In his latest car-crash (please don’t groan) TV press conference, Boris Johnson told us that he had taken action to reduce the number of lorries queuing in Kent to be transported to continental Europe, as both the UK and the EU prepare for new trading conditions from January.
Oh, really?
What are all these, then?
This would make a brilliant establishing shot for a disaster movie. They could call it ‘Boris Johnson, Prime Minister’. pic.twitter.com/zVO6Rul2S4
Those of you who saw the broadcast might be saying, “Ah, but! Johnson was referring to lorries on the M20 – and that’s some airport runway, from the look of it!”
Yes indeed. These appear to be the overspill from the M20 – lorries that have been diverted to park elsewhere.
But it doesn’t mean that Johnson wasn’t misleading us. Oh, and let’s make it clear – it’s Boris Johnson who made the misleading statement (this for the benefit of the BBC):
Boris Johnson (again) misled the country saying plans put in place by his Gov’t had reduced lorries waiting on M20 from 500 to only 170
It was completely false
Today journalists seem to be suggesting it was only transport Secretary who said it!
Highways England has confirmed that 900 lorries were on the M20 in Kent on Monday evening – not the 174 that Boris Johnson had claimedhttps://t.co/SHnWbnbTO7
The tailback was precipitated by Johnson’s (him again!) announcement on Saturday (December 19) that he was cancelling a planned relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions for Christmas because of the unexpected virulence of a new mutation of the virus – a situation of which, it transpires, he has only been aware for four months (since late September).
The international response from around 40 countries now has been to close their borders to any and all traffic to and from the UK – hence the queue in Kent.
The advantage of being an island is that if you control your borders early you can keep the virus out. On the other hand, if you fail to control the pandemic, everyone else can close their borders to keep you out.
Today in his briefing @BorisJohnson said that there had been 500 lorries queuing in Kent but because of their preparations it is now 170. Since then Kent County Council have confirmed the number is in fact in excess of 500, not 170. There was no need to lie. It’s pathological.
One aspect of this situation that isn’t being discussed by Johnson is the fact that he is creating a huge health risk by failing to provide emergency food and sanitation facilities for more than a thousand stranded lorry drivers:
Those hundreds of truck drivers backed up in Kent don't have access to loos or showers. That's a health risk for you, right there.
Stranded drivers say a lack of facilities is creating a dire situation as the new Covid strain leaves them unable to enter France. https://t.co/Txi254jDu5
Isn’t Johnson begging for a new outbreak of Covid-19 – right there among the drivers – by failing to provide basic facilities for cleanliness?
He is responsible for this; it was his decision that created the situation.
I wonder how he will talk his way out of it.
With a lie, I expect…
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A load of bull: how many people believe the childish chatter the Tories give us every day in place of facts?
Public patience with the lies of Boris Johnson’s Conservative government is running out.
The latest revelation of their duplicity – that supposedly confidential information provided by people who use the Tories’ silly ‘contact tracing’ app is being passed to the police – has triggered a wave of social media posts under the hashtag #ToryLiars.
Here’s the story that triggered it:
Coronavirus: Police get access to NHS Test and Trace self-isolation data. And this is why I never downloaded it. Another breach of trust by the #ToryLiars and another step towards a police state. https://t.co/aOQj2EmGF4
It states that there is a legal requirement for contacts of people who’ve had a positive Covid-19 test to self-isolate for 14 days, but fewer than 11 per cent are actually doing so.
Police are being given their identity details in order to chase up enforcement.
Reasons given for breaking self-isolation include believing there was no point isolating from strangers if you cannot properly distance from those in your household; not developing symptoms; or visiting shops or a pharmacy.
Obviously the second excuse is made by idiots; we’ve already been told symptoms may develop over a period of up to 14 days, so failure to see them before the full period is over is no excuse for ending self-isolation.
But the point about not isolating from strangers if you can’t isolate from other members of your household who don’t have to self-isolate under Tory government rules is a good one. I have said before that, if symptoms develop, then the housemates may have spent many days merrily spreading the virus.
And my own knowledge of friends and family who were told to “shield” from the virus by isolating themselves while healthy is enough for me to understand why people have been forced to give up self-isolation to buy food and/or seek medication.
It isn’t a failure of intelligence because it was easy to see these problems coming and while I do believe our government ministers are stupid, I don’t believe they were not warned. I think they chose to ignore those warnings and left people to struggle – and spread the virus.
You see, a partial lockdown is as useless as no lockdown at all, when you’re trying to contain a disease.
So the Tories have created a situation where their own failure to create proper conditions for self-isolation has created a need for police enforcement that should not be there.
