Iain Duncan Smith, the minister in charge of the Welfare Reform Bill, claimed yesterday in an interview with the BBC’s political editor Nick Robinson Painful or Positive? article that “They’re not suffering.” referring to people living with multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, mental health disorders, Crohn’s, learning difficulties, cancer, spina bifida, chronic fatigue, Alzheimer’s, cystic fibrosis. It also refers to those who have been in a serious accident, or who can’t walk, are deaf and can’t speak.
Living with such severe conditions restrict the sufferers life on a daily basis and force them to survive on low incomes forcing them into poverty because of Duncan Smith’s appalling welfare reform bill.
Here’s a transcript from the interview with Ian Duncan Smith and Nick Robinson political editor with the BBC:
IDS: “Welfare is about changing your life. It’s about taking you from dependency and moving you to independence and if that means saying too there is a limit to what the state is prepared to pay, I think taxpayers on marginal and low incomes, they want to know there’s a limit because they don’t mind giving to people who need it. What they want to know is, actually, someone living in Kensington who can’t afford that house normally and couldn’t [if they were] in work, I don’t think I should pay for that”.
Nick Robinson: “But, forgive me, isn’t that the point? Politically it appeals to taxpayers.
“What they don’t like hearing about is the many, many thousands of people now who – because of cuts to disability benefit and cuts to employment and support allowance and cuts to housing benefit – are now really suffering. It’s a way of distracting people.”
IDS: “But they’re not suffering. The point about this is that what makes you suffer is the state that plunges you into dependency on the state. It does two things, it means bigger bills for taxpayers and it means your life and your children’s lives will be blighted by being dependent on me, the secretary of state, to give you the money to live”.
Wife blasts ‘get a job’ letter
Reported in the Sun news paper on Friday in an interview with Elizabeth and Stevie McGown who are a prime example of how the government treat the sick and disabled and only concerned in lowering unemployment figures and cutting benefits, stated that after receiving a letter suggesting Stevie get a job even though he suffers from MS,registered blind and has dementia was an insult to Stevie.
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Beth, as she is known, is a devoted wife and mother and has spent the past ten years or so caring for her husband and their children. Having known the couple personally for 15yrs, they are one of the nicest couples you could meet. A working family until Stevie became ill. Their oldest daughter and son both had part time jobs before leaving school.
It was a shock to the community when Stevie became ill and concerned neighbours rallied round offering support and any help they could. To see such a family suffer over the years and what they have endured, is indeed an insult to this tight family unit and shows only too clearly that the government are out of touch with reality and doing more damage to families on low income through no choice of their own simply to save money by cutting benefits or being switched to a lower rate benefit.
“The idea that someone in Stevie’s condition could leave the house, never mind attend an interview, is ridiculous.
“They were sent a form last year telling them he was terminally ill and there was no chance of him returning to work. It seems they don’t have a category to deal with people in his situation.
“I don’t know what sort of job they thought he could do because he could die at any moment. Myself and my family have enough to deal with without the hassle of mistakes like this being made.”
“Stevie was a great man and it has been very difficult for us to watch his decline.
“I just want left alone now to help him die in comfort with his family around him.” - Beth McGown
If the government are looking at ways to save money perhaps they would do well by looking closer to home, i.e. MP’s expenses and salary.
The taxpayer also coughed up for Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding last year, there is also the queen jubilee this year which again the taxpayer will be billed and not forgetting it was the taxpayer who bailed out the bankers while many lost their homes and bankers rewarded themselves in millions of bonuses. It is also taxpayers money that is used to fund the making of cluster bombs sent to kill innocent people and now more recently it is being suggested that taxpayers face a £1billion bill to stop the House of Parliament sinking into the Thames.
Let it sink.
Seems the taxpayer are paying more than their fair share.
Sources:
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