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Another Tired Kicking For The Sick And Disabled By Rishi

(269 Posts)
mae13 Sat 20-Apr-24 01:32:43

Well done our un-elected PM: going after the low-hanging fruit yet again, flagging up the worn-out rhetoric about the sick, disabled and mentally unstable not REALLY being sick, disabled or mentally unstable because he knows for certain that they are the traditional bunch of workshy scroungers. Being a billionaire gives him the authority to get on his high-horse and point an accusing finger.

He really is too desperate to get a vote by any means......sod the fact that his judgemental scare tactics generate terrifying levels of stress among the vulnerable who are dependent on measly benefits and have unbelievable circumstances to deal with already.

What an appalling example of a human being he is.

M0nica Sun 21-Apr-24 15:29:24

Many women over 50 not working fulltime are doing so because they are providing childcare for grandchildren. Who will look after the children if heir grandparents are working?

As we all know chilcare is very expensive in the UK and many parents cannot afford it.

Chocolatelovinggran Sun 21-Apr-24 15:31:33

AGAA4, I have thought this myself. Assuming that we suspend judgement and buy into the rhetoric that all most unemployed are idle scroungers who cannot be bothered to get out of bed in the morning, how are these attractive employees?
Which lucky firm will benefit from their (lack of ) dedication? Which fortunate employee will share a shift with them?
Many unemployed are keen to work, and are proactively searching. The others ... I wouldn't be enthusiastic about offering them work if I were in a position to do so.

Germanshepherdsmum Sun 21-Apr-24 15:32:43

This is about women over 50 working part time and claiming sickness benefits though MOnica.

mabon1 Sun 21-Apr-24 15:38:05

Well, you will not be in any position to criticize the next party in government after the net election will you?

Whitewavemark2 Sun 21-Apr-24 15:42:05

I can’t say it often enough - it isn’t going to happen - Sunak knows it and his party knows it.

“Downing Street had hoped that Friday’s prime ministerial speech on the weighty issue of welfare reform might finally begin to restore the party’s reputation for competent governance.
It was a potent sign of Sunak’s (failed) struggles in keeping his party on track that, soon after his speech had concluded, some of his MPs found themselves discussing whether or not one of their colleagues had deliberately intoxicated a friend’s dog. “How can somebody possibly get a dog pissed?” wondered one. “Bizarre.”
A senior minister was more despairing of the “utter madness” on display. “Do we really reflect society as a whole? I hope not for the sake of humanity.”

Observer

These twin issues - sleaze and corruption together with an inhumane utter disregard for the struggles of so many families in the U.K. will ensure that the Tories lose the election and lose it badly, if they fail to recognise and change course on these issues.

Baggs Sun 21-Apr-24 15:42:44

Freya5

V3ra

Cossy

Just a little plea to all the lovely ladies on here, echoing others sentiments, women literally died (well one at least did), went to prison and protested to get us the vote, please use it, even it it’s just to spoil your ballot paper! grinflowers

I really think it's time we had an option on our ballot paper where we could actively choose "None of the Above."

If we don't vote at all the cry goes up that we're apathetic.
If we're reduced to spoiling our ballot paper it just seems childish.

"None of the Above" would be a positive statement of opinion that might make MPs stop and think.

Now that must become an option surely. Then what would that do, would it mean all those who were up for election have to drop out. Then start again. Be rather costly.

"None of the above" is an option already and always has been. That's what "spoiling the ballot paper" means. Scribbling on it, crossing out all the names, or whatever you do doesn't mean you having a childish strop. It means you're saying "none of the above".

You could always write "none of the above" at the bottom as well.

AGAA4 Sun 21-Apr-24 15:57:43

I think none of the above will be for me at the next election. I was a Tory supporter most of my adult life but in recent years I've lost faith in them.

Grandmabatty Sun 21-Apr-24 17:50:31

Proportional representation has to be an improvement surely. I see Menzies has resigned from the Conservative Party

maddyone Sun 21-Apr-24 19:15:19

None of the above will most probably be my choice when the election eventually arrives. I have voted for all three main parties in my adult life, Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat, but I can’t in all honesty support any of them in the next election. I’ve never voted Green, or UKIP, or any of the smaller parties, only ever put my cross against one of the main parties. I’ve never spoilt my ballot paper before either.

