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campaign against welfare cuts and poverty

I think outside of tabloid land there is growing anger against the welfare cuts, but most anti-cuts groups don't seem to focussing on the issue.
 
Some good coverage coming from the Daily Mirror:

More evidence that Atos Origin cheats benefits claimants
By Nick Sommerlad on November 25, 2010 12:00 AM in Health

We reported last month how far too many genuinely sick people are being unfairly denied benefits and told to look for work.

One, breast cancer victim Sue Hutchings, was told to get a job while she was waiting for surgery.

Now an independent study has found some jaw-dropping examples of the "work capability assessments" carried out by French company Atos Origin.

These so-called medicals help decide whether people get £65-a-week Jobseeker's Allowance or the more generous Employment and Support Allowance, worth up to £97.

According to Professor Malcolm Harrington, one suicidal woman was told by the Atos doctor to "stop crying and hurry up because I need to go and pick up my children from school".

A man suffering from ME was told "There's a big world out there, you know - you should go out and see some of it."

One mum found 20 errors in the assessment of her son, including a claim that he'd driven himself to the medical when his dad had.

No wonder that 40% of the people who appeal against a decision to refuse them Employment and Support Allowance are successful.

Professor Harrington found a gulf between the high levels of customer satisfaction that Atos reported and the "considerable worry, even anger" of those who contacted him.

The Government's agreed that people will get a personal summary of their medical so they can spot inaccuracies.

Atos boss Keith Wilman is doing nicely. He was paid £626,000 last year and the firm's reward for its shocking performance has been a new £300m three-year Government contract announced last week.

http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/2010/11/more-evidence-that-atos-origin.html
 


This is surprisingly catchy!

"We all know politicians like their lies
Big ones, little ones, porkie pies!"

:D


Cracking! I love it. Stuck it up on ukuncut.

Anyone in West Suffolk area, there's a protest happening in Bury on Saturday.
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=108579725880364

Meet at 9:20 at the benches in The Arc outside The Apex.
Vodafone opens at 9:30 so we'll go there first and protest inside and outside the shop til it is shut.

Then we will go to each of the other targets in order (with a pitstop at the pub after every couple of closures)
HSBC
...Barclays
Lloyds
Boots
Evans
Topshop

Is there a Miss Selfridge in Bury?

Any other ideas are more than welcome! Thanks :)
 


This is surprisingly catchy!

"We all know politicians like their lies
Big ones, little ones, porkie pies!"

:D


Enjoyed it very much their talking about a single to release for xmass Would it not be great for it to be no 1 at xmass ,oh well you can but hope
 
It is councils you need to protest against, they are cutting the services the public need most but doing nothing about the vast amounts of waste & non jobs they spend our money. Excecutives who hve given themselves as much as 60/70 wage rises over the past 5 years. or how abouit the one who at the same time as cutting vital services was advertising for 3 communication posts £45,0000 each. As for expenses it would put MP,s expenses in the shade. The list is endless. I can't wait for this having to give us a detailed list of what they spend our money on, I think there will be quite a few angry tax payers.
 
Brutal medical tests? What are they doing applying thumb screws to make people tell the truth about their physical capabilities. All they are trying to establish is whether claimants are still in the same condition as when DLA was applied for. information that has been voluntary up to now. And guess what? they don't get many people say their health has improved. I see no reason why the genuinely disabled should have anything to worry about. Of course one persons idea of disability is another's discomfort. With real disability a persons doctor & medical records can tell it all. The benefit bill to this country has become so out of control that it is no longer affordable, if the truly sick & disabled are to be cared for as they should be, the benefit system has to be reformed, the abuse of it ended & returned to what it was originally meant for. If this is not done we will end up like Greece & Portugal where we may find we cannot afford a system at all.
 
Brutal medical tests? What are they doing applying thumb screws to make people tell the truth about their physical capabilities. All they are trying to establish is whether claimants are still in the same condition as when DLA was applied for. information that has been voluntary up to now. And guess what? they don't get many people say their health has improved. I see no reason why the genuinely disabled should have anything to worry about. Of course one persons idea of disability is another's discomfort. With real disability a persons doctor & medical records can tell it all. The benefit bill to this country has become so out of control that it is no longer affordable, if the truly sick & disabled are to be cared for as they should be, the benefit system has to be reformed, the abuse of it ended & returned to what it was originally meant for. If this is not done we will end up like Greece & Portugal where we may find we cannot afford a system at all.

Wtf are you on about? DLA send out review forms periodically and it's not 'optional'. Patients own doctors are best qualified to comment on their medical condition, not someone who doesn't know the person and actually gets paid to find people fit for work. Incidentally DLA has nothing to do with being able to work or not you seem to be confusing it with Incapacity Benefit, which it may surprise you to know can only be claimed by someone with enough NI contributions. The idea that the 'taxpayer' and claimants are two separate groups is a masterpiece of lying in the press.
And if you don't think forcing people in serious pain or with chronic conditions to go to interviews isn't 'brutal' what is your definition? I'm guessing you haven't heard about the deaths of people declared 'fit for work' by atos either.

http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/demand-for-fairer-benefits-tests-as-two-die-1.1085915
 
It is a little inconvenient but hardly brutal. Being in pain means still means going to hospitals & waiting around for hours & that really is no joke, but everyone has to do it if they are under a consultant. It is bad that the genuine have to be treated in the same way in this manic equality climate, but it's the cheats that have made it necessary. I am disabled & suffer a great deal of pain but I am quite happy to be checked to see if I still need DLA. Because I abhor the abuse of what is a great system, & don't want to see the day when the country can not even afford benefits to the genuine. Something has to give mate, the country is on it's uppers.
 
