gwenglens.bsky.social
Curious follower of shiny things, prone to getting distracted by random stuff and looking for meaning in a baffling world. Learning Spanish & Swedish. Living in Portsmouth, born in Argyll & married to a Welshman; making rugby internationals interesting! 🏴🏴
760 posts
338 followers
271 following
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Active Commenter
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Every single person in the UK pays some sort of tax-every time they go into a shop to buy something or put fuel in their car, or pay tax on their income. It all goes into the Treasury. It’s a false dichotomy to say that there are taxpayers and non-taxpayers. We all pay tax to support each other.
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I became disabled as a teenager in 1981 so I’m a veteran 😁! I imagine disability history is still all self taught and not part of any curriculum? I know it was only when I got to know other disabled people that I understood there wasn’t something ‘wrong’ with me. The social model was a revelation!
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Yeah I can really see the LibDems racing to take up that offer. 🙄
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Disabled person here too. The more noise we can make about this issue the better. It’s like being back in the 1980’s and 90’s again when we were demonstrating for equal rights. I never thought we’d be targeted like this by a Labour govt. Labour! Unbelievable.
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He needs to reverse the proposed cuts to PIP as well. It’s outrageous to try to balance the books on the backs of disabled people & a complete fiction that it’s to help people into work; if that were the case why do the cuts predate the planned ‘help into work’ by two years? It’s not going to work.
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Yes, that other Richard was one for the ages wasn’t he? 😁
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It’s making me completely incensed. The fudging, the dishonesty, it’s appalling. I’ve written repeatedly to my Labour MP to no avail—just an automated reply. I get PIP, I’m in work. This is going to stop people who are already working from staying in their jobs, let alone folk going into poverty.
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A worrying thing about this poll is that the whole of the left-leaning or progressive vote is only 20% if you discount Labour in its current iteration.
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They’ve lost this left leaning voter! The LibDems are a strong contender here and I’ll probably be voting for them next time unless Labour tack left again and/or it’s a case of keeping Reform/Tories out. A bitter choice.
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It’s so depressing. Who is advising them?
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Indeed. It means nothing to most people, who are more worried about just getting by.
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Meanwhile my carers (Nigerian and Zimbabwean) are making plans to move to Canada or even the US if the ten year settlement period is applied retrospectively. And my PIP benefit may be cut in half. But yeah, the economy grew 0.7%, yay!
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I love that!
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I’m sorry, what? Robert Jenrick is complaining about toxicity in politics? The same Jenrick who painted over cartoons designed to help migrant children feel less traumatised? Excuse me while I go find my microscopic violin.
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Appalling isn’t it. My care agency has carers from India, Cameroon, Zimbabwe, Nigeria & the Philippines. All dedicated, caring people who suffer abuse from some clients or their families & yet carry on doing a difficult and demanding job with such grace. I can’t believe a Labour govt is doing this.
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Completely agree. And I’ve only just joined them.
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I feel like weeping this morning. How do I tell my lovely carers from India and Zimbabwe that they have caused ‘incalculable damage’ to our country & that they have to wait 10 years for ILR whilst they work 12 hour days enabling disabled people like me to live full lives? I feel ashamed of our govt.
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They’ve already said that anyone arriving by irregular means will have no path to citizenship. I fail to see how this will encourage people to integrate.
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Next up will be ditching Net Zero. It’s only a matter of time.
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It’s an excellent article, albeit depressing. What a country.
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Thanks for the work you do. Please be in no doubt, you and your colleagues are very important! And you should be paid accordingly.
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If they have any sense they won’t be drifting away; they’ll be running away hell for leather. I know I did.
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Exactly. It’s insane.
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She’s only been with us for a week or so but settling in well. Here she is. 😍
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We’ve just adopted a cat and last night she slept on our bed with her head under my chin. Cosy cat!
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I can’t believe this. I mean I do believe it, of course, because you know what you’re talking about, but I can’t believe that a Labour government - a *Labour* government! - is doing this. Not even the bloody Tories tried this.
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I’m getting very twitchy about this being framed solely as a rethink on the WFA. What about the disability benefits cuts? These are going to hit just as hard. I hope journalists will press this point as well.
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Awful. Just awful. I feel betrayed.