I return from summer break with a shock as the UK hits moral rock bottom. On the day that it is revealed that 2,380 people in three years died within 14 days of being declared fit to work by an ATOS assessment and having benefit stopped, we also have 45 of the most appalling members of the political class elevated to trough it for life in the House of Lords, at a possible cost to the taxpayer of 67,500 pounds per week in attendance allowances alone.
It is worth remembering that it was the Red Tories who brought in ATOS, and Yvette Cooper, to be precise, who ordered the extreme tightening of the unfit to work assessment which has resulted in death for thousands and dreadful stress and misery for hundreds of thousands. Ian Duncan Smith may have also gleefully implemented it, but this particular horror was entirely inherited from the Guardian’s favourite leadership candidate.
The House of Lords appointments are so horrible it is difficult to comment. The most utterly objectionable of all is one of the least known to the public. Stuart Polak becomes a Lord for services to the Conservative Friends of Israel. That you can, unelected, become a legislator of the UK based on your loyalty and service to another state is appalling.
Others are more obviously dreadful. Lord Hogg now has a title that befits the moat of his home, which he had cleaned by the taxpayer prompting much rage in the expenses scandal. Tessa Jowell benefited from hundreds of thousands of pounds of corrupt money from the sordid Berlusconi, claiming she did not read the mortgage documents in which his cash paid off her house, before she signed them, and going through an entirely risible pretence of temporary separation from her husband, David Mills, who escaped a corrupt Italian justice system. David Willetts was rejected by his constituents because of extreme expenses scamming, and walks grinning back into the Lords.
Michelle Mone is rewarded for her opposition to Scottish independence. The woman sold out the workforce who made her fortune by expensively covering her crotch and now comes out as a Tory knicker saleswoman. Darling also is ennobled for services to the union, after being too cowardly to face the electorate in May. The Lib Dems get more legislators today than they could manage at the general election. That is simply astonishing.
The conduct of the political class is utterly shameless. Meantime they indulge their fantasies of stripping workers of all protection and of stopping aid to the needy, and while the politicians gorge and gorge, the poor are quietly being slipped away to die.
Welcome back Craig. Glad the Festival went well. We heard all about your marathon shifts. And thank goodness for a new post.
I have just said:
‘Laughing in our faces. 45 new HoL troughers announced.
Some Con, Lab and LD Friends of Israel and the Director of Conservative Friends of Israel did well.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/dissolution-peerages-2015
Unbelievably IDS’s SPAD is there too.
Compare the content above to this:
Known number of deaths while claiming incapacity benefits nears 100,000
The Department for Work and Pensions has admitted defeat in its attempt to hide the number of people who have died while claiming incapacity benefits since November 2011 – and has announced that the number who died between January that year and February 2014 is a shocking 91,740.
This represents an increase to an average of 99 deaths per day or 692 per week, between the start of December 2011 and the end of February 2014 – compared with 32 deaths per day/222 per week between January and November 2011.
August 27, 2015
http://voxpoliticalonline.com/2015/08/27/known-number-of-deaths-while-claiming-incapacity-benefits-nears-100000/
Note the numbers are UP TO FEBRUARY 28 2014.
A truly horrendous state of affairs.
Welcome to the UK (except of course to you Johnny Foreigners, obviously).
Interesting article by Peter Oborne on Corbyn:
http://www.middleeasteye.net/columns/corbyn-troublemaker-1532484034
Welcome back, Craig.
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You are immediately up and running and playing a blinder’s worth more than a few mixed metaphors.
Long may it continue.
I left the UK 25 years ago, I saw this coming. This makes me extremely sad, despite the small comfort of knowing I made the right decision.
The UK treats its people as a burden not an asset, this attitude stems from the mentality that the majority are subjects, not citizens.
“The UK treats its people as a burden not an asset, this attitude stems from the mentality that the majority are subjects, not citizens.”
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That’s a rather good snappy two-liner but I – and perhaps others – should be interested if you would take a little time to flesh out your opinion. When doing so, you might care to tell us if you think that the UK is unique amoung European countries in doing so and if so, in what way(s).
Thank you.
We have another 4yrs 9mths of this lot with their corruption and preferential treatment of partei donors, hacks and servants.
I see O’Shaughnessy of Floreat free schools and academies has connections to Policy Exchange (set up by Boles/Gove/Maude), Portland Communications (Tim Allan/a Blair adviser) and that he worked for Cameron from 2007-11 as Director of Policy and Research.
Scrolling down the list you see mention of Price Waterhouse Cooper, whose alumni are busy in the privatisation of OUR NHS.
Also further references to associations with Bliar and No 10.
http://www.floreat.org.uk/executive-team/
Lupton we have spoken of before.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/cameron-give-peerage-fat-cat-6208383
pic of the plastic Lady Mone of French Knickers Inc in the link as well as Lupton’s
Yes, on the one hand we have the agenda from all 3 unionist parties that reducing the number of benefit claimants is essential to the health of the UK economy, and on the other hand we have the agenda of the same 3 parties that increasing the number of benefit claimants(most of whom would fulfill the fitness for work assessment) is essential to the health of what passes for our democracy.
