This video from Britain says about itself:
Documentary telling the stories of some of the 3.5 million children living in poverty in the UK. It is one of the worst child poverty rates in the industrialised world, and successive governments continue to struggle to bring it into line. So who are these children, and where are they living? Under-represented, under-nourished and often under the radar, 3.5 million children should be given a voice. And this powerful film does just that.
From British daily The Guardian:
Benefit claimants will face lie detector tests and will lose benefits for a month if found guilty of fiddling the system under proposals unveiled by Gordon Brown on the eve of today’s Queen’s speech.
The “one strike and you’re out” proposal is contained in a tough summary of the speech released yesterday by the Cabinet Office.
The British Thatcherite–Blairite–Brownite government is on the one hand “rewarding” the capitalists who caused the present economic crisis with billions of pounds in bailouts. It is coddling the oligarchs, who really are “fiddling the system” at the taxpayers’ expense.
On the other hand, the government is getting harsher and harsher against the poor people suffering from the capitalists’ crisis. Poor people, whose ranks are swelling day after day from mass sackings by corporations.
Once again: lie detectors are as “scientific” as the Scientology cult. In Scientology, lie detectors are called E-Meters.
And for just once failing a test with these dodgy quack devices, the Brown government wants to attack poor people.
From London daily News Line:
Friday, 6 April 2007
Never mind the claimants – use lie detectors on the politicians
[Tony Blair’s] WORK and Pensions Minister John Hutton said yesterday that lie detectors will be used to help root out benefit cheats in job centres later this year.
Once again the Labour government is setting out to criminalise a big section of the working class.
This is for the sole purpose of cutting the amount paid out in benefits by giving minor civil servants the power to terrorise and condemn people to hunger by refusing a benefit claim because they think that they have detected something unusual in the tone of a person’s voice.
The millions that will be saved by framing up large numbers of claimants as liars will no doubt be transferred to the rich as is the Labour government’s policy, through tax breaks and tax cuts.
The hypocrisy of ministers like Hutton knows no bounds. They oppress the poor in order to fatten the rich.
If they were serious about the unmasking of liars and cheats they would make lie detector tests mandatory every time a government minister opened his mouth.
After all Blair lied his way to war with Iraq, and routinely lies are being told about the progress of that war and the war in Afghanistan.
Every time a minister draws up some dodgy dossier or other, or even makes an election manifesto pledge, a lie detector should be on hand.
And what about the cash for peerages scandal! Lie detectors would be invaluable when the police question the Prime Minister and his top advisers.
In fact, already, one adviser has complained that another lobbied her to lie in her deposition to the police.
See also here.
Even ex Blair supporter Ian Williams does not like the lie detector plans.
Councils using controversial lie detector tests to catch benefits fraudsters: here.
Labour’s nasty attacks on benefit claimants: here.
British trade unions and the Queen’s Speech: here.
TORIES, LABOUR UNITE TO BEAT THE UNEMPLOYED: here. And here.
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