Why I will be a rebel tonight.

· by · in Parliament. ·

In politics, you have got to do what you think is right. Tonight, I will not be supporting a 1% cap on benefit rises as it will harm 7 million working families .

I understand that finding budget cuts are hard. It is easy to do what Labour are doing and opposing every cut, knowing full well they would have implemented most of these cuts if they were in power.

But, in the past few days, the debate has stopped being about what is right and fair, it has become about a gut feeling.

I find it objectionable that the Tories are ramping up the  “Skivers Vs Strives” rhetoric to justify a benefit cut to 7 million working families.

If you are one of those 7 million, you have made your choice to work. You should be encouraged by the system, whether that be through benefits or tax breaks.  That is why I strongly support rises in the tax threshold.

I accept the system should be simple, transparent and easy to understand. And it certainly isn’t now. But a cut to these working families will wipe out most of the gains these families will see through increases to their tax allowances.

And that is why I will be rebelling tonight.

 

11 responses to “Why I will be a rebel tonight.”

  1. thanks John, you and Sarah Teather are two of the reasons why I am, just, staying a party member

  3. I applaud you for having a conscience. I am not a LibDem voter and never will be after the disgraceful Coalition decisions but it is good to see that a few of you have the courage to stand up against what is absolutely wrong.

  4. Thanks for letting us know why John.

    On this: “But a cut to these working families will wipe out most of the gains these families will see through increases to their tax allowances.”

    I’d be interested to see the data on this, have you got a link you can post?

  6. Mr Leech, if you oppose this Bill so much, why didn’t you vote against it? If you were actually seeking to support your thousands of constituents who will lose out from these cuts, you would have voted against them.

  7. I think there is a little more to it than “hard working families”. Welfare benefits, unemployment benefit, (JSA) in particular, was held down by Labour and is now at £70 a week plus rent paid, which is not enough to cover the basics. If it is not increased in line with inflation (price rises) then unemployed people go without even more. Now while the minimum wage is very low, at £232 for a 37 hour week it is a whole lot better than JSA. Welfare benefits should in common decency be increased by at least inflation, but of course so should the minimum wage. The bankers and the fat cats are laughing their socks off to see those on benefits paying for the luxurios lifestyles of the wealthy.
    Every time in the past 40 years some Tory MP has boasted that he would easily live on benefits, he has given up after two weeks and admitted thathe could not stand it.
    If we want a society where people are not stunted and distorted by worry and poverty, we MUST provde an adequate income for those who are unemployed or otherwise cannot provide for their basic needs through no fault of their own.
    As for those who want to remain Lib Dems. You may be an honest person, but your Party has been found out and it will be a cold day in hell when Lib Dems are in government again.

  8. “I find it objectionable that the Tories are ramping up the “Skivers Vs Strivers” rhetoric”

    Well so do I.
    Except it is not the Tories “ramping” things up but this coalition government willingly supported by the LibDems and your turncoat leader Clegg.
    Most of your party did not rebel.

    I look forward to the next election when the LibDems will be annihilated as a political party and you will no longer represent Manchester Withington.

    If you want to do what you IS right then you should resign and stand as an Independent MP only then would I even consider voting for you again.

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