This investigation does appear politically motivated, from the UK organisations who originally called for it and provided the UN with evidence having clear links to the Labour party, to the UK member on the UN Committee deciding to have an inquiry being someone who was appointed to various UK government advisory roles under a Labour government and given a OBE under a Labour government. If the committee as a whole are dupes or politically motivated I don't know, but the committee members are elected with many standing for re-election very soon, to claim decisions made by elected people standing for re-election in the near future can in no way be influenced by politics I think maybe a bit naive. This enquiry is unprecedented for an inquiry to take place in theory requires a very very high threshold of grave and systematic violations of human rights, and evidence and the nation to have not taken action when concerns were raised it seems peculiar to me that the UK is being viewed as in that situation. That the enquiry was made public when it appears that should not have happened and the original timing of the enquiry, interviewing prominent UK government ministers and officials starting in April so it was bound to be public knowledge and be in the news in April with a UK general election May 7th seems either politically timed or a unlikely consequence.
The UN decision is peculiar. Unless of course you think the UK is engaged in grave and systematic human rights violations, that there is clear evidence of this and that the UK government has failed to stop despite concerns being raised, that the UK is so terrible that of all the nations who are signatories the UK need to be investigated and made to answer for its crimes against disabled people. Despite the UK treating the disabled far far better that most of the other signatories treat their disabled including most of the home nations of the UN committee members making the decision to investigate the UK for grave and systematic human rights violations.
I don't know why some Tory supporters are getting so irate about it to be honest,
For example, IF the investigation goes ahead and it concludes that the Tories have not violated peoples human rights, then imagine the bragging rights and smug points that would bring? and all these 'caring conservatives' would be vindicated because the UN will have decided that they (The Tories) are indeed the soft hearted empathetic caring humane people they claim to be,
It would certainly give their almost impossible chance of actually winning an election a substantial boost,
The timing of the enquiry is such that the Coaliton stand accussed of grave and systematic human rights violations before the general election, with the result of the enquiry unknown till after the general election.
As the UK is being judged in isolation in the context of substantial welfare reforms which have disproportionately targetted the disabled, some of which have been ill thought out and have resulted in terrible consequences for some individuals, and the UK government has already been found in UK courts to have acted in some cases in a discriminatory manner with some of its reforms. The finding of the enquiry could well be against the UK government despite the UK being amongst the best as far as how it treats the disabled and disabled rights.
"what do you expect when the boundaries give Labour an advantage"?
Are you in favor of one party having a built in advantage in the electoral system? Would you be so dismissive if the built in advantage was to the Conservatives, if it was we would currently have a Conservative majority government not a coalition.
"what do you expect when we have millions and millions of scroungers demanding that their government doesn't allow them and/or their children to starve to death or be made to live outside"?
Hyperbole and if you think the Labour government will reverse many of the reforms or not make further reforms to cut welfare spending I expect you will be disapointed. But, I guess the main thing for you is Labour has promised to scrap the bedroom tax your bete noire.
"what do you expect when we were stabbed in the back by the limp damps who constantly got in the way and wouldn't let us do everything we wanted to, they actually thought we were serious about them being our partners, didn't they realise that we expected them to take the pay rise the limos and being able to feel what it's like to sit on OUR side of the house, and just damn well be quiet and let the 'proper' political party get on with sorting out the lower orders"?
"if it wasn't for the Limp Damps we would have soon thrashed those scroungers into shape"
You obviously think the LibDems have been far more effective at moderating Conservative policies, than I do. But, then you seem to think the Conservatives are evil to the point of demonic.
"we had to make unpopular and tough decisions" (unpopular and tough for the poorest people in the country anyway)"?
The reality is welfare reform and cuts have been and remain popular with the general public, a vote winner. At the next general election the Conservatives will be promising far harsher welfare reform if they are elected, and Labour is also promising more welfare reform when Labour win which is highly likely.
What is unpopular is that the general public do not on the whole feel better off, while the danger to the economy appears to have reduced and recovery begun. I expect Labour will win due to people remembering that they were or felt better off under Labour. The Conservatives have foolishly let themselves be painted the party of the wealthy. Due to politically stupid policies like cutting the 50% tax rate, and not making a song and dance about all their efforts on cutting tax aviodance and evasion and the successes of those efforts.
"because of the mess we inherited" blah blah blah,;-)
The dire state of the UK when Labour left office, is something that should not be dismissed. Who ever won the 2010 election would have had to make massive cuts in spending, the difference between the spending plans of the two parties at the 2010 election was minimal. Having not won in 2010 Labour never had to reveal where it would massively cut spending, although welfare would have been a large and one of the few viable targets for massive cuts.
