On benefits specifically Miliband said:
In relation to welfare let me give you a specific example: On the reforms to the Disability Living Allowance, the gateway for that. On the reforms to Employment Support Allowance Douglas Alexander has said very clearly we'll work with the government on the changes. And he's even said in relation to benefit uprating, that while we don't accept a permanent lowering of that, we would be willing to look at a change for 3 years, in order to save, in fact, rather large sums of money. So I don't accept this mythology that's being put around, Andrew. I said very clearly when I became leader "we're not going to oppose every cut."
Which essentially means that the Labour party support making less people eligible for DLA to cut the bill by 20%, even though only 0.5% of claims are fraudulent. It also means the Labour party support removing your contributory ESA after 1 year.
Given that this is the party that abolished Incapacity Benefit and started the "cheats and scroungers" rhetoric in the first place, it puzzles me that you sound so surprised..?
ReplyDeleteYes, wasn't Labour the party that hired in consultants from the well-established disability denial firm Unum (try Googling for unum scandal) to set up the phony ATOS medicals? What's happening now was their idea. It suggests to me rather that politicians from all parties are in desperate straits, else why would they be so determined to pick almost exclusively on those members of society unable to defend themselves? Underneath all the firmness I would guess from their behaviour they're scared silly; maybe as more and more laws are made in Europe they feel their days are numbered?
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@DeusExMacintosh:
ReplyDeleteNo, no surprise. In fact I tried to lay off including any personal emotive response at all.
But if I did have an emotional response, surprise was not it. Especially as the comment about supporting DLA reform is something he's said before.
I've been saying for the last couple of years that Labour is at best the lesser of several evils rather than a party we can trust to support us. And as a minority under concerted attack that's a crying shame.
ReplyDeleteI've been a labour party member for many years but tomorrow I will be cancelling my membership. Supporting the cuts by the back door to DLA is a step too far for me. Ed Miliband hasn't proved himself to be a strong or dynamic leader but I was prepared to give him more time to prove himself. But not any more. Many of us campaigned long and hard for DLA and better rights for disabled people and I'm not going to stand back and watch all our ard work be flushed down the toilet.
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