Today a Tory minister apologised for a comment that was made
in a party conference fringe meeting. He apologised unreservedly, ‘I would like
to offer a full and unreserved apology. I was foolish to accept the premise of
the question. To be clear, all disabled people should be paid at least the
minimum wage, without exception, and I accept that it is offensive to suggest
anything else.’ Unreservedly I say, all disabled people should be paid at least
the minimum wage because that is what the
law says and apparently the general public agree, but I still don’t necessarily
think that they are worth it, as I said earlier.
Yep, that’s right. He pulled the old ‘I’m sorry you’re upset’
trick. And it seems that Labour, spotting that cunning little switch as well, have
rejected his apology.
Apart from the obvious concern that someone who holds such
disgusting opinions is trusted to contribute to the protection and development
of our country’s benefits system, this sense of ‘less than’ leaves a bad taste
in the mouth especially when considered in the context of the bigger picture.
Delays in disability payments and higher numbers of job-seekers
sanctions will be pushing some unemployed to the limit. If we start to stray
into the dangerous territory of ‘less than’ we will see the divide in our
culture increase; with some of the most vulnerable members of our society being
told they aren’t worth the minimum wage and the lifestyle that can buy you, no
matter how basic that may be.
So farcical though this episode may seem, no matter how much
like a ridiculous 50s sitcom, we can’t let the laughter mask the ugly truth that
a man, senior in our Government held these views, when he was in a position to
do something about it.
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