Latent Existence Blog
The Spartacus Campaign has sometimes been viewed as a little too ‘moderate’ and conciliatory in some quarters. Now, if Hoban refused to meet with Black Triangle we would not bat an eyelid. It would be wise for them not to! However, to refuse to meet with Spartacus is just utterly preposterous. It just goes to show that good manners and moderate speech are wasted on these barbarians now usurping power in our country.
All the more reason for us to say as one people:
Solidarity with Spartacus! We are all Spartacus! ~ Black Triangle Campaign
Posted on March 21, 2013 on Latentexistence 12 Comments
Latent Existence
The government has cited one line in the guest foreward of a review of the work capability assessment as the reason why it refuses to meet with representatives of sick and disabled people. The line they objected to referred to wounded soldiers being sent back to the front by the Nazis.
As Michael Meacher MP said in Parliament
“This work is evidence based, uses the DWP’s figures wherever possible, has never been challenged on accuracy.”
He pointed out that it has been used by the Work and Pensions select committee, the joint committee on human rights, and in many parliamentary debates.
Mark Hoban, Minister of State for Work and Pensions, refused to meet Meacher to talk about the Work Capability Assessment and he flatly refused to meet representatives of We Are Spartacus. In Michael Meacher’s own words:
He simply replied blankly “I’m not seeing you”, and repeated it 3 0r 4 times. I kept on insisting ‘Why not?’ and finally he said “I’m not seeing Spartacus”.
Again I was taken aback and asserted that in my view Spartacus had analysed hundreds of cases, prepared a very detailed and thoughtful analysis of the implications arising from these cases, and even if he disagreed strongly for whatever reasons it was his responsibility to meet them.
To this he simply kept repeating “I’m not meeting Spartacus”.
Michael Meacher took it to the speaker of the house and arranged a debate to face Hoban in Parliament. Hoban didn’t turn up. Instead he send Esther McVey, Minister for Disabled People. Who publicly refused to meet disabled people.
The reason given, eventually, was that it
“wouldn’t be constructive”.
The evidence presented was one sentence from the guest foreward of The People’s Review of the Work Capability Assessment.
‘The process is reminiscent of the medical tribunals that returned shell shocked and badly wounded soldiers to duty in the first world war or the ‘KV-machine’, the medical commission the Nazis used in the second world war to play down wounds so that soldiers could be reclassified ‘fit for the Eastern front’
– Guest Foreward to The People’s Review of the Work Capability Assessment by Professor Peter Beresford OBE, BA Hons, PhD, AcSS, FRSA, Dip WP, Professor of Social Policy, Brunel University
The government have essentially invoked Godwin’s Law to get out of meeting the most effective campaign against their welfare policy. They are afraid, desperate, and grabbing at any way out they can find.
Please sign the WOW petition to call for a cumulative impact assessment of the government’s welfare reforms.
Michael Meacher MP: DWP Ministers run frit of seeing delegation on Atos Healthcare
Benefit Scrounging Scum: Polite? Constructive? Request to meet with Minister Mark Hoban 10/2012
A Latent Existence: Godwin’s Law Must Die
We Are Spartacus: The People’s Review of the Work Capability Assessment
8 Responses
“Work frees you.” Iain Duncan Smith, on Question Time and Radio 4, that is fact, not Godwin.
I watched the debate yesterday..I commend Michael Meacher MP and John McDonall MP for their persistance in the face of (that ditsy blonde) Esther McVey, Minister for Disabled People (who was tripping over her own tongue most of the time with loads of ers and ums etc) and as to the excuse that mark hoban couldn’t make it to the debate becouse the plane he was on had engine trouble and had to turn back i find as beliveable as pigs flying under their own power. and i bet that mark hoban didn’t pay for the plane ticket out of his own pocket(if he was on a plane at all)..mark hoban just doesn’t want to face the truth of what he and other ministers are doing to disabled people…Again I commend Michael Meacher MP and John McDonall MP for the work they are doing trying to bring to the attention of MPs and others the plight of disabled people undergoing WCA.. keep up the fantastic work your doing Michael and John (you will get there in the end), if anyone should be running this country it the both of you…
Stop pissing around and invoke the United Nations International Bill of rights on the grounds of Domicide . This Government want`s to be smart assed with laws then take them on with their own method .
well done michael meacher and john mc donnell you are both a credit to us disabled who are fighting this government and ATOS as well as the department for works and pensions..i never watched the debate but i listened to the recordings..keep up the good work you are doing we need to bring this government down ..if an election was called tomorrow my vote would well and trually go to you two you helping us in every way you can our fight goes on in every way ..mark hoban and co have no real idea how to run there depatments or know the effects on all us disabled peoples lives …we should not be classed as a minority for this governments book of lies.
Well there isn’t much to add to that, the lack of MPs probably isn’t unusual for an adjournment debate, but for the minister to duck out just shows his lack of back bone. To use a couple of accurate hard hitting sentences as an excuse to exclude discussion about the rest of this report is nonsense. I get the impresssion the government are playing for time hoping the assessment of long standing incapacity benefit claimants is completed before they start on DLA. I really do feel sorry for anyone unlucky enough to become ill or disabled in the future.
The British were shooting their soldiers for cowardice if they would not go back out to fight , they are not in a position to say they acted in a more compassionate manner what have they got too be offended about?
Sorry folks,been through this all before this all started! I led a campaign on my own against something similar, out of 500 people i got 200 behind me! It wasnt enough! It nearly put me in my grave, there was lying ect cost me my job, well paid! I was at the front, and was let down! By people who didnt even have the balls to follow, they just dont get it? the strengh to beat this country on any subject” is standing together, but iiiin history, it never happened! And it wont now, until we stand together, all this bullshit would come to an end tomorrow, if everyone had the balls to get together once and for all! We could bring all this so called government to a halt in a day! I aint going to do this again as im pissed off with people moaning,but doing fuckall. So as long as you just follow, fuckall will be done, so dont moan, do something! Respect to the creators of this site. pity about the followers!
Ps I Took on the knight of the realm worth 200 million, i didnt win, as was on my own! But i changed his life and company forever!