Fri 16 June - Inequality and contradictions

"Today sees a report that the 'driving force' behind a substantial amount of benefit fraud is the need to manage to exist in this totally unequal society.

"Whilst I may accept that this is to a major degree very true, and putting aside the fact that there are some high profile cases occasionally exposed that are simply down to greed, and deliberate and unnecessary fraud, one can accept that it can be very difficult to exist on the meagre sums doled out as 'benefit'.

"Some people will no doubt castigate any and all who do a bit on the side even though it may well be that by so doing they can just about manage to keep out of the courts.

"So be it, but isn't it somewhat extremely sick that on the same day that this report by the Roundtree Foundation is released, also revealed is the news that a scabby old piece of furniture that would probably be better consigned to the bonfire in truth, is to be restored at a cost of millions of pounds as it is 'valued' at some multi millions of pounds due to its age and provenance.

"What a sick world we do live in.

"Time and again we prove how unequal this society is, when a old timber box is rated more valuable than the existence of people who struggle to make ends meet. And, not by a few quid cash in hand, but a sum of money that would pay the benefit bill of some thousands of claimants, not to mention the operations cost of quite a few hundred sick people.

"It's a similar situation to that in the housing field, no control whatsoever on the ever upwards price spiral, another example of how flimsy is the state of the economy, when it is, so it is said, the driving force behind the economic health of the nation.

"A nation so economically healthy, that should someone do little more than start a rumour, for us all to suffer the consequence as the house of cards all comes tumbling down around our ears.

"This again in an atmosphere of ever increasing access to uncontrolled financial activity in all aspects of life, commercial, industrial and personal.

"Sooner or later this escalating debt mountain will have to climbed, and comes that day, I see a collapse in our society that will make the crash of 1928 seem like a mild case of temporary financial embarrassment.

"Just where is the population going to with all this debt? I can only hope that the vast majority of us get some sort of protection from the vultures by the government of the day, but I won't hold my breath, on current and recent form, the management of this nation by all governments has been abysmal to say the least, and having it adequately demonstrated that they are completely in the hands of the money movers and shakers, the ordinary man and women in the street will not have a chance when it comes to paying the piper."

Note - Morgan's views are not necessarily shared by the BBC