The public know this and resent it. Hence the charge that the Tories have lied about the app’s confidentiality.
I know some have pointed out that no information on the app itself is being shared – just registration details – but of course people hand those details over in order to use the app so it is a very flimsy excuse.
The claim that this is a lie has led to further comments on other recent Tory lies. And there have been a lot of them:
#ToryLiars The biggest myth being perpetuated by this Tory Government during the whole #CovidUK crisis is that they actually care about the elderly and vulnerable. Their vile cuts to #socialcare over the last 10 years prove otherwise. This is a gift to them. #marr#ridge
BLATANT LIES! Please retweet and spread the word. Classes are still 30 with no distancing. Staff and kids not allowed to wear masks. Only those immediately next to a case informed. Schs told to keep quiet.#ToryLiars#closetheschoolspic.twitter.com/3h8nNZloZp
An official inquiry has confirmed that MPs did flout the 10pm bar curfew despite Tory denials. Health secretary Matt Hancock has refused to say if he was among them…even though he was seen there cracking jokes about his Covid response…#ToryShambles#ToryLiars#ridge#Marrpic.twitter.com/UNsOkuRaQX
Nadhim. Zahawi last Sunday claiming Steve Rotherham of Liverpool was really happy to work with him, Steve said that was a fucking lie!#ToryLiarspic.twitter.com/YtbuA2VRwQ
Undoubtedly the list is lengthening as I type this.
Look up the #ToryLiars hashtag on Twitter and learn something.
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I’ve been made aware of an interesting political angle to the libel case brought against me by Rachel Riley:
It seems that right-wing sites on social media can say whatever they like, and their victims are expected to “take it on the chin”, whereas those attacking left-leaning sites are “only too happy to call in the lawyers to extract apologies – and of course money”.
I refer to the right-wing Guido Fawkes blog, which mistakenly claimed that Labour leadership contender Rebecca Long-Bailey had misled the nation about her personal wealth, being married to a chemical industry tycoon.
She isn’t.
In fairness, Guido’s bosses have apologised and deleted the article and links to it.
But it’s not a good look for a site that claims to fight “fake news”.
And according to Zelo Street (whose article forms the basis of this one), Guido boss Paul Staines “claims not to take any notice of legal threats and attempts to prevent him from publishing what he wishes”.
So we have a situation where right-wing organisations can insult people, and mislead the public about them willy-nilly. Is that because they know their targets can’t afford to sue them?
In contrast, when someone else – like me – raises a legitimate issue, I get lumbered with a hugely expensive court action.
The Zelo Street information suggests that I’m right in thinking the case against me is more about buying a verdict than actually serving justice.
But they didn’t count on enough people supporting my CrowdJustice campaign to give me a stab at defeating them.
So far, nearly £50,000 has been raised – but more is needed. When I started, I did not expect to get far, but the stunning amount of support I’ve received has given me a fighting chance.
Please keep the cash coming in, and encourage others to do the same. Here’s a reminder of how to do it:
Email five of your friends, asking them to pledge to the CrowdJustice site.
Post a link to Facebook, asking your friends to pledge.
On Twitter, you could tweet in support, quoting the address of the appeal.
On other social media platforms, please mention the campaign there, quoting the appeal address.
I can disprove the allegations against me. With your help, I’ll be able to afford to.
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Lost respect: She might have been smiling but not only did Victoria Coren Mitchell lose the respect of knowledgeable TV viewers, her actions were deeply upsetting to those who had previously thought better of her.
This Writer’s television had a lucky escape last night. I was out watching a gig in Shrewsbury and did not see Victoria Coren Mitchell making a fool of herself – and no doubt many millions of viewers – on Have I Got News For You.
I understand from reports following the travesty that she made a comment to camera after a segment suggesting that the Labour Party had gone from being several million pounds in profit to hundreds of thousands in debt.
Apparently addressing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, the gist of the joke – if you can call it that – was that if he wanted someone good with money, he should try the Jewish bankers he believes are conspiring against him.
Firstly: Jeremy Corbyn has never – ever – given voice to the anti-Semitic trope about a conspiracy of Jewish bankers.
So Ms Coren Mitchell was broadcasting a lie. Claiming it was a joke doesn’t make it acceptable. Nor does claiming it was part of a script; she knows about the anti-Corbyn smears and the witch-hunt in general and could have refused.
Secondly: As she was the one who invoked the ‘Jewish banking conspiracy’ trope, it is Ms Coren Mitchell who committed an act of anti-Semitism.
