There’s no more money

 Warning: I might punch the next person who says, “There’s no more money.”

The truth is, that money is made up. It’s not real. And it’s not fair. Especially if you are talking about government money. They can just make some more. 

If someone says, “There’s no more money,” they mean that thing or person they are being asked to spend on isn’t important to them. It’s rude.

As a weird child, I was aware of this and usually managed to work out that the thing I wanted (usually sweets or comics) wasn’t as important (as, for example, proper food or books) but sometimes I felt snubbed, as though I was least loved. 

The same people who rage about people on benefits with a big telly, then pretend that there is no more money to keep the poorest off the streets, or pay enough to recruit professionals that society needs. 

When the government choose the chairman for a pay review body and tell them what the budget is before they decide on a figure then choose to ignore their recommendations because ‘there is no money’ it is clearly a lie. This is what is happening with teachers and doctors at the moment. Their salaries have not kept pace with inflation, austerity being  blamed for not giving them pay increases when bankers were getting bonuses bigger than a teacher’s annual salary. This has lead to a recruitment crisis and burnout as fewer people try to do more with less. Not only are the salary increases ignored but the general funding is lower (in real terms) and other public servants are having to pick up the slack with police officers sitting with mentally ill people for hours, schools being asked to just add in lessons on gender identity or cricket for brown girls. 

We passively accept that there is ‘no more money,’ but it is really about choosing what is important.