I am very tired of hearing such things as, ‘A Department of Work and Pensions spokeswoman said: “We cannot comment on individual cases.’ It is always an ugly business when people will not accept responsibility for their actions. The recent case of Robert Punter who was falsely accused by the DWP of fraudulently claiming Disability Living Allowance and having his case thrown out of court in less than five minutes (because officials had examined the wrong leg) after months of distress and heartache is a case in point in which the above response from the DWP is simply sickening.
There is something heartening when people can put their hands up for something they have said or done that is hurtful to others. We all say and do things wrong and it is a sign of honest humanity, consideration and maturity to own them. It doesn’t take too much, just a bit of humility and honesty, but the world is a better place for it, it allows for restitution, even if that is just an apology, and in so doing it restores our faith in each other and brings balance and peace back to our lives.
This admirable quality of owning ones own actions and being responsible for them seems to be on the decline and it seems to me that this is largely because of money. Insurance companies, for example, tell us never to admit or accept liability for an accident even if we know we have been the cause of it. They do this for purely mercenary reasons, not in the service of their customers, but in the service of their profits and whilst we pay them, we are expected to dance to their tune.
In a world in which governments and corporations are not only above the law, but a law unto themselves, in which their self serving interests see us paying profit hikes, excessive interest rates, fees, charges and taxes with not even a hint of reciprocal responsibly, human society is suffering.
For the government to evade, avoid or deny responsibility for its actions and the policies it is pursuing against the poor, the sick and the vulnerable is both despicable and toxic. They are impacting and changing the very structure of society with their rhetoric of scroungers and skivers, sewing discord, suspicion and fear and driving people to despair and death. The extent to which this change is impacting society can be clearly seen in their recent actions which a few years ago would have been unthinkable. Their recent use of racist vans says much about the confidence they have in behaving both irresponsibly and criminally and their ability get away with it. The latest revelation that the government sent secret service goons to destroy the hard drives at the Guardian newspaper is a measure that things have gone entirely too far and the lack of public outcry at such dictatorial and totalitarian behaviour is as shocking as the act itself.
There is no such thing as action without consequences and even inaction at times has terrible consequences. It is worth bearing in mind that silence in the face of injustice serves injustice. A wrong knowingly left unchallenged is a wrong condoned. When the government is corrupt, silence is a vote condoning their actions.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/go-home-immigration-vans-investigated-2145521
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/19/david-miranda-schedule7-danger-reporters
Keith Lindsay-Cameron
