Having moved to Peebles in 2002, self-proclaimed ‘stooriefit’ Bosco Santimano gives us his own take on what he feels is the hot topic of the day. This week it’s Universal Credit.

So what have the Tories given us since being in government from 2010? A lot really! This column will not be able to focus on all the “good things” they have done since, but I will focus on one flagship policy that has brought the citizens of this country on its knees – Universal Credit!

Below is a brief history about this policy bought to us by Lucifer himself in the guise of a Tory.

In 2002 Ian Duncan Smith claimed he had an epiphany while visiting Easterhouse, a council estate in Glasgow, for his think tank the Centre for Social Justice which was set up to find solutions to poverty in Britain.

He established a working group called the Economic Dependency Working Group which went on to produce the document called Dynamic Benefits in 2009.

This was the start of a war on the poor, disadvantaged, disabled and working classes of this country. IDS as he is known to his supporters, believed that places like Easterhouse were deprived and poor because of social problems and poverty and also mainly due to making bad choices!

He failed to understand the crux of poverty and the vicious cycle that people can suddenly find themselves in due to circumstances always beyond their control. The group then went on to prove that people on benefits were getting trapped perpetually with no escape into work or to improve their life choices.

IDS and his supporters went on the claim that people on benefits were scroungers, lazy and feeding off tax payers. I have claimed benefits myself and I am grateful for a system that allows citizens not to fall in poverty or become homeless and provides a safety net as envisioned by its founders.

Of course some people take the mickey out of the system but so do politicians, corporations, bureaucrats, accountants, lawyers, etc.. We lose £billions due to tax avoidance schemes by wealthy individuals and companies not paying their fair share – plus elected politicians get to vote on their pay rises even though they vote for cuts in the welfare budgets!

That brings us to foodbanks! An abomination, where elected representatives have wilfully decided to commit genocide on the most vulnerable members of society. Yes! I am using the word 'genocide' as that is what it has become with suicide rates increasing year on year since 2010 while our very own MP David Mundell is sitting on a budget of millions to protect the Union and the establishment and of course his very lucrative salary and perks. The UK is one of the G7 countries, really! The rich have got richer and the poor are made to fight among themselves for scraps just like the hunger games. Divide and rule, the classic British policy is now being used on its own citizens for keeping the status quo.

2019 will be the year when hopefully the people will rise against this corrupt system.

Remember! We are many while they are a few.