Does Tebbit really ‘eat humble pie’ after earlier attacks on benefits’
claimants abusing food banks by accepting “…emergency handouts to save money
which they then spent on junk food.”?
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| Lord Tebbit applies charity model to food bank recipients |
Lord Tebbit, after visiting a food bank Trussell Trust food
bank in Haverhill, Suffolk, lavishes praise upon the staff and the procedures
they use to dole out food. He observes: “There
was no slap-happy handing over of boxes.” Which in the code of those with a charitable
disposition means ‘responsible spending
of tax-payers’ money.’ Or in the language of the hungry ‘give the buggers just enough to survive’;
in other words, don’t over indulge them.
In Tebbit’s view starvation in itself is not sufficient reason
enough to claim food from a food bank. No, the applicant must prove they have a
genuine need to this resource and how they have arrived at this sorry state. In
this respect the hungry person isn’t short of genuine reasons:
·
Wages from work being so low people can’t afford
the basics of life
·
Benefits completely cut by job centre sanction
·
Benefit slashed as a result of wrong decisions
made at WCA
·
Bedroom tax imposed upon social housing tenants
·
Qualification for new disability benefit, PIP,
denied due to introduction of stricter qualifying criteria
·
Income so low that rent, travel, etc eats up
most of money.
Thus, when Tebbit admits:“Some had fallen foul of the bureaucratic processes of welfare support,
leaving them waiting for, or even denied, the cash support to which they were
entitled” he appears to recognise that a problem exists. However, his judgement
of the situation is disingenuous in that he places the blame on the welfare
system.
Lord Tebbit, our welfare state has existed, despite
constant Tory opposition from day one, for almost six decades. It is your
party, the Conservatives, along with their partners in crime, the LibDems, who
have created the need for food banks.
Your government’s policies are forcing benefits’
claimants to wait longer for their claims to be processed, thus placing them in
penury.
Your government’s policies are sanctioning more and more
claimants, quite often for spurious reasons, all too often for minor
infringements of benefits’ rules.
Your government’s policies are wrongly finding sick and
disabled people fit for work, thus reducing the amount of benefits they
receive.
When a leading Conservative speaks out against the
draconian policies his government has imposed upon some of the poorest people
in the country; against groups of people least able to defend themselves, then and
only then will I recognise any humanity coming from the words or deeds of a
Tory.
I couldn't agree more. It's a start, though, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteExcept the Tories really don't care about people who use food banks. Indeed they are probably very proud of the fact that their policies are engendering good old-fashioned Victorian values.
ReplyDelete