TO SAY Camerons Policies are in danger of getting all disabled people labelled as "Scroungers"

[ScousyFogarty]

That is a wicked thing do do and David Cameron beeds to apologise or more likely get one of his flunkies to say SORRY

[AlpinePony]

YABU. It is absolute nonsense to say that people equate disability with "scrounging".

Grown-ups realise that things are not black & white.

[ShellyBoobs]

YABU.

Why does trying to address the issue of the huge increase in the number of people claiming to be disabled automatically mean they're ALL being labelled as scroungers.

No one is thinking about dragging people out of their wheelchairs and forcing them either into poverty or into work they can't do.

[ScousyFogarty]

Alpine pony.. The SCROUNGERS label was mentioned frequently on the brave Londondon disability march...which Cameron would not allow a minister toaddress and which the Minister for Disab ility rubbished the march from behind closed doors. The YV interviewer corrected her. What a mean spirited performance But they are "Nasty tories" as their own Home secretary described them

[coccyx]

Some are scroungers and should be shown as such. Leave the money for genuine claimants

[AlpinePony]

If it was the London Disability march and Cameron did not allow his party to be represented there, then it wasn't them using the word "scroungers" was it? wtf?

[worraliberty]

So DC shouldn't introduce any more policies about anything just incase some people use some not very nice words?

[MonstaMunch]

i think the fact remains that there are some people who claim disability when they have no right to, and there are people on disability who use it as an excuse not to look for work

even medical experts say up to 50% of certain disabilities are misdiagnosed

but i am sure most of us can distinguish between the scrounger types and those in genuine need

[southeastastra]

just like the tories to get people blaming each other for their policies. feckers

[millie30]

I heard on the news this morning that only 0.8% of disability benefits are claimed fradulently. Yet the policies such as ATOS tests, not to mention the reporting in the media, suggest that it is such a widespread problem and lead to labels such as 'scroungers' etc. I do think that benefit fraud needs to be tackled, but in proportion to the size of the problem rather than all claimants being tarred with the same brush.

[worraliberty]

0.8% is just the figure they have for proven fraudulent claims though surely?

I think the changes are intended to sort out those who really can't work..as opposed to those who either just think they can't or claim they can't - due to a legitimate disability.

[crazynanna]

I may be mistaken,but I am pretty sure I have read that the bill that would be acquired if all unclaimed benefits were claimed would be considerably higher than the amount of benefits claimed by way of fraud.

[Mollydollydoll]

I'm classed as disabled and I'm no scrounger. How dare anyone say that.
I'm lucky with my disability that I am able to work unlike some who are not able to.

[saggarmakersbottomknocker]

Claiming DLA doesn't preclude someone from working. In fact claiming DLA can enable a person to work and hence be of economic value to society. Both this and the previous government need to to stop lumping DLA in with employment related benefits.

[ScousyFogarty]

BANKER excesses and business tax avoidance needs to be tackeld more vigorously that disability benefit. (Cleeg promised to doso and did little) Camerons lot are chasing soft target disability benefits (labelling them all scroungers) looking for easy targets in a cowardly search for prejudiced votes. They should say sorry and get a new minister of work and pensions. (Not Pickles, pleASE) )

[usualsuspect]

crazynanna I think you might be right

but we wouldn't want that fact to get in the way of a good old benefit bashing thread would we?

[ScousyFogarty]

CRAZYanna That is said to be true and Tory posters need toanswer the point. Take up is low onmany benefits partly because of the rotten blanket scrounger charge..The cameron policy on disability should be called MAKING THE POOR POORER

[ShellyBoobs]

'Camerons lot are chasing soft target disability benefits (labelling them all scroungers)'

Where is that Scousy?

Where are 'Cameron's lot' labelling all those on disability benefits as scroungers?

Quite simply, they're not are they.

Yet again you're posting rhetorical rants about 'nasty tories', crudely disguised as a request for MNers to critique your thoughts.

[crazynanna]

Quite so,usualsuspect. After all,they are rapidly running out of poor sods people to bash.

[ThisIsANiceCage]

No, the changes are designed to save money.

Two things have happened (IME & IMO):

1. The bar for receiving out-of-work sickness benefits has been moved from "unable to earn one's living due to to illness" to "unable to do any economic activity at all". So if you can work say 1 hr a day, because that's how long you can take the powerful drugs for, or stand up for, then that's "able to work".
   
   
2. When I got ill a few years ago, the primary motivation of the system was to honestly identify sick people. Now, the system is about meeting targets of how many people can be refused, in order to save money. We've seen similar in the JobSeekers' Allowance where staff were actively looking for excuses to remove people's JSA. Not looking for fraud, you understand, but looking for tiny admin errors in the horrendously complex application and enforcement regimes that could be used to declare the claim invalid.
   
   It begs an important Q.
   
   What is the benefits system for?
   
   Do we pay our taxes in order to have a system which will be there for each one of us, when we hit the unexpected and rougher parts of life?
   
   Or has it become a Dickensian parody, keeping those who administer the system in jobs (and profits, for ATOS) while not actually fulfilling its mission to support the people?

[aliceliddell]

Tell you what, since you're all losing sleep over the VAST PILES OF CASH squandered on me (MS : yes, that does stand for Malingering Scrounger), dp (f/t carer 24/7 £53 yes £53 per week carers allowance) and dd on free school meals, let's get ATOS (how much has Cameron paid them?) to examine me with their advanced computer programme and see if I can eg pick up a pen off the floor. ATOS here has no accessible fire escape but never mind. I don't find this constant checking at all inconvenient or humiliating, so don't worry. Had it occurred to you to find out how Boots paid 3% tax and Barclays 1% tax in 2010? How Philip Green(Arcadia) manages to get a job advising Cameron on 'efficiency' savings when his own money is with his wife in tax-haven Monaco? Do that first, then come back to see if I really need this wheelchair.

[ScousyFogarty]

Thank you Millie. Please talk to millies point Alpine Pony. It does look as though Camerons Tories are attacking the vulnerable and ignoring bankers and those businesses who practice tax evasion attacjking the vulnerable is a very dirty cowardly trick for A POWERFUL GOVT TO INDULGE IN

[ScousyFogarty]

tHANK YOU ALIce Liddell perhaps the pro cameron posters would care to politely respond to your first hand account

[ThisIsANiceCage]

"but i am sure most of us can distinguish between the scrounger types and those in genuine need"

Really? How? Are you planning to personally access their medical records or something?

If not, unless you are personally aware that someone has lied to their GP/consultant and the separate DWP assessment nurse/doctor, then you'll have to just take the DWP's word for it when they award Incapacity Benefit/ESA.

[ShellyBoobs]

aliceliddell I don't think anyone in here is accusing you of being a scrounger. My mum also has MS and my dad is her carer, so from a personal perspective, I have a lot of sympathy for your situation.