AIBU to think that those with disabilities are being hit particularly hard by the cuts ?p

[BigChocFrenzy]

Just 3 of many grim reports:

Because her care package was slashed, Rachel has to sleep some nights in her wheelchair, in pain, cannot get enough to eat and was diagnosed as malnourished.
Is the aim to kill her off, to save money ?

Luke who had schizophrenia and was unable to perform many simple daily tasks, committed suicide after his incapacity benefit was removed and his housing benefit cut.
Well that worked. He's dead now. No more costs.

Nick who has advanced MS cannot walk, feed himself or talk. The DWP said he would lose his benefits if he did not attend an interview.
Since he can only communicate by blinking, he was saved by having a partner who could phone on his behalf.
Curses, the Master Plan was foiled there.
Never mind, the DWP will try again later. He's too expensive to live.

How did we come to this ?
All in our name ?

I suspect many people don't want to consider this too closely, because if they did they might have to agree to pay more income tax.
Better services would require more money, ntbo.

We actually have much lower income tax now than in previous decades, which is maybe one reason we struggle both to fund services and to reduce the current account deficit.
When MrsT came in, basic income tax was 33% and higher rate 83%. She slashed taxes and Labour continued that policy after 1997.
Most people - even those who claim to hate her - don't seem prepared to pay anywhere near the rates we had before she changed the national mindset.

I'm terrified of those Brown Envelopes too. I start shaking when I see them & I am notoriously unflappable Calm In A Crisis etc. But I live in fear of having the rug pulled from under me.

I am in a more fortunate position than many: I live in the house I grew up in, which is owned by my father, who doesn't charge me rent. I'm in London, so I have a Freedom Pass & a TaxiCard & am signed up for (but have never used) Dial-A-Ride. I'm under a very good hospital trust.

But I'm still terrified of Those Envelopes. When my £10 "Christmas Bonus" showed up I almost had hysterics from the sheer relief.

I have DLA "for life" & am dreading the changeover to PiP. It is a thoroughly Damoclean feeling. Actually, Damocles had it easy. A sword would be kinder.

My condition is rare. And, counterintuitively, the best possible thing for me to do to stave off the worst of its effects on my skeleto-muscular system? Classical ballet. As advised by the world expert in my particular condition. I'm not slogging away with the Royal Ballet (apart from when they gatecrash my classes...), I'm doing a variable amount dictated by the whims of my body. Interspersed with periods stuck in bed or in the wheelchair I'm trying to avoid. ATOS & the DWP know this, greatly to the disappointment of the self-appointed arbiter of disability who reported me to them... My functional ability is wildly variable. And I like to focus on the whipping out fouettés end of the spectrum, like so many other people, even though those hours of my time are rare & dearly bought. They're the me I'd most like to be.

My ATOS assessment when they moved me to ESA was... Farcical. Wanted me at my nearest centre at a time meaning travelling in the rush hour. Not doable in a wheelchair from here to there, so had to get a cab. With my NHS wheelchair & the parental unit. Horrendous traffic, rang to say delayed. Mentioned wheelchair. Told no wheelchairs allowed in centre. Would have to leave it in foyer of building (shared by a load of random companies) [i]and have my father carry me[/i]. As it happens, he could have done that. Physically speaking. Legally, however, he very much could not. Which he pointed out. And we went home. They did then send someone out to see me (as had happened previously) & she almost killed me by opening the interview with "I've already made my decision based on your file". I went grey & she hastened to reassure me she meant it was obvious I wasn't well enough to work.

The whole system is so nightmarish.

And I currently have a temperature of almost 40 so am possibly not very coherent. A lurgy took advantage of my (never stellar) immune system being totally flattened by needing a hugenormous dose of prednisolone. So I'm very sorry if I have just bimbled on like an idiot. I can't have more paracetamol for ages & am a bit tempted to go & stand in the garden to cool off. But my brother is just home & he will think I've lost the plot...

I had that Christmas Bonus moment of fear too. Seeing the brown envelope, especially so close to Christmas.

How bloody ridiculous that they didn't allow wheelchairs in a place where it was highly likely they would be needed. The logic of this system astounds me.

The Christmas bonus letter made me laugh once I'd got over the shock

Yeah it amused me and my mum too. The way it was like OH WOW CHRISTMAS BONUS FOR YOUUUU... £10.

((( Zebra ))) I hope your vent here helped and that your lurgy goes soon
Dreadful to always be scared of brown envelopes from the bureauwankercrats

We got the envelopes too and live with the fear that what we rely on may be arbitrarily taken away. Bless you all, zebra I am sorry you have had so much to go through I am wishing you all that is good, hope you are better soon.

I don't want to go into detail here, but DH and I live with stress that would take your breath away. We work, we pay taxes, we are not scroungers honest. I like to think of myself as a net contributor to society (as is DH). I just want to be free of the terrible fear: will DS be looked after when I am no longer here? I don't think peace of mind re DS future is too much to ask.

^wonder if there is any way this governent, CAPITA, ATOS and anyone else involved, could be hauled before a court somewhere (Human Rights?) and made accountable for all this tragedy and trauma? I think they are so cruel and ignorant that they would only 'listen' to a judicial process.