Worse still, she doubled down on the transgression when she was challenged about it on Twitter, although she got what she deserved in response.
It’s not the show that’s changed, it’s the culture. In your heart, you don’t think a BBC comedy show could be 100% positive about the Opposition leader and sarky about everyone else. You wouldn’t want it to! JC was actually barely mentioned last night, it was the Boris show.
You genuinely can't see the difference between using a toxic lie as material and using truth as satire? Seriously? You think they're the same thing? I think that's disturbing.
If I had seen it – well, as I stated at the top, my TV set had a lucky escape.
In the name of balance, we should mention – as Beastrabban has – that Mr Corbyn is on the record as having criticised the BBC for failing to broadcast enough programmes catering for the Jewish community in the UK. That should be indicative of his attitude to Jewish people.
The BBC, of course, has ‘form’ when it comes to anti-Corbyn smears. One has only to consider the outrage caused by its grotesquely biased Panorama documentary Is Labour Antisemitic? that was broadcast in July.
But I must echo Beastrabban’s disappointment in Ms Coren Mitchell – and that of the many others who voiced similar feelings. We all thought she was better than that. How shaming for her that we were mistaken.
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This bird is dead: The Liberal Democrats have shot down their own chances in Brecon and Radnorshire by annoying residents with false claims.
The latest stunt from attention-seeking Liberal Democrat spammer Jane Dodds is – surprise, surprise – yet another leaflet to clog up letterboxes in Brecon and Radnorshire, this time masquerading as a newspaper.
This is a common tactic by political parties in the run-up to an election; as long as they make it clear that it is an election communication on behalf of their organisation, it is permitted and perusal of the (very) small print on the front page does indicate this, if you get your magnifying glass out.
The propaganda starts at the very top of page one, with a claim that the Yellow Tories are “The winning team for Brecon and Radnorshire”. It’s a classic brainwashing/programming technique to make you think the LDs are going to win and encourage you to vote for what you’ve been told will be the winning side. Peer pressure – nothing more than that. But then the sub-headline says, “Your vote can make the difference this Thursday.” Why should it? This rag has already told us the LDs are “the winning team”. What a contradiction.
The headline itself, “Time for change,” is misleading. We’ve had either Liberal Democrats or Conservatives as MP here in Brecon and Radnorshire since 1979 and they have contributed nothing to improve lives here. Average wages are 25 per cent lower than nationally and the standard of living is similarly depressed. That is a failure by our representatives and the LDs must take their share of responsibility for that.
“Both opinion polls and bookmakers odds show a surge in support for hardworking candidate Jane Dodds as the best person to deliver the change Brecon and Radnorshire needs,” the text states. But it does not provide evidence to support these claims. And we already know Ms Dodds won’t be “hardworking” – her local policies depend on decisions made by other organisations like the Labour-run Welsh Assembly Government.
It goes on to say she has been “fighting for improvement in local healthcare” (nothing to do with her – it’s a devolved responsibility, handled by the Welsh Assembly Government) and “standing up for Welsh farmers” (the claim – elsewhere in the leaflet – that the Tories are planning to put a 40 per cent tariff on farming is not accurate, and of course with only two per cent of MPs in Parliament – or fewer – the LDs, with or without Ms Dodds, will have no effect at all on what happens).
A strapline running across the bottom of pages two and three states: “POLL LATEST: Labour are 150/1 outsiders – they can’t win on Thursday”. Again, the implication is that you should be voting for the candidate you have been told is most likely to win. This is completely at odds with democracy. The point of any election is for the electorate to vote for the candidate you think will do the best job.
Clearly, Ms Dodds won’t do the best job for Brecon and Radnorshire. This Writer doesn’t expect her to do any work at all.
On page four, we get rent-a-quotes from people we’re supposed to believe are members of the public who’ve been persuaded to vote Liberal Democrat. But at least one of them is known to This Writer as a card-carrying member of the Liberal Democrats. Are they all party members? The fact that just one of them belongs to that party shows that this is an attempt to hoodwink us.
Flip back to page two and there’s a quote from Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price AM, stating: “Putting party politics aside and delivering a pro-Remain MP for Brecon and Radnorshire is what is most important.” If you agree, vote for Labour’s Tom Davies. He supports another referendum, in which he will campaign for remaining in the EU. New Lib Dem leader Jo “let’s build a monument to Maggie” Swinson is on the record as saying that she would ignore democracy in order to push her own agenda.
No wonder a friend on Facebook said they had seen three new notices asking for no more “Jane Dodds spam”, while passing through Newbridge-on-Wye recently.
