Slightly ironic given that it was Labour that hired Atos, of course…

…for which an apology and policy change are long overdue.

So, only 601 gutless MPs have not signed it – not that EDMs ever get debated in parliament (or hardly ever).

@2 – I’m afraid @1 is right to point this out – it is clear we have moved into animal farm territory and NuLab’s obsession with the market (and war) have sown the seeds for a less equitable society.

Social mobility has not improved one iota despite 10 years of, err, socialism.

Frankly, is anybody in the least bit surprised that, ‘britain has some of the lowest social mobility in the developed world – the OECD figures show our earnings in the UK are more likely to reflect our fathers’ than any other country’.

On the other hand ’24% of vice-chancellors, 32% of MPs, 51% of top Medics, 54% of FTSE-100 chief execs, 54% of top journalists, 70% of High Court judges …went to private school, though only 7% of the population do’
http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/may/22/social-mobility-data-charts

So despite these well known facts how did NuLab decide to address an important welfare question – hand the work over to a French computer company – honestly, you couldn’t make it up.

…for which an apology and policy change are long overdue.

And about as likely as spotting RoboCop riding a unicorn down your high street.

(See also WMD, ESA, ASBOs, etc).

So no Tories signed? Well, there’s a surprise. Anyone would think these classical liberals were really little better than social Darwinists.

And where can we see the names of these 49 MP’s because I would be interested to see if my MP has

@6 http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/business-papers/commons/early-day-motions/edm-detail1/?session=2012-13&edmnumber=295&or

“…with a smattering of SNP and Plaid Cymru MPs.”

Erm, all of Plaid’s MPs have signed it. One of them is a co-sponsor of the EDM. Want to re-think that wording a bit?

A big thumbs up to my MP, John Leech, for being (at time of writing) the only Lib Dem to have put his name to this.

About time too !

I never understood why the Labour Party had to get ATOS involved because it was very efficient at making the sick and disable prove their condition through their own doctors, specialist and then additional medical assessments carried out through the DWP by their own doctor in offices attached to the benefits office. That system was effective and did not cost £100 million a year as it does with ATOS.

For christ sake why spend £100 million a year doing something that you were already doing very effectively and using your own facilities for a third of the cost, if that.

Putting all that waste of money aside I also believe that the Labour Party did not intend for ATOS to be so draconian and it is the Tories that have instructed ATOS to behave in such a manner that I believe to be a Breach of Human Rights and outright evil.

I sincerely hope that more MP’s search their conscience and deliver these people from evil.

@10. Mr Grunt

Undoubtedly, the hiring of ATOS and the ESA will go down as one of the worst and most shameful acts of New Labour, alongside the WMD and Iraq War debacle. And the general approach of pandering to the tabloids to be ‘tough’ on welfare and crime etc. Which has led to the climate in which the conservatives can go further to the right on these things then would ever have been possible before.

I never understood why the Labour Party had to get ATOS involved because it was very efficient at making the sick and disable prove their condition through their own doctors, specialist and then additional medical assessments carried out through the DWP by their own doctor in offices attached to the benefits office. That system was effective and did not cost £100 million a year as it does with ATOS.

It’s not hard to understand. New Labour was/is entirely complicit in the corporate takeover of government. And in hoc to the evidence free dogma about the private sector always being more efficient than the public sector.

All of these things were done by the extreme Blairite element in the last government. Represented by the likes of such odious figures as James Purnell. Thankfully that part of the Labour Party is now in retreat. They are at least making some moves away from the worst excesses of the New Labour years. but we’ll see how far they go.

“For christ sake why spend £100 million a year doing something that you were already doing very effectively and using your own facilities for a third of the cost, if that.”

Now if only there was an organisation comitted to exposing waste in government……

Check this very, very interesting piece of information out regarding this matter.

Spread the word today/now where ever you can as a matter of urgency.

http://loanwolffe.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/british-government-attempt-at.html

Time for all these organisations, groups and others that speak out for the sick and disabled to come together and collectively take on this Tory Led Coalition to expose them for what they are.

What this Tory Led Coalition is doing must be illegal and a Breach of Human Rights. The only way to deal with this is through a Court of Law.

All those many organisations, groups and others that speak out for sick, disable and vulnerable should all come together and get 38 Degrees to raise money for legal advice with the view to also using money raised to bring this Government to account because what has happened regarding the sick and disabled was targeted discrimination for the purpose of justifying cutbacks.

During the election campaign on the final televised election campaign 2010 debate David Cameron promised to protect the sick, disabled, frail, vulnerable and poorest in society and they had nothing to fear if he became prime minister. Since becoming prime minister Cameron has done the complete opposite to what he promise to the sick and disabled, in fact Downing Street has instructed ATOS to be completely draconian. The sick and disabled have been lied to, persecuted, discriminated and totally abused. There are serious questions regarding this matter from start to finish.

What Cameron and company have inflicted upon this group of vulnerable people in society is wrong and it is my opinion that there has been several Breaches of Human Rights. This Government should be held to account and challenged ion a Court of Law regarding all matters relating tom this issue.