Ebenezer made this statement in response to a twitter user who dared suggest Jeremy Corbyn offered hope to people after seven years of suffering under a Tory government. Let's consider that claim. His dad had a job, so while certainly impoverished, they were not the poorest. By 16, Lord Sugar had his own job, and by 40 he was one of the richest men in Britain. While his family were undoubtedly poor, to presume he understands modern day British poverty and can tell others not to find hope in Corbyn shows preposterous and blind arrogance in the face of grim reality.
Wages are contracting in the UK under Tory government, living standards are falling, child poverty is increasing, Theresa May is making u-turn after u-turn and purposefully
Homelessness and food bank use are both on the increase. We need some hope because the Tories only offer lies and hopelessness. We should aspire to be better, not accept that we are getting ourselves into a worse situation. Even if poverty is insignificant compared to previous decades (it's not, but if), the only salient point remains that poverty is increasing and is a greater problem now than at the height of the crash. Rather than ignoring the increasing problem and dragging the country backwards, we should be looking to lift people out of poverty and work towards a more prosperous future for all. There is no reason for children to go hungry in modern day Britain.
"Who are the poor these days? There are some people in the north and such places who are quite poor, but they all have phones, being poor, they've all got microwave ovens, being poor, they've all got televisions, being poor..." - Lord Sugar, 2015, The Telegraph
But Lord Sugar doesn't believe real poverty exists in Britain. After all, we all have phones, computers, and TVs. He seems oblivious to the fact those things are essentials rather than luxuries in modern life. Many televisions were purchased before the crash when people had money, that they still have those televisions doesn't mean they aren't impoverished in the present day. More important than either of that, though, is the understanding that television is today's radio. In the 50's everyone had a radio or bought newspapers. Many came to own televisions too, even though they were black and white. Everyone could access news stories. Modern television is not a luxury, it is our access to the world.
As for computers, tablets, and even smart phones? It's clear Sugar hasn't hasn't needed to apply for a job recently, and I presume other people place job adverts on his behalf. Only such separation from the job market can explain his ignorance on the matter. Most people understand that many businesses only accept online applications these days. With libraries shutting down people need their own internet access to apply for jobs, which they do because a) they want work, or b) they are required to in order to get the job seekers allowance which allows them to pay for some food, some heating, some of the cost of living.
Even students have to have computer access to complete education these days. Technology isn't a luxury, it is essential. Everyone from potential employers to the Department of Work and Pensions expect to be able to get in contact and - shock horror - it can be cheaper to have a mobile than have a land line. Yet Sugar seems to be suggesting that people aren't truly poor if they have the equipment they need to survive. Taking away phones and computers these days is the equivalent of taking away Royal Mail and phone boxes in the 50's. Suddenly people don't have access to jobs, or other people, or even emergency services. As for microwaves ovens, I would love to pose this question to the wealthy oaf:
Have you ever tried to become an expert in making home cooked meals (rather than ready meals) in a microwave because you can't afford a cooker?
That was my reality for a while, and my first cooker was an already old thing donated to me free by a friend. My current cooker was my late father's. Not everyone can afford a cooker, in light of that can you really say poverty is not a problem in Britain? People can not afford kitchen appliances. They cannot afford electricity. Get your head out of the clouds, Ebenezer, and face the truth. If you're not to busy buying anything your heart desires, that is...
"Unless it's a plane or boat or something like that... I don't look at the price. I look at the product and if like the shirt I have it. The price is whatever the price is." - Lord Sugar, 2015, The Telegraph
Perhaps we should expect someone who freely admits he doesn't look at price tags (and doesn't know the cost of a pint of milk) to have no idea what is going on in the real world. His family were poor a long time ago. He's been among the richest people in Britain for the last thirty years. He made the most of the social mobility offered in the 80's, and the economic growth of the late nineties and early in the millennium, and somewhere along the way he surrendered his sense of perspective in favour of a sense of self-importance. He denies modern day poverty, and yet the number of people using food banks today makes the numbers using food banks during the crash look insignificant.
In 2009-2010, only 40,898 people used food banks.
That was in post-crash Britain, when unemployment was going up, the government had just bailed out the banks, and we still feared worse would come.
Well, things did get worse, but not because of the global economy. No, Tory austerity brought about the second wave of suffering for many normal people, both those in work and those out of it. Zero hours contracts and being forced into self-employment brought down unemployment levels, improving the Tories' image, but such 'employment' meant and continues to mean many people cannot afford to live. Some aren't earning minimum wage. That leads us back to food banks.
In 2016-2017, the number of people using food banks increased to 1,182,954, despite our economy supposedly 'recovering' and 'unemployment decreasing'.
That's over a million instances of people accessing food banks even though, during the crash, the figures didn't even reach fifty thousand. Take a moment to think about that, then say you agree with Sugar that poverty isn't a problem in Britain. Do you really believe him?