No it's not "because of cheats" that it had to happen, fraud rates amongst DLA are actually very low. You're being lied to.
What about the people who have died being declared fit to work, was that just a little inconvenient? Good luck with being able to claim DLA, as they want to throw about 20% of people currently claiming off it when they re-introduce it as PIP.
My friend works as an OT assistant for people who are being discharged from hospitals and says none of her patients are qualifying for DLA anymore despite needing the help of OT and home helps etc in their own homes.
 
It is a little inconvenient but hardly brutal. Being in pain means still means going to hospitals & waiting around for hours & that really is no joke, but everyone has to do it if they are under a consultant. It is bad that the genuine have to be treated in the same way in this manic equality climate, but it's the cheats that have made it necessary. I am disabled & suffer a great deal of pain but I am quite happy to be checked to see if I still need DLA. Because I abhor the abuse of what is a great system, & don't want to see the day when the country can not even afford benefits to the genuine. Something has to give mate, the country is on it's uppers.

If you are disabled then you should be worried as unless you are in a coma you are very unlikely to get into the support group for ESA (If you are currently on IB). If you are in the work rleated activity group for ESA then it is time limited to one year (If you are not on IB//ESA now you may well need to be in the future.
Your DLA will be reassessed under the Govts proposal to change it to PIP in 2014 and you could well loose it. What will happen is that you will loose your DLA/pip once you hit pension age (when your needs are likly to be greater).

If you are not disabled then piss off, stop trolling and grow up!!!
 
Brutal medical tests? What are they doing applying thumb screws to make people tell the truth about their physical capabilities. All they are trying to establish is whether claimants are still in the same condition as when DLA was applied for. information that has been voluntary up to now. And guess what? they don't get many people say their health has improved. I see no reason why the genuinely disabled should have anything to worry about. Of course one persons idea of disability is another's discomfort. With real disability a persons doctor & medical records can tell it all. The benefit bill to this country has become so out of control that it is no longer affordable, if the truly sick & disabled are to be cared for as they should be, the benefit system has to be reformed, the abuse of it ended & returned to what it was originally meant for. If this is not done we will end up like Greece & Portugal where we may find we cannot afford a system at all.

The irony is "what it was originally meant for" was universal. When benefits were introduced in the early 1910s they were intended to remove the stigma of earlier systems such as Poor Relief etc which were means tested and thus only for beggars, vagrants, "paupers" etc.
 
Why do you think that everyone who dosn't agree with you is a troll & entitled to abuse. I am not afraid because I know I am absolutely genuine. Incidentally 2 days ago the possibility of people slipping through the net when they are genuine was put to a health minister. & he said any such cases should be brought to his notice in order that any changes that need to be made will be. There is no such thing as a perfect system due to it being implemented by individuals with individual judgement, but that dosn't mean that no attempt should be made to reform the welfare system in general. It is grossly abused, although I do agree DLA is less likely to be other than where improvement in circumstances is not volunteered. But our welfare bill has gone through the roof in recent years & is just not sustainable at present levels. The system has to be tightened to discourage abuse & sometimes downright fraud. This money dosn't come from nowhere it comes from working people. No one minds their money helping genuinely sick & disabled people. I for one feel privileged to live in a country where you are not left to die if you can't help yourself as they are in so many parts of the world. But the system is abused & it has to stop because it is now out of control. Anyone who is genuine in the benefits they claim should be grateful that the welfare system is being reformed because it will ensure the country can continue to look after them. All parties want these reforms, but until now no one has had the guts to carry them out.
 
Why do you think that everyone who dosn't agree with you is a troll & entitled to abuse. I am not afraid because I know I am absolutely genuine. Incidentally 2 days ago the possibility of people slipping through the net when they are genuine was put to a health minister. & he said any such cases should be brought to his notice in order that any changes that need to be made will be. There is no such thing as a perfect system due to it being implemented by individuals with individual judgement, but that dosn't mean that no attempt should be made to reform the welfare system in general. It is grossly abused, although I do agree DLA is less likely to be other than where improvement in circumstances is not volunteered. But our welfare bill has gone through the roof in recent years & is just not sustainable at present levels. The system has to be tightened to discourage abuse & sometimes downright fraud. This money dosn't come from nowhere it comes from working people. No one minds their money helping genuinely sick & disabled people. I for one feel privileged to live in a country where you are not left to die if you can't help yourself as they are in so many parts of the world. But the system is abused & it has to stop because it is now out of control. Anyone who is genuine in the benefits they claim should be grateful that the welfare system is being reformed because it will ensure the country can continue to look after them. All parties want these reforms, but until now no one has had the guts to carry them out.
cos you always
a)post the same ignorant, idiotic r/w shite
and then
b)run away
 
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