What’s worse – the fact the Tories left a 64-year-old man to starve, or some of the reactions to it?
[Image from Pride’s Purge, using material from Terry Craven’s Facebook page.]
They are of a 64-year-old man living in Birkenhead, here in the UK. He had been left to starve by the Conservative government’s barbaric mockery of a benefit system until, at the time these images were taken (Christmas Eve, 2018), he weighed just six stone, had contracted pneumonia and was “at death’s door”.
Employment law advisor Terry Craven provides the full story on his Facebook page:
“Please spare a thought for this 64 year old severely disabled client of mine? Please share this post to see if we can garner a response from the Tories although I doubt we will.
“My client was thrown off ESA by ATOS 18 months ago. Since then, he has been expected to sign on. Obviously, he’s been sanctioned and forced to go hungry. so much so he weighs 6 stone. On Friday [December 21], not surprisingly he was at death’s door with pneumonia. Fortunately, I was able to get him into hospital. Evidently, his left lung was full of fluid with his right not much better. He’s now on the mend.
“He has been unable to heat or look after his home properly because his health has deteriorated which I suggest is obvious from the photographs. He lives in one room of his 3 bedroom house he rents from a private landlord. It is rat infested, he cannot use the toilet nor is he strong enough to put water in a kettle. He relies on bottled water. I am making efforts to have him rehoused in sheltered accommodation. However, I think he may have to go into a nursing/residential home in the interim.
“Birkenhead Benefits Centre has ignored my continuous pleas for help, heartless bastards!
“Well here’s wishing May, IDS, Esther McVey a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. The one thing which is certain is my client will not have one thanks to their evil, Dickensian policies. I hope they all rot in hell for the sickness, death and hunger the Tories have heaped on disabled people since 2010. My Christmas wish is for a general election and a Corbyn/McDonell government.”
By now, you may be even more appalled than when you saw the images. But there is an even more horrifying aspect to this story – the reaction of some members of the public.
Initial responses were as one might have expected from members of the public faced with such a shocking revelation of the reality of Conservative benefit policies:
Apparently he’s stronger, still sanctioned and still 6 stone😞. I shared this on Facebook on Christmas and no one batted an eyelid, then yesterday my husband shared it again! I saw rage when I noticed people where not reading the story or looking at the photograph! So sad & angry
— Becky (@LfcBecky) January 13, 2019
But others were not so sympathetic. What kind of person writes the kind of comment provided by “dorsetphill”, below?
The Tories are the only ones making money from this man and millions heading in the same direction.
— TracieWaylingArtASMR (@traciewayling) January 13, 2019
How about the abhorrent attitude of “Crantastic”, here?
You don’t get it. If you can look at those appalling images of a living man and react as you just did, you too have been severely damaged by the Tories. You might be comfortable and well fed, but you have been destroyed as a human.
— something 🦤🪺 (@ezziewilf) January 13, 2019
Because you haven't got a response worth making.
— Sir Norman of Nowhere. 🏴☠️ (@Normanjam67) January 13, 2019
I tend to agree with Ezzie Wilfred. Anyone reacting with such a lack of simple human compassion has been damaged by the Conservatives too – just not in a way that is as visible as the 64-year-old in the photographs, who is another victim of attempted Tory chequebook euthanasia.
The constant drip-feeding of Tory propaganda against benefit claimants, the sick and the old has desensitised these people. I would say they may even be suffering from a form of sociopathic disorder.
Or they may be trolls who have been paid to tweet poison at us, in order to “nudge” public opinion into line with what the Tories want. Judging by the fact that both the offensive accounts mentioned above have been around for many years but neither has many followers, this seems likely.
The best thing to do when encountering accounts like these is to block them.
Theresa May announced a crackdown on social media abuse in February last year, but these people are still here.
You may come to a conclusion about the reason for that. I could not possibly comment.
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‘Belsen Britain’! We’ve arrived! We’ve had it now: there’s no escape! Or is there?
There needs to be legal due process for those involved in this and if that means quality time in HMP, make sure it is over six months and not in some nice cushy open nick
Unfortunately the idiots that think this is somehow acceptable are the ones that will cry the loudest should the unimaginable happen to them or a member of their family. Or will they think about the comments they have made, have the courage of their conviction and just crawl in to a corner and starve to death with barely a whimper? It doesn’t matter if they voted Conservative, happy to see others treated this way, they will still fall victim to the system. Short sighted, narrow minded individuals who are too stupid to realise that, maybe one day, the boot might be on the other foot. Expect to be treated the way you treat others. If you’re not intelligent to do something for others at least do something out of self interest, the true Tory philosophy. By the way, if anybody is thinking illness or accident will never happen to them, it can and with 1 in 2 of us expected to have a cancer diagnosis there’s a pretty good chance it will!
This is horrific. We need to rid ourselves of this evil Tory government ASAP.
If we’d been invaded and a foreign regime was doing this to us we’d call it an atrocity but it’s our own government doing it to us and they must be held to account. I hope Jeremy plans to do so when Labour gets into power. This cannot go unchallenged.
Can quite see first hand how the death score from such vulnerable folk is fast increasing otherwise this poor soul would have ended on the same culling tab were it not for Terrys action and caring attitude. Understandingly paid for main stream media has not even picked any of this disaster up and the victims plight and nor will they. The perpetrators of this incident, laughingly called public servants, should be bought to account for their incompetent vicious behaviour. I guess it is the single elderly folk, who have no one to keep an eye on them, who are extra vulnerable in these types of situations. I guess this pic will not be featured on the Cons upcoming manifesto boasting that we are all in it together
Aktion t4 rolling along with out much of a ado. Just another caught in their culling of the stock.
‘Zero hour contracts will set you free’! Yes I see how this could work!
‘Universal Debit’! Sorry ‘Credit’! Credit like no other: created by those same political deviants to facilitate the ‘social sanitization’ program!
I have experienced the joys, as have millions of others, of working a zero hours contract. It is not to be recommended, turning up at the A***s warehouse at 6:30 In the morning only to be home by 7:00 because the agency has brought in too many people for the work available or being sent home at 10:30 because the work has dried up. It was not very often a full shift was completed. Even though it was zero hours it was still very much in favour of the agency, all this “flexibility” I hear about is cobblers. Holiday still had to be booked as if I was an employee with the agency having the right of veto. The amount of holiday accrued was the bare minimum and totally confusing as to how it was calculated. Being on 5p an hour more than minimum wage, doing the same job but getting paid a couple of £’s less than the full time employees. Constantly being referred to as “The agency” certainly let you know your place in the over picture. Of course they held the whip hand, you might know there would be very little work the following day but if you didn’t turn up you knew you wouldn’t get any more shifts that week. When I started you would earn a few pence bonus if you consistently hit 80% of the pick rate. So many people did that by the time I left this had increased, by increments to 95%.
All the responsibilities of an employee with very few of the benefits, no way can you plan your your finances because it was an impossible to know your income.
Compared to working for an agency for another huge logistics firm distribution centre agency, A***s was a picnic!
Getting a full time permanent job after 2 years was an absolute godsend. Until I had an accident on my way to work. I now have to deal with the DWP and all the distrust and indignities they inflict but that’s a different story.
I hope this poor soul gets well very soon . . it’s sickening & disgusting what this Govt has done to him & thousands more like him no doubt . . I just hope J.C. gets in power soon . . today is 15th I have been watching the news and parliament all day & looking forward to the vote tonight..
Good Luck J.C. (fingers crossed)