Right, but the political spin on so-called welfare "scroungers" was always about money. It was never just "Look at these lazy, lower-class people" (which has zero political benefit), but always "These spongers are a colossal drain on the British economy". I remember politicians routinely announcing that the welfare budget exceeded all the other government departments put together, and that it was sinking the country - and they'd blame this on the "workshy". But it was a lie, as the vast bulk of the welfare figure they misleadingly quoted was always pensions, nothing to do with unemployment. And the actual figure for welfare fraud was always relatively tiny. But that didn't matter, as outraged Daily Mail headlines tended to be in people's faces more than the real stats - I recall somebody (an older relative) saying to me that all the money from North Sea oil was drained away into "hand-outs" for the unemployed. Current policy (and lack of media coverage of the shocking cases mentioned above) no doubt rides on the back of those decades of anti-welfare "austerity" market framing/propaganda.
Absolutely shocking...shameful...no excuses.....one death is too many.
The key word here is accountability. There is no accountability. No public accountability.
A quote from this article: 'A DWP spokesman said:"It is absolutely right we carry out internal reviews to check correct procedures were followed in some tragic cases, and identify learning to inform future policy and service."
....this is my point. Internal reviews..bollocks.
Lame apology on TV delivered by some chinless wonder, with the promise to learn by their mistakes and implement new procedures..fucking bollocks.
= they get away with it, time after time, after time...The untouchables.
The only correct and moral way to deal with events such as this are full and open public enquiries, with direct accountability of the people found responsible and appropriate action taken against these individuals and the organisations concerned, including using the full weight of the law, when required.
Same thing happens in hospitals. We all know the obvious shocking examples, eg the Stafford hospital scandal, a good example. There may have been a public enquiry with lots of recommendations made, but as far as I'm aware, there was literally no accountability at Stafford. No individuals were held responsible and suitably punished (one, or possibly two, token resignations with massive pay-outs involved)....Barriers down, no entry, ring-fenced, with an extra 'fire-wall'..This method of 'getting away with it', has become a culture...and one, sadly, that seems to have become normalised and accepted by many..just another story. Bury it as quick as you can..carry on.
Some shocking cases. Linda Wootton, who'd had heart and lung transplants and was clearly very ill, but assessed fit for work by private company Atos, based on questions such as "can you get dressed?" and "what is 100 minus 25"? So she had her benefits stopped, and died soon after, aged 49. Her husband saying she spent her last days worrying that people thought she was a 'scrounger'.
Well, the government saves a tiny bit of money on "hand-outs". Meanwhile, £37bn to government's private pals for failed Covid test & trace system. In other news, private water company Southern Water "deliberately poured billions of litres of raw sewage into the sea to cut its costs." Illegal, of course, but it calculated it could absorb the fine (assuming it got found out) in its colossal profits. Government apparently couldn't care less. Boris Johnson's "Great" Britain, folks... Oh, don't get me started!
Right, but the political spin on so-called welfare "scroungers" was always about money. It was never just "Look at these lazy, lower-class people" (which has zero political benefit), but always "These spongers are a colossal drain on the British economy". I remember politicians routinely announcing that the welfare budget exceeded all the other government departments put together, and that it was sinking the country - and they'd blame this on the "workshy". But it was a lie, as the vast bulk of the welfare figure they misleadingly quoted was always pensions, nothing to do with unemployment. And the actual figure for welfare fraud was always relatively tiny. But that didn't matter, as outraged Daily Mail headlines tended to be in people's faces more than the real stats - I recall somebody (an older relative) saying to me that all the money from North Sea oil was drained away into "hand-outs" for the unemployed. Current policy (and lack of media coverage of the shocking cases mentioned above) no doubt rides on the back of those decades of anti-welfare "austerity" market framing/propaganda.
Why this wasn't front page news after the first death I'll leave you to guess.
And it doesn't have anything to do with saving a relatively piddling amount of money. It's all about politics.
Disgusting!
Absolutely shocking...shameful...no excuses.....one death is too many.
The key word here is accountability. There is no accountability. No public accountability.
A quote from this article: 'A DWP spokesman said: "It is absolutely right we carry out internal reviews to check correct procedures were followed in some tragic cases, and identify learning to inform future policy and service."
....this is my point. Internal reviews..bollocks.
Lame apology on TV delivered by some chinless wonder, with the promise to learn by their mistakes and implement new procedures..fucking bollocks.
= they get away with it, time after time, after time...The untouchables.
The only correct and moral way to deal with events such as this are full and open public enquiries, with direct accountability of the people found responsible and appropriate action taken against these individuals and the organisations concerned, including using the full weight of the law, when required.
Same thing happens in hospitals. We all know the obvious shocking examples, eg the Stafford hospital scandal, a good example. There may have been a public enquiry with lots of recommendations made, but as far as I'm aware, there was literally no accountability at Stafford. No individuals were held responsible and suitably punished (one, or possibly two, token resignations with massive pay-outs involved)....Barriers down, no entry, ring-fenced, with an extra 'fire-wall'..This method of 'getting away with it', has become a culture...and one, sadly, that seems to have become normalised and accepted by many..just another story. Bury it as quick as you can..carry on.
No!...this is about peoples lives..and deaths.
ACCOUNTABILITY!!
Some shocking cases. Linda Wootton, who'd had heart and lung transplants and was clearly very ill, but assessed fit for work by private company Atos, based on questions such as "can you get dressed?" and "what is 100 minus 25"? So she had her benefits stopped, and died soon after, aged 49. Her husband saying she spent her last days worrying that people thought she was a 'scrounger'.
Well, the government saves a tiny bit of money on "hand-outs". Meanwhile, £37bn to government's private pals for failed Covid test & trace system. In other news, private water company Southern Water "deliberately poured billions of litres of raw sewage into the sea to cut its costs." Illegal, of course, but it calculated it could absorb the fine (assuming it got found out) in its colossal profits. Government apparently couldn't care less. Boris Johnson's "Great" Britain, folks... Oh, don't get me started!