It's a shame politicians can't be called to account for bad or inhumane decisions and legislation resulting from ignorance and dogma. It seems unbearable that so many disabled people and carers have been attacked in this way and that the people who have done this, like Cameron and IDS, would never be made accountable in the same way say, a politician who sanctioned war crimes, might be..? Just wondering if any lawyers anywhere are pursuing a way of stopping this?^

This^^

Im petrified, Im a fulltime 24/7 carer for my disabled DC, disabled myself, NO help AT ALL from Noone. just us 2. if anything ever happens to me......

they don't fucking care. and I hate tory voters how dare they vote tthese fuckers back.

ind you, any other party compassionate towards disabled?

and anyone else thinkl what a fucking hypocrite Sam cam is going on a CHARITY program to raise money for underprivelaged when her bastard husband takes everything from the already underprivelaged, the sherrif of Nottingham/Herod he is...shes not even a bloody celeb! fucking bitch prick hypocrite. (sorry, Im in excrutiating 24/7 pain with my disabilities and this makes my blood boil).

becker is there really no help? I've heard children's services are far easier to access than adults services

Agree with you Becker. If her dh iggle piggle wasn't cutting this that and the other benefit. There may not be child poverty or at least as much. She could start with talking to her Muppet of a husband, but then who says she's not as disgusted as we are. At the end of the day. We don't know the Camerons. We don't know what they're like behind closed doors, do we. That's only speculation though. I highly doubt she gives a shiny shit.

pause CHILdrens services/social services/cahms/police/GP where I live are SHIT. they help fuck all. ive begged/fought/banged my head on brick walls/gone from pillar to post for YEARS and nothing at all.

''your child, your responsilbilty''.

bet theyre all tory voters.

Im not the only one in a situation like this. its fucking terrifying. I have to try and stay as calm as poss all the time.

There are nowhere near enough children's services, availability changes massively by postcode and disabled children become adults- losing services that have no replacements.

Where are ECHR whilst all this inhumane behaviour is going on. They're quick enough to rear their heads when it comes to criminals rights.
Death from suicide and starvation, and there's no doubt its all brought on by cruel cuts and sanctions.

becker have you tried charities? Either those specific to your disability, or somewhere like homestart? (Not sure start). Not cos that will put it all ok for you, but somebody local with an 'in' to the system just might be able to fight the battle for some support on your behalf.

Not debating a word you say about your local services btw, but a charity might be in a position to get hold of the one decent human amongst them, even if the rest of the fuckers have been preventing you from speaking to a human.

Agree with all this. The services that should be there (in a country which is both rich and supposedly civilised) are just not there as they should be. And these are vulnerable individuals being affected who are not often in a position to protest or make a lot of noise; most other people either don't know or, it seems, don't really care.

Oh but there's always plenty of money for other things. I have no time now for the Camerons, any comfy members of the Establishment (hands caught in the till many a time claiming expenses etc), and the 'haves' who voted for this. I am really struggling not to hate them. And that goes for our 'beloved' Royal family who are quite happy to take public money to do up their many palaces whenever they get the chance It is a mystery to me how these people sleep at night.

^Where are ECHR whilst all this inhumane behaviour is going on. They're quick enough to rear their heads when it comes to criminals rights.
Death from suicide and starvation, and there's no doubt its all brought on by cruel cuts and sanctions.^

^^ this and

^Agree with all this. The services that should be there (in a country which is both rich and supposedly civilised) are just not there as they should be. And these are vulnerable individuals being affected who are not often in a position to protest or make a lot of noise; most other people either don't know or, it seems, don't really care.

Oh but there's always plenty of money for other things. I have no time now for the Camerons, any comfy members of the Establishment (hands caught in the till many a time claiming expenses etc), and the 'haves' who voted for this. I am really struggling not to hate them. And that goes for our 'beloved' Royal family who are quite happy to take public money to do up their many palaces whenever they get the chance It is a mystery to me how these people sleep at night.^

above is the answer Lurked also, 'charities' are only concerned with the elderly or immigrants. at least round here.

would it be okay if I copied and pasted some of these posts (no names attatched) and emailed my local mp with them? He doesn't bother much but he has contacted me about a few concerns in the past

Labour mp. maybe he could pass this on to the pm or corbyn or someone, or the minister for disabilities?

I await your permission or if you'd rather not....

but these people in power need to know all this (they do but they don't care) and know how concerned we all are.

You're welcome to mine- I have already expressed them to the government numerous times ;)

I have found that charities are constrained by lack of funds to helping their largest demographic- for example, anything related to sensory impairment round here is strongly focussed on older people, carer's charities on parents with disabled children or the elderly etc. There are a lot of services my husband and I could really do with accessing, but they are provided by charities who have no time or money available for working aged people.

thanks. maybe ill send them in LARGE BOLD and underlined and URGENT !!

got to log off now, got to see to DC. see you all tomorrow.

www.theguardian.com/society/2016/jan/26/benefit-cap-on-social-housing-will-leave-thousands-homeless-landlords-warn?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

We're all liars and using things we don't need

Urgh, i saw that. :(

I still haven't filled my pip form in :(

We actually have much lower income tax now than in previous decades, which is maybe one reason we struggle both to fund services and to reduce the current account deficit

but also the governments of the last ten years have made no attempt to come down hard on tax evasion (as the political establishment is tied to the financial sector), HMRC is poorly funded to go after anyone, starbucks paying less tax then me.