It’s not even funny anymore.
One of those Lords, Craig, liked to dress up in women’s underwear, snort cocaine and cavort with prostitutes. I recall that you didn’t disapprove of his behaviour but rather, offered a weak defence of it. That kind of behaviour goes hand in glove with every other kind of vice that feeds the hedonistic urges of the corrupt. If that is the kind of person you are happy to have as a typical member of the ruling class, then maybe you have supported the very moral decay that you ironically lament.
Meanwhile, ancient ruins in Syria continue to be destroyed by true muslims, robbing the world of irreplaceable cultural history while the slaughter of innocents grinds on like a B-grade horror film. Where is the moral outrage for these heinous crimes and an admission of the true source of this evil?
O/T perhaps, but speaking of morale hitting rock=bottom (from Kathimerini, English edition).
Readers will note the last paragraph in particular, bearing in mind that htere will be at least one new party in the election race – that of Mr Panayiotis Lafazanis, former SYRIZA energy minister, who is the leader of the SYRIZA rebels. Former Vouli speaker Zoe Constantopoulou – another SYRIZA rebel – is also trying to form a new party (her own, since Mr Lafazanis doesn’t want her in his).
“NEWS 17:06
Supreme Court head named caretaker Greek PM
TAGS: Politics
The head of Greece’s Supreme Court, Vassiliki Thanou, was named Thursday as the country’s caretaker prime minister ahead of early elections, the president’s office said.
Thanou, who at 65 will be the first woman to assume the post, will take her oath of office later Thursday and her administration will be sworn in on Friday, it said.
The date for Greece’s general election – the fifth in six years – is to be officially announced by President Prokopis Pavlopoulos by the end of the week, but it is likely to be scheduled for September 20.
Outgoing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Wednesday ruled out forming a national unity government should he fail to win a outright majority in the snap elections triggered after he resigned last week.
Tsipras, who called for the fresh vote last week after suffering a major rebellion in his hard-left SYRIZA party over Greece’s huge new international bailout, dismissed suggestions he could work with the conservative opposition New Democracy, the PASOK socialists or the center-right Potami if the poll results were inconclusive.”
And now back on topic with just two points on Craig’s lead-in post.
1/. I find it difficult to share Craig’s indignation about some LibDems being elevated to the House of Lords (with the comment that more of them are being appointed than were elected at the last general election). The reason is that it has been pointed out on many occasions that the UK first past the post electoral system unfairly penalises the smaller parties; the latest appointments could perhaps e seen as partial (and imperfect)compensation for this unfairness.
2/. On the disability question- I suspect that the numbers being thrown around would need some further analysis but my question is other. I have heard it said that it has long been the practice for GPs to be generous in certifying incapacity in areas of high unemployment and few job openings because this is advantageous to the people concerned in terms of the benefits they receive and that govts tended to turn a blind eye (interaliab ecause it made the unemployment figures look better). Is there anything in this?
“The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.”
From Dante (I think).
Beith is President of LD Friends of Israel.
Featherstone is a member.
http://ldfi.org.uk/events/previous-events/
And possibly Lorely Burt who visited Israel with a LDFI delegation in June 2012
http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/83893/ambassador-attacks-lib-dem-simon-hughes-over-one-state-comments
You see no LD Friends of Palestine in the list of new peers.
http://www.ldfp.eu/
or in the equivalent Labour Friends of Palestine.
http://www.lfpme.org/page/supporters.php
Jemand – “moral decay” is a slippery slope! Is your analysis religious? (Not a loaded question – interested to see where you are coming from).
I am entirely fine with with men wearing women’s underwear, so I’ll make a strong defence of that if you like! Cocaine is a difficult issue, since I am pro-drugs and opposed to the “war on drugs”, but the fact remains that cocaine is still illegal – which is why you probably saw a variety of opinions expressed here.
The, erm, “cavorting” remains legal in the UK, but as to whether progressives should defend prostitution or not: that’s a large can of worms. There was a great deal of in-depth analysis in the comments when Craig posted on the topic – the timing coincided with an internal policy process inside Amnesty International. The short answer is there are good arguments in favour of decriminalisation and abolition.
Nonsense. Private consenting acts are not at all comparable to the greed and violence and abused of power potentially involved in, say, bombing another country.
A wet little piece in the Guardian from Syal.
‘David Cameron will be accused…’ s/be ‘David Cameron IS accused…’
Party donors, advisers and former MPs become peers in dissolution honours
David Cameron will be accused of packing House of Lords with supporters after world’s second most populous legislative chamber swells further
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/aug/27/party-donors-advisers-former-mps-peers-dissolution-honours
“1/. I find it difficult to share Craig’s indignation about some LibDems being elevated to the House of Lords (with the comment that more of them are being appointed than were elected at the last general election). The reason is that it has been pointed out on many occasions that the UK first past the post electoral system unfairly penalises the smaller parties; the latest appointments could perhaps e seen as partial (and imperfect)compensation for this unfairness.”