If your answer is to accuse people of using food banks like takeaway, you need to remember than many food banks require evidence proving users cannot afford to purchase food. They do not give resources out to any and all, and they only give out three day emergency supplies, not a full weekly shop. Now you've remembered that, you need to take a good long look at yourself and reassess how to be a decent human.
"You brain dead. I left before Corbyn was Labour leader." - Sugar, 2017, Twitter
Sugar even called a Twitter user 'brain dead' in another remarkable tweet. This only goes to emphasise how out of touch with ordinary people Sugar is. Under no circumstances is calling someone 'brain dead' appropriate, especially as we fight to overcome stigma against mental illness, and while the Department of Work and Pensions continue to sanction comatose disability claimants or declare them 'fit for work'.
Mental health is so underfunded that those being cared for in the community are killing themselves without ever reaching the top of the waiting list for treatment. The sick are facing so much stress when applying for benefits that they are dying just to escape poverty and trauma. All the same, Sugar feels it's alright to call people 'brain dead' for suggesting he's jumped ship from Labour because he'd rather look after his own wealth than the interests of the country. It seems like Sugar lives in his own self-important world where poverty can be erased by merely dismissing its existence and people are mentally deficient for daring to question his motives. And while the ill have electricity cut off and die by suicide, Sugar can't even bring himself to be humble about his wealth.
"Yeh (I'm) a very rich man who paid £50m in tax in January to provide police and NHS for you. You talk a load of rubbish." -Sugar, 2017, Twitter
Apparently, Sugar as thinks of himself as a philanthropist who does his part for all of us. He pays his taxes in order to 'help' us, like some benevolent gentleman providing basic essentials to the plebs who work for him, watch him on television (which we shouldn't have anyway if we're genuinely poor), buy his products, and are the source of his wealth and continued celebrity. Yet, according to the Telegraph, in the year up to June 2016, Sugar took home dividends of £181m from Amshold. Taking this before April's tax increase saved Sugar £14m in taxes, according to This Is Money. He paid 38% in tax and still took home £123m after tax.
Most of us can't imagine taking home £123m in a year, and yet Sugar seems to have acted to avoid paying an extra £14m, and appears fearful of being required to pay more to support the people who buy his products and give him fame under a Labour government. He gets wealthier under the Conservatives, despite already being a billionaire, and he claims poverty isn't a problem in Britain despite evidence to the contrary. He is also so generous and 'helpful' that he's threatened to leave the country if Labour get into power...
Well, Sugar, I would say this...
Screw you.
I want to find out what businesses you are involved with and boycott them. I will not watch a programme with you in it, nor buy a newspaper where you are featured. Go ahead and leave, and take that blonde-haired harridan you made famous with you. Let a new wave of people make the most of the hope a new labour government would bring. Rather than hoarding British wealth to increase your own so-called 'worth', allow another young entrepreneur the opportunity to shine.
In 2015, your 'worth' was valued at £1.4bn, but that same year over a million families were forced to access food banks to survive. All the same you deny poverty exists. You have forgotten where you came from. You have forgotten what it is to be poor and you have no experience or understanding of poverty in the modern world. When you support the Tories who've tripled our national debt and sent child poverty skyrocketing to levels which are predicted to surpass those of thirty years ago, you become a national threat.
People die under Tory rule. People die in hospital corridors while waiting to be seen. Sick and disabled people - those who are already at their most vulnerable - kill themselves rather than enter battle with the DWP. Children go hungry. The police have faced such severe cuts that they cannot fulfil even basic duties, never mind protect us from terror. That is the Tory legacy. That is what you support.
You disgust me. You do not deserve the title 'Lord'. While your monetary worth may be more than most of us could ever dream of, your value as a as public figure, political commentator, and even as a person has crumbled. You should be ashamed, Sir. Today, somewhere in England, a child is eating cold beans out of a can because their parents can afford neither cooker nor microwave. Think about that the next time you wish to promote the Tories.
Yesterday, you said 'may your god help you' to a Corbyn voter. Today, I suggest you consider whether your god would approve of the blind eye you're turning to suffering.
EDIT 20170529: Sugar's current business interests, according to Companies House, are as follows: By Alana (search for Ridiculously Rich By Alana), Amsprop USA Holdings Limited, Dr Leah Limited, Climb Online Limited, Amstar Media Limited, Amsprop USA Holdings Limited, Amshold Group Limited, Amshold Trading Limited, Amstar Entertainment Limited, Hyper Recruitment Limited, Tropic Skin Care Limited, Aventom Limited, Amvest Limited, Amshold International Limited, Amsprop London Limited. His media companies are involved in pre-press aspects of The Apprentice and Junior Apprentice.
Carmine Raven
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