Tory Policy Failures: Intended or Unintended?

The Conservative controlled coalition government is a government of u-turns, dithering and incompetence. Cameron, Clegg, Osborne, Duncan-Smith etal seem totally and utterly incapable of understanding that the introduction of ill thought out policies start off a series of events and as it travels the problems just keep mounting up. The problems this government cause they try and explain them away by saying they are "unintended consequences". I have a problem with this explanation, as so many people tell the government what  could occur if they continue to press ahead with so many of their policies they have rushed through, like defence and the Harriers and the economy, for example; George Osborne, David Cameron and Nick Clegg  took over an economy that was growing and because of their inept policies they have killed this growth stone dead, they were warned repeatedly about that this would happen by the Labour party and by virtually every leading economist and they totally ignored the warnings.

This government are now doing the same over Atos assessment for disabled and sick and terminally ill people and because the government refuse to listen we now have people who have been classed as fit to work, dying of their illnesses, weeks sometimes just days later. We also have a situation where the government have deliberately stirred up hatred towards disabled people and now disabled people are being physically and mentally abused in the street and reported incidents of crimes against disabled people are now rising.

The government have been told their policies to restrict benefits to a 1% rise below inflation will result in over 200,000 extra children being pushed into poverty, as their parents struggle to pay utility bills and feed their families.

The government's cap on housing benefit is another area which is going to cause extreme hardship and has been dubbed this government's "poll tax mark 2", it is going to result in homelessness. Even people on low ages and benefits are going to be forced to find 20% of their council tax as local authorities are forced to claw back money because of the severe cuts in government funding.

The government have been warned about their attack on low wage earners and cuts to their tax credits, it is impossible for some to get their employers to give them more than 16 hours work when the work is unavailable and from April if people cannot find more than 16 hours to work, then they are going to face cuts to their family tax credits.

The government have also been warned about their "bedroom tax"where they are going to cut people's housing benefit by 14% for one spare room and 25%  if they have two spare rooms. This will affect those on low wages who receive help with housing costs as well as those on benefits. The government have been warned that there is simply nowhere near enough one bedroom properties to house all those that will be forced to move if they cannot afford the new bedroom tax. The government have been told that this policy  will also force poor people to move house several times and that this is simply economically unsustainable. It is also going to cause people to move into privately rented accommodation which will end up costing the taxpayer thousands of pounds extra per month than if things were just left alone. One family had their private rent capped at £500 per week, they lived in a place which cost £700, they were forced to leave their home and now the local authority has been forced to put them up in a bed and breakfast hotel costing them £700 per night.

As you can see, the people being disproportionately hit by these "unintended consequences" of ill thought out, poorly executed plans are the poor, the disabled, the vulnerable, the unemployed and in some cases the elderly.

How can the government claim these are unknown unintended consequences  when this government have been warned non-stop by charities, economists, policy units, the Labour party and even the general public etc, all these people can see the folly of these dreadful policies.

The government do know, so we can only assume that what hardships their policies are causing to the  poor, disabled, elderly, unemployed etc are actually "intended".

It is not for the government to pick on a certain section of society and make their lives unbearable and try to turn others against these people and to act in a way they are fully aware will bring pain, distress and hardship to people, especially when it is being done to further this government's own personal political agendas.

This is a total abuse of power and as such must surely be arguable in a court of law?

Anyone in any doubt as to what pain, suffering, distress and hardship this government's *intended* consequences is having on people, need only read this distressing letter from Julia, who wrote to David Cameron.

Dear Mr Cameron

I heard you in Prime Minister’s Questions say you would look at individual cases on the bedroom tax.

I am 59 years old, David (my husband) and I have both worked since we were 15, paid taxes, did our bit.

We have never been well off but we both did worthwhile jobs.

Five years ago David got melanoma.

He had excruciating treatment and, although still not well, returned to work as he thought it was his duty.

Four years ago he got bowel cancer; he had an irreversible colostomy.

Six months later he returned to work. Two years ago he got brain cancer. Seven weeks later he died.

Throughout all this I was advised I could get care allowance, but I rejected this: he was my husband, it was my duty to care for him.

We lived off the little savings we had until we could return to work.

When he had the colostomy we were allocated this home as David could not climb stairs any more and I struggled.

His ashes are buried in the garden under the rose bushes that friends gave me instead of wreaths.

Mr Cameron, my husband and I were the hard workers you claim to support, we never asked for anything.

I would give everything if this had not happened to us.

Because we were on benefit and sick, you and your government said hateful words against us.

Words that made acquaintances look at us with contempt.

The most powerful men in the country imply we are scum so we must be scum.

You and your government call us scroungers, next door go to work while our bedroom curtains are still drawn.

My curtains were still drawn at 11am as the light made David scream with pain.

Do you not consider that I would give everything for my husband to be alive, me to not have incapacitating pain and we could both be the hard workers we once were?

I live in small 1 1/2 bed bungalow that was built for older people.

It is supported elderly living so I feel safe. It could not house a family as under 55s are not allowed.

You now want to take my home from me. The home that literally made my fingers bleed cleaning as it had been neglected for 20 years when we moved here.

You want me to leave my husband’s ashes, my neighbours who take me shopping and give me some form of social life? I have no family, we could not have children.

I am living without heating at present so how can I pay what I do not have to stay in my home?

Have you any idea how that affects my fibromyalgia?

I eat one meal a day and am in constant pain which is exacerbated by the cold.

I may get Discretionary Housing Benefit. But we both know that is only for 13 weeks at a time and when the pot is empty, it is empty.

I have considered moving but the only property available is far from shops and bus stops and costs £98 per month more than where I am at present. I would be living in isolation.

You say you are building more social housing, but it is too little too late for many of us.

You may blame the Labour policies, but it was your government who introduced this law so I have to hold you responsible.

Mr Cameron, I do not believe you or your MPs are evil men at heart, I believe this is an ill-thought-out plan and you did not understand the consequence of your action.

I ask you to take a step back and look at this again.

THE ABOVE IS JUST PLAIN CRUEL...I AM ASHAMED TO BE BRITISH.

Yours, Julia Jones

Read more about the bedroom tax HERE

Meanwhile on the same day as all these hardships come in, the government have reduced the tax burden on the wealthiest people in the country, saving them around £40,000 each per year.

Why is this government forcing the poorest and most vulnerable people in our society to pay for the sins of the Tory bankers and hedge funders, who took all our money and gambled it and then both bankers and this Tory government blamed what they did on the Labour government?

They say it is because there is little money and we have to pay the deficit and national debt down, but due to this government's failing botched policies the debt and the deficit is increasing, and this government will  borrow  more than Labour did in their whole 13 years in government. This government's total incompetence and ill thought out, ill informed policies is costing this country dear, for example; it has cost this country £100 million (and counting) over their botched Harrier and defence decisions and this is just one single botched policy, so far there have been 34 of them! Read HERE how this government have wasted over a £100 million of taxpayers money and have absolutely nothing to show for it.

Read HERE how this government have wasted at least £40 million of taxpayers money on the botched South West rail contract. They were told repeatedly they had got their sums wrong and only listened wen Virgin Rail were taking them to court. It is said that this fiasco will end up costing the taxpayer around £400 million!