campaign against welfare cuts and poverty

[treelover]

On PMQ, in response to a very angry LP MP(surprised) who asked about changes to DLA, Cameron said that the new medical test will be better than the old form, he again used 'his experience' of filling in the form to claim for Ivan, does he really believe this or is he using his family to bolster his case?

 

[treelover]

'Benefit fraud is indeed a serious and costly issue for the UK – as the Sun trumpets, fraudulent claims cost the economy £1.2bn a year. Yet, as someone who has been sworn at, spat at and intimidated by strangers in public, I know first-hand the ramifications of members of the public feeling they are qualified to make a judgement on disability. How many of the Sun's readers who have been left seething about those milking the system are actually fully armed with the facts about disabled claimants?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/mar/07/sun-beat-the-cheat-benefits


the consequences of the media's, (inc the BBC) demonisation, misinformation, smears and lies campaigns against benefit claimants, especially sick and disabled ones..

 

[UrbaneFox]

On PMQ, in response to a very angry LP MP(surprised) who asked about changes to DLA, Cameron said that the new medical test will be better than the old form, he again used 'his experience' of filling in the form to claim for Ivan, does he really believe this or is he using his family to bolster his case?

He blagged his way through it claiming that PIP would prevent claimants from having to fill in huge forms, and remembered the misery that completing the forms caused the Cameron household.

So he can use Ivan when it suits him. His thoughtful attitude to claimants enabled him to skate over the fact that he and Samantha are multi-millionaires.

 

[Urbanblues]

Years of vilification within the pages of the scab press and sadly on our screens via poorly researched and sensationalist seeking TV programmers has led to an almost wholesale demonization of disabled people. This demonization has been so thorough that this government felt it safe to drive through its draconian Welfare Reform. Indeed, they were so supremely confident that they swept aside even the amendments that came from their own tame members of the House of Lords.

Disability benefit fraud is even lower than the overall £1.2 billion annually. Combined IB and DLA fraud amount to £80 million; and the entire take-up of IS is £190 million, of which disability payments are only a small percentage.

Yet, disabled benefits' claimants, according to Michael Howard, are the cause of the country's fiscal deficit.

I'm no mathematician nor arithmetician, yet I'm able to calculate that the billions (anything up to £120) lost in tax fraud annually could eradicate the fiscal deficit fairly quickly; and, that, if:
1. Successive governments had seriously tackled the too easily exploitable gaping tax loopholes;
2. Governments had put into place progressive tax systems;

That our economy might not be in such a parlous state today.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

On PMQ, in response to a very angry LP MP(surprised) who asked about changes to DLA, Cameron said that the new medical test will be better than the old form, he again used 'his experience' of filling in the form to claim for Ivan, does he really believe this or is he using his family to bolster his case?

Shouldn't really be using it to bolster his case considering he shouldn't have been claiming it. Not like he needed the money

eta: as mentioned by urbanefox which I missed

 

[_angel_]

On PMQ, in response to a very angry LP MP(surprised) who asked about changes to DLA, Cameron said that the new medical test will be better than the old form, he again used 'his experience' of filling in the form to claim for Ivan, does he really believe this or is he using his family to bolster his case?

I really wouldn't mind him claiming DLA were it not for the fact he's trying to remove it from so many people who aren't millionaires already and need it to live on.
Is it being means tested?

 

[UrbaneFox]

No, it isn't being means tested.

 

[Ld222]

 

[BigTom]

Is that in London?

e2a ignore me, I should ahve just looked at your location.. it'll be in Derry I assume?

 

[Greebo]

spam spamity spam spam spam

 

[ayatollah]

yes Spring. My mother raised me and my sisters on a welfare cheque. I don't 'mind' welfare and I especially don't 'mind' mothers allowance. I think it would be nice to phase these programs out eventually, but I also don't think it's possible to do it in one day, or maybe even a generation. There are a lot of people who are dependent on the government. But I know a lot of my friends / room mates / people i knew who were on welfare spent that money on drugs and booze. I think that the best welfare program is a good job, and that the war on poverty has created more poor people.

