AIBU about the government lying about DLA

[Notthefullshilling]

First time AIBU long time (nah not really) lurker. I also posted this in other topics but thought this would also attract the numbers of viewers that it deserves.

So disabled people asked then ignored about benefit changes.

www.periscopepost.com/2012/01/spartacus-report-government-buried-opposition-to-disability-living-allowance-reform/

diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.com/

www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/16008

So the short version is that no one wants the reform of DLA, particularly not the overwhelming number who responded to the governments own consultation.
Also rejected were the proposals to change the way the benefit is assessed, as well as the length of time that people would need to wait before qualifying for the benefit, last but not least rejected was the changes to the rates and the levels of benefit payable.

No apologies for saying this is the true face of compassionate conservatism.

Despite the fact that Twitter was seemingly inundated with word about these issues, I feel so frustrated that people on the whole just don't seem to give a shit. The people that I've found to largely care are those who are either disabled themselves, or that have a close family member or friend who is in receipt of DLA. I mean- event this thread has been up for over 24 hours now and we're just shuffling on to the second page of comments. It's pathetic.

Why don't more people care? Why don't more people think it's outrageous and unacceptable? I guess the attitude, aside from the media-induced 'scrounging' mentality, is that if it doesn't affect them personally, it just doesn't warrant giving much of their time or consideration.

I'm fortunate in that I don't have a disability, but one day I might. I could be in a car accident tomorrow and need it from then onwards. Truly, disabled people aren't some sort of 'other' that we can just overlook because we hope it won't happen to us. They're people, they're vulnerable, and we should damn well be screaming and shouting about the mess they'll soon endure.

I don't live in the UK any more. I read about this - it is f* disgusting but as long as the media keep up pumping out their 'benefit scrounger' stories and 'immigrants running amok' stories many people will just turn their back on it or think its a good move. I can't believe how callous people are getting about others, maybe its because a lot of people are falling on hard times. Mind you, my mother has recently turned into a frothing beserker about benefits and she's really well off. When she starts it makes me want to cry that I'm related to someone so fortunate who is so ignorant and callous.

BBC news and Channel 4 have just reported quickly on the arse kicking the Government has just received in the House of Lords, things may be slow but the news is slowly getting out there.

DLA debate is next week.

To sum up: the government has astonshingly lost three straight votes in the Lords. They are for the following amendments:

? To retain automatic eligibility for ESA for young disabled people who are unable to work
? To impose a two year time limit for ESA claimants, overriding the government's proposal that claimants be reassesed after 12 months
? To exempt cancer patients from the proposed ESA limit.

This is an extraordinary start to the welfare reform bill voting season. More votes will take place on similarly controversial issues in the next fortnight, including next week on disability living allowance.

It does worry me that this thread is only on i's second page when the one about DC's comments re nurses is over 600 posts!

Just goes to show that, even on here, where the average member is likely way more aware of disability issues, his 'divide and conquer' strategy is working only too well.

I'd just like to make one comment, though, to those of you with disabilities and all the parents of the SN children who post so honestly about their lives and the lives of their children: I backed the report, donated to it (i'm not bragging!) and I would never have known there was anything to support without what I've learned on here.

It's small, cold comfort, i'm sure, but I'm one more ordinary person furious no with DC, and I talk a lot, so now my friends and family are aware of the issues as well.

Am totally ignorant on this subject, but because of your thread will now go and read up and add my voice to the fight if I agree with it. (can't see why I wouldn't). Thank you for making me aware!

Thank you Coral. There is a campaign in Mumsnet Campaigns section, there's 3 or 4 petitions in there which need your support, please have a look.

Bump.

This will affect everyone at some point in their lives. It's important that you sign the petition. It's only a few minutes out of your time.

epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/20968

Thank you , molepom . So agree ginnybag about "disability issues" being so vulnerable due to deliberate marginalisation by the ruling class & its media , and about the importance of talking to all our family & friends about it

Went to sign the petition but apparently I have already signed that one

And have sent this letter. It is excellent. Well done Frothers

Still blinking at the screen and checking that link really does say The Daily Mail!

It feels to me v similar to the library 'consultations' - councils say 'let's have a consultation with the public to find out what they want their libraries for', hoping to gather enough evidence to justify closing them down.

Public say 'we want to keep our libraries as they are' and councils have to come up with a fudged excuse for doing another consultation as the first one didn't give them the answer they were looking for. This has just happened in my local borough and I am appalled by it!

For the first time ever I have 'liked' a DM article.

I have commented on the Independent's report of yesterday's Lords defeat mentioning #spartacusreport. I'm really disappointed about their lack of reporting on this.

I still can not understand that despite it now being in the news, why are the general public so unaware of it? Nearly everyone I have spoken to, either in person or online had no idea this was happening, even today. The biggest fight is on the 17th when Lords vote on the DLA reforms to PIP and then we have to go through it all over again when ithe Lords Decision gets overturned in the Commons. It's like a verbal game of Pingpong.

Twitter has labeled as #spartacusreport the top subject and most trended for the past 2 days running.

The is a rally being organised near Brimingham which started organising it since the 28th of December and yet far too many people are completly ignorant of the situation.

"Why don't more people care? Why don't more people think it's outrageous and unacceptable?"

From outside the 'disabled community' as it were, what we see are on the one hand a lot of disabled people and carers saying they need more help and more money. On the other hand, we see (we may even know - I certainly do) people that are falsely claiming to be invalided out of the workplace. So the impression is that more rigorous checks, whilst inconveniencing genuine claimants short-term, will benefit them long-term as money is recovered and can be redistributed where it is actually needed.

