Allison Pearson No Salary Donation Shock

Many workers are to be awarded a pay rise in excess of current inflation levels, with the BBC reporting that “Almost 900,000 public sector workers are to get an above-inflation pay rise, including doctors and teachers. Chancellor Rishi Sunak said he recognised their ‘vital contribution’ during the coronavirus pandemic”. So who will benefit?

“Teachers in England, and dentists and doctors across the UK will see the largest increases at 3.1% and 2.8% respectively … Police, prison officers and National Crime Agency staff in England and Wales will be given a 2.5% rise in pay, while members of the armed forces across the UK will get 2% … Members of the judiciary and senior civil servants across the UK will also see their pay topped up by 2%”.

There were protests that nurses were not included in the deal, and neither were care workers. This gave the green light for one obscenely overpaid pundit to indulge in a little mischief-making, although, as the pundit concerned was the increasingly out of touch Allison Pearson at the Telegraph, her intervention would change no minds.

But she did show once more not only that she is totally out of touch with the real world, but also that she is incapable of performing the most basic research. The headline of her latest fact-free rant, “The teachers who didn't rise to the challenge should give their pay rise to the unsung carers”, tells you all you need to know.

That is followed by the sub-heading “Teachers will get a 3.1 per cent pay rise - but it's workers from the unsung private sector who are the real heroes”. Wrong: both groups are deserving of a rise, and both have performed heroically during the lockdown. But as she well knows, it is not in the Government’s gift to award private sector workers - like bus drivers, delivery drivers and private sector care home workers - a rise.

Those seeing the Tel Tweeting out Ms Pearson’s article were unimpressed. Robert Jeffery was one of them: “This is evil divide and rule bullshit. Workers like care workers like me appreciate how amazing teachers are and they actually deserve a much bigger pay rise after their 8 year pay freeze along with LSA's and us care workers deserve massive pay rises and better contracts too”. He was not alone.

David King added “This is all fake. Departments are being forced to choose between giving people pay rises or for example, buying books for the school. Like to see Allison Pearson donate even 10% of her salary to a state school”. As if. One Tweeter mused “by which logic Allison Pearson who has been nothing but a source of divisiveness and disinformation should be working for free for the next 18 months”. Well, quite.

Kev van Betlem had a question. “I’m intrigued to know if Allison actually does anything for anyone outside her own bubble. What is incredible is that this her job and she’s getting paid for it. Just writing pure subjective nonsense. Surreal world we live in”. And A Girl Called Lina wanted to see some action from Ms Pearson: “I look forward to Pearson donating her wages to the real heroes too”. Won’t be happening.

Allison Pearson should get out into the real world - or be caused to do so. It could be a while before her next column, though. The shock of reality would see to that.

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