YOUR MP WRITES: Jessica Morden MP for Newport East (From South Wales Argus)
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YOUR MP WRITES: Jessica Morden MP for Newport East
3:10pm Monday 13th August 2012 in MPs write
By Jess Morden MP
THE BBC’s Panorama programme this month exposed what I and other Labour MPs have been saying for the last year – that the Coalition government’s tests to move disabled people back into work are not fit for purpose and are desperately unfair.
I certainly believe that those who can work should work (and it was the last Labour government who brought in work capability assessments to interview those claiming incapacity benefit), but the current system has got worse and is not working.
In my office in Newport, we have dealt with some heart-rending cases of people with severe physical or mental health issues being refused benefits because of a crude test deemed them fit for work; this includes constituents with cancer, Parkinson’s and MS. All of them appeal and nearly all of them win, after waiting six months on average for a decision, under great stress.
This process doesn’t come cheap – the appeal process is hugely expensive for the Government. And now Panorama has questioned whether targets have been set by the Coalition government for how many disabled people should be declared fit for work.
It’s no wonder therefore that the disability charity Scope last week released worrying survey results that showed 46 per cent of disabled people felt the attitudes towards them had got worse because of the relentless focus on fraudulent benefit claims. Despite the fact that 41 per cent of people with disabilities work and that according to the Government’s own figures on tax avoidance, tax evasion, the hidden economy, among other things, could cost the country £35bn each year, while benefit fraud is estimated roughly at £1.5bn.
In debates in the House of Commons, ministers acknowledge that the work capability process is not perfect and that they are working to improve it.
Let’s hope they learn the lessons quickly as other benefit changes, like the changes to housing benefit, are about to hit.
Yesterday, I met a young man from Maindee with a severe illness who has to find an extra £37 a week in rent, forcing him to face the real possibility of eviction and then homelessness on the streets of Newport. If housing benefit is also withdrawn for under-25s, as floated by the Prime Minister, who assumes they can live at home, this means those kicked out of the family home face a bleak future.
The Government should beware the unintended consequences of these reforms.
Making more people homeless (with the human misery that brings) also means an extra financial burden on already cashstrapped local authorities.
Comments(34)
iandfox
says...
4:14pm Mon 13 Aug 12
I fail to see how,with G.P.'s and hospital evidence they needed to waste money on testing people in this way.
chris227
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6:51pm Mon 13 Aug 12
Mr Angry
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10:53am Tue 14 Aug 12
Davi
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5:59pm Tue 14 Aug 12
james jackson
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12:54pm Wed 15 Aug 12
Good old Jess; on the side of the underdog, except she isn't. Remember post office closures; invasion of Iraq. She's Labour "commons fodder." Does as she's told. Let's hear some of her ideas about improving the lot of people on benefits. Come on, with all those expensively educated Labour politicians in London there must be someone who can stand up and shout down the coalition's cruelty.
Put your money where your mouth is Ms Morden and do a Nye Bevan. Let's hear your voice ring out in Westminster, then we'll know that you and your cronies mean business.
Labour in office would do the same. It's documented. Just more slowly.
octofuzz
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1:41pm Thu 16 Aug 12
Its MP's like Jessica Morden that really make a positive contribution to better society as their hearts are very firmly in the right place.
james jackson
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3:25pm Thu 16 Aug 12
Ms Morden done for the poor?
Her remuneration is very generous and anybody can make statements in a newspaper article. It's putting them into practice that counts.
Have a look at the cabinet members' salaries and "extras" and then ask what is this administration doing for the poor?
I heard that the leader has banned council officers from their own car park. Very egalitarian I must say.
So, I ask again, what does Labour do to improve the lot of the poor in Newport?
octofuzz
says...
3:58pm Thu 16 Aug 12
. Winter fuel payments
. Winter fuel allowance
. Flying start scheme
. Pathways to work
. The protection of Remploy when Labour were in power
. The NHS
. An improvement in the quality of housing association stock
james jackson
says...