Well you could also so that the disabled being hit the hardest by this government is politicallty motivated
Welfare has had the biggest cuts to spending because it is one of if not the only area the government can substantially cut spending without harming the long-term prospects of the nation, and welfare spending is huge in the UK.
The disabled have been dispropotionately hit because they receive a dispropotionate amount of welfare, because they have disporpotionate need or at least eligibilitly for welfare because they are disabled.
The problem with the government reforms and cuts to welfare is in some respects how they have gone about it as far as painting claimants as undeserving and as abusing a benefits system where benefits are too easy to claim and overly generous. They have to a large extent misrepresented the situation to cast the benefits reforms and cuts as a good thing and the Conservatives as doing the right thing.
They have not done the decent thing and done welfare cuts with a tear in the eye and heavy heart as sadly necessary. In at least one EU nation a government minister annoucing welfare cuts was speaking shakingly and cried. While in the UK we have had welfare cuts annouced by ministers with a smile on their face to the cheers and stamping feet of their party celebrating the cuts to the needy, and with the cheer leading support of the newspapers and TV media, and the support of the general public according to the opinion polls. While to those on welfare or who have friends or family on welfare the Conservatives have made themselves look politically motivated and increasingly despicable with the UK it self in some respects appearing to be becoming a harsher and nastier place.
Comments
Well you could also so that the disabled being hit the hardest by this government is politicallty motivated, and the government not being very honest and open about things and ministers keep saying things are not possible when reports make it plain they are possible. So we will just have to wait and see what the UN say with the evidence that they are looking at. As its the evidence that is important. http://www.thefedonline.org.uk/disability-in-the-news/cuts-have-hit-disabled-people-harder-says-equality-watchdog-report/ http://www.thefedonline.org.uk/disability-in-the-news/minister-caught-misleading-government-s-benefits-advisors
As the UK is being judged in isolation in the context of substantial welfare reforms which have disproportionately targetted the disabled, some of which have been ill thought out and have resulted in terrible consequences for some individuals, and the UK government has already been found in UK courts to have acted in some cases in a discriminatory manner with some of its reforms. The finding of the enquiry could well be against the UK government despite the UK being amongst the best as far as how it treats the disabled and disabled rights.
Are you in favor of one party having a built in advantage in the electoral system? Would you be so dismissive if the built in advantage was to the Conservatives, if it was we would currently have a Conservative majority government not a coalition. Hyperbole and if you think the Labour government will reverse many of the reforms or not make further reforms to cut welfare spending I expect you will be disapointed. But, I guess the main thing for you is Labour has promised to scrap the bedroom tax your bete noire. You obviously think the LibDems have been far more effective at moderating Conservative policies, than I do. But, then you seem to think the Conservatives are evil to the point of demonic. The reality is welfare reform and cuts have been and remain popular with the general public, a vote winner. At the next general election the Conservatives will be promising far harsher welfare reform if they are elected, and Labour is also promising more welfare reform when Labour win which is highly likely.
What is unpopular is that the general public do not on the whole feel better off, while the danger to the economy appears to have reduced and recovery begun. I expect Labour will win due to people remembering that they were or felt better off under Labour. The Conservatives have foolishly let themselves be painted the party of the wealthy. Due to politically stupid policies like cutting the 50% tax rate, and not making a song and dance about all their efforts on cutting tax aviodance and evasion and the successes of those efforts.
The dire state of the UK when Labour left office, is something that should not be dismissed. Who ever won the 2010 election would have had to make massive cuts in spending, the difference between the spending plans of the two parties at the 2010 election was minimal. Having not won in 2010 Labour never had to reveal where it would massively cut spending, although welfare would have been a large and one of the few viable targets for massive cuts.
The disabled have been dispropotionately hit because they receive a dispropotionate amount of welfare, because they have disporpotionate need or at least eligibilitly for welfare because they are disabled.
The problem with the government reforms and cuts to welfare is in some respects how they have gone about it as far as painting claimants as undeserving and as abusing a benefits system where benefits are too easy to claim and overly generous. They have to a large extent misrepresented the situation to cast the benefits reforms and cuts as a good thing and the Conservatives as doing the right thing.
They have not done the decent thing and done welfare cuts with a tear in the eye and heavy heart as sadly necessary. In at least one EU nation a government minister annoucing welfare cuts was speaking shakingly and cried. While in the UK we have had welfare cuts annouced by ministers with a smile on their face to the cheers and stamping feet of their party celebrating the cuts to the needy, and with the cheer leading support of the newspapers and TV media, and the support of the general public according to the opinion polls. While to those on welfare or who have friends or family on welfare the Conservatives have made themselves look politically motivated and increasingly despicable with the UK it self in some respects appearing to be becoming a harsher and nastier place.