Thursday 13 November 2014

Who Will Watch the Watchmen? An Open Letter to John Bercow

Dear John Bercow,

I was incredibly naive when I started campaigning for the rights of people with long term health conditions and disabilities. 

I believed passionately in democracy and that here in the UK, we had one of the best political systems in the world. 

I had always believed there were strict rules governing MPs and that they were held to account by customs and conventions that had served us for centuries. Sadly, that naivety is long gone. 

Over the last 4 years, I've learnt that democracy is merely an illusion. I've learnt that a politician can do or say virtually anything he or she likes and no-one will do anything about it at all. 

In the case of Iain Duncan-Smith, we have seen the results of a failure to govern the governors as never before. He has lied - not "misled" or "misdirected" - to parliament repeatedly. He has lied about who is affected by his "reforms". He has lied about who is protected from them. He has lied about how much they have saved the treasury and he has lied about their efficacy. He has lied about the level of support for his changes and lied about the timescales of their delivery. 

The results of his lies are clear for all to see. Vulnerable people he promised to support go hungry or are left without care or security. Nearly a million people have been driven to foodbanks. Homelessness has risen, the benefits bill has risen and the housing bill has risen. Sanctions have soared - over 500% in the case of those too unwell to work - and a fiscal black hole of billions is becoming apparent at the treasury as every one of his major schemes grinds to a halt. Universal credit, Employment and Support Allowance, Personal Independence payments, all have failed, leaving millions stuck in limbo.

Yet still Mr Duncan-Smith lies and still his lies go unchallenged. 

This petition https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/investigate-ids-for-lies calls on parliament to investigate those lies and hold a full and transparent enquiry into his conduct. He has even repeatedly bullied the media not to hold him to account, can he bully you too? Is there no-one prepared to challenge this man and stop his inhumanity? 

Campaigners will never rest until the scale of this man's failures are clearly exposed to the public. Until his dishonesty is fully revealed. He will not be reshuffled or sent quietly away to "spend more time with his family". No matter how long it takes, Iain Duncan-Smith will be shown as the cruel bully he is.

You could choose to make sure that happens sooner rather than later, before more thousands of lives are ruined by his incompetence and lies. You have the power to restore at least some of the democracy we have lost. But make no mistake, now or in the future, it will happen. I and many like me will make sure of it. 





24 comments:

  1. Excellent letter - reblogged on http://mentalillnessgodandme.blogspot.co.uk/

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  2. Hear, hear Sue. Thank you for doing what I've been thinking about but never did.

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  3. Sue Marsh joins the #TRUTH Campaign - #IDS to be Investigated https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/investigate-ids-for-lies

    Reposted as - Dear John Bercow – YOU can have #IDS Indicted
    https://jaynelinney.wordpress.com/2014/11/13/dear-john-bercow-you-can-have-ids-indicted/

    WELCOME and Thanks Sue xxx

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  4. Wonderful Sue. May I send a copy as well?

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    Replies
    1. Please do! I can't actually physically send it to him as I'm in hospital again, so you'd be doing me a large favour

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    2. Thank you Sue, done and shared. All the best to you. Keith.

      https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10154912186735372&set=a.10152315952670372.948985.735550371&type=1&theater

      Delete
  5. Absolutely brilliant :) Off to re-post where I can.

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  6. great stuff Sue as usual. Will we get a response from any MPs?

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  7. Good letter, but it's the Labour Party's job to hold IDS to account; their abysmal failure to do so is a stain on the Party that will last generations. They even abstained on the illegal sanctions vote. Shameful. No wonder they're losing support.

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  8. The problem is that because of the disreputable MPs that are allied to the Conservative party, coupled with the expenses scandals that regularly surface, the people of this country have lost all faith in the system.

    It is time that someone with the guts to face up to these liars and cheats, and that person needs to be independent, or at least the Speaker of the House. I realise Mr Bercow has many friends in the Selfservative party, but perhaps now is the time for duty to overcome friendship.

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  9. I feel it would be proper were he reduced to beggary.

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  10. Just a short note to commend you for writing a superlative open letter to Speaker John Bercow; please show him this tragic and updated list of welfare-related deaths of UK's sick and disabled http://twishort.com/0x9gc.

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  11. Iain duncan Smith is not a nice person and he has been causing problems for too damn long. Thinking he will deliver humane, caring policies that help disabled people is like hoping your cat doesn't lick it's own derriere, it is futile. I signed the petition as i want to be around on the day someone persuades him to take a long walk off a short cliff.

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  12. No wonder Labour are no use: Alan Johnson's ex-special advisor is now Maximus spin doctor http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/11/commons-confidential-ed-s-accusing-finger …

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  13. You're a man? I don't think you need to worry about boycotting women (American or any other nationality) as you sound like a whiny self-pitying 4 year-old, and a not very intelligent one at that.

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  14. I'm trying to compile a list of all of those many hundreds that have died in going through welfare reform over the past few years and the music that i find the most appropriate can be found here

    Light Source
    http://www.audionetwork.com/production-music/light-source_77486.aspx


    do let me know if you think that it's to sad ? it is used normally for celebration and my view is to celebrate the lives of those that have died in picture or should i just scrap this idea ?

    i just feel that all of those sick and disable that have died should be renumbered in a fitting way so they will never be forgotten

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  15. Petition signed! Thanks for that link! :)

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  16. Great post. A good timing for me to read it when I have just started my blog a couple of days before. Keep sharing the tips :)
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