SUFFER THE LAZY DISABLED TO COME UNTO EMPLOYMENT
Posted by Caledonian Jim in Daily Posts
UK opposition leader David Cameron (pictured above) was yesterday accused of ”bogus accounting and penalising the sick” after he unveiled plans to impose a £25 a week benefit cut on as many as 500,000 incapacity benefit claimants. The Conservative Party wants to use the savings to fund a £600 million “back-to-work” programme. They believe their “tough and tender” approach will show that they are willing to address the victims of the recession by offering extra apprenticeships and training and by modernising social welfare payments. Mr Cameron described the measures as “the centrepiece of the Conservative Party conference” and a “big, bold, radical scheme to get millions of people back to work”.
So true to form, the Conservatives are bringing out one of their old bogey-men, the “lazy, feckless, unemployed wastrel pretending to be disabled” – and trying to convince us that the country’s economic ills will be cured by getting these leeches re-trained and frogmarched back to work. But if Mr Cameron wants to project himself as an exciting new Prime Minister in-waiting, he really needs to try harder than just re-hashing old Thatcherite policies. One Conservative MP was even on TV yesterday extolling the virtues of ”fulfilling, productive work leading to greater self-esteem”. How exactly hundreds of thousands of people forced to take low paid, menial jobs cleaning toilets, digging ditches, stacking shelves and selling beefburgers will increase the nation’s “feelgood factor” he didn’t explain. In reality of course, these proposals would penalise the genuine disabled, largely pass by the streetwise workshy who know all the benefit tricks, and punish particulary those who’ve recently lost their jobs through no fault of their own. But if it saves a few bob, grabs a few cheap headlines and allows politicians to portentiously occupy the moral high ground, will they care ?
And that issue isn’t the only one recalling the Conservative party’s predilictions of the Thatcher era. The party is trying to put a lid on the tricky, perennial, simmering, ongoing internal dispute which has never been resolved over Europe, after the Conservative London Mayor Mr Boris Johnson (pictured above) claimed the party could give voters a say on “key parts” of the Lisbon Treaty, even if the document has been completely ratified before the next general election. In a TV interview before the start of the Conservative conference in Manchester, Mr Johnson suggested that David Cameron would still need to “give effect” to people’s views, even if the treaty was in force.
It has to be said that Boris has chosen a powerful issue to latch on to if he ever wants to display his own leadership credentials. Mr Cameron has only promised a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty if it has not already been ratified by all 27 members of the European Union (EU) before he comes to power, and has resisted pressure to explain what he would do if the treaty had already taken effect by then. Mr Johnson said yesterday that he thought it was “bizarre” that people were being given no say over the prospect of Tony Blair, the former Prime Minister, becoming President of the EU. “I do think there should be a consultation as soon as possible,” he said, raising the prospect of a “stop Blair” referendum. Go for it Boris – and like we said yesterday, we need a “stop Cherie becoming First Lady” campaign too !
And Tony Blair’s (pictured above) bid to become President of the EU is definitely opposed by a majority of British voters, according to an exclusive new poll published today. The survey was undertaken over the weekend after reports appeared saying Mr Blair had become a front runner for the new post of President of the EU Council of Ministers if the Lisbon treaty is ratified. Over half the public, 53%, say that they would not like to see Mr Blair take the post, with 43% saying that they would approve of his appointment. Presumably the missing 4% threw themselves under a train upon even hearing of the prospect.
In Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, 5 UN employees were killed yesterday in a suicide bomb atttack (aftermath pictured above) inside the offices of the United Nations World Food Programme. Several others were injured in the explosion, which coincided with a visit to Islamabad by 2 UK cabinet ministers : Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary and Bob Ainsworth, the Defence Secretary, although they were not affected and did not appear to have been the targets (not surprising – nobody over there would know or care who they were). Police said they had recovered the severed head of a suicide bomber, and were investigating whether the attack had entered the heavily guarded WFP compound by climbing over the roof of a neighbouring building. Well if they’ve recovered the suicide bomber’s head, they might just take a look inside to confirm there’s was never any brain, because what possible justification or reason can be found or argued, even by rabid fundamentalist nutcases, for bombing offices responsible solely for distributing food to poor Muslims is beyond me.
Millions of air passengers are apparently at risk from pilots who are “too tired to fly” (above), an airline pilot’s union warned yesterday. New EU rules governing flying hours are “flawed and will raise the risk of an accident”, said the British Airline Pilots’ Association. The Association says commercial airlines put pressure on pilots to fly when they are unfit to do so – and EU aviation regulators let this happen. The EU rules allow up to 14 hours flying during the day and 11 hours 45 minutes flying at night. According to the union, pilot fatigue is already a factor in up to 1 in 6, or 16% per cent, of air accidents. Pilots and crew from 36 countries yesterday demonstrated at European airports calling for stricter rules on working hours. Hard to believe that airlines would jeapordise lives to save money, isn’t it ? Oh – at the risk of offending Muslim readers - there’s a pig flying over Heathrow Airport – and he’s been up there too long and very tired as well.
And perhaps we have an explanation why some pilots are so tired. Shocked passengers witnessed an alleged brawl between pilots and cabin crew as an Air India jet (above) flew at 30,000ft, it was revealed yesterday. Punches were reportedly thrown in the incident between staff on an Airbus A320 plane flying from the United Arab Emirates to Delhi. The fracas took place on Sunday as the plane was flying over Pakistan, having taken off from Sharjah where there had, allegedly, been arguments between crew members at the pre-flight briefing. It is understood the trouble started after a stewardess was allegedly abused and pushed in the cockpit after refusing to grant the pilots “personal favours”. Good to know that Air India pilots have their priorities right as they’re miles high ! Not sure I’ll be flying with them any time soon though.
-
Entries (RSS)
Excellent as usual. You never let me down with your coverage of events I miss. Oh, I’ve stolen that picture of Tony Blair. Hope you don’t mind.
So it’s all right for him to be accused of “bogus” accounting. Why is not everyone screaming “freedom of speech”. Accusing someone of promoting something bogus is not freedom of speech, it’s libel.