to think the Camerons are hypocrites?

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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.

So she should quit the job she enjoys and become a charity worker? Why? Does she not get a choice simply because of who her husband is? Should she never mention her son for fear of people claiming she is using him to make a point?

Posters mentioned the poor, that doesn't just mean the disabled. For most people, it means those that claim benefits. There are many ways most could help themselves but they choose not to as Labour convinced them it was ok to take state money instead.

The carers allowance leak is just a proposal, likewise taxing DLA. It makes no sense to tax it as its state money in the first place but given its not means tested I can see why it was suggested.

None of the main leaders live on NMW or claim benefits yet all have followers. Some choose their vote based on what it will give them, others vote for the party they believe best for the country. We have the luxury of being choice when it comes to the elections.

I think it beyond crass to make people with disabilities homeless.
I think it beyond crass to pay carers £65 per week.
I think it beyond crass to cut services for those with disabilities to the bone.
I think it beyond crass to cut disability benefits.
I could carry on, oh so easily.

SPADs are out in force.

ShakesBootyFlabWobbles

well you don't have to agree, but I believe that's why they pull out all this rubbish around election time. Obviously it won't grab every floating voter in the sea, but it will sway some and it may also reaffirm decided voters that their choice in party was correct. They don't do all this spiel for nothing

Whilst its fine for politicians to show a human side - I don't see why their spouses and children should be used as a means of getting votes.

It is, as ever, the policies that we should make our judgements on - and the Tories policies are to screw everyone over and, in particular, the most vulnerable people in society. That is why this interview was so hypocritical - not because Samantha Cameron has chosen to talk about her experiences as a mother of a disabled child, but because everything that this government has done has shown that David Cameron has no empathy at all with other parents/carers in that position.

There is also the naive and insulting assumption that an interview like this will appeal to women - the glamour, the anecdotes about children, the cooking, blah, blah, blah....because, of course women are only interested in things like that and don't care about the state of the economy, the Middle East and other issues. It's almost like the patriarchal fuckers in that party have done this just to get the little ladies whose heads they are metaphorically patting and telling us not to worry our pretty little heads about important things to vote.

Dawndonna, precisely.

And, fucking hell, I'm ranting

zeezeek, you go for it.

Carers allowance is means tested Littlemonsters. The cut off point is around £100 per week.
Job Seekers allowance has been taxed since Thatcher.

As for your point about benefit claimants helping themselves, many do. Gone are the days when people could choose it as a lifestyle, sanctions have ensured that. Sanctions which are cruel, unfair and affect those with mental health problems far more than the average claimant.
If you're going to keep pointing to benefits, do some research first.

Great post zeezeek Dawndonna expat

"Pull out all this rubbish"

= The death of a severely disabled child.

That is sickening. I can't take you seriously.

I agree with your list DawnDonna. I just don't link them with a story about someone's personal life.

I didn't say that.

And if you can't take me seriously because of something I didn't write, you need to sort your debating skills out.

SHakes that's deliberately misinterpreting that comment I think.
The 'rubbbish' refers to all the posed photo calls and kissing babies, and 'causal mornings in the kitchen' with the leaders we've already had and will have ad nauseam for the next few weeks.

Well of course Shakes is playing games now.

The original question was about hypocrisy.

I wrote it. And yes, it was a deliberate misinterpretation.

I've posted several times about how I can't link talking about the loss of a child with how you vote.

I did not at any time talk about anything else.

If you reply to me taking about 'pulling out this rubbish' when the only topic I've mentioned is as above, what else am I supposed to think?

Think what you like, Shakes. I don't care what you think frankly and hopefully you are not a SPAD or in a policy making position.

Sorry ShakesBootyFlabWobbles, you've lost me. You said you didn't understand how articles like these could sway votes - that's what I was referring to in my replies - not the state of Ivan's health.

And it absolutely IS about votes, and it absolitely will sway some people.

Cameron has a big big problem with the female vote. He's seen as Old Boys Club, patronising (remember "Calm Down Dear") and unempathetic. Sam is a bit of a weapon in his campaign armoury - she comes across as friendly, modern, a little bit cool, successful in a sort of aspirational job, has a photogenic family, a strong sense of style, and not intimidating. I expect we'll see a LOT more of her over the next few weeks.

Actually Ed doesn't seem to appeal to female voters particularly either, certainly not like Blair, and I expect we'll see a lot more of Justine soon, although of course she has a v.successful legal career in her own right.

Clegg's wife Miriam is probably the most impressive of the lot - brains, beauty, career, opinions, family - but doesn't seem involved this time. Not sure if that's because Clegg always appealed to the female voter, or because he doesn't really appeal to any voters this time around so she's distanced herself for career reasons!

I think the only thing we as public voters can do is demonstrate (through comments here, on Twitter etc) that we think this kind of SamCam interview actually gives out the opposite impression of the one he was hoping for - particularly that he is UNempathetic, given he can't see how his life is different from other familes with the same situation, and that he is not 'a man of the people' in any sense, no matter what Radio station they have playing at home.

I am incredibly sorry the Camerons lost their son.
The callous disregard the Tory party has for those who are disabled is breath taking and horrific in its utter callousness.

YANBU

I think SamCam has sunk to a new low today. Great for her that she could pull out all the stops pay for two nannies to help her with Ivan. Since her DH has been PM the social care budget has been cut so much round here that I can't get any help, ever, not even when my DH is away with the RAF. That means my teenaged sons help wash and dress me!

Taxing and means testing DLA has been being rumoured for around 18 months now. We know they are going to be beyond cruel and are probably fearful of losing votes over these welfare cuts, otherwise they'd come right out and say what they are going to do. The silence speaks volumes.

If everyone knew the whole truth about the Camerons they'd be much, much less sympathetic. They're not like normal people with normal emotions and morals.

OMG that is completely paranoid, of course I am not a SPAD. Search my posting history, you will easily see that isn't the case.

I have absolutely no idea how raising a comment about not linking talking about the loss of a child to how you vote makes somebody a SPAD. That says way, way more about you.

I am currently classed as disabled under the Equality Act, I have a nephew with ASD and see firsthand the difficulty my family has. Yet I am unaffected in the way I will vote by reading this article and do not think other floating will either. That's all.