Ms Dodds is not telling you the truth, and neither is her party. She is spamming you with leaflet after leaflet in a bid to brainwash voters into supporting her in spite of the facts.
If This Writer had any influence, I would be saying that she is right in just one respect: You should send a message to the political establishment…
And the best way to do that is by voting for Labour’s Tom Davies.
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Brecon and Radnorshire seems to be disappearing into a weird consensus reality in which the Liberal Democrats are actually being considered a serious alternative to the Conservatives, capable of standing up to them in Parliament. Has everybody here gone mad?
No. They are just falling prey to a well-oiled propaganda machine that the party known as the Fib Dems is using to steamroller all opposition.
But it may well run out of steam before we reach polling day on August 1 – especially as some of us are getting very good at debunking the falsehoods.
For example:
Yesterday (July 7), This Writer received a letter from Liberal Democrat candidate Jane Dodds, asking me to sign her petition to improve access to dentists in Llandrindod Wells. This is actually a genuine issue here.
But it is a devolved issue. Ms Dodds states: “My colleague Kirsty Williams AM has been working with Powys Teaching Health Board to tackle access to dentists and I will work with her and all parties to help resolve these issues” but it is nothing to do with her. If she becomes MP and the issue is resolved, it seems likely that she will try to take credit for something she won’t have done.
This seems to be the pattern with all of the policies so far announced by this charlatan. I have already detailed reasons why we should doubt her claims about bringing improved broadband and more investment into the constituency.
Elsewhere on the social media, This Writer has become involved in several discussions about Liberal Democrat policy positions. As readers of This Site will know, I characterise the Liberal Democrats as a right-wing, authoritarian, neoliberal, austerity-supporting, privatising party – based on their record – and it infuriates me when their supporters describe them as centrist or even as a party of the left.
I eventually had to dig out the voting record of LD leadership candidate Jo Swinson to demonstrate the facts of the matter.
Ms Swinson is a dedicated Liberal Democrat and has supported her party in the vast majority of votes.
She has supported the Bedroom Tax, benefit cuts, the persecution of the sick and disabled, and cuts to local authority support for council taxpayers, among other things:
She voted to increase tuition fees to £9,000 per year after the Liberal Democrats promised to abolish them, to bring schools into private ownership, and to cut financial support for students.
Her environmental credentials are similarly appalling: She voted to sell our state-owned forests into the hands of developers and commercial profiteers, in support of the badger cull, against green energy, and for fracking. On climate change, her position is ambiguous – and we should take heed of that when Jane Dodds makes wild claims about wanting to fight climate change as Brecon and Radnorshire’s MP.
Finally, I pointed out that Ms Swinson voted to privatise the Royal Mail, to cut legal aid – putting court action beyond the reach of most people, and to create secret courts – at which defendants were not to be told the charges against them or even any of the evidence.
These are all right-wing policies that would make many Conservatives proud – and may even be too extreme for some.
If Ms Swinson becomes Liberal Democrat leader, these will be her policy positions – or she’ll be a hypocrite. And the bad news is that the other leadership candidate, Ed Davey, differs only in that he has a better record on climate change (but not on fracking).
We also touched on another policy issue – the Liberal Democrats’ opposition to the Iraq War. This came about in an extremely bizarre manner, from a comment by a person who, told that Labour was “negative”, said they wanted “to stop seeing children going to school hungry and coming home to parents exhausted by irregular work or ridiculous DWP requirement and either homeless or terrified of becoming so… Its negativity to want children not to starve?”
The response was to claim that Labour was responsible for the deaths of children. Under challenge, this was justified by reference to the Iraq War.
My response: “That is a war against another country, not a policy enacted here. If you’re determined to invoke it, how many children died in Libya, due to the Coalition government’s intervention there? You might also consider the fact that airstrikes against Syria were only called off – famously – because of intervention from the Labour Party, supported by rebel Tories. The Liberal Democrats voted to support them, including current leader candidates Ed Davey and Jo Swinson.”
It seems the Liberal Democrats’ anti-war credentials aren’t all that they’re said to be, either!
So we came to the fall-back that has been the basis of the entire Liberal Democrat campaign in Brecon and Radnorshire – and across the UK: That it’s a “two-horse race” and they are the only party capable of beating the Conservatives.
This is a lie.
I can demonstrate that it is a lie with reference to just one sentence by a Lib Dem supporter: “How are you going to convince Tory voters to vote Labour? It is unrealistic to think that they will.”
My answer is that there is no need to get hardcore Tories to vote for Labour.
No less than six candidates are standing in the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, of which four are right-wing.
