Steve Britt, proto-fascist, talks "poppycock"

Letter to SFP

Dear Editor

Considering his past pronouncements, Mr Britt’s warm welcome (SFP 8 Aug 2019) for Mr Johnson and his cabinet of hard right ideologues, is not surprising.  To emphasize his joy he indulges in the usual ant-EU tropes that he has dished up for the edification of SFP readers many times before: “throw off the shackles”, “cunning elite”, and “unelected bureaucrats”.  All poppycock. 

The EU is no more lacking in democracy than the UK with its unwritten constitution and 'not fit for purpose' voting system.  In general, the EU has been a force for stability and peace over many decades.  Now that the Tory right are in the ascendancy what can we look forward to?  Mr Johnson’s bluster and false promises, recession and massive economic uncertainty?

The cabinet that Mr Britt admires so much all voted for the worst features of a harsh Tory austerity which, it has been estimated, has been responsible for 130,000 ‘preventable’ UK deaths over the last six years.  Furthermore, this month we have been told that 4.5 million people are waiting for NHS operations, while people are having to wait, on average, two weeks to get an appointment.  Is Mr Britt’s vision of a future utopia of free trade and the burning of regulations going to help the ordinary person dependent on a supportive welfare?  No way.

If you want to know what sort of country we have become under Tory austerity, ask a disabled person.  A recent UN report has found that disabled people have been “driven to breaking point” by cuts.  A broken benefits system has seen thousands of people dying after being found “fit for work”. Food banks are full with people battling mental and physical health problems. The threadbare social care system is leaving disabled people trapped in their homes, in some cases waiting 14 hours without access to their toilet.

The solution to these problems is not to be found in the new government’s pre-General Election splurges funded by mysterious “money trees” but in a long term strategy operated by a stable and caring government committed to our state welfare system.

The most effective way to tackle the inequality faced by disabled people is to think about it in the round, looking at issues of housing, employment, social security and social care, and offering a coordinated strategy that is not only morally right but also speaks to common sense. Invest in accessible homes, care packages and benefits, and NHS bills go down and tax revenue up.

Yours sincerely

Christopher Bornett

Thanks to Frances Ryan, The Guardian