(no subject)

[mirrorshard]

"The work and pensions secretary, David Blunkett, today urged hundreds of thousands of people on incapacity benefit to stop watching daytime TV and start looking for work."

http://society.guardian.co.uk/socialexclusion/story/0,11499,1588833,00.html

"Mr Blunkett said getting back to work "will overcome depression and stress a lot more than people sitting at home watching daytime television"."

This hardly needs comment, but I think we can now safely say that he's enthusiastically following the Tory^WNew Labour tradition of bashing the unemployed, the poor, the sick, the old, the young, and the abnormal in the hope of getting a quick boost in the polls, on the basis that we wouldn't vote for him anyway.

Comments

[eddie777.livejournal.com]

I hope you do not mind me spreading the word on this one. I had managed to miss it myself. Ye Gods.

[mirrorshard.livejournal.com]

You are, as always, welcome to any word I can offer.

[vashti.livejournal.com]

"stop watching daytime TV"? I can't remember the last time I watched daytime TV. Maybe I should poke Blunkett in the eye with a sharp stick a couple of times, after all, it's not like he'd notice. </look mode="i can make offensive generalisations too">

[hellison.livejournal.com]

He's only jealous because he can't.

What worries me more is that no-one seems to have explained the meaning of 'incapacity' to him.

[sleetersoulfire.livejournal.com]

<lord_snobby voice="indignant"> Sure they have, what.

Means bloody layabout!

Work yourself out of poverty! What. Means I get more profits and become more and more stinking rich through no bloody work at all. Marvelous system really. What.</lord_snobby>

[vashti.livejournal.com]

*makes some incredibly trenchant analysis of the ridiculous system we have where some people are born into positions where they never have to work a day in their lives, and everyone else is forced into labour, or ridiculed and victimised if they aren't able to work. You are all convinced and find yourselves nodding along silently.*

[shuripentu.livejournal.com]

Yeah, and then you should get back into the world of soul-crushing, mind-numbing 9-5 employment because it's so good at lifing your spirits and relieving stress. *eyeroll*

[tiquetoque.livejournal.com]

Pff. No excuse. You think those of us in full-time employment enjoy it?

[mirrorshard.livejournal.com]

It's nice to have the option, though, I'm sure.

[kake]

However much you hate your job, you'd hate it more if you were too ill to do it properly (or at all).

[hellison.livejournal.com]

Yes, but I think the whole *point* of Incapacity Benefit is that you are. for what ever reasons, not able to do just that. The 'incapacity' bit is the clue there I think.

[tiquetoque.livejournal.com]

That wasn't my point ;)

*pulls a Mathew*

[mirrorshard.livejournal.com]

No Mathewing in my journal, or I'll have you ignored ;)

[shuripentu.livejournal.com]

I suspect someone shall have to carve the definition of the word "incapacity" onto a big slab of rock and then drop it on Mr Blunkett's head.

Possibly he thinks that being disabled gives you the right to make sweeping generalisations about disabled people. :p

[vashti.livejournal.com]

Disabled? He's secretary of state for work and pensions! Truly, I should be so disabled.

*coughs something about tokenism*