To think Toby Young deserves scorn for this article?

[BowieFan]

Apologies for linking to the Daily Mail, but I've used a service that denies them advertising revenue: <a class="break-all" href="https://anonym.to/?www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-3869182/Why-Lefties-misty-eyed-movie-romanticises-Benefits-Britain-says-TOBY-YOUNG.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">anonym.to/?www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-3869182/Why-Lefties-misty-eyed-movie-romanticises-Benefits-Britain-says-TOBY-YOUNG.html

Aside from the basic errors (it's 100minutes long, not nearly 3 hours), it's just an awful article. The fact that Toby Young thinks everyone claiming benefits is a smoking/gambling/drinking loudmouth is just offensive. I'm shocked - not that it was published - but that he thinks his opinion is the opinion of everyone.

I'd love to see him survive on benefits. I wonder if he'd be saying the same things then?

Was just about to post what a cunt he was until I saw DawnDonna's post above.

She's right, that would be to kind to him.

Horrible horrible article.

How can you describe yourself as a journalist when the height of your research is watching done clips of benefit streets?

Please please let this demonisation if the poor by people who have no experience of poverty end.

Our children deserve to grow up in a nicer country than the one we are becoming!

I love how he and his mates set up a school because his kids were to good for state school but lets not make it fee paying but selective. Meh arsehole

Toby Young is one of the most awful people in this country.

Yes Blu his father was excellent. Toby failed his A-levels and got into Oxford purely because they wanted more kids from Comprehensive schools. It's sad to see someone like him actually turning his back on where he came from.

It says a lot about his dad that he only took the seat in the Lords because he had no money to continue visiting London to campaign against social inequality and visit charities, and the seat in the Lords came with an allowance which allowed him to do that.

Dawn why do you only receive £73 a week if you have children? Did you appeal against PIP decision ?

He is utterly odious. Everything I have ever read by him or about him has confirmed that fact.
His poor wife and children.

Odious little man.

Toby Young existing makes the world a smaller and sadder place.

DawnDonna, I've PMed you.

You really didn't need to add 'for this article.'

I wonder if it's possible to get Toby Young, Katie Hopkins, Louise Mensch, Piers Morgan, Richard Littlejohn and Kelvin MacKenzie together on an island and then nuke the shit out of it?

Surely we'd be better off in the long run, even with the nuclear winter it would cause.

Cherryskypie

That's true. I don't usually spend much time thinking about him, but today I spent a total of 11 hours helping people fill out forms to get PIP or ESA (I work one day a month at the CAB on one of my days off) this sweeping generalisation just tipped me over the edge. Today I had to help a man who is having Chemotherapy write a Mandatory Reconsideration letter because they'd placed him in the Work Related Activity Group. This is a highly intelligent man who wants to work but physically can't.

I'm not sure where Toby Young is getting his opinion of benefits claimants from. Oh that's right, from fucking Benefits Street. I've drafted a letter to him inviting him to come and shadow me on one of my days at the CAB, but I doubt he'll take me up on that.

Sorry, just can't bring myself to click on a link to that hateful rag to read the vacuous ramblings of someone with the wit, intellect and charm of a runny turd

Just read, its actually quite a fair article, the film he refers to is pretty bias. Nothing extreme in it.

It's shameful the way we're treating people.

Actually I think his school is non selective.
But he is clearly a gobshite nonetheless

I'm generally against violence but I'm drunk and think that Bowie may be on to something there.

Nuke 'em indeed.

Wankers.

Quornflakes

The film isn't biased. I know bias when I see it and speaking as someone who actually is on the front lines of these cuts, I can tell you that the film doesn't go far enough.

I have helped a man who had a heart attack during his assessment and he scored 0 points. I have helped a woman who was sanctioned because she had MS and could not make the 25 mile journey to the job centre to sign on. I have sat there with tears in my eyes because I am only allowed to refer people three times a year. I have sat there and offered them a meal at my house so that they don't go hungry.

The article isn't fair and balanced at all. How is it fair and balanced to suggest that nobody on benefits listens to classical music or wants to better themselves?

Maybe you should publicly (sp) ask him an open letter maybe ?

KarlosKKrinkelbeim

They say they're non-selective, but I think in practice they are actually fairly selective. Their teaching (like most of these free schools) is shockingly lacking in some places.

I have not seen the film or read the article but have been a benefits advisor and advocate at appeals.

I have seen people with late-stage terminal cancer being (wrongly) required to attend medicals.

I have seen people with paranoid schizophrenia having to be re-sectioned following deterioration caused by scandalous removal of benefit.

Ive seen a proud man with MS break down in real trauma at a tribunal having to explain how he becomes doubly incontinent in public.

Ive had to explain to a panel that the decision to refuse DLA to a cancer survivor with serious osteoporosis was wrong because she was at serious risk of injury (evidenced by her breaking her spine just after the original decision but before the hearing!!).

I attended to a man who had a stroke and then was sent for a medical. Report written advised not scored enough points for ESA then on same day suffered another stroke. His consultant was furious and said that it should have been obvious to the examining medical practitioner that he was not well and his blood pressure was very high (but the test is done by various health professionals including physios and midwives and without access to patients medical records.).

We are constantly seeing disabled people on JSA being sanctioned for things they cannot do because of their disabilities like people with learning disabilities not being able to use computers. The Job Centre are required to provided adjustments to the job seeking agreements to accommodate for their disabilities but they do not- some suggest there are sanction targets. I don't know but clearly disabled people are being let down badly by the terrible system.

I think anyone commenting in articles about the benefits systems should have the decency to do actual research.

Dawn why do you only receive £73 a week if you have children? Did you appeal against PIP decision ?
They are at university. However, grants no longer exist, rent is expensive and due to their disabilities a significant amount is being spent on taxis and care.

Just read, its actually quite a fair article, the film he refers to is pretty bias. Nothing extreme in it There is nothing fair about it, the film is not biased, it is an accurate portrayal of a system that I have found myself stuck in. Perhaps you'd like to pay my heating, because I can't afford it?

MrsJayy

I've already passed it onto someone who's far better at this than me. Jack Monroe has wisely got him in her sights as well. I don't really want to be a public figure but in my letter to him I've put several pages of people who'd be more than happy to show him what it's really like. I doubt he'd take us up on it though.