to wonder why Rishi Sunack hates the disabled?

[drinkingcherrywine]

I am just not sure I can feel any worse right now about how the U.K. is treating its most vulnerable but tomorrow may tip me over the edge. We have had what little societal, health and charitable support there was swept from under us during the pandemic, costs of living have gone up massively (especially for shielding), medical care a distant memory, rent evictions are underway, it gets worse every day.

The government has increased the standard allowance in Universal Credit and the basic element in Working Tax Credit for one year. Both have increased by £20 per week on top of planned annual uprating. This applies to all new and existing Universal Credit claimants and to existing Working Tax Credit claimants.

So no uplift for carer parents of disabled children claiming child tax credit. Or anyone on legacy benefits who will be worse off on UC (majority disabled). If you are a shielding adult you will be vaccinated soon hopefully but will still be told to continue shielding. If you are a shielding child no vaccination for you, stay in for however long we say, could be another year could be longer - no one cares, you are invisible and shall remain ignored.

Shielding means staying in so expensive due to;
no budget groceries via yellow stickers, end of day reduced etc
no going to library to use computer/ask for help
no going to friends/family/public buildings to reduce home heat/electric/food budget
no going to visit offices who won't answer the phone drs/ council/utilities/citizens advice etc
no taxis/public transport
no sharing childcare favours
no organised affordable group trips

Some of this list was all that kept people going before. Life is more restrictive and much much expensive in many more ways for shielding. The assumed 'local' help that keeps being touted as a fix all simply isn't in existence sufficient to bridge the growing chasm.

www.swlondoner.co.uk/life/25022021-disabled-legacy-benefits-claimants-struggling-with-pandemic-poverty/

If you aren't working due to disability you aren't worth it right?

And no being a ft carer and saving society a fortune in caring obligation doesn't count. Being unable to find a job that flexes to include disability or being too unwell to manage paid employment doesn't count.

If you aren't working due to disability then you aren't part of society. No thousand pound uplift so no worries about uplift continuation. As long as everyone understands the disabled's place in our billionaire budget maker's societal hierarchy, right Rishi?

www.jrf.org.uk/blog/20-weekly-uplift-must-be-extended-legacy-benefits

It cannot be right that some of the most at-risk members of our society have not been thrown the same lifeline as those on Universal Credit. It would be operationally simple to extend the £20 uplift to legacy benefits as part of the usual annual uprating decision later this month. The Government has an opportunity to right this injustice, strengthen social security and help many families stay afloat in these turbulent times. This would send a clear signal that they are committed to supporting everyone in our society.

www.z2k.org/latest/why-the-20-uplift-in-universal-credit-must-be-extended-to-those-on-legacy-benefits/

We want to see the 2.2 million ‘legacy benefit’ claimants get the extra £20 a week too. For us, it still beggars belief that the Government thought it was right to give the increase to one kind of claimant, but deny it to others, especially when you realise that three-quarters of those 2.2 legacy benefit claimants are disabled people on Employment Support Allowance.

www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/100-groups-demand-20-benefits-23025818

@DGRossetti

www.writetothem.com/

At least it logs communications and outcomes.

Thanks. Have just sent a message to my (Tory) MP. I won’t hold my breath on their reply.

I wish someone had told me that my chronic fatigue could be treated with counselling and graded exercise earlier, why on earth have I wasted all this money on a wheelchair or stair lift or other mobility items. How silly of me, here was me thinking I had a neurological disease where my body doesn't make enough energy for itself on a cellular level. I feel very silly now. I should have been doing Joe wicks every day instead of fighting for breath just getting my son dressed and fed every day. How embarrassing.

Heres an idea, if you don't have a disability and you don't have to deal with this shit every single day, maybe don't comment with your made up treatments for diseases you don't understand.

The tories treatment of the disabled is criminal, they expect people to endure a level of existence that they would never, ever accept for themselves. That is it the whole attitude in a nutshell. The fact is I don't know any disabled people who would ever, ever vote tory, because we know their attitudes towards us. We don't count, we don't matter, we don't contribute enough. But plenty of people vote tory due to their terror of benefit cheats who hide round every corner willingly stealing from pensioners all the time, apparently. And labour will bankrupt us all. And tories will get brexit done. So looking after the disabled isn't a priority and it never will be.

