BREAKING NEWS IDS RESIGNS !!!!!

Andrew Marr was a pathetic interviewer, he could have really gone to town on IDS but cried off. Was very disappointed.

I can't do the in bold print quote thing but quoting from above:

".... And despite the political banter from Labour, the disability budget is actually going to be rising by more than £1 billion over the next 5 years which means that more money is being spent in real terms on support for disabled people than at any point under the previous Labour government."


You don't say What about the freeze on increases to payments in line with inflation? Dam it, that's a cut in anybody's definition.

I realise it's not Corbyn's style to engage in parliamentary shouting matches but according to Labour MP Jess Phillips on C4 news tonight he failed to mention IDS once in parliament today. I'm really frustrated by this softly softly approach at a moment when Labour has the prefect opportunity to make the most of discrediting these benefit cuts. What's the point of Corbyn if he won't express the concerns of all those who voted him as Labour leader? I still think he's the best chance Labour has but I hope his repeated compromises and failure to really confront and expose Tory hypocrisy like this won't dispirit many of those who voted for him. It certainly frustrates me. Come on Corbyn!

Every government needs a strong opposition to keep them in check. We seem to have no opposition!

Apologies for reviving this thread but in response to the latest newsletter which speculated that Brexit might see IDS back in position I think instead it might provoke a constitutional crisis and a new election. The Tories won by a slim margin. If Cameron can't carry the EU vote then that's not just a no confidence vote for him but for the Conservatives as a whole.

After the imposition of austerity in Greece I don't believe the EU is a democratic institution. Rather than defend disability rights by challenging government benefit cuts, the EU bureaucracy are doing deals with various EU member states to exempt EU citizens from those benefits. Currently, there's no way to vote out the pro austerity bureaucracy that's pushing through terrible suffering across Europe. While EU legislation has improved certain human rights these improvements have been reneged upon in the name of austerity such as in Greece and with the treatment of refugees. As it stands we have no way of democratically challenging these decisions. Until there's a radical reconstitution of the EU where we're allowed to democratically vote for who decides EU policy I won't support it.

On that basis I think Brexit would be a good thing because it would show no confidence for the Tories, possibly provoke a UK election and weaken the power of an unelected and unaccountable EU bureaucracy determined to carry out austerity regardless of how this might affect those with disabilities. If Brexit does happen and a new election does occur then it's up to us to ensure we get a government that supports the disabled.

Hi All,

Unless some members have been on holiday to Saturn, I believe that we are all now aware that IDS has resigned and "Buster Crabb" has taken over.

I will therefore put this topic to rest and lock it !!!

It was fun whilst it lasted !!!

bro58