Dickens Sun 21-Apr-24 20:30:45

My feeling is that party-politics will simply ensure that what is broken stays broken and that the divisions within society will deepen. We are so polarised now.

For me, Brexit was the catalyst promoting the divisions that have now become so wide that I cannot see things changing, ever.

Boris Johnson should never have 'cleansed' the government, it was the most self-serving, destructive thing he ever did. All governments need a coalition of minds, not just those that say "yes minister".

The same goes for Starmer.

I'm so depressed with it all.

Louella12 Sun 21-Apr-24 20:44:08

Social media has ruined politics .

The Social Dilemma is a brilliant documentary which is worth watching

V3ra Sun 21-Apr-24 21:17:12

"None of the Above" would be a positive statement of opinion that might make MPs stop and think.

Now that must become an option surely. Then what would that do, would it mean all those who were up for election have to drop out. Then start again. Be rather costly.

No I don't think that would be necessary.
I'd like to see the number of votes for "None of the Above" being read out alongside the number of votes for each named candidate in a seat.
I think it would give a truer picture of how the electorate in that constituency feels.

I don't think including it with the actually "spoilt," ie scribbled on or otherwise defaced, papers gives a true representation of the electorate's intentions.

Dickens Sun 21-Apr-24 21:45:22

V3ra

^"None of the Above" would be a positive statement of opinion that might make MPs stop and think.^

Now that must become an option surely. Then what would that do, would it mean all those who were up for election have to drop out. Then start again. Be rather costly.

No I don't think that would be necessary.
I'd like to see the number of votes for "None of the Above" being read out alongside the number of votes for each named candidate in a seat.
I think it would give a truer picture of how the electorate in that constituency feels.

I don't think including it with the actually "spoilt," ie scribbled on or otherwise defaced, papers gives a true representation of the electorate's intentions.

I'd like to see the number of votes for "None of the Above" being read out alongside the number of votes for each named candidate in a seat.
I think it would give a truer picture of how the electorate in that constituency feels.

... hear, hear.

They need to know.

zakouma66 Sun 21-Apr-24 22:32:26

Grandmabatty

Proportional representation has to be an improvement surely. I see Menzies has resigned from the Conservative Party

it would be a start

maddyone Sun 21-Apr-24 23:28:23

I think we need proportional representation. It would bring much needed moderation to government and every possible stance from far left to far right could be represented if that’s what the electorate wanted. In actuality I think it would lead to a proper balance between the main political parties and result in better governance.

Dickens Mon 22-Apr-24 00:48:50

maddyone

I think we need proportional representation. It would bring much needed moderation to government and every possible stance from far left to far right could be represented if that’s what the electorate wanted. In actuality I think it would lead to a proper balance between the main political parties and result in better governance.

☑️☑️☑️

nanna8 Mon 22-Apr-24 01:57:14

Callistemon21

Freya5

nanna8

Oh - get rid of the man. He’s awful. Not even voted into his position, either.

He was elected, as much as you dislike the fact, as per Party rules, as was Starmer, by Mps and online party members vote.
It is the party that is elected in a GE, not the leader of.

But we haven't had an election with him as party leader.

I think he's marginally better than the Australian PM nanna8! grin

Most definitely, though six of one, half a dozen of the other. We haven’t had a decent leader here for years now. Liberal or Labour.

nadateturbe Mon 22-Apr-24 07:58:55

maddyone

I think we need proportional representation. It would bring much needed moderation to government and every possible stance from far left to far right could be represented if that’s what the electorate wanted. In actuality I think it would lead to a proper balance between the main political parties and result in better governance.

Yes, long overdue!

Doodledog Mon 22-Apr-24 12:12:43

I don't know what good having a 'none of the above' voting option would do. Of course 'they know' that people are disenfranchised, but 'they' don't care. The only thing that stops me fully believing in compulsory voting is that a record would have to be kept and a secret ballot might become more difficult to achieve, particularly as postal votes would have to be included. If a way could be found around that I would support it 100%. Opting out of voting is yet another way for people to refuse to contribute to society and live on the backs of others.

