Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To wonder why the Conservative party felt it was appropriate to appoint who has been as the Minister for Disabilities?

68 replies

JoanHickson · 13/05/2015 13:03

"Get out of your wheelchair and stop being lazy, you are too young to be disabled"

Posted by his constituent on a disability group. The complaint response from Tory HQ was "He has been dealt with appropriatly".

OP posts:
KentonArcher · 13/05/2015 13:10

Can you not give a bit more information? A name, a link, a source?

Why so cryptic?

Rinoachicken · 13/05/2015 13:12

I'm not sure I understand your OP - did the new minister of disabilities say this or one of his constituents??

prepperpig · 13/05/2015 13:13

Posted by his constituent. That's not him. He can't control what every person who lives in his area posts online. They might not even be a conservative voter.

Bizarre thread

JoanHickson · 13/05/2015 13:14

Oh sorry. I am on my phone. There was an interesting Independent article today on Justin Tomlinson.

OP posts:
JoanHickson · 13/05/2015 13:15

The Minister when he was just an MP said that to the constituent.

OP posts:
BeyondDoesBootcamp · 13/05/2015 13:17

Sounds like he'll fit in with the rest of the cabinet then?

BreconBeBuggered · 13/05/2015 13:20

Well his voting record on disability issues looks broadly unsympathetic, so say the least. The kind of person I'd expect DC to appoint, in fact.

MarvellousMarbles · 13/05/2015 13:21

It should be unthinkable to have a non-disabled Minister for Disabilities. You wouldn't have a male Minister for Women. Absolutely patronising and shocking to have someone who doesn't have personal first-hand experience.

And if there aren't enough disabled MPs, then there should be an action plan quick sharp to erode the (enormous) barriers to disabled people becoming MPs. That might open the Cabinet's minds to an awareness of the barriers disabled people face in getting jobs generally, in fact.

iwantcontrolofcarmusic · 13/05/2015 13:21

links here OP genuinely scared for my disabled DD future

BreakWindandFire · 13/05/2015 13:23

He's previously voted against protecting extra benefits for disabled children and cancer patients as well.

Also, the new equalities Minister has previously voted against gay rights, the Justice Secretary has previous suggested bringing back hanging and the Culture Secretary would like to abolish the BBC.

JoanHickson · 13/05/2015 13:24

The MP for Oxford has a chronic health condition, Ms Blackwood. She questioned Atos so I guess that's why she didn't get the job.

OP posts:
Corster7 · 13/05/2015 13:24

He is my local mp unfortunately, and yes he has voted strongly against a lot of things when it comes down to disability welfare.

Rinoachicken · 13/05/2015 13:25

Ok yes, that sis VERY concerning

fixedit · 13/05/2015 13:25

And then the human rights act Sad

fixedit · 13/05/2015 13:28

If they don't cut it for children I imagine it will become taxable income so Will affect everything else.

LeChien · 13/05/2015 13:39

Bloody hell.
I'm sure those who voted these dispicable people into power are satisfied. Hope they never become disabled or have a disabled child.

MNpostingbot · 13/05/2015 13:40

Erm, the link further down the thread is valid (although lets recognise the source and the biases of the independent) that a disabilities minister with a track record of voting as he has might be a concern. Then again, we had a coalition in place and voting in favour of your own partys preference becomes even more of the norm in that situation.

But the OP is hearsay at best or entirely made up and libellous at worst. A quick Google doesn't throw this up and you'd think it would have made news at some point.

It's a non-story his voting past. He wasn't minister for the disabled and voted in line with party instructions. Just like left wing politicians do, we could easily find similar contradictory stances for previous labour ministers based on following their own party orders.

I'll get flamed for this, but this seems to be the fundamental difference between the left and right. The left tries to shock and takes things out of context and doesn't consider the wider picture. It's the same for all these "build £60 Bn of houses to solve the housing crisis"

It's very easy to say, but a lot harder to back the maths up. Same with this thread, it's designed to shock and scare, but ignores logic and reason as to why they did what they did.

Or do you all really think the Tories went though the back benches and hand picked the person who hates the disabled most to do this job?

BeyondDoesBootcamp · 13/05/2015 13:46

Well, thats all hunky dory then, if he was just toeing party lines on fucking up the lives of disabled people. Hmm

But that party is in majority power now. Stop being melodramatic, silly people who are worried about it.

JoanHickson · 13/05/2015 13:54

I have the screen shot from the group. I just don't know how to cover people's fb picture/name.

OP posts:
MNpostingbot · 13/05/2015 13:55

I'm not saying the conservatives aren't bad news for the disabled. They almost certainly are in the short term. (My opinion is they are good for them in the long term because they want to provide support that is sustainable, but that's a separate thread)

My point is that the reasons given in this thread, particularly the OP, are either untrue or not valid. There are plenty of things to be concerned about for the disabled right now, however the voting past of the minister isn't relevant.

Or, if we ignore logic and pretend that it is, then every labour chancellor in history is 10 times more guilty of hypocrisy than Justin Tomlinson is.

MNpostingbot · 13/05/2015 13:57

Joan, a screenshot isn't evidence it happened.

I'm not questioning that you've read what you've read. But I could just as easily declare that yvette cooper once told me that in her spare time she likes pulling the legs off live kittens.

JoanHickson · 13/05/2015 14:00

You said I was untrue. I am not. True I can't vouch for the lady who posted the transaction.

OP posts:
MNpostingbot · 13/05/2015 14:00

If he truly said that, it would be national news. It's not, so for the time being I think we can assume that the left leaning press either dismissed it as made up or has legal advice that it isn't supported by evidence so is treading carefully. As should that constituent.

sunshield · 13/05/2015 14:01

Why was the role not given to Paul maynard The conservative Mp for Blackpool North. Do you remember are those Despicable Labour MPs pulling faces at him when he gave his maiden speech in 2010.!

Paul Maynard suffers from Cerebral Palsy and would make a great Disabilities Minister.

DrDre · 13/05/2015 14:03

Yes I remember that sunshield Those Labour MPs should have been expelled from the party.