The vile totality of the horrific truth of the shame, blame and the recrimination is now focused on the Tory Party whose deprivation agenda is discretely constrained in a bed if lies, but the horrific reality rained down in the Party with unrelenting force this week as they belligerently clung to their inhumane plan to deny free school meals to the most disadvantaged children in the UK. The feeble excuse that councils are being provided with funds conveniently neglects to mention how far those funds are expected to stretch and who must be excluded from any future access to rescue in dealing with the pandemic if the funds are diverted elsewhere on protecting children from starvation. Under Government cuts Local authorities have already been authorized to relinquish all fiscal responsibility for care of the elderly and disabled; the stark choice is save the young by sacrificing the elderly! The Tories have hidden this stark reality within a blizzard of Government spending that obscures some devastating gaps in the Social Safety net.
A Skwawkbox Article highlights familial shame as a brother vents his disgust at a shameless Tory MP in the Skwawkbox piece entitled, “Charlatan… self-serving waste of space – MP’s own brother’s damning verdict after Tory tries to justify voting to keep kids hungry,” They say that, “A Facebook discussion of his attempt to excuse his decision to vote to keep poor children hungry has led to an embarrassing bombshell for Blyth Valley’s Tory MP Ian Levy. Levy wrote a self-justifying Facebook post claiming the public outrage, at the Tories’ appalling determination not to provide meals for 1.4 million of England’s poorest children during the school holidays (and any eventual lockdown), was ‘extremely disappointing’. Levy also justified his vote by pointing to the Tories giving free school meals to ‘another 50,0000 children’. He neglected to mention that the vote in fact denied free school meals to another million children, in one of the biggest political scandals of 2018.” So shame on him…
The Skwawkbox recount how, “the outraged discussion of Levy’s excuses was about to lead to serious embarrassment for Levy – as his own brother Grahame chipped in on the thread with a withering verdict on the Tory MP, he described as a ‘Charleton’ [sic] and ‘a self serving waste of space’ For good measure, Grahame, who now lives in Scotland, added that, I feel sorry for the folk of Blyth. So great was the outrage at the MP’s comments and vote that Labour MP Ian Lavery had to put out a tweet clarifying that he’s not the Tory MP with a vaguely similar name: Ian Lavery MP@IanLaveryMP Tweeted that, “For the sake of accuracy and complete clarity my name is IAN LAVERY the Labour MP for Wansbeck & last night I voted FOR the extension of Free School Meals #FSM It was IAN LEVY the Tory MP for Blyth Valley that voted AGAINST feeding the kids” No one wants to be tainted withthis Tory slime. S will the Tories U-turn to avert further embarrassment? Sadly they are shameless!
The Canary Article entitled, “Over 2,000 paediatricians write to Boris Johnson asking he extend free school meals for the holidays More than 2,00 paediatricians have signed a letter urging Boris Johnson to extend free school meals to vulnerable children during the holidays. The open letter from the RCPCH members says: Childhood hunger is an issue that should transcend politics. Few would disagree that one of our most basic human responsibilities is to ensure children have enough to eat!” The article then says: “We call on the UK Government to match the pledges of the Welsh and Scottish Governments and the Northern Ireland Executive, to continue to provide children from low-income backgrounds with free meals over the coming weeks and to then extend this at least until the Easter school holiday, as they have done in Wales and Scotland.”
The canary say that, “Members of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) said they are shocked by the government’s ‘refusal’ to do so.” It says “they praised footballer Marcus Rashford for his ‘powerful campaigning’ on the issue. Businesses and organisations across England have pledged to offer free food to children from low income backgrounds. It comes as MPs rejected a bid from Labour, backed by the Manchester United star, to extend free school meals over the holidays until Easter. Rashford’s own campaign goes further than what Labour has called for, as the footballer has petitioned the government to:
– Expand free school meals to all under-16s where a parent or guardian is in receipt of Universal Credit or equivalent benefit
– Provide meals & activities during all holidays,
– Increase the value of Healthy Start vouchers to at least £4.25 per week, and expand the scheme.”
