Sue Marsh from Diary of a Benefit Scrounger, reports on a concerted effort in the right-wing press to prevent any real debate over benefits.
Sue Marsh blogs at Diary of a Benefit Scrounger
Today, the Daily Express and Daily Mail are full of cheating, scrounging sick people.
The Express screams: “Blitz on Britain’s benefits madness”, contrasting those on “sickness handouts” with “hard working taxpayers”.
According to the the Express, Tory MP Philip Davies joined the outcry, saying:
“People are sick to the back teeth of being taken for a ride by people sponging and scrounging and abusing the system.”
While the Mail screams:
“Scandal of 80,000 on sickness benefits for minor ailments… including diarrhoea.”
To accompany the claim that “drug addicts” have been allowed to claim, they included a picture of someone snorting white powder through a rolled up note.
The papers go on to list “blisters”, “headaches”, “depression”, and “problems with scholastic skills” as evidence that there are hundreds of thousands of people living the good life at “taxpayers” expense who have nothing really wrong with them.
For a moment, let’s forget the fact that only the first ailment a person lists on their claim form is taken into account in these figures. Let’s ignore the fact that someone with “nail disorders” might also have cancer or kidney failure. Let’s ignore the fact that someone classified under “drug abuse” might also suffer from schizophrenia or multiple sclerosis..
I have “diarrhoea” but why? Well, because of the 32 growths I’ve had to have removed from my guts and the seven major operations to remove rotten lengths of bowel, leaving me with half as much intestine as your average ill-informed hack.
My friend has “blisters.” She suffers from the rare skin disease Epidermolysis Bullosa. Her skin blisters and comes away at the lightest touch, leaving her scarred and in constant, terrible pain.
“Headaches?” Cluster headaches (also referred to as “suicide headaches”) are thought to be one of the worst pains known to man, not something to be confused with a hangover.
I could go on, but I’m sure you’re beginning to see why these horrible articles, fuelled by “statements” today from Chris Grayling, minister for Work and Pensions and our very own prime minister, only serve to turn a sensitive, delicate subject into a form of attack. They aim to pitch one condition against another whilst asking more fortunate citizens to view those who are unwell with mistrust and contempt.
Perhaps there is a legitimate debate to be had over which conditions “hard working tax-payers” are willing to support. There is certainly some validity in the claim that many sick or disabled people would love help and support to find a job.
However, surely none of us agree that this is the way in which to conduct that debate? Surely allowing our politicians and our media to whip up hate and prejudice against a particular group of society is something we should all be ashamed of?
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148 Responses to “Right-wing hate campaign clouds debate on benefits”
Anon E Mouse
joe kane – From your response I would guess you have never lived in an inner city council estate where you hold your breath every time you get home hoping you haven’t been robbed by a drug addict. Again.
Regarding treating everyone the same please explain to me why criminal drug addicts should be treated the same for the illegal criminal choices they make in life as a person with disabilities? Why should they? You are rewarding criminality by claiming it is an illness instead of unacceptable behaviour.
This attitude is the reason that disability campaigners are just not taken seriously by governments, either left wing or right wing like Labour and the Tories. My reason for questioning your living situation is your response is typical of someone who hasn’t walked the walked and just forwards some psycho babble theory without any practical thought into the matter…
Anon E Mouse
Sue Marsh – I do find your posts entertaining. It’s why I follow your personal blog.
The trouble is you keep answering questions you are asking yourself not the ones I put forward and your responses are typical of Labour supporters trying to avoid directly answering a question – that was my point about Gordon Brown made earlier. Instead of just saying he liked Hob Nob biscuits he waffled for hours instead of answering the question. Yvette Cooper is another one who throws this and that into the mix instead of answering a question.
As I have said before your possibly valid points are wrecked by this approach and it’s a shame. Anyway.
Alcoholics can be “cured” by stopping them drinking. They are certainly less deserving than someone with a disease with no known cure. The two things are completely different.
Nothing will convince me that a heroin addict, robbing peoples houses to feed a habit, should be treated the same as a law abiding person with crippling arthritis. Sorry. And believe me Sue, my opinion is held by the majority in this country. And rightly so.
You describe my posts as aggressive. That’s just because they advocate an opinion you disagree with and with the title of this piece being ” Right-wing HATE campaign clouds debate on benefits” you can hardly be described as a passive contributor…
Anon E Mouse
scandalousbill – If someone wants to smoke a joint the only person that is affected is the smoker.
If someone robs houses to feed a heroin addiction other people are affected. And you believe that person who chooses to engage in illegal activity should be supported with taxpayers benefits, treated the same as genuinely ill people and have their addiction classified as a disability?
Come on.
Working with the elderly and disabled really humbles people “There but for the grace of God go I” springs to mind daily and it is incomparable to choosing to take drugs. The cure is to stop the drug taking. Job done. Truly disabled people would do anything to cure themselves that easily.
You see, leaving aside the am-dram in your remarks about rendition and stuff (which a Labour government allowed through our airports btw, not the Tories) the way people are cared for is not a fundamental right – it is the sign of a decent society that looks after the less advantaged but a line simply has to be drawn.
Ask the old person being robbed for the twentieth time that the criminal is doing it to feed his habit and society actually pays him benefits for an “illness” and I can imagine the response. I’m in the majority in agreement there.
I would say you and I have conversed regularly on this blog scandalousbill and it is clear that Sue Marsh has the ability to vitalise people with her articles. They are always buzzing. I just think if she took a second so see the wood for the trees and then blogged on her thoughts, she could advance her cause far further without the obvious tribalism…
Anon E Mouse
scandalousbill – Finally (have a good weekend btw dude) check this link on arthritis:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthritis
Should a person eating as many pies as John Prescott really be treated the same as those wretched individuals?
scandalousbill
Anon.
You say,
“Should a person eating as many pies as John Prescott really be treated the same as those wretched individuals?”
Did you mean Eric Pickles?
Enjoy the sunshine!