Freudian Festering

There are times when people’s choice of words says a lot about their attitudes and here is one of them – Iain Duncan-Smith on people claiming Disability Living Allowance:

Something like 70 per cent had lifetime awards, (which) meant that once they got it you never looked at them again. They were just allowed to fester.”

Two members of my family that I know of, get DLA. One has arthritis and broke her hip recently, she cannot walk for more than about five minutes at a time and then so slowly, that gets her about 30 yards. The other has a progressive, terminal illness that affects his ability to speak, remember pin numbers or even sort the recycling (for example).

fes·ter

[fes-ter]   verb (used without object)

1.to form pus; generate purulent matter; suppurate.

2.to cause ulceration, as a foreign body in the flesh.

3.to putrefy or rot.

4.to rankle, as a feeling of resentment.

Both left school early and worked for more than 85 years between them, paying taxes and NI. Both now put huge effort into remaining active and as healthy as they can. I’m sure they’ll be thrilled to learn the government wants to remove their support to stop them festering.

If they remain as they are but without support for their conditions, does that stop them festering, I wonder?  Or does this unpleasant state of being only stop when they die?  Convenient for the government either way, I suppose and would save enough money to give some rich people more tax breaks.

Definition of FREUDIAN SLIP

: a slip of the tongue that is motivated by and reveals some unconscious aspect of the mind.

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