Kuthotho lwamaxwebhu oluphele ngolwesiHlanu ngokuhlwa, indlalifa kaTamara Ecclestone yazimisela ukubonisa ukuba “akangomntu ongenanjongo, okhohlakeleyo, osisidenge ngenene, ongenamntu, ongenamntu”(1). Lo mzamo awuzange uphumelele ngokupheleleyo. Umjelo wesi-5 wambonisa ekongamela ukulungiswa kwekhaya lakhe le-£45m eLondon, apho wagunyazisa ibhafu ye-£1m eqingqwe kwikristale yaseMexico, indawo yokuqubha ephantsi komhlaba, iklabhu yakhe yasebusuku, ilifti yeFerrari, indawo yokujula enekristale- iibhola ezineebhola kunye nespa kunye ne-massage parlour yezinja zakhe ezintlanu, ukumsindisa ingxaki yokuzisa eHarrods ukuba iinwele zabo zitshizwe kwaye zipeyintwe iinzipho. Kodwa kukho into engazange isixelele uthotho: ingakanani le nto oyincedileyo ukuyihlawula.
Kwinkundla yamatyala kwiiveki ezimbini ezidlulileyo, utata wakhe, umphathi weFormula One uBernie Ecclestone, udize ukuba inyani yosapho lwakhe lwaselwandle, uBambino Holdings, wayelawulwa ngumfazi wakhe wangaphambili kunokuba yena wayenokumsindisa “ngaphezu kwe-£2bn” kwirhafu(2). Igama licebisa ukuba intembeko inokuba nento yokwenza nokuxhasa ilinge lentombi yakhe lokulandela iimfundiso zikaSt Francis wase-Assisi.
I-Ecclestone ikwanobuchule bokusebenzisa urhulumente wentlalo-ntle yenkampani: ukudluliselwa ngurhulumente wobutyebi kunye namandla ukusuka kuthi sonke ukuya kwi-1%. Emva kokuba i-mogul yenze umnikelo kwingxowa-mali yonyulo lwezabasebenzi, uTony Blair wafuna ukuba iFomula 1 ikhululwe kukuvalwa kwe-EU kwinkxaso yecuba. Urhulumente wakha indlela entsha yeekhareji ezimbini ukuya kwindawo yakhe yomdyarho eSilverstone(3).
Kwamanye amazwe ishishini lakhe lifumene inkxaso-mali eninzi evela kurhulumente. IRashiya, umzekelo, isandula ukuvuma ukwakhela uMnu Ecclestone isekethe, emva koko izihlawulele i-$280m ngelungelo lokumvumela ukuba ayisebenzise(4). Ndisebenza eIndiya ngo-2004, ndadibana nemizuzu evuzayo yentlanganiso yekhabhinethi apho umcebisi uMcKinsey wanyanzelisa ukuba ilizwe elihlwempuzekileyo laseAndhra Pradesh - apho izigidi zabantu zibulawa zizifo ezinokuthintelwa - zikhohlela i-50-75m ngonyaka ukuxhasa iFomula 1. Le mizuzu ikwadiza ukuba umphathiswa oyintloko welizwe uye waphembelela inkulumbuso yaseIndiya ukuba ikhuphe ishishini lika-Ecclestone ekuvalweni kwelizwe kwizibhengezo zecuba(5).
Ubusoshiyali kubantu abazizityebi, ubungxowankulu kwabo bahluphekayo: yindlela olusebenza ngayo uqoqosho lwethu. Abo basezantsi baphantsi kobunzima bemarike yasimahla. Abo baphezulu bayatotoswa kwaye bakhuselwe njengezinja zikaTamara Ecclestone.
NgoLwesibini iNgqonyela, uGeorge Osborne, ugqibe ekubeni ekugqibeleni ajonge kwakhona inyathelo lezemali yabucala (PFI), apho iinkampani ezakha iziseko zophuhliso lukawonke-wonke zenze iingeniso ezingathethekiyo ngelixa urhulumente egcina imingcipheko(6). Kodwa ukuba ucinga ukuba isigqibo sika-Osborne simele utshintsho olubanzi kumgaqo-nkqubo, uya kudana kakhulu. Kwiintsuku ezimbini kamva wavuma ukuthengisa ibhanki karhulumente iNorthern Rock kuRichard Branson. Ngaphantsi kwesivumelwano, urhulumente ugcina amatyala ngelixa u-Branson efumana ii-asethi: kunokuba njenge-PFI. Ilahleko ilingana ne-£ 13 kumrhafi ngamnye (7).
