AIBU to hope that able bodied people will support disabled people against the tory attack on PIP?

Am hoping Labour will at least not waste money on things like the Rwanda scheme. But they are still going to be scrabbling for money.

All this cutting might indicate that we are a little low on money as a country, 100 Billion a year deficit after we have cut these things

It doesn't matter if labour gets in or we continue the Tories wait to see what happens in the next few years.

For the people that say " oh but we can send 5 billion to Ukraine etc ". Like most western governments if they are all willing to do this with all the intelligence that countries use I would say the threat is real so spent it on national security or cutting PIP will be least if our worries.

Nothing I have seen about the PIP assessment process suggests it is easy to game the system. Quite the opposite.

I would turn the whole thing over to doctors but doubtless people would find a reason to complain about that ... because it would probably make numbers of people getting go up, not down.

Were old people happier in the past? Well, one of my grandmothers checked herself into a mental asylum and a grandfather developed a drink problem after the death of his wife of over 50 years, during which he had rarely even spoken of his experiences fighting in the war ...

I stand by what I said, I don’t think I or others like me should be able to get pip, I think those that genuinely can’t work because they’re severely disabled should get the money focused on them. We need to protect those who can’t work, and help those that could do something into work. But I don’t think a households in £100k+ need pip.

Overthebow · Yesterday 15:34

I support Pip getting an overhaul, it’s not fit for purpose and we cant afford to pay for everything for everyone. The limited money we have needs to be targeted at those who genuinely can’t work even part time, and enable them to have a decent standard of living, and not giving money to those who could work and help them in to work instead for example widening the access to work scheme.

Well yes, maybe you might change your mind again.

I know, but it feels really wrong when our household income is £110k. We already get child benefit, it feels wrong to get this too. I’ll think about it once we see what the elected party does with it.

If you don't need it it's not worth the stress of applying. Long form detailing all the basic life things you can't do in humiliating detail, gathering together copies of all your supporting evidence from your doctors, sending it all off before the deadline (which is always shorter than it's supposed to be because DWP letters take weeks to appear). Then an assessment with someone asking leading questions trying to catch you out. Then probably a letter telling you you don't qualify on spurious grounds. Then a mandatory reconsideration request to write. Then another letter back telling you they haven't changed their mind. Then an appeal, and maybe even a tribunal.

To be clear though, I wasn't saying that everyone with regular medical appointments should get PIP; it was an example of how it might be used by someone like me who has increased travel costs to get to said appointments, as well as more appointments than the norm (in that it's not just one GP appointment every few years that I'm talking about needing money for)

Well, it is up to you if you wish to apply for it, or not. Whether you work, or not has no bearing on it. There have been lots of posters explaining that fact.

Meant to quote this!

No, but starting to think I should. In addition to these conditions I also have diagnosed depression and anxiety which require more appointments and treatment. I don’t need it though, I work and earn a decent salary, we don’t need the extra money.

Have you applied for it?

You're not "most people".
You also haven't said that you can't walk or drive to get to said appointments

I have regular doctors and hospital appointments for 3 different conditions. I don’t get PIP.

They did cope. They got on with things. If they’d all given in to their negative feelings then there wouldn’t have been a workforce and the country would’ve been anarchy. Thank god they had more resilience. We can’t just be a big life support system for the mentally unwell. We all have lives to lead.

Just don't give in to your negative feelings, and acquire some more resilience from somewhere, or other. Who knew that it could be so easy. This information could save the Country ££££, if only people took it on board

And with your launderette example. Launderettes are indeed more expensive and more faff than having your own washing machine. My laundry facility at the moment is a launderette. Except I can't get to it, or carry my laundry to it, or lift it in and out of the machine. So I pay for a laundry service. Hence PIP.

And disabled people have lives to lead too, thank you very much.

You said "most people have to pay to travel to regular or routine hospital appointments". You didn't exclude the under 25s in that. I was pointing out that while more older people may have regular hospital appointments, very few younger people do.
And again, I can't drive or reliably use public transport. First is illegal for me, second is inaccessible. So not only do I spend way more time than anyone else my age (and probably within 50 years of me) at the hospital, I also have to pay premium rates to get there in a taxi. That's the point of why I spend my PIP on it, and why I need PIP.

They did cope. They got on with things. If they’d all given in to their negative feelings then there wouldn’t have been a workforce and the country would’ve been anarchy. Thank god they had more resilience. We can’t just be a big life support system for the mentally unwell. We all have lives to lead.

When did I say I was talking about under 25s?

It’s impossible for either of us to say. What I do know is that the elderly people I knew growing up, including my own grandparents, were some of the most well balanced and resilient people I’ve come across. You can try to spin a narrative here but the fact is the country cannot just be a life support system for those with mental illness, people don’t want to work just to pay taxes to support everyone apart from themselves.

They did cope. How many elderly people did you know growing up who were shaking anxious wrecks? I didn’t know any. Trying to make out everything was probably hidden because you didn’t see it makes no sense. They were just tougher people, less introspective and not encouraged to lie in bed and dwell on feelings. With children and no generous welfare state, people were incredibly resilient.

Except that some of the ones who couldn't cope committed suicide. Not exactly a preferable option.

I'm under 25. I'm absolutely sure that most of my peers aren't attending regular hospital appointments. Demographics, the fact that I'm usually the youngest person in the waiting room by quite some way, and common sense tell you that.

Don't be obtuse of course they didn't cope. Older ex service men were told they had to be "proud" and "brave" any trauma they had was hidden . That doesn't equate to coping. I'm glad an we have a welfare state that is supposed to help and support people.

Most people don't have regular hospital appointments. I know very few who do. And those that do have long-term health issues

They did cope. How many elderly people did you know growing up who were shaking anxious wrecks? I didn’t know any. Trying to make out everything was probably hidden because you didn’t see it makes no sense. They were just tougher people, less introspective and not encouraged to lie in bed and dwell on feelings. With children and no generous welfare state, people were incredibly resilient.