"...and basically these people are frankly parasites"
Read our response to Isabel Oakeshott's recent comments:
James Taylor, Executive Director of Strategy and Social Change at disability equality charity Scope, said:
“Isabel Oakeshott’s views on people who claim benefits belong in the past.
Calling people “parasites” is utterly disgraceful and fuels a dangerous and damaging narrative that we are today calling out.
No disabled person who draws on the benefits system is living a life of luxury as Ms Oakeshott claims.
In fact, for many it’s the complete opposite. Huge numbers of disabled people are unable to afford the basics to have a decent standard of living, even with benefits.
On top of this many disabled people are pushing hard for jobs.
There are a million disabled people in the UK who want to work, but are denied the opportunity because of employers' negative attitudes, delays getting the right support and inflexible working practices.
Benefits serve a vital function in society. Like the NHS, they are a service that any of us might need to draw on at any time in life.
Putting an end to the use of harmful language like this helps move us one step further towards an equal future for all.”
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When I got my daughter to post for me ,about Ms Oakshotts comments (the original poster )here this morning..I'm glad so many are in agreement about her terrible attitude towards disabled and benefit claiments ...I'm in my 60s with my neurological condition.lost manual dexterity. .But I have a 46 Yr old son paralysed in a car crash age 21,has grade 4 pressure areas so has to spend time on his air bed ..he was recently diagnosed with parkinsons..he contributes to his mobility car ..he also has to pay the council for disabled parking..My second son 43 broke his neck in a bike accident age 23..two titanium screws basically hold his head on..So it upsets me her attitude towards us that have to depend on the system..Life changing incidents can happen to anyone.
they that mock may need the system one day
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Thanks for drawing my attention to it yesterday, we must call out this disgusting narrative. Oakeshott and all others like her should be forced to sit and listen to people like you who have so much lived experience of disability and yet remain so dignified and resilient.
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I've been on ESA since 2015 for depression and anxiety (before that I suffered two years in silence because I was so scared of making a claim and being rejected), and I find it incredibly offensive when people like her suggest that living like this is in any way 'luxurious'.
They seem to think that people actually enjoy it, like it's fun to be depressed and suffer from intrusive thoughts of suicide and self harm. Suffering from 'invisible' illnesses is hard enough with the huge stigmas attached to them, but when people refuse to acknowledge just how serious and debilitating they truly are, they just add to that stigma.
People like her have absolutely No idea whatsoever what its like to be disabled and on benefits, and unfortunately people who are just as clueless actually listen to her opinions and refuse to admit that there are genuinely sick people on benefits because they think all claimants are lazy scroungers.
Seriously the levels of ignorance on Twitter, on posts sharing what she said, is truly astonishing. It's very disheartening and really does make me feel guilty for being on ESA.
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I do think a lot of disabled people want to work. The lack of support and the type of support in these welfare to work schemes have been shockingly bad. But the way governments have gone about it is all wrong.
Her comments about parasites, was an absolute disgrace, she is a terrible human being, No need for a comment like that nowadays.
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parasites, economically inactive. I wish people who use these terms to describe disabled people, would do their research first, before using such language.
Hitler would use the same words to describe disabled people as well.
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You aren't far off. I believe the term he used in Mein Kampf was "useless feeders who are a burden to society" when referring to disabled people. Quite concerning how close Oakeshott's language is to that.
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I think what people are upset about is she didn't clarify her statement, like people do on these subjects, it sounded more like a generalisation. She didn't mention or say anything along the lines of, we should support the disabled or vulnerable or the genuine people, I think thats what annoyed people.
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Yes she did - 'riding around in their free motobility vehicles'
. . . they are total parasites.
Only the disabled have motobility cars. QED
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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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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 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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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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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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The backlash from disability charities and claimants would've had a hand in this as well.
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I'm not sure what you mean when you say "the people Starmer works for" Catherine as that is an incredibly vague statement?
I do agree @Nightcity that the words, and wording, used in this discussion can itself influence thinking. I've also always wondered why the pension is treated so differently to the rest as well, if PIP and UC are both "benefits" then surely the pension is too? But I've rarely ever heard it called that.
A lot of the wording is to try and take the empathy or humanity out of it I think.
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