Daily Heil’s Scottish Political Editor and Churnalist Alan Roden conflates Glasgow Against Atos peaceful protest with acts of violence following so-called ‘Left-wing campaign against welfare reform’

GAA DAILY HEIL

THE Daily Heil’s Scottish Political Editor has today ascribed alleged acts of criminal violence to a ‘Left-wing campaign against welfare reform’.

He writes that ‘Medical Experts’ are being assaulted for carrying out tests on benefit claimants to ‘discover’ if they are fit for work!

At 12.17 today during Prime Minister’s Question’s Michael McCann (Lab, East Kilbride) caused widespread laughter when he asked Cammers whether AtoS has found “Richard III fit to work”.

Cameron typically ducked the question by replying that he hopes the discovery of the former monarch’s remains will engender “deeper historical understanding“. 

Roden dismisses the Scottish Daily Record’s campaign for justice for sick and/or disabled people as nothing less than the rantings of the ‘Left-wing press’. 

Kieran+McArdle+with+picture+of+his+late+father

Pictured: Keiran McArdle who lost his Dad to AtoS

As Black Triangle’s Joe Kane has so succinctly stated:

‘Notice the Daily Mail propagandist, Alan Rodent, deliberately conflates perfectly peaceful legitimate activity in a liberal democracy, such as participating in online public forums and taking part in peaceful protests outside AtoS buildings, with criminal activity.

‘George Orwell wouldn’t be surprised.

‘There is not a shred of evidence of violence or criminal involvement in any anti-ESA activism anywhere.

‘This article proves nothing except there were 51 incidents in 3 months associated with people who happen to work for Atos’

No proof is provided for Roden’s assertions, either from the Police or the Procurator Fiscal. 

In fact, the figures are AtoS’s own and originate from the Scottish Parliament’s Welfare Reform Committee report on their fact-finding visit to the AtoS processing centre at York Place in Edinburgh

Roden’s article is in fact a piece of ‘churnalism’ lifted from an article by Alan Robertson in the Scottish Parliament’s in-house magazine ‘Holyrood’.

He makes the point that the Atos so called ‘Medical Experts’ require to strictly follow orders in  applying U.K. Government rules when testing ‘benefit claimants’. So that’s alright then.

Coming to the ‘Medical Expert’ nonsense, this is from a recent Freedom of Information request:

‘In response to your questions; the training and qualifications held by HCP’s in disability assessment are not recognised by the European Qualifications (Health and Social Care Professions) Regulations 2007 or by any such legislation.

‘There is no information to indicate that HCP Training or qualifications HCP’s receive from DWP/Medical Services in disability assessment are recognised by statute in the UK, or EU Regulations nor that they receive any recognition from any UK or EU academic institutions. 

‘In reviewing your request I uphold the decision of the Freedom of Information Officer in part, and have added information where appropriate. I am therefore satisfied now that all the information that DWP are able to supply to you has been supplied.

‘If you have any queries about this letter please contact me quoting the reference number above’

Yours sincerely, DWP Central FoI Team

Roden alleges that some politicians ‘including some in the Labour Party who are unable to speak out publicly’ are ‘furious’ that AtoS workers are being ‘demonised‘! 

Now the perpetrators have become victims in Daily Heil Land.

It is the position of this campaign that no self-respecting ‘Health Care Professional’ should prostitute their skills by participating in ‘systems and policies that cause avoidable harm to some of the weakest and most vulnerable members of our society’ as the BMA put it demanding an end to the Work Capability Assessment régime.

The General Medical Council’s ethical and professional guide ‘Good Medical Practice: Duties of a doctor‘ states at (6):

‘If you have good reason to think that patient safety is or may be seriously compromised by inadequate premises, equipment, or other resources, policies or systems, you should put the matter right if that is possible.’

‘In all other cases you should draw the matter to the attention of your employing or contracting body. If they do not take adequate action, you should take independent advice on how to take the matter further. You must record your concerns and the steps you have taken to try to resolve them.’

