The BBC’s Tom Symonds: “Protesters have taken over the road”Up to 300 anti-cuts protesters – some posing as removal men – blocked a road outside the north London home of welfare minister Lord Freud earlier.
More pictures from UK Uncut on Facebook here.
Here at Ipswich Unemployed Action we are pleased to hear that our old friend Lord Freud got it in the neck.
Here is some of his background (adapted from Wikipedia).
“Freud was a Financial Times journalist. In 1983 he worked fir Rowe & Pitman. He oprated over 50 deals, raising more than £50bn in 19 countries. Many were high profile, including the flotations of Eurotunnel and EuroDisney.
His role in the deals earned him a great deal of publicity and criticism.
By 2003, Freud had become the vice-chairman of investing banking at the firm, now known as UBS AG.
He retired early at the age 53, claiming that he was bored with the City.In late 2006, Freud was appointed by the Tony Blair, to provide a nominally independent review of the British welfare to work system.
His subsequent recommendations called for expanded private sector involvement in the welfare system, for substantial resources to be found to help those on Incapacity Benefit back into “economic activity” and for single parents to be required to take paid employment earlier.
Although his recommendations on single parents were immediately adopted, when Gordon Brown became Prime Minister in June 2007 other restructuring measures were soft-pedalled.(Note, oh no they weren’t).
He was later rehired as an adviser to the government when James Purnell was appointed Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in 2008.
He was involved in producing a white paper, published in December 2008.
This would require most people receiving benefits either to participate in some form of employment or prepare formally to find paid employment later.
He said, “We cannot have people simply loafing about, doing nothing and expecting the state to finance their lifestyles,”
“”That is the way to the destruction of our society.”
In February 2009, Freud joined the Conservative Party, which at that time was not in government. He was given a life peerage as Baron Freud, of Eastry in the county of Kent and became a shadow minister for welfare in the House of Lords.
As of 2012, Freud is in charge of reform of the benefits system.”
His lordship has never done an honest day’s work in his life.
He is now making our lives a misery.
The sooner he joins another Baron(ess) the better!
