Thread 17: Starmer: Treading softly.

[DuncinToffee]

Lettuce pray

Keep it civil

Cat, dog, flowers tax much appreciated

Previous thread
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5257111-thread-16-starmer-mad-world?page=40

It will totally depend how the cuts are achieved.
Putting resources into getting businesses to hire disabled people with flexible hours, differentiated terms and conditions (ie extra WFH rights, shifted hours to avoid rush hour, longer lunch break, different sick pay rules etc), would enable more disabled people to access work without affecting their health.
That would get the ESA bill down and improve the lives of disabled people.
It's the difference between "forcing" and "enabling" employment.

@InMySpareTime the rumours seem to
indicate that the thinking is to actually cut the amount of benefits paid to people rather than achieve cuts by making it easier for disabled people to work etc.

But we'll see.

Do you really think, after 40 years of treating the disabled like shit anything will change ?

I don't.

I would have more respect if they were honest and just paid for one way trips to Switzerland. Who knows, if people fly they may be able to claim a refund if the plane goes down en route.

Your last sentence is a bit much there, I have to say, @SerendipityJane .

Ouch. 😣

True. I should have considered the insurers.

DH just went to get his hair cut. Usual unisex place, been going there 20 yrs +, for context. The partner of one of the hairdressers hangs around a lot, not sure why - it’s putting me off going tbh but that’s by the by.
Bloke attempts to strike up conversation about the air ambulance crash. Then said “they’ll have been deporting them”. DH corrected him on that and added it would still be awful even if that were true. Awkward silence ensued. I mean, it’s fresh on the news, the facts about the people are known and yet still some people try to Other them, make it a lesser sadness because they were Mexican. In that bloke’s head, he probably still believes it was a lesser tragedy because Other.

There's a support Tommy march, Stand Up to Racism march and Chinese New Year celebrations in London today.

There is a gag there somewhere about Diversity Equality and Inclusion, if you look hard enough,

I hope all pass without incident. Don’t envy the job the police have got on there.

@Saucery that's awful.

It’s chillingly common out in society, unfortunately. I don’t really hear it in friend circles because you tend to surround yourself with likeminded people, don’t you. But this man just assumed he would be agreed with - he didn’t want a row about it because he shut up quickly. He thought it worth a punt to strike up a conversation with a stranger about immigrants dying in a plane crash though. Fucks sake.

ETA we call it the Bigot Ambush. You’re happily chatting to someone on a dog walk, or in a stately home’s gardens, or the queue in the supermarket and Bam! Bigots gonna bigot.

That is disgraceful.

Obviously being a woman she wasn't up for the job. Reminds me of a football pundit, whose name I thankfully have forgotten, who said he'd be terrified if he found out that a woman was piloting the plane because she'd be putting her lipstick on as the plane was taking off. The other pundits did call him out for it and rightly so.

Yes, that is so worrying. These people just assume you will agree with their racism. A few years ago, they wouldn't have been so open.

Bigot ambush is a good description. I was chatting to a stranger. Then he casually used a racist slur to describe the driver of a car.

Astra Zeneca has a nerve asking for government support. It's one of the richest companies in the world. What's that phrase that Regan used? Is it Benefits Queen? Welfare Queen? These companies take everything and give nothing back

The girl being transported by air ambulance was 4 years old.

No idea how anyone can be flippant about the death of such a small child.

Poor little girl. So sad.

The Mayor has confirmed that there are no survivors, that includes a child and her mother, a doctor, paramedic, pilot and co-pilot.

Heartbreaking

Ugh. I bet that was uncomfortable for him.

At least I got to properly put the world to rights with my hairdresser, yesterday and we all agreed that it's all a bit scary. Other topics of conversation touched on social care and how crap the buses are at the moment, particularly where there is a monopoly! Even if she wasn't great at cutting I'd keep her!

We encountered that at a quilt exhibition of all places. Thankfully the women concerned had each other to agree with and there were lots of big quilts for us to hide behind and avoid them.

Years of experience have made my super sensitive to bigot ambushes. Little tells when the words "they", "them", "their type", "their sort" start to appear more often than statistics would suggest is appropriate.

I'm not racist, but I am personally offended when people assume I would have those views because of the colour of my skin.

Teachers get bigot ambushed frequently, most of the time by the pupils. Easier to tell them that they are wrong , thankfully. Failing that , tell them to get on with their work.

'Bigot ambush' is a great description of this phenomenon

Happens in the most unexpected places/times and can be pretty disconcerting

I see the disability hate is ramping up again on social media *🙄 Lots of frotting that Labour is coming for the disabled who apparently were pleased about the WFA decision. Or something.

*Not being more specific as I no longer know what is and isn't against Talk guidelines.