Regarding 'benefit culture', I think it is far more complicated than how it's being presented. IMO, anyone who is unable to work should be better provided for than they are now, and anyone who is able to work should be expected to do so for an agreed number of years over their lives. No exceptions. We all benefit from living in a society with all sorts of things provided for us, and IMO it is wrong for only some people to work to provide those things.

I think that people with long-term illness such as cancer or broken limbs should be looked after and paid when they are off sick. That is why we pay NI. Those with short-term illness should also be paid in full, so they can afford to stay at home, both so they don't infect others and so they can get better.

I also think that people whose conditions prevent them from regularly turning up to work should find different employment, however. I worked with someone who went off sick every time something stressful was going to happen. Most of those things were fairly routine in our line of work - it was her MH that made her see them as stressful. This meant that her workload fell to the rest of us, who were already doing a stressful job, and we were expected to do even more. To me, someone who is incapable of doing a job for health reasons should get a less stressful one, even if it is less well paid. We are not entitled to a particular salary - stressful jobs often pay more because they are stressful, and it is simply not on to 'opt out' of the stress and pass it to others whilst still being paid.

I don't blame older people for being sick. Someone who has worked for decades and finds that they are expected to work for an extra six years is likely to be exhausted - physically if they had a manual job, and mentally if not. Why not set up an initiative to find less demanding work for people between, say, 55 and retirement age if they want it? Training others, working from home, whatever - there are all sorts of possibilities that would allow people to build up their pensions without running themselves into the ground. Or a transitional pension, allowing people to retire earlier and work part-time but get a pension top-up that could be paid for when they were working via a scheme that meant employers had to contribute - it could be restricted to people in certain jobs that are more likely to mean that they will struggle to work full-time in later life.

I don't know the answer to young people not wanting work. Maybe society is changing so they don't need to. Maybe the fact that housing is so expensive means that they don't have an incentive, particularly if they expect to inherit from parents who have made a lot of money from housing. Maybe they are told from birth that they are special and needn't do anything they don't want to do, and that hasn't equipped them for a world where they are expected to do what an employer wants. Maybe other things are impacting their mental health that we need to deal with. Maybe we need to restructure the world of work to better suit the way they do it. I don't know, but it is important that we get on top of the situation before it's too late, and help them.

DS64till Mon 22-Apr-24 12:37:15

Couldn’t agree more. I just hope people realise they need to vote to oust him .

Cossy Mon 22-Apr-24 12:41:24

Louella12

Social media has ruined politics .

The Social Dilemma is a brilliant documentary which is worth watching

I’m sorry to disagree, but what has ruined politics across the years is not the media but the appalling behaviour of some MPs across all parties, incompetent PMs, expenses, sex and bullying scandals and the awful nursery school behaviour in the House of commons, (in my opinion).

Grantanow Mon 22-Apr-24 12:43:06

A classic Tory ploy. Attacking the sick and disabled plays well with right wing Tory grassroots who think anyone receiving a benefit is a scrounger. They are going to lose the GE and leave a terrible mess for Labour to remedy. If they had invested in the NHS many of those off sick and awaiting treatment would be back at work by now.

Cossy Mon 22-Apr-24 12:47:25

doodledog

I think this idea of young people not wanting to work is a bit of a fallacy.

Having had our last three children quite late we have, between us, 5 children aged from 40 to 21. All are working full time and the majority of their friends are working full time too.

Yes, we do have third generation benefit families now, but they really are very much in the minority.

I think the type of jobs and their locations could prove a bit more of an issue.

Cossy Mon 22-Apr-24 12:48:48

maddyone

I think we need proportional representation. It would bring much needed moderation to government and every possible stance from far left to far right could be represented if that’s what the electorate wanted. In actuality I think it would lead to a proper balance between the main political parties and result in better governance.

Yes, yes and yes!!

red1 Mon 22-Apr-24 12:59:32

osbourne cameron clegg attacked the weak 2010 onwards, resulting in suicides, people left starving etc the tories hesitated for a while now they are back at it, Are the tories nasty?