(not satire – it’s the UK today!)
A man was burned alive in Britain – and nobody seems to care.
Malcolm Burge, 66, found himself more than £800 in debt as a result of a government decision to cut his housing benefit by 50%.
The council dealing with his case was also unable to correspond properly with Mr Burge because of a massive backlog they were experiencing – again due to government cuts to local government funding.
And so – on the same day he received a letter telling him he had to repay the money – Mr Burge drove to Cheddar Gorge and burned himself alive in his car.
Just the latest victim of Iain Duncan Smith’s war on the poor:
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Iain Duncan Smith’s portrait made from photos of people who died for being poor (click on image to enlarge)
Some of his victims:
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With thanks – and apologies – to Joe Wezorek:
Given this image’s inflammatory nature, I posted it with a great deal of trepidation. I had a hard time deciding if it was the right thing to do and I am still not sure. No, I didn’t have the consent of the families of those pictured, and I apologize for any additional pain that this image causes them.
‘War Minister’ is meant to be a satirical commentary, informed by the whole project of using the innocent victims of the coalition government’s war on welfare as political propaganda. I’m not making a penny off the image, and never will attempt to do so.
I’d also like to point out that ‘War Minister’ is an image. It is not a textual statement or rhetorical argument. An image is like an empty room and any message that anyone reads in that room necessarily comes in the baggage he or she carries with them when they walk through the door.
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Photo mosaic created using Andrea Mosaic
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Please feel free to share. And comment.
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The Coalition Government Colouring and Activity Book is now available for download as a PDF and in print:
Pride's Purge 
Well done Tom – sadly moving, yet appreciated.
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poor soul…i think he originally come from somerset?
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Reblogged this on Beastrabban’s Weblog and commented:
Another of Iain Duncan Smith’s victims. Another name to add to the at least 45 people, who have died or killed themselves through poverty inflicted by the Tories benefit cuts. And Esther McVile, poor thing, objected to Debbie Abrahams’ questions about these deaths, and said they were ‘inflammatory’ and that it was ‘wrong to politicise the issue’.
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Someone does care, us for a start but government doesn’t give a shit.
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Reblogged this on sdbast.
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It is called weaponising welfare.
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Reblogged this on Britain Isn't Eating.
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Pingback: No ‘British Spring': Man burned alive in Britain – but does anybody care? – Pride’s Purge | Vox Political
Reblogged this on DR Laverty and commented:
Truly saddening. Cheers Tom. Many would have avoided this area.
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Reblogged this on Sid's Blog and commented:
Care, anyone?
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Hopefully the Tory scum will get the boot in May, then it’s open season on IDS, McVey and Lord Fraud. The Hague beckons. Meanwhile the reason there’s been no outcry is because UK sheeple are engrossed in celebrity shite like “X-Factor” while being brainwashed by government/corporate propaganda via the moron box (no TV here). Look it the Daily Hate’s website (while holding your nose) – look at the rightmost column. Reams of z-list “celebs” describing everything about them short of how they wipe their arses.
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Tarek al-Tayeb Mohamed Bouazizi His act became a catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution and rightly so and for this country to just sit idly by is a great injustice
This mans death should have been reported by all of the news teams but as usual fell silent
It it wasn’t for the likes of a few like myself and you tom reporting this news no one in the uk would be any the wiser
as a trusted reporter for the UN i’m going to post this on the Human Rights Observers facebook page
i’m not sure of the worlds reaction to this news will pan out as that page is only normally reserved for very horrific crimes and horror
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keep up the good work tom with the postings of the pictures of those that have died. you have just scratched the surface but over time as you will find out you will have a cast of hundreds of which they will never be forgotten
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Human Rights Observers facebook page https://www.facebook.com/hromedia
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I was deemed fit for work,taken off incapacity and placed on j.s.a.I received no benefit of any kind for 5 Month’s. it was hell,I attempted suicide. mcvile is my m.p. and did fuck all to help me.
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Heinrich Himmler is evidently very much alive and well – though these days he goes by the pseudonym of Iain Duncan Smith. The man is basically a “Nazi arse-hole” and he deserves to be jailed for life – as befits his Himmler-esque callous oppression of the poorest & most vulnerable members of society. I hereby wish him a ‘slow & painful’ death!!
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Our local press had a full front page account of this poor man’s suicide and the reasons for it on the same day that the Telegraph front page referred to the Islamic State’s vile murder by burning alive of the captive Jordanian pilot.
What made me really angry was that this very same Telegraph’s main front page headline was a gleeful “IDS: We’ve reversed the boom in benefits”.
Several other national dailies had accounts of Mr Burge’s story, but I found none that mentioned he set himself on fire, hence my tweeted attempt to draw attention to his predicament “World today condems Jordanian pilot’s murder by IS as IDS hails Benefit cuts that drove pensioner to self immolate.”
Oh and btw, the Council sent him nearly a dozen demands for payment and made no attempt to answer his pleas for help.
As you say Tom, it’s perfectly clear that IDS’ benefits cuts have cost lives – and who cares? Clearly not members and supporters of the well-named Nasty Party.
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Reblogged this on L8in.
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The Dwp death toll and Ids gang refuse to publish and account for.
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Hopefully we’ll have a new government in power after May and the Tories will be held to account for what they’ve done. The reason Duncan Smith is claiming underpants on expenses is because he’s soiling himself at the prospect of facing trial for his crimes.
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Reblogged this on Common Weal.
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‘Another tragic benefit-related suicide.
Based SOLELY on the information in this article, the council were wrong to seek recovery of the £800 overpayment for two reasons:
1. A delay in implementing a change in the law is an ‘official error’;
2. It is extremely unlikely that Mr Burge would have known he was not receiving the correct entitlement (if that was indeed the case).
Council’s (and the DWP) routinely, and sometimes knowingly, seek recovery of overpayments to which they are not entitled or which they caused. So, if these facts are true, Newham council’s culpability extends much further than mere delay.
We hope someone pointed this out to the coroner…
This is why it is so important to get SPECIALIST benefits advice straight away when you encounter any problems.’
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Incapacity Benefits: Deaths of
recipients
9 July 2012
this is the last official post the DWP made of the deaths involving the sick and disabled
Table 3: Claimants leaving ESA between January and November 2011 with a
recorded date of death, Great Britain.
WCA Outcome at most
recent assessment
Number of claimants
leaving ESA with a
recorded date of death
Assessment not complete 2,200
Work Related Activity Group 1,300
Support Group 7,100
Total 10,600
Click to access incap_decd_recips_0712.pdf
dont forget to print this off incase the official account goes missing
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the government has created a blame culture! The ages old divide and conquer strategy!! Blame the disabled and infirm and minorities!! blame immigrants !! blame each other!!! One set of self serving boot filling meglomaniacs leave only to be replaced by another set !!! and the circle of corruption and greed continues.. ad infinitum
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Tom – this is just to let you know that the ‘I’ newspaper today quoted your comments about Mr Burge’s death being the responsibility of one Iain Duncan Smith in their ‘Opinion Matrix’ column. It’s under ‘Vox Political’, which is Mike’s site, but you are given due credit at the bottom.
Congrats on getting the mainstream press to take up your views and land another blow on IDS.
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