Leaving aside the Liberal Democrats for a moment, that means the right-wing vote will be split between Conservative Chris Davies, the Brexit Party’s Desmond Parkinson and UKIP’s Liz Phillips. It won’t be an even split but, considering the core Tory vote is around 9,000, it should be enough to stop any of them from winning.
The Monster Raving Loony Party will have a representative in Lady Lily the Pink, and she’ll pick up the votes protesting at the lunacy of politics in the UK at the moment.
That leaves Labour and the Liberal Democrats. The Lib Dems are trying hard to convince people that giving them a 13th MP will make them a formidable force to convince Parliament to revoke Article 50 so we can all remain in the European Union. That is not going to happen.
Take a look at the graph at the top of this article. Liberal Democrats have just 1.8 per cent of the MPs in the House of Commons. That’s 12 MPs. A 13th will give them exactly two per cent of sitting MPs. That isn’t enough to achieve any such radical change of policy.
Alternatively, the Liberal Democrats are trying to convince people that giving them another MP will stop a Brexiteer from taking the seat and steering us towards a disastrous departure from the EU. That is not going to happen either. Not only will the vote be split between three Brexiteer parties but there wasn’t enough consensus on Brexit to make it happen when Brexiteer Chris Davies was the MP here, so having another Brexiteer won’t make any difference.
So what is this really about?
I’ll tell you. It’s about stealing votes from Labour.
The Liberal Democrats have traditionally pressganged Lavbour supporters into supporting them in Brecon and Radnorshire, with the threat that – if they don’t – a Tory will take the seat.
Their infamous “two-horse race” block graph is set at false levels to make it seem the distance between the Labour and Liberal Democrat votes is greater than it is, precisely to encourage this belief. A friend of This Writer has created a more accurate graph and it is damning for the Lib Dems:
Put it all together and you’ll see that the best place for floating voters who want to defeat the Conservatives, and the other right-wingers, is Labour.
It’s a genuinely left-wing party, with policies that most people support, as I stated in a previous article. But for the benefit of those who missed it, a vote for Labour would be a vote to:
Ensure that at least 60 per cent of the UK’s heat and electricity will come from low-carbon or renewable sources by 2030 (polling suggests this was supported by 79 per cent of the electorate);
Cap rents at the rate of inflation (74 per cent);
Increase income tax for the top five per cent of earners (68 per cent);
Require businesses to reserve a proportion of seats on their boards for workers (63 per cent);
Re-nationalise the railways (60 per cent);
Re-nationalise utility companies like the energy and water firms (57 per cent);
Provide free university tuition for all students (55 per cent);
Prevent the UK from participating in military interventions in other countries (52 per cent).
And the party’s policy on Brexit is to let the people decide between ‘no deal’, any deal agreed by Parliament, and the possibility of remaining in the EU – which is more than anybody else is willing to offer, including the Liberal Democrats!
Labour’s 247 MPs totals only 38 per cent of the Commons, and another will increase that total only slightly. But 248 is a lot more than 13, and may attract support from other parties and even – in the case of Brexit/remain – from Conservatives.
And Labour’s Tom Davies isn’t misrepresenting himself, his party or his policies.
Put all these elements together and there’s a chance to make a genuine change for the better in Brecon and Radnorshire – and send a meaningful message back to Westminster.
That will be by returning a Labour MP to Parliament.
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Jane Dodds: The backcloth suggests we should “demand better” and it is absolutely right, for once.
The Liberal Democrats proceeded with their propaganda onslaught on the people of Brecon and Radnorshire last week, with a leaflet that – it seems to This Writer – should be investigated regarding the accuracy of its claims.
That in itself should speak volumes about what was printed on the front and back of a single sheet of paper.
The leaflet, on behalf of candidate Jane Dodds, brands her as “the strong, effective voice to fight for our community”, yet it makes policy claims that do not bear out this message.
“As our next MP, Jane will fight for more ambitious broadband targets from Westminster and force big broadband and mobile companies to deliver these decent services,” it claims.
But communications regulator Ofcom has already announced that everyone will have the right to demand a fast broadband service at a reasonable price from March next year.
This ‘universal broadband service’ safety net is set to help 620,000 homes and offices in the most remote parts of the UK – such as Brecon and Radnorshire.
So it seems all Ms Dodds would have to do, were she to be elected, is wait. She wouldn’t have to lift a finger because somebody else has already done all the hard work for her.
That is hardly the kind of conduct we should expect from an MP.
The leaflet states: “Jane will bring investment to our area to create good jobs, properly funded public services and affordable housing so people are not forced out of the communities they have grown up in.”