4:18pm Thu 16 Aug 12
Labour cut Flying Start and restricted it to certain areas. Newport didn't introduce the NHS: Welfare reforms (of the proper variety) were first mooted by William Beveridge (a Liberal).
Pathways to work? Well, has it improved anything?
There was a Worklessness group at Newport Council, so I'm told, that Labour members took no part in. Refused to do so in fact.
Housing was so poor and neglected that it had to be sold off to social landlords. No money to improve the stock.
I could also give you a long list but where to start:
The Iraq war; the Afghanistan disaster; deregulating the banks to wreak havoc on people's lives, the farce of getting 50 per cent of youngsters into university, thereby creating massive debt and for what?
In Newport, the failed experiment with LG; the failed barrage. What happened to the money?
Don't try and claim the high ground. Nobody is fooled.
james jackson
says...
4:18pm Thu 16 Aug 12
Labour cut Flying Start and restricted it to certain areas. Newport didn't introduce the NHS: Welfare reforms (of the proper variety) were first mooted by William Beveridge (a Liberal).
Pathways to work? Well, has it improved anything?
There was a Worklessness group at Newport Council, so I'm told, that Labour members took no part in. Refused to do so in fact.
Housing was so poor and neglected that it had to be sold off to social landlords. No money to improve the stock.
I could also give you a long list but where to start:
The Iraq war; the Afghanistan disaster; deregulating the banks to wreak havoc on people's lives, the farce of getting 50 per cent of youngsters into university, thereby creating massive debt and for what?
In Newport, the failed experiment with LG; the failed barrage. What happened to the money?
Don't try and claim the high ground. Nobody is fooled.
octofuzz
says...
4:34pm Thu 16 Aug 12
Labour did improve the housing and set it on to the path of housing trusts, look at housing ten years ago and you will see the jump in standards.
Pathways to work has been successful and i can cite a few examples, however it is not perfect.
I entirely disagree with your point on university. National unemployment is not a correlatable point. I came from a working class family, was the first to attend university and it was the best investment in my future i could have made, few of my friends with degrees would disagree with that.
The Beverage report kick started the process, but Bevan under the stewardship of Atlee made it a reality. Our welfare state is still 60 years ahead of the US.
james jackson
says...
5:32pm Thu 16 Aug 12
I don't know when you went to university - I'm not saying it's a waste per se as it certainly isn't, but paying for higher education is not on.
Good for you if you went before fees were introduced, or were canny enough to have no debts afterwards.
And I agree about our NHS. Beveridge and Attlee. Not just Attlee
octofuzz
says...
5:55pm Thu 16 Aug 12
In Norway you have to repay even if you are not working, the monthly rate is in excess of £200 a month, that is an unfair debt in my opinion, it may have put me off studying.
james jackson
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12:21pm Fri 17 Aug 12
james jackson
says...
12:21pm Fri 17 Aug 12
james jackson
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12:21pm Fri 17 Aug 12
Dai37
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3:32pm Fri 17 Aug 12
How would she sort out the genuine from the liars and cheats? There has to be a system to weed them out.
We will shortly be celebrating the paralympics.
A celebration of people conquering sometimes extreme misfortune and disfigurement with great courage and fortitude.
Compare this with the useless fakes who are only disabled in public ,in order to milk a system devised for the genuinely unfortunate, and by doing so make it worse for the genuine cases.
I rarely read an article of this sort that does not mention Cancer, this word that causes so much fear and loathing. It is like a buzzword that justifies instant unbridled compassion.
There are many forms of cancer some treatable, and unfortunately some that are not.
I, and I am sure that there are many like me have had cancer and recovered from it, apart from a period of about a month, I managed to work for at least a few hours a day.
I am nothing special I am sure there are thousands just like me.
But to compare that to somebody who has been on benefits for thirty years with a bad back ,who purports not even able to answer phone calls is just a joke.
Keep up the electioneering Jessica, I am sure with Labours promised bottomless pit of benefits, you can at least get some voters to support you.
octofuzz
says...
