Published: October 16th 2011 - at 9:00 am

Mail admits mistake on disability scheme


by Sunny Hundal    

Earlier this week, Tim Fenton pointed out how the TaxPayers’ Alliance had repeated rubbish from the Daily Mail on the disabled ‘motability’ scheme.

The Mail and the TPA mis-understood how the scheme worked and how many people it affected

Here’s the surprise: the Mail on Sunday today unveils its first corrections and clarifications column, and it admits its mistake!

Last Sunday we said some 3,200 families of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder were believed to have been given cars under the Motability scheme. In fact that total is the combined figure for two categories of recipients of the Higher Mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance and includes other behavioural disorders. Recipients choose whether or not to spend their allowance on a Motability car; generally about 30 per cent do so.

Also, we described the qualification for the Lower Mobility component, rather than the Higher Mobility component required to claim a car, for which individuals must be declared virtually unable to walk.

It doesn’t go far enough of course, because the Mail pretended that disabled people were being given BMWs paid for by taxpayers, but it’s a small start. The TPA wrote an ‘update’ to the post that tried to pretend that they hadn’t actually done anything wrong.


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About the author
Sunny Hundal is editor of LC. Also: on Twitter, at Pickled Politics and Guardian CIF.
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Story Filed Under: News


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Reader comments


1. Treborc

I’ve a car which will go back soon, I have had my tyres slashed, I have had paint poured over the vehicle it has hand controls and it takes a wheelchair.

The council then put a CCTV Camera on my home and we found out who was doing this, it was my neigbour who had failed to get DLA because he was a drug dealer/user and had claimed the drug made it impossible for him to walk.

Nothing new though I have been watching people talk about how he gets a car free of course it’s not free I pay for it, I worked for 30 years until my accident at work.

What a country we now live in

2. John Warner

Why does it always take so little time to spread lies and untruths about situations and so long for these untruths and lies to be erased? Is this a flaw in the human psyche that wants us to believe the worst in others?

3. Mason Dixon, Autistic

The real problem is that they didn’t make a mistake; they deliberately lied to their readership. They did not misunderstand; they had no interest in the truth to begin with. Why is it different from their other lies about disabled people? Because for once there was actually some media coverage on it, just a little bit.

But that leaves dozens of other intentional factual shortcomings that no one cares about, so the Mail on Sunday and Daily Mail can repeatedly get away with it.

4. Lynne

Actually Treborc i’m not surprised. I cared for my disabled Mother for over eight years. It was only the last year i looked after her i got a carers allowance, paid for i believe out of my Mothers attendance allowance. Unfortunately i developed a chronic illness and had to give caring for her. My siblings didn’t mind when i was doing it for nothing, but as soon as i was paid for it they resented it and caused me and my family no end of trouble. They didn’t want to do a thing for our Mother, they thought i was getting something for nothing.

5. Will

Can someone investigate DWP’s role in the story? They issued a supportive quote and featured very heavily in a story that they should/must have known was factually incorrect. Is there any way of holding them to account?

6. Cylux

@3

The real problem is that they didn’t make a mistake; they deliberately lied to their readership.

Which is pretty much what the Mail’s been doing for years. Generally the only thing that stops the lie machine is if the potential target for their ire happens to have rather deep pockets, and ain’t too shy about ringing up Shillings, et al.

7. Pete Lee

John ”Why does it always take so little time to spread lies and untruths about situations and so long for these untruths and lies to be erased? Is this a flaw in the human psyche that wants us to believe the worst in others”

Its not flawed John, its a deliberate tactic by the Franco et al loving Daily Mail. Indeed their mentor, the General himself, used disinformation to undermine the moderate social Democractic government in Spain in the early thirties. The Right did it in the Weimar Republic.

The far right ais well funded and highly effective. This is a small example but the attacks on Brown and Obama demonstrate how effective it is.


