spent it all. So no, we don’t have any money for potholes, libraries, or education, sorry.

In case you’re wondering, the list of things there’s always money for is:

  • War.
  • Brexit.
  • Tax cuts for the rich.
  • Pay rises for MPs.
  • State visits from Donald Trump.
  • The Westminster bar.
  • Periodically employing Toby Young for his ‘expertise’.
So much pointlessness

The no-deal situation is a tricky one. On the one hand, not planning for it would prove disastrous if it actually happened (much like not planning for any Brexit proved catastrophic after the referendum). On the other hand, we’re spending billions on something THAT SHOULDN’T EVEN BE ON THE TABLE IN THE FIRST PLACE.

We clearly have a ‘Brexit at any cost’ government. This is somewhat of a step in the right direction. We just need to replace ‘Brexit at any cost’ with:

A fair country that has top-notch public services and a firm commitment to fixing climate breakdown while ensuring everyone is living their best life at any cost.

Read on...

Featured image via Twitter – HM Treasury / Flickr – Ben W

Get involved

We know everyone is suffering under the Tories - but the Canary is a vital weapon in our fight back, and we need your support

The Canary Workers’ Co-op knows life is hard. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.

The Canary doesn’t have the budget of the corporate media. In fact, our income is over 1,000 times less than the Guardian’s. What we do have is a radical agenda that disrupts power and amplifies marginalised communities. But we can only do this with our readers’ support.

So please, help us continue to spread messages of resistance and hope. Even the smallest donation would mean the world to us.

Support us