Political Scrapbook | Left-wing news and gossip

Attack on the disabled: Daily Telegraph’s James Delingpole joins in

4:07pm Fri January 27th

In a blog post linking to Scrapbook’s viral story from yesterday, the Daily Telegraph’s James Delingpole has waded into the “pretend disabled” debate – siding with, erm, Rod Liddle and adding an attack on charities for good measure.

Despite his admission that he “recently suffered from an ME-like illness”, Delingpole agrees with Liddle’s sickening rant, singling out the disabled as “one of the reasons we’re in the financial mess we’re in”, neglecting to mention the contribution of the banks on a day when the boss of RBS was given a £900k bonus.

Delingpole misses the point and the reason that Liddle’s article caused such upset- namely the characterisation of ME and fibromyalgia as non-illnesses. Instead, the target of his ire include disabled charities, which he calls a:

“specialist lobby group which considers it its bounden duty to screw the economy for as much as it possibly can.”

Would Delingpole have welcomed Liddle’s bedside manner when he was unwell?

Even children are taught Salmond “Do you agree” question is biased

2:20pm Fri January 27th

10 comments

After Scrapbook parodied Alex Salmond’s leading referendum question on Wednesday, Left Foot Forward’s Alex Hern has put the academic smackdown on the SNP’s dodgy wording:

“Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?”

Technical literature on survey design is clear that questions phrased in this way result in a “small but significant increase in the amount of people voting yes.”

And it has now emerged that even students as young as 14 are taught that these types of questions are wrong. Having explained why the sample is likely to be biased, this ExExcel GCSE statistics paper asks young students why a “Do you agree …” question will skew results:

2003 EdExcel Statistics GCSE Paper 1H

Back to school for Scotland’s most famous agricultural eonomist?

How long does it take Mitt Romney to earn your salary?

9:35am Fri January 27th

1 comment

Amid the criticism that Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney has been taking lately over his financial and tax affairs, it can be hard for the layman to understand how much the former governor actually makes. But now, a new “Romulator” lets you find out how long it would take Romney to earn your salary!

Scrapbook has used this remarkable tool to discover that Romney earns the average US wage for 2010 ($41,673.83) in a mere four hours- and pays $4,625 less in tax than someone earning that salary.

However, as the site itself states:

“These calculations do not factor in undisclosed holdings in accounts located in Grand Cayman or small amounts made in public speaking fees.”

Somewhere in the US, Newt Gingrich is typing in his earnings and weeping at the result.

“Doncaster” doctor used by Cameron at PMQs doesn’t live in Doncaster

4:43pm Thu January 26th

8 comments

A “Doncaster” doctor used by David Cameron to promote his health reforms yesterday has quit his commissioning group and doesn’t even live in Doncaster. The prime minister attempted to embarrass Miliband at PMQs by quoting a medical worker supposedly from his own constituency:

Speaking as acting chairman of the Doncaster pathfinder CCG he said this: ”Becoming one of the first national pathfinding areas is a real boost for Doncaster” … I think what is good for Doncaster is good for the rest of the NHS too.”

But the health profession magazine GP magazine has revealed that Dr Conner was no longer chairman of the commissioning group — at the cornerstone of Andrew Lansley’s controversial reforms — and had actually left the area.

Nice attack line. Shame about the facts.

Chilly Mili: Ed Miliband pretends it’s not freezing in Davos

3:56pm Thu January 26th

4 comments

With temperatures barely above zero in the canton of Graubünden, Ed Miliband was determined that his tailoring shouldn’t go to waste earlier this afternoon — shunning a much-required coat while conducting interviews.

Someone please give him a scarf.

Nazi stag do: the four questions Aidan Burley still has to answer

2:55pm Thu January 26th

4 comments

It is now over a month since Tory MP Aidan Burley was revealed to have attended a Nazi-themed stag party in France. His attempted rehabilitation has already begun, popping up at last week’s PMQs to ask the most unjeerable question in history and chairing the headbanging TURC campaign.

Scrapbook cannot help speculating what has become of the investigation into the affair announced by David Cameron on 18th December:

“In light of information received, the prime minister has asked for a fuller investigation into the matter to be set up and to report to him.”

There are still plenty of questions that still need answering. In the spirit of helpful, non-partisan cooperation, Scrapbook have compiled a few of the most pressing:

There are media reports suggest Burley personally hired the SS uniform in the UK and took it on the stag weekend in France. He has refused to deny them. Is this true?
How can Burley explain changing his account of events on three separate occasions?
Did Burley consider whether there were any Jewish, gay or disabled restaurant guests or staff at the Val Thorens restaurant who would be particularly offended and upset by this?
Is it not the case that Burley concealed information from the party in his initial account to protect his government job as Parliamentary Political Secretary to the Transport Secretary?

Tomorrow’s Holocaust Memorial Day should give pause for thought.

Rod Liddle attacks “pretend disabled” in Sun column

11:57am Thu January 26th

283 comments

Is Rod Liddle’s column in today’s Sun the most disgusting attack on disabled people yet? Here are some choice quotes:

“My New Year’s resolution for 2012 was to become disabled. Nothing too serious, maybe just a bit of a bad back or one of those newly invented illnesses which make you a bit peaky for decades – fibromyalgia, or M.E.”

“And being disabled is incredibly fashionable. The number of people who claim to be disabled has doubled in the past ten years.”

“I think we should all pretend to be disabled for a month or so, claim benefits and hope this persuades the authorities to sort out the mess.”

“It has become easier to claim those benefits, partly as a consequence of the disablement charities who, out of their own self-interest, insist that an ever-greater proportion of the population is disabled.”

Mindblowing.

UPDATE (12:32) — Dr Charles Shepherd, the medical spokesperson for the ME Association, said: “This is a disgusting and inaccurate attack on people with M.E. Rod Liddle should get his facts right. The condition is recognised by the World Health Organisation after first being described in the Lancet in 1955.”

↑↑ Return to top of story ↑↑

Quote of the day: Castro blasts Republican nomination race

9:40am Thu January 26th

3 comments

We at Scrapbook have been very much enjoying the ongoing Republican circus to choose a challenger to go up against Barack Obama in November. But it seems we haven’t been the only ones. In a series of comments following a debate in Florida on what to do about Cuba, Fidel Castro has hit back with this gem:

“The selection of a Republican candidate for the presidency of this globalised and expansive empire is – and I mean this seriously – the greatest competition of idiocy and ignorance that has ever been.”

Reports of the aging comrade’s ailing faculties seem to have been greatly exaggerated.