The Canary report that, “Labour has now warned it’ll bring the issue back to the House of Commons if ministers don’t change course in time for Christmas. Shadow education secretary Kate Green called on the prime minister to meet with Rashford’s taskforce ‘as a matter of urgency’ to discuss its proposals for ending child poverty.’ They say, ‘Johnson’s own party colleague Robert Halfon said meeting with Rashford was a ‘no-brainer’. While fellow Tory MP Tobias Ellwood said extending provision over the holidays is a ‘simple and practical vehicle’ to support families. He called on the government to ‘re-visit’ the option. Councils, including Conservative-run bodies, have announced stop-gap measures to cover the October half-term break which begins on 26 October.”
The Canary report on, “Local councils, Tory-run Kensington and Chelsea council said it will pay for free school meals for eligible pupils in the borough. While other Tory-controlled councils getting on board include Hillingdon, Medway, and Wandsworth. Tory West Midlands mayor Andy Street said the government should make ‘a clear decision’ on whether it would or wouldn’t fund free school meals over holidays. He added that it should not be ‘a last-minute thing’.” Meanwhile, “The Labour leader of Birmingham City Council pledged to provide 61,000 eligible youngsters with meals. It will be in a scheme which will cost the local authority between £800,000 and £1m. And the mayor of Liverpool said he was ‘not prepared to stand by and watch”, as he announced £300,000 of funding’.”
Businesses have also joined the fray as, “McDonald’s UK has also offered support to families. It’s announced a partnership with Fare Share UK to provide one million meals for families in need. Downing Street has declined to praise such outlets for stepping in, with a Number 10 spokesperson saying: I believe the PM said during PMQs that free school meals will continue during term time and that he wants to continue to support families throughout the crisis so they have cash available to feed kids if they need to.” It is not a good look… But even worse has been reported from Tories desperate to defed this self-serving bill.
In the Canary Article entitled, “Children in ‘crack dens’ and ‘brothels’? A Tory MP accidentally exposed the state of Britain’s care system.” In a now deleted tweet, Conservative MP for Mansfield Ben Bradley said that in his constituency, “One kid lives in a crack den, another in a brothel’. He went on to say that free school meal vouchers effectively lined the pockets of drug dealers and pimps. This tweet was part of a defensive thread explaining why he was one of over 300 Conservative MPs who voted against proposals to provide disadvantaged children in England with free meals until Easter 2021.”
But the Canary say, “Bradley’s comments didn’t go unnoticed on Twitter: Dr Rosena Allin-Khan@DrRosena” Tweeted: “Putting “£20 going to a crack den” aside. It alarms me that Ben Bradley knows there’s a child living in a brothel/crack den in his patch, and he’s seemingly content, knowing that. I wouldn’t sleep if there was evidence a child in Tooting was in that situation.” Un a seoerate response, “David Maddock@MaddockMirror” Tweeted, “It turns out that ghoul Ben Bradley – who says parents of hungry kids will somehow spend school meal vouchers on crack and prostitutes – claimed £58,985.65 in HoC expenses in 11 months. That’s £5,362.33 a month. Free. Who’s really bleeding the system @BBradley_Mans?” While, Drivelcast@drivelcast wrote, “Tories: Good work, lads. All that focusing on Angela Rayner seems to have distracted the attention from us being horrible child-starving bastards. We’ve got through the week unscathed!”
The Canary say that, “Ben Bradley: Bradley may be lying in his shocking tweet. Or perhaps he has inadvertently shone a light on the dismal state of Britain’s care system under the Tory government.” Reporting on those “forced out of care, A spokesperson for Become, a charity for children in care, told The Canary: Though we don’t know the specifics relating to the situation in Mansfield, we do know that lots of children leaving care will end up in desperation coming out of the care system without support. Too many are left homeless or living in unsuitable accommodation. We are calling on the government to end this care cliff so that care leavers can get the support they need. In June 2020, children’s charity Just for Kids Law published a report revealing that hundreds of vulnerable 16- and 17-year-olds aren’t being taken into care. Many are left to fend for themselves in unregulated accommodation, while others face homelessness, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.”