If this sad childhood tale of young Andrew is true (and of course it could be complete bollocks) the slightly older (about 16 ?)Andrew seems to be wishing his younger self could have lived in really dire, starvation-level poverty, and his mother reduced to searching though waste bins behind shops to feed the ungrateful scrote ! This type of Right wing masochism I must say , completely foxes me ... Wealthy by birth young Rightists with the proverbial silver spoon formly wedged in gob , I can understand... but this stuff... seriously trapped in some form of "denial" about ones sad upbringing Andrew ? Your sainted Mum must be SOOO proud of what a ghastly right wing little git you have turned into..

 

[savoloysam]

After the "clamping down" on ESA and incapacity claims, Job seekers you're next in line. All sorts of nasty backward bully boy tactics ahead, like picking on the short term unemployed because they will be seen as easy targets and "more likely" to sign off and ease the figures. Sanctions are going to increase massively and are to be thrown around much liberally. Nasty times ahead.

 

[treelover]

On a related note, interesting to see chief poverty pimp, Darra Singh (CEO DWP) interviewed today as head of the Riots Inquiry and benignly partly blaming unemployment/social conditions as a factor in the riots, under him his department has partly helped create the conditions and took harrassment of the poor, unemployed, etc into new levels

Btw, going by his threads, is he a Smiths fan, rockabilly, etc?

 

[Hocus Eye.]

I have just been told that Galloway has won this election. It is a rumour from Twitter. Exit poll or something more substantial?

Sorry posted in the wrong thread using mobile phone.

 

[treelover]

32 die a week after failing test for new incapacity benefit​

More than a thousand sickness benefit claimants died last year after being told to get a job, we can reveal.​

We've highlighted worries about the controversial medical tests for people claiming Employment Support Allowance which are being used to slash the country's welfare bill.​

The Government has boasted that more than half of new claimants are found "fit to work" - failing to mention that over 300,000 have appealed the decision and almost 40% have won.​

http://blogs.mirror.co.uk/investigations/2012/04/32-die-a-week-after-failing-in.html

This is truly appalling, where is the Labour Party, how can the Lib dems support this?

rheotorical question...

 

[audiotech]

 

[audiotech]

 

[treelover]

Calum's List

This Welfare Reform Death Scandal Has To Stop

http://calumslist.org/

Documenting the human cost of the welfare reforms....

 

[BigTom]

500k to lose DLA

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9263453/500000-to-lose-disability-benefit.html

Feel the rage. IDS tells lie after lie after lie after lie.

Half a million people are set to lose disability benefits as the Government pushes ahead with plans to rid the system of abuse and fraud, Iain Duncan Smith says.

DLA fraud is 0.5% / £60m. The cuts are 20% / £2.24bn. For this to be proportionate, there would need to be 100 million DLA claimants. http://www.benefitfraud.org.uk/total-benefit-fraud/index.html

ain Duncan Smith says that the number of claimants has risen by 30 percent in recent years

No - it's risen by 13%: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201012/cmselect/cmworpen/1493/1493vw12.htm

Losing a limb should not automatically entitle people to a pay-out, he suggests.

It doesn't according to Anne McGuire MP: https://twitter.com/#!/AnneMcGuireMP/status/201968430985920512

Under the reform plans, the existing benefit will be replaced with a simpler “more focused” allowance and only those medically assessed to be in genuine need of support will continue to qualify.

DLA requires medical assessment

“Third problem was lifetime awards.

Lifetime awards do not exist. Awards can be made indefinitely for conditions which do not change or are degenerative. Is there really a need to reassess people with an unchanging/degenerative condition? What do they expect? "Has your leg grown back?" "Has your sight returned?" ffs.

They were just allowed to fester.”

gah! people on a benefit designed to help them to work, many of whom are working and need DLA in order to continue to work are not festering. It's fucking disgraceful to characterise those on out of work disability benefits in this way anyway, but for those whose benefits are what allow them to work is just *rage*

grrr.

 

[treelover]

government in trouble, turn to scapegoats, predictable...

good analysis..

btw, they(the media) don't seem to be taking Levinson into account when it comes to reporting accurately and fairly on benefit issues..