Reactions: Twitter, blogs
  1. Liberal Conspiracy

    Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/RaOcy2g3

  2. sasastro

    Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/RaOcy2g3

  3. Jill Goble

    Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/RaOcy2g3

  4. Simonholman

    Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/RaOcy2g3

  5. eleanor

    Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/RaOcy2g3

  6. Other TaxPayers Alli

    RT @libcon: Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/e5zy3V56

  7. False Economy

    RT @OtherTPA: RT @libcon: Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/GAPlYFYH

  8. Kevin Arscott

    RT @libcon: Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/e5zy3V56

  9. Joanne

    Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/RaOcy2g3

  10. John Cresswell-Plant

    RT @libcon: Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/e5zy3V56

  11. brian hocknull

    RT @OtherTPA: RT @libcon: Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/GAPlYFYH

  12. eleanor lisney

    Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/RaOcy2g3

  13. Disability Norfolk

    Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/RaOcy2g3

  14. Jill Hayward

    RT @libcon: Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/e5zy3V56

  15. Soton_Unite

    RT @libcon: Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/e5zy3V56

  16. Geoffrey Pearson

    Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/RaOcy2g3

  17. Alon Or-bach

    RT @libcon: Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/e5zy3V56

  18. Sarah

    RT @libcon: Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/e5zy3V56

  19. The Grim Reaper

    RT @libcon: Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/e5zy3V56

  20. Luton NUT

    "@OtherTPA: RT @libcon: Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/IP5GrDl9" FINALLY they admit they are wrong

  21. Dan

    "@OtherTPA: RT @libcon: Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/IP5GrDl9" FINALLY they admit they are wrong

  22. Neil Courtman

    RT @libcon: Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/e5zy3V56

  23. nico phillips

    RT @FalseEcon RT @OtherTPA: RT @libcon: Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/Hl6OpXcZ

  24. AndhaBandar

    RT @libcon: Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/e5zy3V56

  25. Stuart White

    RT @OtherTPA: RT @libcon: Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/GAPlYFYH

  26. Mel from Leeds

    “@FalseEcon: RT @OtherTPA: RT @libcon:Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/L4sewlYd” more shameless propoganda from the mail

  27. Rep in the Region

    RT @OtherTPA: RT @libcon: @mailonline admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/Qh0PNjEA @theTPA

  28. Juan Voet

    RT @libcon: Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/e5zy3V56

  29. Sian

    RT @OtherTPA: RT @libcon: Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/GAPlYFYH

  30. Moo

    Mail admits mistake on disability scheme | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/2QTssKSY via @libcon

  31. KAAL Group

    Mail admits mistake on disability scheme | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/2QTssKSY via @libcon

  32. psiloiordinary

    Mail admits mistake on disability scheme | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/kizHUgFl via @libcon

  33. Kim Blake

    RT @suey2y: Mail admits mistake on disability scheme | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/7Q3Qkf4W <<WooHoo! Tin… (cont) http://t.co/T6RONLPp

  34. David Gillon

    Mail admits 'mistake' over motability: http://t.co/7Q3Qkf4W Once is a mistake, twice is incompetence, 3 time… (cont) http://t.co/plHBLiyl

  35. Mike Pye

    RT @suey2y: Mail admits mistake on disability scheme | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/7Q3Qkf4W <<WooHoo! Tin… (cont) http://t.co/T6RONLPp

  36. Catherine Brunton

    RT @suey2y: Mail admits mistake on disability scheme | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/7Q3Qkf4W <<WooHoo! Tin… (cont) http://t.co/T6RONLPp

  37. Catherine Brunton

    Mail admits 'mistake' over motability: http://t.co/7Q3Qkf4W Once is a mistake, twice is incompetence, 3 time… (cont) http://t.co/plHBLiyl

  38. Duncan Edwards

    Mail admits 'mistake' over motability: http://t.co/7Q3Qkf4W Once is a mistake, twice is incompetence, 3 time… (cont) http://t.co/plHBLiyl

  39. csignals

    Mail admits 'mistake' over motability: http://t.co/7Q3Qkf4W Once is a mistake, twice is incompetence, 3 time… (cont) http://t.co/plHBLiyl

  40. Andy Bean

    Mail admits mistake on disability scheme | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/5oWosTlO via @libcon

  41. TheCreativeCrip

    Mail admits 'mistake' over motability: http://t.co/7Q3Qkf4W Once is a mistake, twice is incompetence, 3 time… (cont) http://t.co/plHBLiyl

  42. Rebecca Devitt

    Mail admits 'mistake' over motability: http://t.co/7Q3Qkf4W Once is a mistake, twice is incompetence, 3 time… (cont) http://t.co/plHBLiyl

  43. Sir Aaron Marshall

    RT @libcon: Mail admits mistake on disability scheme http://t.co/e5zy3V56





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