3:51pm Fri 17 Aug 12
There are liars and cheats of course, but improvements are being made on that front.
Nothing is perfect, but politicians like Ms Morden are doing what they can for the people that don't cheat.
CM1
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10:45pm Fri 17 Aug 12
Howie'
says...
2:32am Sat 18 Aug 12
octofuzz wrote:Is that it? that is the best defence of Labour you can do? Pathetic.
I will give you a few things to start you off:
. Winter fuel payments
. Winter fuel allowance
. Flying start scheme
. Pathways to work
. The protection of Remploy when Labour were in power
. The NHS
. An improvement in the quality of housing association stock
Winter fuel payments/ allowance...Great:
Remploy...Brilliant but I think this Labour Parliamentary grouping would do the same as the Tory's.
So why has the gap between the richest and poorest increased under Labour? Why did Labour continue to shut down manufacturing bases such as mines just like the Tory's did? Why did Labour not repeal ANY of the anti Union legislation (The most repressive in the EU) that Thatcher brought in. Why did Labour under Deputy Prescott attack the Firemen and threaten to bring in the Army to replace them rather than negotiate, why did Prescott fail to bring in an integrated transport system that the Labour Party promised, why did Labour not invest in manufacturing and PROPER apprenticeships? Why did Labour turn their back on the working classes, those that created the Labour Party in the first place, in favour of having MP's that have gone from school to Uni to MP's researcher to being parachuted in to a safe seat which is what Jessica did, not as risible as her predecessor of course the Tory turncoat Alan Howarth, Tory Mp and Cabinet Minister prior to crossing the floor to be handed the seat of Newport East. Of course they had to get rid of Roy Hughes the sitting Mp who 'reluctantly' retired as an Mp to become the 'Baron Islwyn, of Casnewydd in the County of Gwent'.
There are very few 'Labour' Mp's left, Denis Skinner who is about to retire amongst a few.
I have been a Labour supporter all of my life up until recent years, Octofuzz, never again, there is little difference between the vast majority of careerists who get elected these days and most could comfortably fit in to any party, the conviction politician has long left the stage.
octofuzz
says...
8:02am Sat 18 Aug 12
My belief in Ms Morden can be justified just by looking at a spatter of hansard alone. Take a look for yourself.
I am unsure what you mean by low politics. If low politics is addressing real concerns, then low politics is a wonderful thing and should be applauded.
octofuzz
says...
8:11am Sat 18 Aug 12
Its not the best I could think off and you know perfectly well that is the case.
Factories shutting under Labour were not parliamentary decisions (that would be like poking your own eye out). Manufacturing jobs suffered because of globalisation, cheaper wages abroad will always shift industry.
British Unions most restricted in Europe? Not true, arguably they have the most freedom. In Poland you won't get a job if you are Union member, in Portugal it is virtually illegal to strike. You just have to take a look at the past ten years to show how powerful unions can be. A good balance is negotiations before strikes, its not perfect but Britain has it good.
Ms Morden does come from a working class background, it would have been worth you researching that once first.
I agree that the demographic of MP's needs work, but the issue is bigger than class. We need more women, ethnic minority and homosexual MP's also. Work is being done (I sight the fantastic Chucka Uma as an example) but there is much to do.
Also, Jessica didn't go from researcher to MP. I would have researched that as well.
Lastpost
says...
8:31am Sat 18 Aug 12
Don't tell us what is unfair and dont use this as an excuse to score points in the HoC. You were elected in Newport East for results - please show us some.
Howie'
says...
11:54am Sat 18 Aug 12
octofuzz wrote:Manufacturing jobs suffered because of globalisation, cheaper wages abroad will always shift industry.
Howie:
Its not the best I could think off and you know perfectly well that is the case.
Factories shutting under Labour were not parliamentary decisions (that would be like poking your own eye out). Manufacturing jobs suffered because of globalisation, cheaper wages abroad will always shift industry.