There may be an element of sarcasm in that post

@Kendodd

And it’s publicly acceptable because of the number of idiots who trot out the “well I know a guy who scams over a bad back” cliche every time it’s mentions.

You can't knock the right wing press and the Tories on the job they've done demonising the poor. So many people have absolutely lapped it up.

Massively.

And you’d think that this year, with so many people ending up on UC or having close family/friends ending up on UC, they’d have finally realised actual effect of the the “but I didn’t mean you obviously, just the actual scammers...” line that they inevitably justify their story with, but in many ways it seems even worse than ever.

I give you: newsthump.com/2021/03/03/rishi-sunaks-burgeoning-film-career-to-continue-with-role-in-new-scorsese-picture/

He's a politician and, even worse, in finance. You weren't thinking he had anyone else's benefit in mind do you?
(The article on there about French authorities v politicians is good too.)

[quote GirlInterruptedAgain]@drinkingcherrywine

Well said. I’m so sorry your family are in the heartbreaking position of have a loved one, especially a child, with a terminal illness. Life is just so unfair and cruel sometimes. You shouldn’t have to put up with Ignorant, selfish, ignoble, manipulative people like @Countrygirl2021. Troll or not, it’s disgusting vile behaviour. A less mature person could say May s/he be struck down with a nasty scaly itchy smelly lifelong rash . Flowers for you and your family [/quote]
Thank you, flowers always appreciated. Life is unfair, that's the point - it is random how it all goes not deserved, luck is never given enough credit!

Heavymetaldetector - you and I should get together to compare notes on just trying harder, we only get out what we put in after all!

I remember being unreasonably hopeful when David Cameron took the reins, at last an understanding parent carer? Nope, just an even more personal kick in the teeth.

Which works out at approx £1682 a month

Which is over £20k per year. That is a wage for many. Then add in your husband's wage....

I'm really sorry for your circumstances but you can't claim that that is inadequate.

Life is unfair, that's the point - it is random how it all goes not deserved, luck is never given enough credit!

Now you might remember why Tories court the religious right - for whom your condition is Gods will.

The rich man in his castle,
The poor man at his gate,
God made them, high and lowly,
And ordered their estate.

@drinkingcherrywine

CarelessSquid07A Wed 03-Mar-21 14:20:21

My in laws are both disabled, ...They manage absolutely fine on what they receive, simply because they never leave the house apart from urgent medical needs.

It is as always incredibly shocking that disabled people go outside, of course they should all just stay in, the audacity of those pesky disableds taking part in society like they belong there

I meant, they manage financially because they don't have a life not that they shouldn't go out!

Although one of those disabilities is severe agoraphobia so going out is a big challenge and not a choice they often want to make.

But they should be able to afford to if they wanted to but because of the lack of accessible options for them in our town, the cost of a taxi to the nearest decent options is astronomical so they save it for hospital trips etc as patient transport isn't always an option.

We live on PIP and Esa only , any extra money on these benefits will be pitiful .

I think it’s a bit simplistic to say the tories hate disabled people. What I do think is a problem is that many of them have little empathy for those that get trapped in the benefits system due to sickness or caring responsibilities. Many of them come from significant privilege. When you have enough inherited wealth to pay for nannies and cleaners, it must be quite a feat to imagine how difficult it is for a single mother of disabled child to access childcare, hold down a job, do all the shopping and housework, perhaps be in two places at once, and generally be superwoman. Why can’t she just get of her arse and make her fortune?!

@Countrygirl2021 I don't have a husband or parent hence the "single handedly".

I receive £1.40 per hour per child (based on them needing care 20 hours a day). My earning potential is triple so I have lost a huge amount of income. It isnt about adequate it is about a fair rate for the reality of the care provided.