This seems very positive but, considering the claim about broadband, we should be cautious.
Work is about to begin on a new competition-standard BMX cycle track in Rhayader which, it is hoped, will encourage people to visit the town and make it the biking capital of Wales. The local county councillor has said this success is entirely due to the involvement of local people – but would Ms Dodds, as MP, try to take the credit?
Plans are well under way for a new “global centre of rail excellence” on the Neath Port Talbot/Brecon and Radnorshire border near Ystradgynlais, which would be a testing facility of international significance. This would be a huge economic boost to the constituency, so would Ms Dodds try to claim credit for it? If so, it would be a slap in the face for the real architect of the project, Labour Assembly Member and minister for the economy and transport.
Powys Teaching Health Board is about to receive a £1.5 million boost from the Welsh Assembly – a substantial investment in the public health service courtesy of Labour Assembly health minister Vaughan Gething. While health is a devolved issue, I wonder, would Ms Dodds try to say she had a hand in it, once the money comes through?
It may seem that my doubts about this Liberal Democrat’s honesty are a little too strong. If so, may I draw attention to the now-obligatory block graph on the leaflet? Here it is:
Does something seem… out of proportion to you?
If so, you’re absolutely right. The difference in votes between the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats in the 2017 election – illustrated here – was 8,038, while the difference between the Liberal Democrats and Labour was just 4,708 – but look at how these differences are misrepresented on the graph! Readers are led to believe that Labour were twice as far behind the LDs as the LDs were behind the Conservatives – almost a total reversal of the truth.
With misrepresentations such as this, and policy claims that simply don’t stack up, no wonder Ms Dodds’s party is known locally as the Fib Dems.
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NOT the party for women: Nigel Farage wants to bring the so-called ‘glass ceiling’ right down on their heads.
Does Nigel Farage write the Brexit Party’s election communications?
He must do something in all the time he spends not representing us in the European Parliament (check out his voting record – “Absent”, “Absent”, “Absent”).
If so, then the leaflet that excreted itself onto the mat at Vox Towers today shows he is losing his touch. Let’s laugh at examine it together (words in italics were in bold on the original leaflet; words in bold are my own comments).
It begins: “DO YOU THINK POLITICS IS BROKEN?”This is a meaningless question but I bet Mr Farage thought it was a great slogan because many people of different backgrounds and views might agree with the claim for completely different reasons. Mr Farage is trying to hoodwink voters into buying his snake-oil.
“Are you fed up with dishonest, self-serving politicians?” Yes indeed – after nine years of Conservative government, we all should be. The reference is undoubtedly to Chris Davies, convicted expenses faker who is standing again for the Tory Party – but for the people it should also include the dishonesty of people like Mr Farage and the Brexit Party, as we will see evidenced in this leaflet.
“Do you think politics needs to change?” Another meaningless, catch-all. Politics isn’t serving the people right now – but neither will the Brexit Party, as we shall see.
“Then we want to hear from you in the freepost form below.” This is presumptuous. It presupposes that you agree with all the statements so far. This is a sign of a political organisation (it’s a company, remember, not a proper political party) that doesn’t want to give you any say in what happens; the Brexit Party wants you to do what the Brexit Party tells you. I think we’ve heard of other organisations like that…
“The Brexit Party is changing politics for good.” This is a well-used party slogan. The use of the word “good” may be an attempt at neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) intended to make you think politics will be better if you vote for this organisation. That is not true, as we will see.
“We are now the fastest-growing new political party in history.” It’s not a political party, remember. It is a commercial company. “Many of our supporters used to vote Labour, Tory, Lib Dem or Plaid. But they feel betrayed by parties that no longer represent them.” Note that the reference only to parties that are known to be likely to stand candidates in the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election is coupled with a claim that these parties do not represent the views of the voters they’ve lost. This is a bold claim that is not supported by the rest of the leaflet.
“And now our democracy is under threat.” Here comes a classic division tactic – Mr Farage and his people want you to think those other parties are denying you your voice in politics. This is a direct lie. While the Liberal Democrats do directly oppose the result of the 2016 EU referendum, Plaid has only argued that Brexit will harm the UK and has called for the decision to be reversed. The Tories support Brexit, of course, but it is expedient for the Brexit Party to ignore that.
Labour’s policy – as we all know – is exactly to follow the will of the people by finding out what the people actually want. This contrasts with the Brexit Party’s policy, which is to tell us all that we chose the version of Brexit that the Brexit Party wants.
