Child Support Agency and John Hutton's Proposals

I have just heard about the Labour MP, Mr. John Hutton's proposals about the Child Support Agency on BBC Radio 4's news programme, "The World This Weekend" and what he is saying strikes me as criminal.

You can read about it on one of the BBC's news pages here

His claim that, "When they don't pay, we have to pay, and that is not a proper thing to happen," is a dirty black lie!
In reality the CSA takes a third of the absent parents income and gives £10, yes that's right £10 in additional benefit to the parent with custody of the child/ren.
Where does he think we're living? Communist Russia? The man is living on another planet!

I have just sent the following message to him via his website and I urge any one with even the most rudimentary sense of justice to send some thing similar. The website above is aimed at his constituents in Barrow In Furness so if you know of a better way of getting to him in his capacity as Secretary Of State For Work & Pensions please use it and please let me know the address.

This is what I sent to him:

Sunday 10 December 2006.

Dear Mr. Hutton,

I have just heard about your proposals regarding The Child Support Agency on Radio 4's The World This Weekend this lunchtime.

I really could not believe what I was hearing. The CSA has been in a morally indefensible position since it's conception, and you are proposing to get even tougher?

How can you justify taking a third of a mans earnings and paying only £10 or £20 pounds additional benefit to that man's ex-wife and mother of his children. Where does the rest of the money go???

A man kicked out of the family home, living in rented accommodation, grieving about his children's welfare and perhaps taking home £800 to £1,100 per month has absolutely no incentive to work at all if you take a third of that meagre income away AND DON'T EVEN GIVE IT TO HIS CHILDREN!!!

The CSA ignores previously legal agreements between ex-spouses. (e.g. Man donates family home and car etc).

Have you any idea how many men have been driven to suicide by this, and how many men choose to go to prison rather than submit to this immoral state intervention???

These are OLD, OLD arguments and what you propose is CRIMINAL and leads directly to suicide!

Your proposals are little short of MURDER!

You are either sadly misguided or a cold hearted cynic!

I for one would wear your attempt to name and shame me as a badge of honour and link it to every web space I have access to.

You present only half the picture Mr. Hutton and it is utterly shameful of you to play politics with people's deepest feelings in this way.

I have voted Labour all my life. I have had my doubts about the Iraq war and Student Loans, but this takes the biscuit.

From here on in I will be actively campaigning against your lying and cynical party.

Yours faithfully,

Mark Ward

Sorry, no picture. This is beyond a joke.