To Think the Tories Are STILL At War With The Disabled?

[JoffreyBaratheon]

As parent of a disabled child, this is what I'm preoccupied with, during a General Election...

Under Cameron and Osborne, and iDS - it was clear the tories were engaging in an all out war on the disabled. Cuts to benefits, and services and of course, the loathed and disgusting PIP replacing DLA...

But what has strong and stable (well, weak an unstable) Theresa May done to reverse the damage? Nothing, so far as I can see.

My son had DLA for life and by some miracle, managed to get PIP but will now have to re-apply in five years. If the tories have the cure for autism and it is going to be made available in 5 years - fair enough. But something tells me - they haven't. We were put through months of hell for that.

Other disabled people and their carers have far worse stories.

Now I might be stupid but I can't see what May has done to address the callous culture of PIP. She is still attacking the disabled. Or am I missing something and AIBU?

I think this should be enough to lose them the election. The fact they have attacked disabled people to the extent they have. Am I the only one not to be hoodwinked by this 'I'm only a vicar's daughter' BS? What she has done to the disabled is the least 'christian' thing I can think of and I want her held to account for it. Anyone else?

[Somerville]

I entirely agree with you. And I say this as a floating voter who has previously voted Tory on occasion. I won't be this time.

The continuing removal of support for the disabled isn't the only policy that makes me wonder how she feels when she sits in church on a Sunday morning. Her attack on the poor in general is counter to her professed beliefs. Another specific example is the dramatic slashing of support for widow/ers.

I know lots of Christians who are decent people. My local food bank is run by Christians, for example, out of a building owned by their church.They're all cringing over her and saying they won't be voting for her.

[Zoflorabore]

Agree, ds is 14 and his 5 yr dla award is up for renewal in October and I'm dreading it to be honest, he's high functioning but still needs help with lots of things and has anxiety and OCD which he wasn't displaying age 9.

I've heard it's horrendous doing a renewal

[BelleTheSheepdog]

I agree and feel j have noone to vote for. I was disappointed to hear Esther McVey had been selected to contest Tatton.

[LurkingHusband]

With todays news, what's the betting that when the UK has to pay it's Brexit bill, we'll see benefits cut "because of the nasty EU" ????

[TheFairyCaravan]

The Tories will always be at war with the disabled.

I really dislike Theresa May. I think she's a wolf in sheep's clothing. If she gets a landslide victory we're going to be royally fucked. I'm actually quite scared.

[Babyroobs]

I just cannot understand why long term disabled people are made to jump through hoops to get disability benefits, surely Drs reports etc should be sufficient.
I also thin a lot of the problems with pip stem from income replacement benefits like ESA being so inadequate . When people get ill such as needing surgery or facing a cancer diagnosis and they face 12 months of chemotherapy or weeks of Radiotherapy, they have to leave work and go onto ESA which initially pays £73 a week rising to around £120 after a few months. This is totally inadequate to live off ( not everyone has savings or health insurance). People then panic about how to pay their mortgage and try to claim PIp even though their condition will probably be better within a year ( more and more people are surviving cancer and will make a full recovery). This clogs the system up as people then get turned down and appeal etc.
There needs to be a much better system for supporting people during shorter term illness. if it then develops into longer term disabilities then they could move onto PIp.
Judging by the number of people on disability forums trying to claim pip for mental health issues - depression/ anxiety etc, I strongly believe the NHS needs to put a massive amount of money into mental health services / therapy.

[DJBaggySmalls]

YANBU, and they were very open about cutting benefits to the disabled. People agreed with that and thats why they voted for them.

People are dying. No one wants to talk about that side of it.

[elliejjtiny]

YANBU. It's awful and I don't know who to vote for. Definitely not Tory though.

[LovelyBath77]

I saw recently that in Scotland they are getting rid of assessments being carried out by companies like Atos - not sure who will do it instead.

I think it is the companies like this which make it worse, if they were assessed properly it would be better. and possibly save money too. over 60% of appeals are successful.

[LurkingHusband]

Remember Glenn Hoddle saying that the disability was a punishment from God (or similar) ?

That's what the Tories genuinely believe.

If you are poor. If you are disabled. If you become disabled. If you are injured. It's Gods will.

No, it's not what the Bible says. But Tory Christians aren't that big on the bible, as it frowns on worldly goods.

[LurkingHusband]

Also, don't fall for the line that the bedroom tax, ESA and PIP were about anything but punishing the poor, not saving money. That's why they cost more to implement than they will ever save. But, as long as they teach the poor their place: job done.

[dataandspot]

Lurking

Wasn't that David Icke?

