I know, I know, I shouldn't encourage them. Linking just leads them on. But I just read this article by Daniel Hannan in the Telegraph (Yep, that is "The NHS has been a 60 year mistake" Hannan.) and I laughed so much, I couldn't resist. http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danielhannan/100226375/the-left-has-lost-its-moral-compass-on-welfare/
I have a challenge!! How many inaccuracies can you count in one glorious welfare article? I will include sound-bites-with-no-basis and distorted-statistics.
The winner, with the greatest number of debunked whoppers, with links to the actual information from gov own sources, gets a guest post and open letter, written by me to Mr Hannan, here on Diary of a Benefit Scrounger. This is the finest example of utter nonsense uttered by any MP ever. And it has some competition.
Get stuck in guys!
**Update Meh, seems I was a bit late to the party and Left Foot Forward already gave Hannan a good scorn-lashing in this wonderful article http://www.leftfootforward.org/2013/07/daniel-hannan-wrong-about-everything-on-the-benefit-cap/
When you stop laughing, if you can take any more vindication on a full stomach, heres Jonathan Portes from NIESR putting a fairly, erm, forceful case. https://twitter.com/jdportes
A subtle one that I'm not sure of, but I thought that the most recent polling was far less supportive of welfare cuts.
ReplyDelete3 generations of workless very dubious only 0.1% over two generations with no evidence for 3. http://www.bristol.ac.uk/cmpo/publications/papers/2011/wp278.pdf
ReplyDeleteSam The latest gov stats showed 46% wanted gov to spend more on DISABILITY benefits and only 4% wanted them to spend less. The figure was even more conclusive when asked about carers. As you rightly point out Sam, this counts - he's purposeley vague about which cuts he's referring to that the do public support
ReplyDeleteI also particularly like the "poverty is not simply an absence of money" quote and him referring to the "dole" which hasn't existed for decades, but they're just for fun.
He quotes IDS ‘All those on benefits will see cash increases in every year of the Parliament.’not a lie, a distortion, failing of course to explain that this means people will be WORSE off as the amount will be less than inflation,
Hmmmmm! Ok, let's say the government is only half lying. That still means they are targeting the most vulnerable people in the country as a reason for the national debt. I mean, F**K OFF already!! How pathetically smug does Daniel Hannan look anyway. It's like he has just proved that you really WAS LYING, you benefit scrounging scum! ER, no Daniel, YOU ARE LYING, you journal headline scrounging scum. Go die a painful death, that will hopefully wipe the sad smile off your misguided vindictive nasty little self-satisfied mummy's boy face.
ReplyDeletethey want use gone quietly but are mustering a fight back nhs they are very quickly through the back door privitising it with that Unum selling policys to us to cover our stay in hospital hold didn't they get thrown of a lot of states in usa for not honouring their policys but yet are there admineristing their policys through government yep a very caring one at that jeff3
ReplyDeleteIt doesn’t really matter what you say about the lies and deceit proffered by the popular press and MP/MEP’s, the sad truth is people need someone to blame for the mess we seem to be in and the politician’s along with press that was allowed to get off scott free from all the charges brought against them and had no legal restrictions placed on them in the end in exchange for doing the condems dirty work for them.
ReplyDeleteOne fantastic example of fair play by the media was the BBC “We all pay your benefits” on Monday
With carefully picked out claimant’s two of whom would definitely make everybody agree with the welfare benefit cuts but this can only be expected from the BBC since it is run by and for the benefit of the party in power at the time.
If the conditions of getting a job in politics or journalism was honesty, integrity and complete impartiality then very,very few would be in either job right now.