Universal Credit (UC) officials have orchestrated an elaborate PR campaign to counter the exposure of their sorry excuse for a welfare system.
Internal documents were leaked to the Disabled People Against Cuts (Dpac) campaign.
They show a plan to release fake pro-UC “articles” and to have a wraparound ad for UC on the free Metro newspaper. The Metro ad is costing £250,000 of public money.
The news made me sick—and angry.
As a disabled lone parent of a disabled child I stand to lose at least £400 a month when we’re transferred to UC.
This little bit of money keeps us afloat. One aspect of this is carer’s allowance (CA). New UC rules mean we can’t claim CA as well as the disability element of UC for our own needs.
This doesn’t change the fact that my child has complex needs and needs constant one to one care, or that I am a parent carer.
I can’t drive due to medical conditions and medication.
I rely on taxis to get to the many and varied medical appointments and consultations me and my son need to attend.
Some weeks there are more than four appointments.
A trip to the clinic to pick up my son’s prescription, due to it being for a controlled drug, costs
£10 each way. Followed by a trip to the pharmacy, it can cost upwards of £40 in taxi fares.
That’s not considering the costs of the equipment my son needs and the maintenance of it, or adaptations my disabilities require.
The government is lying and the mainstream media is ignoring the issue. That terrifies me and it should terrify you because when they’re done with disabled and low income earners, you will be next.
On 31 May Dpac is calling on comrades to remove the Metro. We will beat this or die trying. I prefer option A. Join me.
Jennifer Jones
Dpac Sheffield
A man who failed a lie detector test on the Jeremy Kyle show killed himself shortly afterwards.
The only surprise is that this has not happened before.
The Jeremy Kyle show played on the basest emotions with bourgeois morality as its framework.
It was always the poorest and least educated elements of the working class who appeared on his show, consciously reinforcing the “chav” image.
Wherever Jeremy Kyle appears he should be hounded and never left to forget his anti-working class behaviour.
John Curtis
Ipswich
It’s good to know that royals spend the money we give them so wisely.
Former Financial Times journalist Lucy Kellaway spent a night in London’s most expensive hotel room, courtesy of the paper’s Travel Section.
The previous guest had been a royal—spending five nights at the Mandarin Oriental’s penthouse for £210,000.
We will never know if the royal was as underwhelmed as Kellaway was by the atmosphere of “sterility, drabness and vulgarity”. But it’s unlikely she or he was as surprised as Kellaway by the £34 bill for breakfast the next morning.
Alan Gibson
East London
Donald Trump will no doubt get a very warm welcome from protesters in London on 4 June.
We’d also like to give him the welcome he deserves the next day in Portsmouth.
Trump is coming here to muscle in on the commemorations for the 75th anniversary of D-Day.
In Portsmouth Stand Up To Racism we feel it is outrageous that a man who has encouraged the far right should be here when those who fought are being remembered. Trump has united many people against him—feminists, anti-racists, climate change activists and peace campaigners.
So we hope that lots of people will join us in Guildhall Square to protest against the presence of this despicable man.
Join our day of protest and celebration of multiculturalism and anti-racism.
It’s everything that Trump hates.
Penny Foskett
Portsmouth
The BBC concerned about racism—that’s a laugh.
It gives Nigel Farage peak viewing time ad nauseum and invited Nazi Nick Griffin to have a cosy chat and broadcast his filth.
When does the BBC ever broadcast positive reports about Travellers, Muslims, immigrants or other working class people?
Muslims regularly feed homeless people—is this ever on the BBC?
Travellers are invisible except if there’s a negative story. Working class people generally do not exist.
When does the BBC report the massive demonstrations there have been lately against racism and fascism?
I’ve been on them so I know they happened.
We are living in a time when racism has been made respectable and mainstream, and the BBC has played its part in bringing us here.
Julia Richardson
Swansea
Prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union, Socialist Worker’s strapline was, “Neither Washington nor Moscow but International Socialism.”
With much of the left pinning their hopes on the European Union to deliver reform, is it time we re-emphasise that we are international socialists and proud of it?
Name and address provided
Only a democratically-run and socially controlled energy system will make the huge changes needed to avoid climate chaos.
@OxSWP
On Twitter
Ukip’s Carl Benjamin claims to be a liberal, but mostly covers pseudo-intellectual alt-right talking points.
I’ve yet to see him talk about any real socioeconomic issues and I’ve watched quite a few of his videos.
Jacob Nicholls
On Facebook
Nigel Farage is an opportunist racist (Brexit Party rally—perfume can’t hide scent of money and a dash of racism, Socialist Worker 15 May).
Cindy Houseman
South Yorkshire
Stuart Marr
On Facebook
Theresa May has to be forced out, but not because of Brexit.
While the world’s media waffles about that, the Tories carry on dreaming up ways to hurt the working class.
They’ve got to go now.
Catherine Hill
North London
@TeddyArgentum
On Twitter
Cops mishandled Nicola Bulley's personal information
Solidarity with the Elbit 8
Plus Hong Kong Palestine protests
Don’t ban Palestine march in his name