British Unions most restricted in Europe? Not true, arguably they have the most freedom. In Poland you won't get a job if you are Union member, in Portugal it is virtually illegal to strike. You just have to take a look at the past ten years to show how powerful unions can be. A good balance is negotiations before strikes, its not perfect but Britain has it good.
Ms Morden does come from a working class background, it would have been worth you researching that once first.
I agree that the demographic of MP's needs work, but the issue is bigger than class. We need more women, ethnic minority and homosexual MP's also. Work is being done (I sight the fantastic Chucka Uma as an example) but there is much to do.
Also, Jessica didn't go from researcher to MP. I would have researched that as well.
The problem is 'Octofuzz' the Labour Government did nothing about firms going abroad 'it's not my fault Guv, it's globalisation', compare that to President Hollandes response to a recent announcement of 8000 job losses at Peugeot, the French president insisted that he would press the company to amend the plan. “The plan in the current state is not acceptable, it won’t be accepted,” he said. Off course due to the French laws it is far more difficult for company's to just shut up and move abroad than it is in the UK, something Labour could have legislated for but they preferred to follow Thatchers line that the UK should invest in the service sector rather than manufacturing. Wages are not the defining factor in company's relocating, the available skills is another factor but Labour did not invest in those skills, there are few proper apprenticeships around and company's have very little incentive to take them on, things that Labour were urged to do something about but did nothing.
British Unions ARE among the most restricted in Europe but I have no intention of going through it country by country with you, have a look at the Labour Research Department, http://www.lrd.org.u
k/
In Poland you won't get a job if you are Union member.
Possibly private firms are refusing employment on those grounds but it is not the law, Poland has had a lot of inward investment which has brought with it a lot of anti-union practices and a diminishing amount of union members but the law on unions in Poland is very liberal, don't forget that a lot of the leaders of Solidarity moved into government with the leader of the trade union Solidarity, Lech Wallesa becoming President.
Portugal it is virtually illegal to strike.
Just not true.
In Portugal and in most of Europe, lockouts are forbidden, as is the practice of replacing striking employees. Portuguese workers must give a five-day notice (seven in the UK) before a strike, though the government makes clear that it can interrupt strikes if they go on for too long. Prolonged strikes can be interrupted, but not totally ended.
Read more: European Labor Laws for Unions | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/
list_7246359_europea
n-labor-laws-unions.
html#ixzz23tMZZXtI
Lockouts are legal in the UK.
Ms Morden does come from a working class background, it would have been worth you researching that once first.
It would have been worth you reading my post first.....didn't say she wasn't.
Also, Jessica didn't go from researcher to MP. I would have researched that as well.
Your splitting hairs.
She left University and went to work for Huw Edwards MP and Llew Smith MP, I assumed it was as a researcher but if she worked for them in any other capacity what difference does it make, same horse different jockey, the point I was making is that Jess like most of her compatriots have done nothing apart from politics, never been involved in anything workwise that the vast majority of their constituents have, so is it surprising that we are losing our manufacturing base when we have Mp's with no experience of industry or business.
This is the part that scares me:
Positive Discrimination:
We need more women, ethnic minority and homosexual MP's also. Work is being done (I sight the fantastic Chucka Uma as an example) but there is much to do.
I do not care what my Mp's gender, sexual orientation, or ethnicity is, I want the best person for the job, someone with life experience who can think for themselves and are not in hock to the patronage of their party. I agree that we need a Parliament that closely mirrors the make up of Society but not at the cost of not having the best person for the job.
james jackson
says...
2:33pm Sat 18 Aug 12
I don't think we'll ever get an MP who thinks for him or herself because they must tow the party line. Dennis Skinner was brilliant. A real maverick and a committed socialist, but note that people who think and act for themselves become marginalised and ostracised by everyone, including their own parties.
Then one must contend with the likes of the nasty, gutter right-wing media (Daily Mail, Sun etc) who set out to ridicule people on the "loony" left and do their utmost to dig the dirt on their personal lives so that nobody takes them seriously.
Howie'
says...