[Notsandwiches]

Don't they say that it's a marker of whether a country is civilised or not by how they treat the poor and disabled. We're positively third world then.

[Babyroobs]

I think we have a lot better benefits system than a lot of countries, but still inadequate in some respects. I don't think disability benefits are bad if you get the lot - ESA/ PIP/ disability premiums etc, but how they expect single people to survive on JSA of £70+ a week or ESA when they lose their job or become ill is beyond me.

[Babyroobs]

My first 2 children were born abroad in a country where there was no proper maternity pay, no child benefits/ tax credits or help with childcare. We came back to the UK when they were 2.5 and eight months and were amazed by the money we got - child tax credits were very generous in those days.

[Babyroobs]

Good points Amicissima. I just think where people have wads of Consultants letters/ therapy reports/ evidence etc it seems unecessary to put them through the ordeal of assessments especially people with learning difficulties or paralysis or something which is never going to get better.

[olliegarchy99]

YABU
'indefinite' DLA means not regularly assessed not 'for life'. A very common misconception.
a review of PIP (differant criteria) every 5 years is quite understandable.
I feel although some people have been adversely affected by disability cuts - it is not sufficient to advocate not voting for the Conservatives without considering the other big issues that face the country. I am sure any government does not deliberately go to 'war' with any section of the country
The benefit system is a safety net that does help the majority of people who need it - the OP should consider that rather than making sweeping inflammatory statements about 'war'.
Just my opinion - so don't flame me for toning down some of the hyperbole.

[bialystockandbloom]

olliegarcy DLA/PIP is not a "benefit" - or at least was never intended to be, until the insidious message of workshy benefit cheats successfully filtered through (particularly when IDS was secretary for W&P, via right-wing media) post-2010 that it was so. It had always been intended to be - and still is by law - a payment to help equalise society.

You are absolutely correct, therefore, when you say "the benefit system is a safety net". And those with disabilities need that net to maintain a life as near to equivalent to those without disabilities just to survive.

[Cocklodger]

YANBU op.
I've never voted Tory and Won't be starting anytime soon,
I know Blair was a disaster and did have some stupid policies re welfare but I think we've gone too far now. There must be a middle ground

[bialystockandbloom]

it's an odd thing for the country to just allow anyone who wants to to claim to be too sick to work without having it checked by someone who is independent of the claimant's interests. It doesn't seem unreasonable to re-assess every few years, either. Not everybody's condition stays the same indefinitely: they may conquer a dificulty here or there, or, conversely, they may need more support. Being diagnosed once and abandoned seems inhumane.

that would all be perfectly true and reasonable IF the goalposts on what qualifies someone to get payments hadn't changed so drastically. Or, for example, if the DWP hadn't decided in the welfare reform Act in 2012 to reduce the percentage of payments for working-age people before assessing anyone.

[JoffreyBaratheon]

They need confronting with this, the tories. Over and over and over again. Seeing as they seem to feel no shame about what they've done, we need to rub it in their faces constantly until they realise.

I think this snap election has been called to deflect attention from issues like this. No-one will have the time or resources to get together a campaign to shame the tories on their record on the disabled.

Are their voters aware but don't care? Do they fall for the spin? What is going through their minds?

[SusannahL]

Of COURSE the Tories aren't at war with the disabled.

What they are quite rightly trying to do is weed out all those lazy individuals who claim to have some 'disability' or other, physical or mental ('depression'/'stress' etc) just to claim benefits.

Why the hell should the working, tax paying amongst us foot the bill for them?

We have a very generous welfare state in position which caters well for those who are genuinely unable to work.

[JoffreyBaratheon]

This tory is so thick he believes a 'degenerative' condition can 'get better'.

You couldn't make this up.

www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/gloucester-mp-slammed-for-claiming-some-permanent-degenerative-conditions-get-better/story-30308998-detail/story.html

[BadKnee]

As with everything you have to look at the whole picture. Of course anyone who needs money to help with disability should get benefits. No question.
Of course people on long term sick should get benefits. No-one would dare say otherwise. But then who pays?

And that always is the question.

The people who are paying for that, in taxes, will begin to say "no" - that they are happy to pay for disabled care but not for someone who has been off work for ten years with back pain and depression. They start to think that it isn't fair. Especially if thy are struggling themselves and have a lower disposable income. And they will vote to tighten up the system.

You also have to accept that there are people who get ESA and PIP and Housing Benefit and Council Tax benefit and who could work if they had to. In fact might be better off if they were encouraged and supported into work.

No doubt the system is broken. I absolutely agree, but there is significant abuse and until that is genuinely admitted and dealt with the backlash will get worse.