The Canary say that, “Regardless of whether Bradley’s comment is true or not, it has shone a light on the Tory government’s appalling failures to protect the welfare of vulnerable children. The vote against feeding hungry children was just another indication of the government’s stubborn and determined campaign to neglect the children and young people most in need of support. Perhaps Bradley should focus his energies on ensuring no child in his constituency is living in unsafe conditions, rather than advocating against free school meals on Twitter and Newsnight.”
Meanwhile as the nation remains conveniently distracted by the present fight for survival, far worse looms just ahead. In another Canary Article entitled, “The price of groceries could soar in the event of a no-deal Brexit,’ they warn how, ‘Import costs for everyday items could rise by around a third in the event of a no-deal Brexit.” They report on how, “This would make the household shopping basket ‘much more expensive’, a major UK business group has warned. The Canary highlight how, ‘The cost of moving goods could also rise due to import taxes’.” They say, “Restrictions to the number of UK lorries that can enter the EU could put businesses across the country at risk, Logistics UK said. Logistics UK chief executive David Wells urged the government to keep working towards a deal. He said a no-deal scenario could drive inflation up as a result of the rise in prices for imported goods.”
The Canary report on, “a letter to the Sunday Times, he said: Everyday household items we import will become more expensive under World Trade Organisation tariffs, some by 30% or more. This will make the household shopping basket much more expensive, particularly in the early part of 2021 when we rely on imports for much of our fresh food. Senior cabinet minister Michael Gove has acknowledged that leaving the transition period without a trade deal would cause ‘some turbulence’,” They say, “In his letter, Wells added: The actual cost of moving goods will also increase, if new vehicles, parts and tyres are also subject to tariffs. This is more than ‘turbulence’, as suggested by Mr Gove last week, and logistics businesses, operating on 2% margins, cannot afford to take on these costs.”
With regard to increased risk, “A government spokesperson said: The Prime Minister has been clear that a negotiated outcome at the end of the transition period remains our preference. The EU has now agreed to a genuine intensification of negotiations, with talks taking place daily, and both sides recognising that time is extremely short. At the end of the year we will be outside the single market and the customs union and intensive planning is under way to help ensure that businesses are ready to seize the opportunities that it will bring. Citing concerns around permits for lorries to access the EU market in the event of a no-deal, Wells said: The permit quota available to UK operators will fall short by a factor of four, putting businesses at risk right across the country. We are urging government to keep pressing for a deal with Brussels, to protect not only our industry but the economy as a whole.”
At the start of the pandemic MP awarded themselves over £7000 extra a tear to help them cope with the rigors and extra demands of working from home. Now they are about to award themselves yet another above inflation pay rise, but they do not thing frontline nursing staff in the NHS who have risked their lives to treat Covid patients deserve a little extra pay. No “we all need to tighten our belts” after a ‘we’ are all in this together. This, despite expecting the working poor to be able to subsist on two thirds of minimum wage the Tories adamantly refuse to extend the furlough scheme. Now they appear astounded that parents who have been told not to work and are trying to get by on a greatly reduced income are struggling to feed their children. They rant about parents not taking responsibility for the welfare of their children when they inflicted this hardship on us all. Tories expect charity to pick up the tab for feeding starving school kids because the Tory Government is not responsible for the welfare of its most vulnerable citizens.
How is that ‘levelling up’ agenda working for you? We as a nation don’t have to compliantly stand by while this Tory Government wrecks havoc on our economy and our survival as a free democracy, we can fight back. The sooner we challenge the dictates of this corrupt Government the better. There is ample legitimate reason to question the incomprehensible result of the Covert 2019 Rigged Election and demand an Investigation into the outcome. In any legitimate democracy it would be considered criminal corruption for the Government in power to use public funding to pay a charity to create defamatory propaganda to deliberately sabotage the electoral chances of their opposition party. But is the UK still a democracy in the true sense of the word; it will soon descend into a fascist dictatorship if we fail to act immediately to prevent this from progressing further. Dictatorships take decades to remove and the UK is most of the way there already. Crash-out Brexit will be the final heave-ho for UK freedom: fight back! DO NOT MOVE ON!