 

[BigTom]

Another £25bn of welfare cuts from 2014, because everyone in part time work is only not working full time because of the benefits they get, yeah. and if we take those benefits away then they'll get full time work cos they'll want the extra money.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/pol...ron-considers-extra-25bn-of-welfare-cuts.html

A Downing Street source said: “There is some really radical thinking going on around welfare, which is the most successful area of government policy so far. Why should people only work part time? Why are young people who are out of work not living at home? Why are we incentivising people to have more children?

“The Prime Minister is very keen on the next stage of welfare reform and there are some properly worked out plans which have been submitted by Steve [Hilton} before he left.”

Another senior Government source said: “What we are engaged in is the mark-two stage of welfare reform. Its how do you take the universal credit into the next phase… encourage people to work longer hours, not just languish on 10, 15 or 20 hours.

Also talking about pensioners, I guess because the state pension is just far too generous really.

 

[BigTom]

Good article on Left Foot Forward today

http://www.leftfootforward.org/2010...penditure-and-why-we-should-be-spending-more/

The paradoxical stability of welfare expenditure and why we should be spending more on benefits at the moment. Arguing that levels of benefit spending are actually low for the level of unemployment we have, and there is no economic case for benefit cuts.

 

[treelover]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/...benefit-cuts?commentpage=last#end-of-comments

Tories bounce single parents, no notice given of more brutal changes, expect more like this, they see welfare as the Tory class warriors saw monetarism, a tool to undermine solidarity, whip people into line, etc, as well as saving money for the treasury..

DWP official ''When we want them to tap dance, they will tap dance''

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

DWP official ''When we want them to tap dance, they will tap dance''

Has that been Tweeted/Twatted?

 

[BigTom]

http://blacktrianglecampaign.org/20...lity-assessment-regime-with-immediate-effect/

BMA GPs vote unanimously to end ATOS WCA regime..

 

[treelover]

Another big package on welfare reform on Newsnight, they seem to be push the line that massive reform of welfare is necessary, not that more decent jobs, etc are...

 

[treelover]

http://blacktrianglecampaign.org/20...lity-assessment-regime-with-immediate-effect/

BMA GPs vote unanimously to end ATOS WCA regime..

Good news, incredible to think it was the a member, a doctor linked to the small grass roots welfare group: black triangle that initiated all this...

 

[treelover]

'URGENT! Give the lawyers YOUR story! MHRN get hearing for Judicial Review of WCA on June 29th
by JJ
An application has been made by members of the Mental Health Resistance Network for permission to have a Judicial Review of the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) and a judge has decided that there should be a hearing to decide whether to grant us the Judicial Review.
The hearing will happen at the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand in London on Friday 29th June. We won’t know until the day before what time it will be heard.
We URGENTLY NEED YOUR STORY: PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK: HERE
We can assist to get your experience of the DWP/AtoS Work Capability Assesment (WCA) to the legal team if you post in the thread. We will ensure that YOUR STORY will be entered into the 'bundle' that the lawyers are 'Armed' with when they enter into court to argue the case.
SO, PLEASE MAKE CONTACT WITH US! Justice cannot be achieved without YOUR help!

It is MHRN who have pushed this through, not any big charity -remember most activism is coming from grassroots groups-rather than well funded charities who like to try to claim the credit.
Note: links may not work for BT users if that is the case go to BlackTriangleCampaign Facebook page

Lets support MHRN as much as we can with this great achievement on 29th June-hopefully the first of many challenges to the corrupt WCA


mental health activists given hearing about option to challenge the draconian WCA...

 

[BigTom]

http://atosvictimsgroup.co.uk/2012/05/28/new-figures-show-low-level-of-benefit-fraud/

New figures for benefit fraud.. overall 0.8% or £1.2bn, same as last year.. worth going and looking at the breakdown of figures.

 

[audiotech]

Spina bifida sufferer Nicola Parnell has to use a wheelchair and is the size of a 10-year-old – so was horrified when told to prove that she was disabled.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-new...e-she-is-disabled-862970#.T843BZP1CEc.twitter