Every once in a while someone comes along whose levels of ignorance and stupidity cannot be ignored. They shine like a beacon of ignorance in a sea of empathy.
Derision and disgust follow them whenever they open their mouths and make yet another, misguided at the least, or simply hateful at the most, comment.
Being verbal contortionists they can most often be found with their feet in their mouths.
No that's not a mistake.
I say mouths because they have one for each of their faces.
They are the type of people who make Prince Philip appear to be possessed with a degree of diplomacy that only a saint could attain.
Collectively a group of these individuals congregating together is called a 'tory.
You get a flock of seagulls, a murder of crows and a tory of sociopathic wankers.
The latest of these to step forward and raise the bar is Philip Davies MP.
He's the man who thinks that allowing disabled people to work for less than the minimum wage would encourage employers to hire more individuals who have special needs.
He is right in that respect, but I think the phrasing should be 'by allowing those with a disability to provide their labour at a lower rate than the able bodied we will allow unscrupulous employers to abuse a whole new pool of the countries workforce.'
He's a tad upset at the response he has received.
His reply to the gape jawed disbelief of his opinions is to say 'Left wing hysteria now dictates that you can't even repeat what people with learning disabilities tell you if it questions their shibboleths.'
Yes, of course Philip.
I'm sure that the disabled of this country have been beating down your door to tell you that they are all present and correct to be financially shafted.
Maybe his disabled colleagues in parliament would like to volunteer to do their job for less than the national minimum wage.
I wouldn't advise him to hold his breath in anticipation of them lining up to volunteer though.
If I thought that awarding him a large trophy for being an arsehole would serve to nudge him towards some enlightenment then I would pay for it out of my own rather empty pockets.
Sadly I have a sneaking suspicion that he would just drink champers from it and pay someone from the local day care centre a farthing to polish it.
On a more serious note maybe we should insist that those who represent us have to pass a psychological test before taking their seat in parliament.
A lack of empathy is a sign of a mental health problem after all and we don't want the lunatics taking over the asylum do we?
Or maybe they already have.
Certainly looks like it.
I will happily chip in with you to buy the trophy. By trophy, I mean large bomb with a short fuse.
ReplyDeleteSeriously though. How can this man hold a position of authority.
ReplyDeleteI'm being half serious about psych tests.
I've met loads of people who would be considered intelligent, but they have no common sense, and on the other hand I have met people who would never be described as intellectual giants, but they do have a solid grasp of what is right and wrong.
This man is a pillock.
Mr Davies has shown himself through these remarks to have little compassion or understanding for those in this country in most need of the benefits system. His ignorance is frighteningly profound.
ReplyDeleteFor instance, if such measures were to present themselves to disabled workers as the only viable means of acquiring employment, how low would wages be capped then as a minimum, and what possible logic could be deemed both suitable and acceptable to justify this? This would set a dangerous precedent for other areas of equal pay legislation to be revoked or tampered with.
His attempts to disguise this as in the interests of the disabled are both derogatory and ignorantly inhumane.
Inhumane is a good word to describe this oaf. Ex UKIP, and also the guy who admired the ordered way of life that people led under the rule of the Taliban.
ReplyDeleteI've just commented on facebook that anyone who considers that this is a storm in a teacup could possibly exchange disabled for black, gay, or jew and then think about how acceptable it is.
It's wonderful what you can find with five minutes to spare.
ReplyDeleteNice to see that Philip manages to keep his finances in order and respectfully keeps his expences down to a minimum.
Especially when times are so hard for so mnay.
Oh wait a minute. He doesn't.
Tuesday 31st March 2009
The latest expenses for MPs show Shipley MP Philip Davies (Con) claimed the most money of the five district Members of Parliament.
He claimed £161,300, spending the biggest chunk of that total on staffing costs, £90,257. He also spent £23,083 on accommodation, £19,985 on office costs, £11,858 on travel, £10,732 on communications, £3,276 on stationery and postage, £1,107 on central IT provision and £1,002 on stationery.
The details are published annually and were initially due for release last October but were delayed amid a legal row over whether full receipts and invoices should be disclosed.
MPs are permitted to claim expenses, including up to £23,083 for the additional costs allowance (ACA), which covers the cost of staying away from their main residence.
ACA is used to cover the cost of a property, as well as rent or mortgage interest. Most MPs use it to pay for a base in central London to use while they are working in Westminster.'
I'm 49 years old, have Asperger's syndrome and have never worked. In order to get my first job I need to be able to offer an employer something, and I think that being able to work for less than minimum wage might just do it.
ReplyDeleteI doubt that financially I'd be any worse off due to the complicated interaction between the various benefits I receive and the fees I have to pay to Social Services for my care.
While I respect what you are saying Lee, I would think that in a compassionate and civilized society we should be able to provide employment for the disabled without resorting to exploitation.
ReplyDeleteWhen you say you need to offer an employer something, and that being you will do the same work as anyone else for less, then that would seem terribly counterproductive in the log term in regards to ensuring rights for the disabled.
"Mind spokesman Sophie Corlett said: "It is a preposterous suggestion that someone who has a mental health problem should be prepared to accept less than minimum wage to get their foot in the door with an employer.
ReplyDelete"People with mental health problems should not be considered a source of cheap labour and should be paid appropriately for the jobs they do."
She said employers should be educated about mental health problems, adding that more than 50% of people with mental health problems lived on weekly household income of less than £200."