I am reminded of the words of property developer and Brexit Party spokesman Ban Habib: “[In a No Deal Brexit] the property market in the UK would slow down dramatically… we’d be looking to pick off weakness in the market and get some interesting deals,” and: “The pound would fall in value… our [company] income streams would go up in value. So we’re quids in on that front.” The Brexit this “party” wants will make money for its members while the rest of us suffer.
“They told us the EU referendum result would be final.” Did they? My recollection is that we were told our decision in the 2016 referendum would determine whether or not the UK leaves the EU – but Parliament would decide the manner of that departure. And the statement ignores the fact that we were subjected to lie after lie during the referendum campaign, and to shady campaigning methods. I notice there is no reference to Arron Banks in this leaflet.
“Now we must hold them to their promise.” We? We? Who are the “we” to whom this refers? The electorate? Or the Brexit Party?
And how would the Brexit Party exert any influence with only one MP?
“Don’t you think Wales deserves better? Doesn’t Brecon and Radnorshire deserve better?” Brecon and Radnorshire certainly deserves better than the Conservative of the last four years and the Liberal Democrats of the 18 years before them. But the Brexit Party will be worse. We don’t need more liars – as you will see shortly.
“The Brexit Party is the only party that respects democracy.” This is a lie. If the Brexit Party respects democracy, why won’t it accept another public vote after the referendum result was revealed to have been skewed by lies and illegal campaigning methods?
Consider the Brexit Party’s reaction to its loss in the Peterborough by-election – a demand for an inquiry into claims of vote-rigging that it has made up. Clearly the Brexit Party’s only interest in democracy is when people vote for the Brexit Party. If we vote another way, this organisation isn’t interested in what we have to say.
“That is why we won the European elections.” Remember where I said this organisation consisted of liars? The Brexit Party did not win the European elections because it is impossible for a single-issue, UK party to win a Europe-wide poll. The organisation won 29 out of 751 seats. Does that look like winning an election to you? Even in the UK, the Brexit Party won only 29 of 73 seats, which is not a majority.
“But that is just the beginning. We are launching new policies that focus on boosting jobs and investment in Wales.” How nice. But then, the Brexit Party has no policies other than to take the UK out of the EU on the worst terms possible for the country’s population. Let’s see what it’s offering.
“We oppose the 9.5 per cent Powys council tax increase.” How would the Brexit Party fund public services, then? One MP won’t change Tory policy, which is to starve local authorities of the funding they need. Is the Brexit Party proposing to bankrupt Powys County Council, in the same way Northampton Council was bankrupted in February 2018?
“We will ensure local farmers keep their funding and lose the red tape after Brexit.” With one MP? Impossible. The Conservatives have admitted they don’t know how to keep funding for farmers, and they’ve been in government for nine years. As for “red tape”, Brexit means the end of EU regulations and the Tories are already in talks with foreign nations like the USA about lowering the standards of the farm produce that we buy.
So this is a meaningless, unfunded promise coupled with a threat to lower the quality of the food we eat.
“We will also fight for better local NHS services and more police for rural areas.” Better local NHS services? Brexit Party policy is to close down the NHS! Nigel Farage himself said: “We need to move to an insurance-based system of healthcare.” So this is another lie.
The last paragraph is unintentionally funny: “If you want to send a message to the out-of-touch Westminster establishment, get in touch with us. There may be an election at any time.” Yes – there’s a by-election happening in Brecon and Radnorshire right now. That’s the reason the Brexit Party has sent this leaflet to our homes.
The leaflet also includes an attempt to get people to submit their details to the Brexit Party’s election database, disguised as a rather pathetic questionnaire.
Nigel Farage and his cronies must think we are stupid.
I hope nobody in Brecon and Radnorshire proves him right.
Have YOU donated to my crowdfunding appeal, raising funds to fight false libel claims by TV celebrities who should know better? These court cases cost a lot of money so every penny will help ensure that wealth doesn’t beat justice.
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Liar, liar: Theresa May habitually tries to deceive the UK’s electorate. The mechanisms to stop her from doing this are never invoked and the mainstream media never hold her to account.
Yes, Brexit. Yes, the threat of a confidence vote in Theresa May. But while all that is going on, she is still lying through her teeth to the nation about other important matters.
Only last week, on talk radio station LBC, she claimed that a Labour government would tax poor people more than the rich, in order to pay for the abolition of tuition fees. This is a lie.
Labour made a manifesto commitment that taxes would not rise for people earning less than £80,000 a year, and that policy would be funded with an increase in Corporation Tax, which the Tories have cut to a ridiculously low level.
