"...and basically these people are frankly parasites"
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It's in this thread.
https://forum.scope.org.uk/discussion/comment/934471#Comment_934471
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Now I feel bad for leaving my job that I was in but I ended up having a meltdown and a migraine so I quit it.
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Thanks for sharing the link to the interview. I’ve seen it, I'm actually looking for the interview where she directly states disabled individuals. Do you know where I can find it?
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I think we may all have felt that the Motability 'free' cars that Isabel Oakeshott mentioned in that video link may have been 'indirectly' referencing those that are in receipt of the enhanced rate for the mobility component of PIP/ADP, etc.
I must admit as I don't have a Motability car, that I didn't fully know the criteria. As @MW123 correctly says, this also includes those in receipt of the War Pensioners' Motability Supplement (& Armed Forces Independence Payment).
I don't know the statistics (so I'll not make a sweeping generalisation as Oakeshott seemed to have done), but, as can be seen from her quote below, the inference, at least to me, seemed that this was about adult benefit claimants, not those who had a Motability car due to having a disabled child.
What we don't know is how many disabled people may actually be using a Motability car to enable them to get to work!
Isabel Oakeshott said,
''…..Rachel Reeves basically turned this into a Budget of removing resources from those who work in order to keep on sustaining those who, frankly, can't be bothered to get out of bed and get themselves out, whether it's to an office or to any kind of job, and prefer to just sit on the sofa and order their Deliveroo and drive their Motability free vehicle and take everything that the state can offer.
The state, that is people like you and me and our very many listeners who are grafting just to try to make ends meet.
Basically these people are, frankly, parasites.''
Sorry, but I've been singularly unsuccessful in finding an interview where she's previously 'directly' mentioned disabled people.
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news and news papers are merely the opinions of a group of rich people desperate to influence public opinion and are not reflecting reality i dont buy them and i dont watch the news but i should imagine aliens ride by earth and lock there doors
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I don’t think it’s indirectly aimed at disabled people at all, I think it’s very carefully worded so she can claim it was more general but it very clearly was directed.
The quoted portion above misses the preceding sentence of “It is ludicrous how many young people are supposedly too sick to work and being supported by the state.”
Also while it’s true the war pensioners mobility supplement and armed forces payment can make you eligible for Motability, the claimants of these payments are still disabled, that’s the point. So the comments about “drive their free Motability vehicles” can only be able disabled people (which ever benefit they claim), or their carers. And if she’s claiming those that care for disabled people “can’t be bothered to get out of bed” and “prefer just to sit on the sofa” and “frankly parasites”, we should be equally outraged, and I think she’d be forgetting that carers save the government SO MUCH MONEY.
But given her preceding sentence of assuming that young people are lying about being too sick to work, it’s clear she means disabled people or those she believes to be faking disability (despite DWP themselves putting pip fraud at like 0.4%)
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Isabel Oakeshott’s claim that individuals are "jumping into free mobility cars" is factually incorrect. Motability vehicles are not "free"; users exchange all or part of their mobility allowance to lease a vehicle. This misrepresentation suggests a lack of thorough research or fact-checking before making such a sweeping statement, undermining the credibility and accuracy of her reporting.
After further investigation, I’ve concluded that lodging a complaint with Ofcom would be unproductive. I’ve discovered that Talk TV, once a traditional television channel, now operates exclusively as an online streaming platform. This shift creates a regulatory gap, as Ofcom's jurisdiction does not extend to streaming content, meaning Talk TV's online programming falls outside its oversight.
In my view, complaining directly to Talk TV would likely not be taken seriously. Given their apparent focus on stirring controversy, such a complaint might even be dismissed as a source of amusement. As an unregulated platform that does not adhere to traditional journalistic standards, it seems unlikely that Talk TV would address the issue meaningfully.
I am also disappointed that Talk TV’s streaming platform has gained free publicity as a result of Oakeshott’s controversial comments. With the content they produce, it appears they rely heavily on provocation to attract attention, as they are unlikely to build a subscriber base based purely on the quality of their programming.
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I know it won't go down well on here, but to many working people, they consider PIP as free money because it hasn't been 'earned' through actual work. That is why they consider Motability cars to be free.
I have heard this many times from my own relatives as well as various other sources. That is the way they think…
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I remember when I had my last PIP review, I had all the paperwork about motability cars and blue badges but since I can't navigate to drive, both are useless to me and so I never pursued either. That said, and reading up on the official guidelines for both motability and blue badge entitlement, you have to meet very specific criteria to get either.
But these people use sweeping judgements to appeal to the disgruntled. The bigger problem is that people just absorb and repeat comments like this without doing any deeper research into any of the relevant issues. It's obviously irresponsible for any journalist to print information without robust facts to back them up, but the people who just believe without thinking are also at fault. If they didn't believe, people like this have no power. It would just be one opinion into the void.
As a disabled person who works, despite all the barriers, and who has not claimed motability or a blue badge because neither are appropriate for my disability, it makes my blood boil when people make sweeping judgements. But there's a bigger issue of ignorance about disability that needs tackling first. I 100% agree that Scope should be talking about the disabled who work, and the disabled who need PIP in order to be able to work in their responses and statements.
I also think the title of this thread could be triggering to some site users :/ Her words are ugly - do we need to give them more prominence by headlining the discussion with them?
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Yeah I've definitely heard that many times too! I like to see it as money for all the extra work I have to put into getting through each day, that non-disabled people could never imagine 😅
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there's too many opinions from creatures like her and I'm still waiting for ofcom to reply to my email. quick Google search shows just how many times they've warned that horrible channel
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I like the title, it made me read it where I normally avoid these big long posts because I don't have the time or energy to read everything on here!! And being clear about what it's about means those who would find it too hard to read won't open and read the posts
I agree with everything else you said though, I hate the sweeping statements about benefit claimants, tackling ignorance about disability is so important and this narrative that she spewed that we're all just lazy scroungers really makes me so angry!
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I'm glad you and @Ironside1990 made that parallel, as it was the first thing which came to my mind on hearing what Oakeshott said.
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ah but what they dont understand is where we are now some of them will be in the future and judging by some peoples attitude about us now they are in for a pretty rough ride
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Veryyyyyy true!
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Politicians using Nazi-esque language, isn't new when talking about disabled people and work.
IDS visited Auschwitz years ago. He took notice of the slogan on the gates and he said in an interview, "work helps free people." Horrible man.
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Funny things is some of the biggest complainers ive seen about the PIP and disabled is pensioners, who somehow think disabled and those on UC are the reason why the WFA got cut
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On Kevin O'Sullivan's Talk show a few nights ago, whilst not directly addressing her previous comments, Isabel Oakeshott did row back on her inflammatory comments by stating that disabled/vulnerable people should receive the support of the welfare system. So, it seems the statement made by scope after her "parasites" comment did get through and was taken on board.
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The backlash from disability charities and claimants would've had a hand in this as well.
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The people starmer works for use that phrase as well
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