5:24pm Sat 18 Aug 12
james jackson wrote:Then one must contend with the likes of the nasty, gutter right-wing media (Daily Mail, Sun etc) who set out to ridicule people on the "loony" left and do their utmost to dig the dirt on their personal lives so that nobody takes them seriously.
Howie I like your answers. Very full and reasoned arguments.
I don't think we'll ever get an MP who thinks for him or herself because they must tow the party line. Dennis Skinner was brilliant. A real maverick and a committed socialist, but note that people who think and act for themselves become marginalised and ostracised by everyone, including their own parties.
Then one must contend with the likes of the nasty, gutter right-wing media (Daily Mail, Sun etc) who set out to ridicule people on the "loony" left and do their utmost to dig the dirt on their personal lives so that nobody takes them seriously.
Thats the problem with democracy in the UK James, the press will make or break politicians on a whim and if they can't ruin a politician as in the case of Blair 'Teflon Tony' when he was PM they went for his wife as a way of getting to him and they are the ones who control the debate on the important issues of the day and tend to influence public opinion, take Europe for example we have never had an open and honest debate on the pro's and cons of membership because of the right wing press hostility. That is something that Lord Leveson will never be able to put right.
richie55
says...
8:39pm Sat 18 Aug 12
Howie'
says...
10:11pm Sat 18 Aug 12
chris227
says...
10:29pm Sat 18 Aug 12
chris227
says...
11:27pm Sat 18 Aug 12
richie55
says...
9:39am Sun 19 Aug 12
Howie'
says...
12:02pm Sun 19 Aug 12
chris227 wrote:Really Chris? fifth eh? Strange because having just looked at her expenses I find she came 458th out of 647 for 'Staying away from main home' expenses, Office running costs 171st, 'Staffing costs' 303rd, travel 482nd. Where do you get 5th from?
This woman is a disgrace she ranks 5th out of all the MP's for expenses her so called office allowance are through the roof it must be hard to rent a a office in a prestigious place like newport and recruiting staff in a area with excellent wages like newport.
http://www.theyworkf
oryou.com/mp/jessica
_morden/newport_east
#expenses
I think the question you should have asked is why her expenses went up by £84k (33%) between 2006 and 2008.
http://parliament.te
legraph.co.uk/mpsexp
enses/expenses/Jessi
ca-Morden/mp-11732
Octofuzz Says:
My belief in Ms Morden can be justified just by looking at a spatter of hansard alone. Take a look for yourself.
Really? Honestly? So I thought I would have a look and I thought it was pretty average, was surprised she did not vote on having an elected House of Lords or on replacing Trident, looking at Labours history I would have thought they were ones not to miss.
She only voted moderately for Gay rights, but voted very strongly for ID cards...not exactly libertarian then, Voted very strongly for Labour's anti-terrorism laws, oops! definitely not libertarian,
Voted very strongly against an investigation into the Iraq war, I think most people would like to know why we sent so many young men of to die in the killing fields of Iraq and yet Jess does not seem to think we have a right to know, voted strongly for more EU integration and voted strongly for the Lisbon Treaty to Enshrine the Lisbon Treaty into UK law, shame she then did not utter a word about Labour's manifesto promise that there would be a vote on any major change to the EU agreements which the Lisbon treaty was.
Nothing there to bring me back in to the Labour fold I am afraid, Octofuzz, not that she is my Mp.
As I have said before 'I did not leave Labour they left me'.
CM1
says...
8:52pm Sun 19 Aug 12
By low politics, I mean political points scoring. A good example was her pronouncement on the Severn crossing; demanding that it be returned to public ownership, despite her administration having done nothing about it during it's long tenure and the fact that significant payments would need to be made to exit a legal contract.
On the other points since, I agree with Howie, in that the left is caricatured by the press without any genuine consideration of the issues. However, this is also the case of the left's portrayal of the Conservative party, in that all are malicious and uncaring. Both extremes are a nonsense.
Politics is seen as a career, rather than a vocation and a large majority of MPs could work for any party, without anyone noticing any difference.
adesmith1972 says...
3:51pm Mon 13 Aug 12