Since the BMA have called for the system to be scrapped we would suggest that the way to take the matter further is now to withdraw one’s labour from AtoS. 

We say that this ethical obligation applies to all Health Care Professionals. Receiving blood money from AtoS for carrying out these ‘tests’ is a shameful betrayal of your respective professions and your own consciences. 

As Yehuda Bauer said of the Holocaust:

“I come from a people who gave the Ten Commandments to the world.

“Time has come to strengthen them by three additional ones, which we ought to adopt and commit ourselves to:

“thou shall not be a perpetrator; thou shall not be a victim; and thou shall never, but never, be a bystander.”

Roden writes that ‘the burden on taxpayers soared’ under the last Labour government.

Nazi-Eugenics-Poster

It costs as much to keep a disabled person for a day as the living costs to keep a whole family
It costs as much to keep a disabled person for a day as the living costs to keep a whole family

 

As Joe Kane writes:

“The burden to taxpayers” 

– The language used in Nazi propaganda comes so easy to DM writers. It’s almost their in-house style and the way they think about the world.

Black Triangle is a proud member of the Glasgow Against Atos alliance and we will continue to fight together – united in truth and solidarity – until AtoS and the Work Capability Assessment régime is brought crashing down into the sewer of the more shameful episodes of our history.

And we will continue to expose the filthy lies and propaganda of the Right-wing Fascist press.

As for the Tory MSP Alex Johnstone’s breathtakingly perverse comment about ‘rabble-rousers’ needing to examine their consciences we can only reply:

“YOU AIN’T SEEN NOTHING YET!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12 thoughts on “Daily Heil’s Scottish Political Editor and Churnalist Alan Roden conflates Glasgow Against Atos peaceful protest with acts of violence following so-called ‘Left-wing campaign against welfare reform’

  1. JEFFREY says:

    to all atos so called doctors or as i say killers,be where you have killed 10,000 of us you will be next whre not having it anymore.you are a disgrace to do what you do and you say your being demonised wellcome to hell now you know what it feels like,take it like a man you cowards .. jeff ..

  2. jeffery davies says:

    you all signed the oath to protect life but now think a fast buck will releave you of your responsabiltys but then money means mre than life but to say sick attacking doctors with whot just anothing atos medical tinpot trying to make a name for themselves who among us has the stenght to do it jeff3

  3. GEOFF REYNOLDS says:

    Personally, i consider any nurse, doctor or physio working for ATOS in conjunction wIth DWP, to be the lowest of the lowest.
    Any person who intentionally falsifies a medical examination to the detriment of someone carrying a disability should be criticized strongly. The allure of easy money, resulting in the denial of benefit to a claimant is, in itself, a heinous and unforgivable act. They are nothing more than opportunist thieves who violate the trust that has been bestowed upon them as medical practitioners.
    Any member of a media organization who distorts the truth for political gain, is lower than those mentioned earlier. Propaganda is a finely honed weapon to alleviate the truth, sadly when the truth is distorted to bring misery to the weakest in our society, this becomes a crime…..
    During wartime propaganda is used to unite nations, the flip side hides what is really happening behind the scenes. The nazis were marvelous at suppressing the truth from its people, As are British governments.
    Free speech is vital as it challenges, filters and rewrites the total crap that we are fed each day. Some media supports the people. They cannot be given enough praise, we owe them, as we do you.
    Keep up the good work.

  4. jay says:

    65,000 tests and only 51 alleged violent incidents equals 0.1% of the total tested involved in alleged violence.

    Front page headlines for a measly 0.1%

    What this pathetic excuse for journalism also fails to state that the WCA process forces people with severe depression, anxiety, schizophrenia etc to go through these tests hardly surprising their is going to be some violence but the figures show how minimal it is.

    But of course there are no reports or front page news about the victims of Atos and DWP, those left with no hope, sanctioned and plunged into destitution, those that gave up hope and couldn’t face living anymore.

