# New disabilities minister voted against protecting disabled children's benefits



## Northerner (May 13, 2015)

David Cameron’s new disabilities minister voted against protecting benefits for disabled children and cancer patients, according to parliamentary records.

Justin Tomlinson, appointed in the new government’s reshuffle, will assist Iain Duncan Smith in implementing Conservative reforms to the benefits system and making £12bn as-yet unspecified cuts.

Mr Tomlinson has a record of voting against provisions that would see more support directed to the disabled and sick.

In parliamentary votes he has supported letting contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance expire for those undergoing cancer treatment.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...ing-disabled-childrens-benefits-10246049.html

How appropriate


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## heasandford (May 13, 2015)

I know you keep posting these Alan - keep it up. It makes me feel sick thinking about what is to come. You might like to read this too - (obvious title in link)

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...s=10205577981662990&fb_action_types=og.shares


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## Northerner (May 13, 2015)

heasandford said:


> I know you keep posting these Alan - keep it up. It makes me feel sick thinking about what is to come. You might like to read this too - (obvious title in link)
> 
> http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...s=10205577981662990&fb_action_types=og.shares



Yes, this is what really gets my goat. The politicians know that they are deliberately scapegoating small and often vulnerable minorities - not for the good of the country, but for their narrow political ends  Get the whole message backed-up by a compliant press and people accept it as gospel.


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## heasandford (May 13, 2015)

Have you thought of getting into politics locally? - why not?


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## trophywench (May 13, 2015)

Well frankly that doesn't surprise me - they have to get this ruddy money from somewhere and the deserving poor the young and the disabled are such 'easy' targets.  After all they have no clout because they hold no positions of authority, can't make donations to the fund or promise jobs and let's face it if they all either die or kill themselves from desperation - that's that problem gone isn't it.  And shedloads of money saved ......

I'm really pleased I had no kids.


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## KookyCat (May 14, 2015)

God these are depressing times.  I really don't understand why people can't see through it.  Did sanctions actually hit anyone who was really cheating the system?  No of course not because the people who cheat it are clever and have a neck so full of brass it shines for miles.  Does systematic degradation work on benefits cheats?  No of course it doesn't the people who feel degraded and worthless are those who care, does feeling worthless and degraded help people get a job?  No it really doesn't.  I claimed benefits for a month and didn't enjoy being treated like a second class citizen/naughty child, especially given that I've worked my entire adult life and had the misfortune to find myself unwell, and redundant at much the same time.  

It's Ok though because Channel 4 will have another benefits street programme on soon showing people having a jolly old time on thirty grand a year, so the populous can get angry about that, and feel justified living in a country that lets people with cancer sit in a job centre begging for money


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## Northerner (May 14, 2015)

*This Tory win will make me more and more disabled*

“If you’re not disabled now, then one day you might be. When that happens you’ll want to go to the pub or get on public transport. You’ll want to be seen as a person, not as a disability. Purely out of selfishness you should be fighting for disabled rights. If you don’t, you are prejudiced against your future self. And your future self hates you and thinks you’re a ****.”

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/13/tory-win-disabled-cuts-benefits

I personally don't understand what sort of society they hope to build  They target the poor and vulnerable and vilify sections of society who have little defence, and encourage house price and rent inflation making homes increasingly difficult to pay for so that young people no longer have the option of leaving the parental home. They plan to cut housing benefit for the young, reduce the cap on the benefit for all, and there is rumour of an increase in bedroom tax, forcing people to move to the higher cost private sector. They have cut grants to local authorities so they are having to cut services and support - particularly care, and plan to cut benefits for carers. They plan to sell off housing association homes, reducing supply further (having already cut grants to HAs meaning that many homes have been moved from social rents to 'affordable' ones which are higher rent). Meanwhile, a large number of the 'jobs' being created are low-pay and insecure, as indicated by the risible productivity rates, and malnutrition, homelessness and food banks are on an ever-increasing trend. I could go on and on...

How can they think this is sustainable?


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## KookyCat (May 14, 2015)

Well if you assume the top are sorted, have cash and don't need anything, the Middle vote for you and need to be kept happy, the bottom don't vote for you and quite honestly often don't vote at all because they feel disenfranchised then your sustainability strategy is based on keep the middle lean and happy.  You don't care about the bottom, why would you?  Except of course if you don't care about the bottom, you get civil disorder, then you care because the yobs are smashing your windows and spitting on your nice suit, but that's easily sorted, you create a separate sub species, distance yourself from them and create a moral majority who will support sending them to jail for a disproportionate number of years.  It's a tried and tested strategy, single mothers were vilified in the 80's and 90's, no mention of the feckless fathers who refused to support their children, immigrants are currently the focus of the moral panic, along with anyone on benefits, and the folk of Scotland.  The way the press was covering the power of the SNP you'd have thought they were all about to sprout shark teeth and eviscerate anyone south of the border.  What's so scary about people who live here having a say in what goes on here?  Absolutely nowt, not really, except if you manage to present them as something "other" then they're scary.  

I actually don't think any political party has it right BTW, the left misunderstand how scared people are, and how when scared people build a box and sit in it.  The right don't understand that if you want people to participate you have to give them a chance to participate, and are genuinely shocked when the villagers take to the streets with torches.


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