And that’s not all. Here’s Peter Stefanovic:
How long are broadcasters going to tolerate shameless lying from Tory Politicians? This is not a game, it’s peoples lives! The clip of Theresa May lying on national radio about Labours tax policy is absolutely shocking! It’s up to all of us now to expose this pic.twitter.com/xD9tL1gliP
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Audio anywhere: Benefit assessors can use their own laptop computers to create audio recordings of work capability assessments. They can then use onboard software to burn a CD of the interview and hand it to claimants on the spot. What’s the problem?
Watch (and more importantly, listen to) the following:
It is unreasonable that the Tories are still claiming benefit assessments may only be recorded in an extremely limited way after so many years.
Oh, you think this issue has only just arisen?
I was producing articles about it in 2013!
Does anybody remember Mark Hoban?
If not, it’s hardly surprising. He was a Tory MP between 2001-2015 and the Minister of State for Employment who had to answer questions from Labour’s Sheila Gilmore on the recording of Work Capability Assessments by Atos (as it was then known) for Employment and Support Allowance in June 2013. I know ESA is not the same as PIP but the assessment system might as well be – certainly when it comes to the issue of recording the assessments.
I reported on the situation prior to those questions being asked, in June 2013 – when even the hated Atos stated: “Our recommendation would be that recording should become routine as it is in a call centre or for example – NHS direct.”
I wrote: “Ms Gilmore goes on to attack the government’s claim that the number of claimants requesting a copy of their recording is just one per cent. This cannot be regarded as an accurate assessment of the number who would like a copy, for two reasons, she tells us.
“Firstly, the assessors used handheld devices to make their recordings, meaning they would have to be transferred to computer and burnt to CD afterwards, preventing claimants from taking recordings away with them on the day. Instead they had to make a further request – in writing. “Unsurprisingly this suppressed uptake,” Ms Gilmore’s speech states.
“Secondly, claimants were warned off applying for copies by assessors who told them recordings would only be useful to them if they appealed. The report that stated only one per cent of claimants persisted in their request was completed only days after the pilot study ended, meaning most of those involved had not received a decision on their claim and therefore did not know whether they needed to appeal. Demand may well have been higher, had the measurement been taken after a reasonable time.
“This is just one example of the DWP timing processes in order to get its way.
“[Ministers] also stated that the DWP would offer “everyone who wants it” the opportunity to have their assessment recorded. In practice, this seems an empty promise, as Atos had around 50 audio recording machines on May 22 [2013], but undertakes more than 11,000 assessments every week.”
Under questioning, Mr Hoban said, “I do not think that it was that difficult to get hold of [a recording of an assessment]. The recording might need to be held on a handheld device before it is transferred to a computer and a transcript is printed, but that does not stop people asking for a copy.”
I pointed out, in my article after the Parliamentary session: “This is inaccurate. For those who have never attended a work capability assessment, the Atos assessors complete them using laptop computers – because the assessment is a tick-box test that demands simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answers. Laptops generally come with not only audio recording but also CD burning programs as part of the package, and even if they don’t, freeware recording software is widely available and CD-burning software is also available, if not for free, then for a reasonable price. If the onboard microphones aren’t adequate to the task, it is possible to buy them very cheaply – especially if buying in bulk.
“In short, it should be entirely possible to record every single assessment at a reasonably high quality, burn it onto CD and hand it to claimants on the spot.”
Now, four years later – to quote the desperate Theresa May: Nothing has changed.
If anything, the quality of recording software is much better.
So there can only be one reason the DWP is clinging to its demand for people to use “expensive specialist devices that claimants must provide themselves”?
That is: To put people off recording assessments so the DWP may lie about their findings and push people, who deserve the benefit, off it.
There can be no other reason.
A response to a Freedom of Information request (read the story here) shows that four out of five requests for mandatory reconsideration of benefit refusals – the first stage in the appeal process that the DWP deliberately lengthened in order to make appeals more difficult for cash-strapped claimants to endure – supports this assertion.
It is easier to refuse an appeal when there is no recording to show where assessors have lied.
So, despite having claimed they have no targets for benefit refusal since taking office in 2010, the Conservatives are proved to have been lying.
In summary:
There is no physical reason for claimants to be denied recordings of their benefit assessments.
The only reason the DWP can possibly have for doing so is to deny claimants a decent hearing at benefit appeals.
The only reason the DWP would want to do this is to hide the fact that the assessors hired from private firms to do this work are lying about the information they receive.
And the only reason they would lie is because they have been told to refuse benefits to a significant number of claimants – whether they deserve them or not – and this is the only way to meet their target.
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