    This article is nothing more than the RANTINGS OF A RIGHT WING BIGOTED JOURNALIST. (i’m loathe to even call it journalism it’s more like trashy pulp fiction)

    Funny how you don’t hear much about the implementation of the Leveson report nowadays.

  5. Kelpiemare says:

    Methinks someone is worried about the protests against Atos, UNUM’s foul expertise, welfare reform and all the excessive self-righteous bletherings of Iain Duncan-Smith. Why else would the Daily Spewgle print anything about our forums and protests?

    Keep up the pressure. Leaflet posting next.

    NO PASARAN

  6. Hootsmon says:

    I AGREE WITH WHAT ” JEFF REYNOLDS ” SAIS ABOVE IN THAT THESE SO CALLED DRS , NURSES , PHYSIOS WORKING FOR THE DWP ARE THE LOWEST OF THE LOW ..WELL SAID JEFF TOTALLY IN AGREEMENT ..AND ILL ADD THEYRE ALL SCABS FOR WORKING FOR ALSO A TORY GOVERNMENT WHOM DONT EVEN GET ANY VOTES AT ALL FROM SCOTLAND ..AS THE SAYING GOES WHICH IS SO FACT IS THAT THERE ARE MORE PANDAS IN EDINBURGH ZOO THAN TORYS IN SCOTLAND . AS FOR THESE SO CALLED ASSAULTS IVE NEVER READ ABOUT ONE SINGLE ASSAULT ON ANY ATOS WORKER BUT ITS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME
    AND I WONT HAVE AN OUNCE OF CONSCIENCE FOR ANY OF THEM SCABS AT ALL.

  7. GEOFF REYNOLDS says:

    THE WORD DOLLAR SHOULD BE REPLACED WITH THE WORD, “VICTIM”, BECAUSE EACH AND EVERY DAY, THE MORTALITY STATISTICS RISE DUE TO THE EXCEPTIONAL MURDERING REGIME OF THE DISABLED COMMUNITY………………………….

    IF YO HAVE A MENTAL OR PHYSICAL PROBLEM, COUNT YOURSELF AS DEAD MEAT IN OUR GOVERNMENTS CULL OF THOSE LESS ABLE TO FIGHT BACK………….

    ATOS IS THE CHOSEN SLAYER OF THOSE LESS FORTUNATE………………..

    EMPLOYED BY THE DWP TO ELIMINATE COST ABOVE ALL ELSE. I HAVE WITNESSED THE EVIL AND ARE STILL PERSECUTED AND TORTURED FOR MY HANDICAP…………….

    NOBODY CAN SURVIVE ON £32 32P PER WEEK, LET ALONE MY PARTNER AND TWO KIDS WITH A DISABLED FOR LIFE FATHER…………… ME!

    THEY AIM TO KILL ME, TO ENSURE MY SILENCE OF THE HORRORS THEY ARE TRYING, AND SUCCEEDING TO INFLICT………………………….

    IF ANYTHING WAS TO HAPPEN TO ME,PLEASE FEEL FREE TO INVESTIGATE THE EVIL OF OUR STATE ON THOSE LESS FORTUNATE.

    EVERY ARTICLE I HAVE WRITTEN IS A MEMORIAL, A TESTAMENT, TO THE TWISTED AGENDA OF OUR GOVERNMENT IN THE HOLD OF THE PRIVATE HEALTH INSURERS AGENDA.

    MY GRAVE WILL BE ALL THE PROOF YOU NEED THAT A CONSPIRACY TO KILL, EVER EXISTED.

    I HOPE IT WILL BE OF USE TO THOSE WHO OUTLIVE MY CAUSE, THE VICTIMS OF ATOS………………………………………………….

  8. ian says:

    Hang on in there Geoff,it looks like someone in Europe is looking into this Governments appalling treatment of the disabled.

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