Lord Freud 'Disabled people not worth paying the minimum wage'

tony321tony321 Posts: 10,594
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According to the employment minister disabled people are only worth paying £2 an hour, totally shameful and proves what a nasty , vicious Tory party are in government
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  • paulschapmanpaulschapman Posts: 35,536
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    tony321 wrote: »
    According to the employment minister disabled people are only worth paying £2 an hour, totally shameful and proves what a nasty , vicious Tory party are in government
    No it proves what a totally shameful and proves what a nasty , vicious Lord Freud is being making the comment. Otherwise what he says is cobblers - it depends on the nature of the disability what work and it's pay is.

    Personally it drives me nuts when comments like this are made because people like you paint the entire party rather than just the stupid ignorant person who made the comment.
  • tony321tony321 Posts: 10,594
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    No it proves what a totally shameful and proves what a nasty , vicious Lord Freud is being making the comment. Otherwise what he says is cobblers - it depends on the nature of the disability what work and it's pay is.

    Personally it drives me nuts when comments like this are made because people like you paint the entire party rather than just the stupid ignorant person who made the comment.

    Sorry but a government minister in that department represents the government
  • trevgotrevgo Posts: 28,241
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    Freud is an utter liability and should have been sidelined long, long ago.

    Cameron has himself to blame for this one.
  • Rastus PiefaceRastus Pieface Posts: 4,382
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    tony321 wrote: »
    Sorry but a government minister in that department represents the government

    rubbish. that would mean that the labour party are a bunch of racists because of what that idiot dianne abbot says.

    as for lord freud, he should be sacked (if thats possible). what he has said is disgusting.
  • RichievillaRichievilla Posts: 6,179
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    David Freud is a nasty, incompetent piece of work in my opinion, up there with the likes of Duncan Smith, McVey and Purnell.

    Although the Tory led coalition has failed huge numbers of disabled people I don't think that you can tarnish all of their mp's with this brush, although Phillip Davies said something similar back in 2011 so I also doubt that it is an isolated view.

    Freud should never have been given his original post by Labour but he should have been sacked a long time ago imo.
  • donovan5donovan5 Posts: 1,023
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    He didn't "exactly" say that,he just responded to a question that suggested it.(Don't know why the questioner isn't also getting pelters).
    The suggestion was that some peoples disability is stopping them getting employment at minimum wage levels.

    That said Freud comes across as a complete idiot,the fact that he can come out with such statements apparently oblivious that they will be picked up on,makes me scared that he is in a position of power.
  • Jol44Jol44 Posts: 21,048
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    At least he has the balls to say what most Tories think..
  • oathyoathy Posts: 32,639
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    trevgo wrote: »
    Freud is an utter liability and should have been sidelined long, long ago.

    Cameron has himself to blame for this one.

    I completely agree Cameron can do the UK a favour and just sack this Muppet
    he's totally clueless and has this tunnel vision of what he deems is "acceptable"
    Guessing IDS would like to keep the guy around for obvious reasons
  • JackKlugmanJackKlugman Posts: 5,362
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    Lord Freud has been the architect with IDS of the changes on the walfare system over the last 4 years. Ie assessing the disabled and pushing them into work when they are not ready or able.

    His comments provide some ideological background on the decisions he has taken and why he took them.

    I would not worry though Nick Farrari will have him on LBC tomorrow and spin the story nicely for the Government.
  • oathyoathy Posts: 32,639
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  • tiger2000tiger2000 Posts: 8,541
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    Jol44 wrote: »
    At least he has the balls to say what most Tories think..

    Apparently he suggested a rate of £2/hour at the meeting. He is the real face of the Tories. Stuffing their pockets with taxpayers cash form subsidies that privatised companies get whilst at the same time preaching to the 'great unwashed' about getting something for nothing.
  • plateletplatelet Posts: 26,383
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    donovan5 wrote: »
    He didn't "exactly" say that,he just responded to a question that suggested it.(Don't know why the questioner isn't also getting pelters).

    For context:
    David Scott, a Tory councillor from Tunbridge Wells. had said: “The other area I’m really concerned about is obviously the disabled. I have a number of mentally damaged individuals, who to be quite frank aren’t worth the minimum wage, but want to work. And we have been trying to support them in work, but you can’t find people who are willing to pay the minimum wage.

    “We had a young man who was keen to do gardening; now the only way we managed to get him to work was actually setting up a company for him, because as a director in a company we didn’t have to pay the minimum wage, we could actually give him the earnings from that. But trying to maintain his support and allow him to work, which he wanted to do, so to stay with benefits, and stay with some way of managing to continue on in that way. And I think yes, those are marginal areas but they are critical of actually keeping people who want to work supported in that process. And it’s how do you deal with those sort of cases?”

    Freud replied “You make a really good point about the disabled. Now I had not thought through, and we have not got a system for, you know, kind of going below the minimum wage.

    “But we do have … you know, universal credit is really useful for people with the fluctuating conditions who can do some work – go up and down – because they can earn and get … and get, you know, bolstered through universal credit, and they can move that amount up and down.