@Psychobobble has a really good point regarding the 'value' of the job you're doing/could do and employability.
I'm in care (paid carer in a home) firstly, there wouldn't be places like that at all if it were easy to care for someone at home. It's hard, it's recognised as a hard job, but I'm not caring for family members, I'm there for a set amount of time and I get paid a (all be it minimum) wage to do it. And it's hard physically, emotionally and mentally. I have recently done some 1:1 care with someone for the entire shift. 12 hours. I walked out feeling like I'd been run over. I can't imagine the toll that doing that day in, day out has on someone that you have a familial love for too. To not have enough money to live on is bad enough, but to be made to feel like what you do get is undeserved must be utterly soul destroying. I admire unpaid carers who do what they do for love, I chose the job I have because I needed paid work, and I feel it's something worthwhile - but I've always got the option to walk away.
Which leads me to my next point, I'm utterly replaceable, within days if not hours. There's no way I could perform the job I do if I were to become disabled in some of the ways described here, it would be a physical impossibility. No amount of reasonable adjustments would make me able to complete some of the tasks I need to. I can't work from home, a standing desk wouldn't make one bit of difference to my job, wherever I worked.
People who are saying that disabled people can work with reasonable adjustments, I think are coming at it from a perspective of having a job that is easily adaptable, from a professional pov rather than seeing the bigger picture that many, many jobs still rely on an element of being physically able to do them, and if that's all you've got experience and qualifications in, what then? How on less than £70 a week do you retrain (assuming that's a viable option) so you can be employed elsewhere? Then, in a job market where you can be disciplined for being ill to often, how do you get someone to employ you knowing you need time off for the illness, for treatment?
We've created a society where being ill or disabled is seen as being morally wrong, and weak and just not trying hard enough. That not being able to earn enough to live on (with the rising costs of living at play) through disability, lack of jobs or jobs that don't pay enough is seen as personal fault rather than a collective result of many, many factors, most of them out of the control of an individual.
What a sad, sad conclusion to come to.

I think it’s a bit simplistic to say the tories hate disabled people.

Most do, and the rest are indifferent.

But disabled people do matter - they are subjects of pity or inspiration porn.

Heaven forbid you just want to do normal things like go outside or even do sporty things without a million barriers in your way...

But disabled people do matter - they are subjects of pity or inspiration porn.

That's outrageously offensive and unfair. You completely didn't mention the part they have in the BBCs clickbait propaganda about what a hoot it is to be disabled and all the fun you can have.

We've created a society where being ill or disabled is seen as being morally wrong, and weak and just not trying hard enough.

Indeed, and our society is lesser for it. I am ashamed to see it happen, to know it was voted for and to feel that it will come to most of us eventually so I marvel at the short-sightedness and stupidity of this policy.

@Countrygirl2021

*Which works out at approx £1682 a month*

Which is over £20k per year. That is a wage for many. Then add in your husband's wage....

I'm really sorry for your circumstances but you can't claim that that is inadequate.

Yes, £20k a year is a wage for many, more than what I earn a year for 40 hours.

But then I'm not working 20 hours a day, every day, 7 days a week....... if I were to work 20 hours a day, every day, I'd be earning in the region of £60k a year, for doing the same job as @Mumofsend essentially.

That's where she's saving the sainted taxpayer a fortune, were I to be employed at min wage to give the same care at the same level, it'd cost 40k a year more.

We've created a society where being ill or disabled is seen as being morally wrong, and weak and just not trying hard enough.

It's always been like that. Just well hidden before social media.

After all Dickens was writing 150 years ago ... it would be an interesting exercise to go though some of his books and see how some of his characters would fare under ESA and PIP.

It is all a bit "decrease the surplus population" isn't it?

Perhaps Rishi should be renamed Scroogenak.

I imagine Dickens will be off the syllabus now anyway. Remember you aren't allowed to criticise capitalism in UK schools now.

It's not that we have created a society where being ill/disabled is seen as a moral failing - more that it is a hangover from Victorian times and the early 20th century where knowledge of the effects of poverty and eugenics was still rather sketchy - poverty and disability cannot be 'out-bred'.

It the same reason why PE is still a bizarrely anachronistic school subject when compared to others - still firmly entrenched in using team games as a proxy for war training rather than focusing on the tools for personal health and fitness as well as inclusivity.

Because he is a Tory and they are all utter cunts

anyone else picturing Oliver with his begging bowl at Westminster "please sir..."

It's not that we have created a society where being ill/disabled is seen as a moral failing - more that it is a hangover from Victorian times and the early 20th century where knowledge of the effects of poverty and eugenics was still rather sketchy - poverty and disability cannot be 'out-bred'.

It's not a "hangover". It's been quite carefully nurtured and lovingly fed like a sourdough starter to survive all these years. Like many aspects of English culture, many abroad marvel at how resilient the ruling class has proven since the Norman occupation and oppression.