Even 98% of GPs are in favour of dropping the bill but stil no major coverage.

myemail.constantcontact.com/Stop--Press--RCGP-Poll--98--GPs-say-drop-the-Bill.html?soid=1102665899193&aid=r-fyJ9g6XjA

The 10 O'clock news spent less than 5 minutes reporting on the verdict and waited until it was the last subject, HS2, Implants, bombings even the sodding US subelection got more time...it's a disgrace

The disabled and carers are not even asking for more money, at the moment they and we are just fighting for what we have. We're not fighing to take more money out of thepot, we're fighting to keep what we already have that doesnt cost the government anymore than it does already.

ATOS is a private company who are in line to take over the assessments (I think they already have), who are close with the banks, have a 7 year contract and are being paid 7 million a year.

People think that because disability doesn't effect them that it never will. I like using the phrase, "not yet disabled" for this reason.

Also the slanderous and disproportionate media campaign of the last year has made many more people "aware" of the less than 0.5% "many" who are committing fraud.

Bump

with link

(BTW I dont care if I get banned for this, I will keep bumping until more people sign and take notice)

Bump

I think this would get more support if it was made easier to understand.

I do have quite a lot of awareness about disability, but I have next to no awareness about the benefits available. I would really really appreciate it if someone could explain things to me.

I have read a bit about this welfare reform bill and the Spartacus report but there are things I would like simple to understand information on. It doesn't go far enough to explain why PIP is so undesirable.

I understand that the report says that the overwhelming majority of disabled or ill people disagree with the changes. Obviously their opinion matters a lot, but how do I as a lay person know that they understood the changes fully and were able to make an informed disagreement? For all I know, they might just be scared of change and do not want to risk it so they will object without knowing the effect the changes will have.

I understand that the government want to reduce disability benefits by 20%. That sounds like a lot, but I don't know if that means they are going to be more rigorous at making sure people don't stay on it for too long after they have recovered, or if they are going to stop giving it to rich pensioners, or stop giving it to people who are disabled because of an accident but have received a huge payout or what. My uneducated guess would be that there must be people out there who receive Disability benefits but could go without them and not see a huge difference to their lifestyle.

I know what DLA is supposed to cover and that it is not means tested and can be given to people both in and out of work and children. But I don't know about income support or incapacity benefit. I thought PIP was going to replace DLA but I could be wrong. I don't know that if people no longer get DLA that they won't be supported through the other benefits.

I know that we are all feeling the pinch in a big way at the moment. I don't know if disabled people should be completely immune to that or not. My reason being that disability varies to a massive massive extent. Some will be able to cope and some won't, but fundamentally I don't have any objection to the system being reviewed to see if money can be saved. So because I don't know enough about it all, I find it hard to object.

Please don't have a go at me for this, I am genuinely making these points because I want to understand. There are people on this thread wondering why there isn't more objection to welfare reform, and my reason for that is that people just don't understand enough about it. I don't think it's because people don't care and I don't think it's because people think it will never happen to them. It can be hard to ask for the answers to simple questions, especially on MN, because anyone that doesn't automatically agree with the MNers who live with disability get accused of being daily mail, or gets a proper flaming. I have read many times that disabled people get sick of explaining stuff, which is more than fair enough. But it doesn't help those of us that could at least put our name to the objections if only we understood them.

I do think though that there is a common belief that there is no way this country would allow people to suffer if they are disabled, I believe that myself to some extent. I think that might be another reason for the lack of support from some people.

If you have read my mammoth post without judging me for not fully understanding, thank you!

Oh, and I tried to read the guardian link on the last page which looks like it might help my ignorance, but it won't show on my screen!

The Spartacus report explains how the chages will affect the disabled in great detail asd do many other threads on Mumsnet, The sticky thread in Mumsnet Campaigns also highlights other aspect of the bill such as prevent people claiming DLA for more than one disabled child, you can not be disabled and claim DLA for a child at the same time, Lower rates of care and mobility are looking at being abolished, DLA is to be replaced with a Personal Payments systems which has already been proven to be flawed.

ATOS, the body supposed to take over all assessments for claims has not only been banned in several US states for being so bloody useless, it's also costing the Government £300-£500 million a year compared to the current system which costs only £14 million. This proves it not a cost cutting measure.

The government want to cut 20% of DLA claims on the basis of fraudulant claims despite which the DWP's own figures state are only 0.5%.

98% of GP's are in favour of pausing this reform which will see hundreds if not thousands of disabled people, their carers and their familes thrown into poverty while they try to fight a flawed system.

If you think that the country would not see the disabled suffer you are wrong.

Last night the House of Lords voted to change (ammend) 3 points of the ESA (employment and support allowance), however, once most of the supporters for the change went home, the leading peer in the reform, David Freud (yes, the great grandson of Sir Segmund Fread himself) forced another vote through and won, despite it already being voted on by a technicality.

As a further slap in the face, very, very little is being highlighted in the news, even after the events of last night.

If you watch Newsnight and question time tonight, one of the founders of the spartacus report will be head to head with Grayling debating the welfare benefit reform.

Molepom, big thank you!

I will get myself over to campaigns for a read, I have never really looked at that section before.

See, now someone has told me that you can only claim for one disabled child, and that you can only claim for either yourself or your child, I am feeling the outrage! That's ridiculous!!

I will have to read more about ATOS to feel the rage on that, although I take your word for it.

I knew that fraudulent DLA claims are only supposed to be 0.5%, but like I said, I don't think that's a reason not to look at the system. I don't understand how they can accurately tell its only 0.5%, that's the whole point of it being fraud.

I knew the GPs were in favour of halting the reform, and I know that says a lot, but it wouldn't help me understand why.

I will be watching question time tonight, I always do. Let's just hope they hav ethe right people on there and in the audience!