Umntu ongayi kubandezeleka ngokungafanelekanga ukuba achukunyiswe nge-£ 13 nguMat Ridley. Njengosihlalo weNorthern Rock, wayenoxanduva, ngokutsho kwekomiti ekhethiweyo kaNondyebo, "kwisicwangciso soshishino esinomngcipheko omkhulu, esingakhathaliyo" esabangela ukubaleka okokuqala kwibhanki yaseBrithani ukususela ngo-1878 (8). Phambi kokuba abe ngusihlalo, isikhundla ekubonakala ukuba wasifumana kuyise, uMat Ridley wayengomnye wabalandeli bobukhapitali be-laissez-faire beli lizwe. Wachaza urhulumente “njengentakumba ezifunayo emqolo wabantu abanemveliso ngakumbi beli hlabathi… oorhulumente abawaphathi amazwe, bayawaphazamisa.” (9)
I-parasite ezifunayo ikhuphe inzame yakhe eyintlekele yokubeka izimvo zakhe ekusebenzeni, ukuya kwi-£ 27bn. Yintoni eyafundwa nguMnumzana Ridley onesiphiwo kula mava? Ingcambu yento. Uqhubekile wapapasha incwadi apho wancoma ukulawulwa kweshishini “lulawulo lwe-parasitic” kwaye wabanga ukuba inkqubo yentengiso yenza umnqweno wobuqu ube “nokulunga ngokupheleleyo”(10).
Emva kokuba enze konke okusemandleni akhe ukubhangisa ilizwe elincanca igazi, wabuyela kwisihlalo sakhe sosapho eBlagdon Hall, ebekwe kumgama ozikwere zeekhilomitha ezili-15 kumhlaba weefama, apho abakwaRidley bahlala khona-nge-parastically kunjalo-kwiirenti zabo, abaqeshileyo. ukusuka kuMgaqo-nkqubo wezoLimo oQhelekileyo kunye neentlawulo ezivela kwimigodi yamalahle evulekileyo yale ndawo(11). Akukho mntu uye wachacha ngokwaneleyo ukuba akhankanye ingcamango yokuba unokuhlawuliswa inxalenye ye-£ 400m yelahleko ye-Northern Rock eye yabangela umhlawuli werhafu we-parasitic. Ayiyiyo i-1% ekufuneka ithwale iindleko zemiqhagi yabo.
Naphakathi kobu bunzima, xa amahlwempu ebethelwa macala onke, urhulumente usazama ukuhambisa ubuncwane babo obuncinci kwizityebi. Kwinyanga ephelileyo isebe lezoshishino likaVince Cable lidwelise imithetho emihlanu yengqesho amashishini anokufuna ukuyicela umngeni. Phakathi kwazo ibinguwona mvuzo uphantsi wesizwe kunye nomvuzo wokugula osemthethweni(12).
NgoLwesihlanu, uDavid Cameron uvule uthethathethwano no-Angela Merkel malunga nengxaki ye-Eurozone. Amabango akhe amabini aphambili yayikukuba kungabikho rhafu kaRobin Hood kwintengiselwano yezemali nokuba umyalelo wexesha lokusebenza, othintela iinkampani ekuxhaphazeni abasebenzi bazo, kufuneka uphinde uxoxwe (13,14).
Kanye njengokuba wayefundisa oko akazange axoxe. Enyanisweni, njengoko ndikwazi ukuxelela, akukho nanye yeenkokeli zaseYurophu esele ikhankanywe kwiingqungquthela zabo, nangona ibala malunga nesiqingatha senkcitho ye-EU. Ngokuqinisekileyo yinkqubo yenkxaso yezolimo, ngoku ebiza abarhafi baseBritane i-£3.6bn ngonyaka(15).
