Autistic teen writes to Tory toffs demanding resignation over brutal benefit cuts

Last Updated: March 26, 2016By
Posting his letters: Brandon Cran.

Posting his letters: Brandon Cran.

Brandon Cran, the autistic Scottish teenager who has written to berate David Cameron and George Osborne for their “ableist” policies, is to be praised.

He told the two greedy politicians their bid to take even more from people already struggling to make their disability benefits cover their costs had made him fearful for his family’s future.

Brandon has to younger disabled brothers – Kainan, 12, and Oaklin, nine – who suffer from autism, among other health issues.

Less praiseworthy is the Daily Record’s willingness to accept pro-government claptrap – for example, the nonsense about the Work-Related Activity Group of Employment and Support Allowance being for claimants who are “trying to work”.

Let’s be clear: It isn’t.

The WRAG is for people who are not fit for work, but may become fit in the near future. Run properly, it would provide support that would keep people mentally prepared to return to the workplace – but of course it isn’t run properly and many people have been wrongly placed in the WRAG when they needed longer-term assistance.

There are many other people who have fallen ill, claimed ESA, got better and returned to work, though. They are described as part of the regular “churn” of claimants.

The Conservatives have been trying to muddy the difference between those who are unfit for work but taking part in preparatory exercises for when they are able to do so, and those who can work and are seeking employment. That is one reason the difference between ESA-WRAG payments and JSA has been eliminated.

But you would be a fool to accept what they are saying.

In his letter posted to Osborne at HM Treasury, the teenager, from Aberdeen, said his treatment of the disabled stripped away their “dignity and sense of worth”. Brandon added: “No one should promote ableism to balance the books and to keep the money flowing for the most wealthy.”

In another letter posted to the PM at 10 Downing Street, Brandon said the threat to PIP was just the latest in an ongoing “public attack” against the disabled, which has included cuts to Employment and Support Allowance for those trying to work, and £4.6billion of cuts to social care in the past five years.

In his letter to Cameron, Brandon said: “Your party has and does promote ableism by publicly attacking disabled people year after year to balance the books when people like me and my brothers and millions more face the fear of being left financially broken. More importantly, we are left to face life feeling worthless as a person and no one should feel like that.”

Source: Autistic teenager writes letters to Tory Toffs Cameron and Osborne demanding they resign over brutal cuts to the disabled – Daily Record

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9 Comments

  1. jeffrey davies March 26, 2016 at 12:34 pm - Reply

    from the mouth of young un but cams take any notice crocadile tears perhaps from his ad men about it aktion t4 rolls on without much of a ado

  2. G March 26, 2016 at 12:41 pm - Reply

    I have a letter from the acting head of working age benefit services that says that they don’t use all available evidence infact they just believe anything that is written by the assessors because of “good faith” and they just “presume” the assessment are accurate.

  3. Joan Edington March 26, 2016 at 1:12 pm - Reply

    Good on him. I’m not the least surprised by the attitude of the Daily Record though.

  4. Brian March 26, 2016 at 1:15 pm - Reply

    Well done Brandon Cran, The cost of a stamp proves it’s worth.

  5. ian725 March 26, 2016 at 1:31 pm - Reply

    I like in particular the youngsters ending of his letter quote ‘ More importantly, we are left to face life feeling worthless as a person and no one should feel like that.” Good on him and very well put.

  6. Robert Fillies March 26, 2016 at 4:50 pm - Reply

    Well put Brandon and thank you for writing to these people.

  7. donnabusby15 March 26, 2016 at 5:10 pm - Reply

    Hi first of all I would like to say well done young man for sending your letter and second I would like to ask if anybody could me advice on how to write a letter to the conservatives so sorry I apologise for asking it’s just that I would like to send them a letter but I am not intelligent and do not no where to start

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