Wow is that an attempt to defend the British state and their noxious commitment to the FPTP electoral system? Do you think it is acceptable to address this ‘issue’ by having cronies appointing cronies into an unelected upper chamber? You call that democracy? I don’t and this is one of the reasons why I became a Yes voter last year.
Why don’t the “International Socialists” in the Labour Party refuse take a stand and put their money where their mouth is for once and refuse to accept appointments into the charade? As for the Lid Dems, they apparently believe in Federalism by the way (snigger), nothing but political whores.
“Wow is that an attempt to defend the British state and their [sic]noxious commitment to the FPTP electoral system?”
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No. It was a question in the form of an observation. Careful re=reading required.
Iain
Any thoughts on my second question?
Can you contribute anything useful?
A mere 2 hours into Craig’s new thread and already a mention of Israel.
Is this a record?
The post at 16h31 refers (Craig posted at 14h43).
Another load of slanted rollocks today from the Daily Telegraph, which begins:
“Most of Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters believe America is the “greatest single threat to world peace” and one in four think a “secretive elite” controls the globe, according to pollster analysis.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/labour/11827599/One-in-four-Jeremy-Corbyn-supporters-believe-world-is-run-by-secretive-elite.html
The actual YouGov poll says:
“Most of Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters (51%) agree with the statement that “the United States is the greatest single threat to world peace”, compared to just 36% of Andy Burnham’s supporters, 18% of Yvette Cooper’s supporters and 15% of Liz Kendall’s.”
https://yougov.co.uk/news/2015/08/27/you-may-say-im-dreamer-inside-mindset-jeremy-corby/
The Telegraph don’t mention that more than a third of Burnham supporters also think that the US is the greatest threat to world peace.
The UK Hits Rock Bottom.
WHAT?
It has always been there!!!
It’s nice to have you back. Good to see you haven’t mellowed. These ‘excess deaths’ or is it ‘collatoral damage’? are appalling. One wonders if the deaths had been caused by terrorist attacks linked to Muslims, whether the media and opinion would have been so sanguine? A government that pursues policies that lead to the unecessary deaths of so many people must be vile and illegitimate, surely, in not brazenly criminal? One wonders sometimes who the real terrorist are?
“A mere 2 hours into Craig’s new thread and already a mention of Israel.
Is this a record?”
***
Habba, you will note that Craig’s post introduced Israel into the topic with his reference to Stuart Polak.
Fwister He missed that didn’t he. Perhaps he’s a speed reader.
I also mentioned Friends of Israel in my first post!
HQ will not be pleased. He’s slipping.
I wonder if Lord Darling will have two location titles, so he can flip them on a regular basis
Isn’t it good that we have Jeremy Corbyn to say the unsayable and to be prepared to deal with the problem. Have any of the three stooges even mentioned the NHS let alone the PFI rip offs started off by Major and escalated by Blair with Milburn as the fixer and in which they colluded?
Labour has duty to resolve ‘mess’ of hospital PFI deals, says Jeremy Corbyn
Leadership frontrunner claims NHS is paying price for ‘City con-trick’ implemented by New Labour and says indebted hospitals should be bailed out
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/aug/26/labour-has-duty-to-resolve-mess-of-hospital-pfi-deals-says-jeremy-corbyn
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_finance_initiative#Development_of_PFI_in_the_United_Kingdom
Crippling PFI deals leave Britain £222bn in debt http://www.independent.co.uk/money/loans-credit/crippling-pfi-deals-leave-britain-222bn-in-debt-10170214.html
12 April 2015
“I also mentioned Friends of Israel in my first post!”
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So you did. 6 minutes in from Craig’s new post.
Definitely a record and you should be proud.
BTW was it you who was calling on Craig to produce a new post in the last thread?
That means you’ve missed, lucky you, the concerted media campaign to stop Corbyn becoming leader of the Labour Party. He’s variously been smeared with a catalogue of thought crimes and guilt by association, that’s a thing of wonder to behold. He’s an anti-semetic racist, a stalinist, a threat to national security, comparable to Hitler’s occupation of France… I kid you not… a misogynist, and that’s just the Guardian! About the only thing he hasn’t been accused of is being a member of the Westminster paedophile ring and sexually abusing children, well, I suppose the media is saving that for later if he gets elected!
The coverage has been almost uniformally negative. It reminds one of the attacks on the SNP, and of course the same journalists and politicians are involved. There is definitely something about the prospect, or threat of democracy, that frightens the life out of these ghastly people. Even Blair seeing the handcuffs floating infront of his face if Corbyn ever became PM, was in hysterical mode, which I think he does rather well. Credit where credit is due I think.
There is stuff for an entire career of media studies and anlysis here. If anyone still labours under the illusion that the Guardian represents the left of the ‘media spectrum’ or is better than the Daily Mail, or it’s journalists believe in quaint concepts like truth, honour and integrity, then the last few weeks will have cured them of that comfort. It’s like Iraq all over again, only this time it’s Corbyn playing the role of Saddam.