Sithanda ukucinga ukuba le mali ixhasa abelusi abalumkileyo ababopha iibhulukhwe zabo nge-bailer twine, kodwa abaxhamli abakhulu ngabantu abafana neRidleys. Okukhona unomhlaba omninzi, kokukhona ufumana inkxaso eninzi kurhulumente. UMgaqo-nkqubo wezoLimo oQhelekileyo yinkxaso-mali yombuso enkulu kubantu abazizityebi eYurophu: izihandiba kunye nama-plutocrats anomhlaba omkhulu. Abezopolitiko baseBritane benza ngathi ikhuselwe kuphela ngamaFrentshi. Le yingxaki: ngoFebruwari ikomiti yeNdlu yoWiso-mthetho ayizange ifune nje kuphela ukuba inkqubo yenkxaso-mali ekhoyo ihlale izinzileyo kodwa ikwafanele ukuba sibuyisele iintlawulo zentloko, sikhuthaza amafama ukuba avelise ukutya okungafunwa mntu(16).
Kwiveki ephelileyo i-Guardian ibhentsise inkqubo ekhangeleka ngathi kubukhoboka obunyanzeliswa ngurhulumente. Ukuze bafanelekele i-£53 ngeveki abayifumanayo kwi-Job Sekers' Allowance, abantu abatsha banyanzelwa ukuba basebenze ngaphandle kwentlawulo ukuya kwiiveki ezisibhozo kwiinkampani ezifana neTesco, Poundland, Argos kunye neSainbury's(17). Abanye babona bantu bahluphekayo kwesi sizwe, ngamanye amazwi, banyanzelwa ngurhulumente ukuba baxhase amashishini abo atyebileyo, ngokubanika umsebenzi wabo.
Kumakhosikazi entlalontle yenkampani afakela iibhafu zabo zekristale, akukho sithintelo senzuzo, akukho sibophelelo sokusebenza, kwezinye iimeko akukho rhafu. Ubutyala obulinganiselweyo, ulawulo lweemfihlo ze-offshore, ukurhoxiswa kunye nezibonelelo zikarhulumente ziqinisekisa ukuba azithwali naziphi na iindleko eziye zabangelwa ludidi lwabo kuthi sonke. Baphila ngeendleko zethu, ngelixa bebajongela phantsi abantu abancinci ababaxhasayo.
www.monbiot.com
Iingxelo:
1. http://www.channel5.com/shows/tamara-ecclestone-billion-girl
2. http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/nov/09/bernie-ecclestone-germany-trial-witness
3. http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2011/nov/13/profile-bernie-ecclestone
4. http://www.guardian.co.uk/theobserver/2011/nov/13/profile-bernie-ecclestone
5. http://www.monbiot.com/2004/05/18/this-is-what-we-paid-for/
6. http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/press_128_11.htm
7. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/nov/17/northern-rock-virgin-money-editorial
8. Ikomiti kaNondyebo, ka-2008. Ingxelo yesihlanu.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200708/cmselect/cmtreasy/56/5605.htm
9. Matt Ridley, 22nd July 1996. Amandla ebantwini: asinakwenza nto imbi ngaphezu korhulumente. IDaily Telegraph.
10. Matt Ridley, 2010. IRational Optimist: indlela impumelelo eguquka ngayo. I-Fourth Estate, eLondon.
11. http://www.blagdonestate.co.uk/documents/factsheet.pdf
12. http://www.bis.gov.uk/news/topstories/2011/Oct/employment-law-red-tape-challenge
13. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/nov/20/eurozone-crisis-european-union-plans
14. http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/nov/20/cameron-merkel-working-time-directive
15. DEFRA iofisi yeendaba, 31st Agasti 2011. Nge-imeyile.
16. House of Commons Environments, iKomiti yoKutya neMicimbi yaseMaphandleni, ngomhla we-9 kuFebruwari 2011. Ukulima kwii-Uplands. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmselect/cmenvfru/556/556.pdf
17. http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/nov/16/young-jobseekers-work-pay-unemployment
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