to think the Camerons are hypocrites?

[Pixel]

I've always had the utmost sympathy for them and what they went through in losing their eldest son, but Sam has made me very cross today. She's going on about how difficult it is caring for a disabled child and saying 'it pushes you to the limits of what you can cope with', yet the other day I saw this article. It says that the BBC has seen leaked documents showing that the Conservatives are planning to cut carer's allowance and disability benefits should they get re-elected.

It's not as simple as 'changed their vote'.

There's bothering to vote at all.

YANBU but a friend has a DC with a severe disability, frequent hospitalisations, high earning DH, full time nanny. It's not the nanny in hospital overnight, at the hospital appointments, serving in a voluntary admin role at the DC's school for PMLD, partly because many of the other children are in foster care due to their birth parents' somewhat understandable inability to cope with their DCs (and foster carers can't do "parent" voluntary roles)

That too then LineRunner. Has anyone decided not to vote at all because of today's article? I still think it will be nil points.

I forgot say OP, I think YABU.

Little monsters.
You're a closed minded judgemental disgracs blaming the sick disabled carers of the disabled for their misfortune. Do you really think people choose to be disabled. How the fuck do people take responsibility for being sick and infirm.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope you never fall on hard times Mrs I'm alright Jack as you might eat those words.
But in the mean time go and crawl back up call me Dave's arse. Seeing as you get on so well together

I wouldn't vote for them but I find it hard to believe even a politician's partner would be cynical enough to talk about a dead child to garner votes. Rather I think we all expect too much personal emoting from our politicians these days - hate the policies, not the mum with the dead child.

How can you not link the content and timing of this interview to the election? It's all about image isn't it and the contribution they think this interview will make to that. IMO SamCam has allowed herself to be pimped and used her dead child in the process. If she really cared, she would stop designing obscenely expensive handbags and instead fund raise for respite care centres for disabled children. Then I might consider her experiences relevant.

We are a a few weeks from the election.

Of course it's about votes. If it wasn't, why have the interview now?

Because the two things are not connected Bourdic.

I just don't think there is a single person in the country who would say, 'sod it, I have just read SC's article and I'm changing from Labour to Tory'.

Do you really believe this?

Do you believe people will turn from Lib/Lab/UKIP/SNP/green/Plaid & others because of this article Suburban? Really?

Well Shakes Some of them on the Carers UK forum were easily fooled the last time!

my guess is she did the interview because we expect politician's partners to be public property these days and then we make personal judgments about them - just as Justine did. I also don't agree that somebody that has a disabled child has to then become even more admirable by campaigning for them. I do think people should stick to hating their policies though, let's face it, neither clegg, Cameron or miliband knows what being on a middle or low income is like

I don't like them anyway, will never vote Tory (grew up under Thatcher).

That said I think their experience shows that all the wealth and influence in the world can't protect you from human tragedies like what happened with Ivan.

I hate hate hate how he brings it up to justify his lies about the NHS. Not surprised if the Tories find some new way to fuck on the more vulnerable members of society whilst protecting their own.

I don't think it's meant to 'turn' voters so much, but more to encourage disillusioned or floating voters

Tory leaning paper publishes article on Tory PM's wife when the current news is the election. Newspapers are there to sell newspapers or generate advertising - it is topical time to be interviewing politicians and their families.

Why would the Cameron's situation change the minds of supporters of other parties when Gordon Brown has been through similar and also has a child with a serious condition? They both offer similar experiences.

I just don't agree trufflesnout. Why would a floating or disillusioned voter (i.e. me) be swayed by this story? Casting a vote is policy led not about the personal life of a politician.

Littlemonsters some of the difficulties were pointed out to you on the other thread discussing this same subject. No reply there, either.

'Regardless of who the PM is, there is only so much they can do to help the poor. You can't just throw more money at them, it doesn't help and solves nothing long term. The person themselves needs to take responsibility rather than lay blame at everyone else's door.. I think the emphasis he has placed on people helping themselves as much as possible is a far better way of doing things. '

Yeah, fuck children like my daughter, who got cancer and hey, I should have just helped myself to a job and dumped her as inpatient in hospital in strict iso for 8 months before she died. Should have just taken responsibility, snapped her out of it as it interfered with working.

SamCam's 'job' - bought for her via connections and wealth.

The nannies weren't just any nannies, but specialist disabled ones costing over £60,000/year. Just like any working parent, eh?

The difference being that Brown and his wife didn't use their grief as a smokescreen to shaft the very people they were supposedly 'understanding'.

I cannot imagine what it must be like to lose a child. My loathing intense dislike of the Camerons doesn't diminish my sympathy for their grief, which I expect is as real now as it was the day they lost their son.

But. Cameron churns out a story about Ivan whenever he is challenged on the NHS. He uses his son's death to shut down debate about his party's policies. And now his wife has been wheeled out to remind us all of their loss, mere weeks before the election. It is crass beyond belief.

The social care budget is the responsibility of local councils, I believe - surely you should blame them?

Bourdic you make an excellent point about social care.

The Camerons may well have relied on the NHS for acute care but because of their wealth they didn't have to rely on lack of local authority social care and special school provision like the rest of us, day to day. The very same care and provision that the government is requiring to be cut through massive loss of grant to the councils who provide it.

Utter hypocrisy.

caroldecker, do you know who funds councils?

YABU. If she didn't talk about her son, she'd be branded as uncaring and cold. If she did, she'd be branded as using him.

The interviewer asked, and she told her. So, so sad and your sympathy should still remain with them. They have still lost a child, and no parent, no matter what you think of them deserves that.

But so what ElectaCute? Do you truly believe that there are people out there changing their beliefs as we speak due to this article and DC talking about the death of his child? I do not think for one moment that a Labour or SNP supporter would ever turn to Tory due to this situation. Do you?

I think it it beyond crass to be attacking any person who has lost a child, no matter how rich they are. It disgusts me to tell the truth.

I think it it beyond crass to be attacking any person who talks about the loss of a child, no matter how rich they are.

Typo sorry.