    “Now, there is a small … there is a group, and I know exactly who you mean, where actually as you say they’re not worth the full wage and actually I’m going to go and think about that particular issue, whether there is something we can do nationally, and without distorting the whole thing, which actually if someone wants to work for £2 an hour, and it’s working can we actually…”

    Scott: “They particularly want to work because it does add so much to their lives…”

    Freud: “Yes.”

    Scott: “…Being able to do something. And being employed in a job gives them so much self-esteem, but nobody is willing to pay that minimum wage. And then we’re supporting them massively financially, but we also want them to work, for their own self-esteem and everything else.”
  • delegate zerodelegate zero Posts: 2,632
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    rubbish. that would mean that the labour party are a bunch of racists because of what that idiot dianne abbot says.

    as for lord freud, he should be sacked (if thats possible). what he has said is disgusting.

    Is Diane Abbot a minister?
  • JackKlugmanJackKlugman Posts: 5,362
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    If you allow the private sector to pay the disabled £2 a hour then they will need state funded support to live. They will be working fulltime for nothing.

    Disgusting
  • rusty123rusty123 Posts: 22,872
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    It's an emotive topic but one that has to be debated. Not so much around the public sector where it's all tax payers money whether thats wages or working tax credits making up a balance, or even for larger companies who could easily absorb the cost and probably wouldn't want the bad PR anyway - but how do you get smaller employers to take on staff with diminished abilities/productivity?

    Westminster needs to drop the politics, face the stark reality of the real world and debate it like adults rather than playing all their stupid games
  • rusty123rusty123 Posts: 22,872
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    If you allow the private sector to pay the disabled £2 a hour then they will need state funded support to live. They will be working fulltime for nothing.

    Disgusting

    It wasn't about ALL disabled people so get it in some perspective
  • TardisSteveTardisSteve Posts: 8,077
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    tony321 wrote: »
    According to the employment minister disabled people are only worth paying £2 an hour, totally shameful and proves what a nasty , vicious Tory party are in government

    Freud is a vile person, if David Cameron has any decency left he will sack him, then again he probably agrees with him, wouldnt surprise me, people need to paid equally, you cant pay someone less because they are disabled, it is discrimination and is just plain wrong.
  • BanglaRoadBanglaRoad Posts: 57,564
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    rusty123 wrote: »
    It wasn't about ALL disabled people so get it in some perspective

    The idea of paying anyone £2 is obscene and it shows the mindset of the person who suggested it and those who would give it tacit support
  • wazzyboywazzyboy Posts: 13,346
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    rusty123 wrote: »
    It's an emotive topic but one that has to be debated. Not so much around the public sector where it's all tax payers money whether thats wages or working tax credits making up a balance, or even for larger companies who could easily absorb the cost and probably wouldn't want the bad PR anyway - but how do you get smaller employers to take on staff with diminished abilities/productivity?

    Westminster needs to drop the politics, face the stark reality of the real world and debate it like adults rather than playing all their stupid games

    Diminished productivity? Lots of ways that could come to be defined that have nothing to do with disability. Thin end of the wedge....
  • edwinbotedwinbot Posts: 326
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    I think the context of this remark is important. He was responding to a question which gave him a real life situation of someone willing to work but unable to find someone willing to pay him, presumably due to lower productivity. In these low number of examples why shouldn't they brainstorm potential solutions one of which being for a state supplement so the person can work if it's their choice.

    The end result is they are being paid the minimum wage and working which is their choice rather than the alternative of needing to find some other way to fill their day.

    Implementation may mean it's not feasable but in terms of acknowledging there is an issue and starting a process to finding a means to address it I fail to see the problem.
  • PrestonAlPrestonAl Posts: 10,342
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    BanglaRoad wrote: »
    The idea of paying anyone £2 is obscene and it shows the mindset of the person who suggested it and those who would give it tacit support

    I agree. Money should be given to the businesses to subsidise the disabled person, thus making him feel his worth is that of the minimum wage.
  • TardisSteveTardisSteve Posts: 8,077
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    rusty123 wrote: »
    It wasn't about ALL disabled people so get it in some perspective

    it is still wrong, they should still be paid equally, not discriminated against
  • MeepersMeepers Posts: 5,502
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    tony321 wrote: »
    According to the employment minister disabled people are only worth paying £2 an hour, totally shameful and proves what a nasty , vicious Tory party are in government
    No it doesn't. It proves the views of 1 individual.

    If the views of 1 person represent a whole party, then all parties are screwed
  • Pisces CloudPisces Cloud Posts: 30,239
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    No it proves what a totally shameful and proves what a nasty , vicious Lord Freud is being making the comment. Otherwise what he says is cobblers - it depends on the nature of the disability what work and it's pay is.

    Personally it drives me nuts when comments like this are made because people like you paint the entire party rather than just the stupid ignorant person who made the comment.

    I'd bet before anyone knew who said this they'd guess it would be a Tory.
  • tony321tony321 Posts: 10,594
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    Meepers wrote: »
    No it doesn't. It proves the views of 1 individual.

    If the views of 1 person represent a whole party, then all parties are screwed

    Spin it how you want, decent , caring people will know what is going on with this government and their views on the disabled and vulnerable
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