Treasury Secretary Liz Truss has featured twice on the SKWAWKBOX in the last week or so for her abject attempts to defend the government’s Universal Credit (UC) system.
Confronted by a journalists over huge waits causing claimants terrible hardship, Ms Truss claimed that the system was working well – because everything had seemed fine when she visited a Jobcentre. Asked by Daily Politics presenter Andrew Neil why impoverished people were being charged fifty-five pence a minute to call the DWP to try to sort out payment delays, she became non-responsive in a way that would have made BBC News headlines all day had she been a Labour politician instead of a Tory.
But the stark reality of the impact of the government’s utterly callous disregard for the damage their vanity-project change to the benefits system is causing was made clear today when the BBC interviewed Holly Sargent – a young woman who has been kept waiting for eight months and counting to receive her UC payment.
Ms Sargent has sold every possession and relies on Foodbanks and hand-outs from her mum – who is also looking after her young son – to eke out an existence. So dire is her situation that her son cannot even stay overnight with her.
In a deeply-moving video, Ms Sargent and her mother spoke of her situation. Both were in tears – and Ms Sargent broke down completely as her anguish overwhelmed her:
Dear @BBCNewsnight – please show all panelists this clip tomorrow and ask for their response. Cheers. pic.twitter.com/WsMfmtysJO
— Sarah (@ScouseGirlMedia) October 11, 2017
This video should be compulsory watching for every aloof, detached, callous, dissembling government minister and every colluding pundit and journalist.
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This is utterly revolting. What makes it even more revolting is that the worse the Tories make it for the growing numbers of unemployed people, the more people go onto other benefits or resort to begging on the streets or opting-out entirely and surviving on whatever scraps they can. Then, because they’ve made it a living hell to be officially unemployed, they have the nerve to say, in every PMQs, that the reduced official unemployment figures (which they’ve obviously rigged) proves that the system is actually working! It’s truly unbelievable. Even by Tory standards, they’re stooping to new lows. The minor consolation is that nobody is buying it any more. Once the Tories are voted out next time, they’re out of office for at least a generation.
HAVING EXPERIENCED THATCHERS TORY GOVERNMENT, I KNOW WHAT THEY CAN DO TO US!
THE HARD WORKING, PHYSICALLY AND MENTAL BACKBONE OF THIS COUNTRY!
NOW, WE HAVE ANOTHER TORY FRONT BENCH THAT’S WORSE THAN SHE WAS!
I, AT THE TIME OF THATCHER, THOUGHT NO TORY PARTY COULD BE!
HOW WRONG I WAS!
MAY ALONG WITH HER FRONT BENCH ARE DOING THEIR BEST TO MAKE THIS COUNTRY BACKWARD THINKING!
BREXIT AS BECOME THE TORIES BOGYMAN!
FARAGE STARTED THE ROT, CAMERON MADE IT POSSIBLE!
WE ARE ALL IN THIS BOILING POT OF CHAOS CREATED BY THE TWO ABOVE!
WERE, WILL IT ALL END?
MY CRYSTAL BALL PREDICTS, THOSE WHO HAVE PLENTY WILL BECOME MUCH RICHER, THOSE WHO HAVE LITTLE AND NOTHING, THERE WILL BE NO CHANGE, IT JUST (MAY) WILL, GET WORSE FOR US!
UNLESS THE COUNTRY, HAVE ANOTHER ELECTION SOON!
bbbarabas 12/10/2017 at 11:05 am · · Reply →
HAVING EXPERIENCED THATCHERS TORY GOVERNMENT, I KNOW WHAT THEY CAN DO TO US!
Mate, these barstewards are getting away with the things that arl cow thatcher used to flick herself off about but never dared carry out. Even major’s govt. had a bit more restraint than this current lot, but in fairness, bliar’s government never discouraged the sort of behaviour & mindset we’re now seeing. Indeed – by not discouraging it, they actually facilitated it.
I am disabled wheelchair bound lady with MS and a serious unstable heart condition i have waited 10 months without any payments whatsoever. No one answers emails or letters at all. MP is waste of space no response whatsoever from him.
Mass Marches needed
Tory Government does not care and it is a despicable abuse of the Human Rights Act
Better off dead
Why can’t this woman go to work? She claims she can’t work because of unspecified mental issues, yet seems compus mentus when interviewed. Surely she can work at the supermarket?
You perhaps don’t have insight into mental illness. It is a worst affliction then physical illness. If she was well enough to work in a supermarket she would be doing it, just stop and think about it!
Who – in their right mind – would employ you with that attitude; and when you can’t even spell ‘compos mentis’ correctly?
Maybe poundland – but only if you worked for your dole.
I’m sure being plunged into abject penury has improved her mental state, eh?