AIBU to think the disabled are the next target?

[Locutus2000]

The Guardian

Though Jeremy Hunt said the government was “not in a position” to contemplate a decrease in tax immediately, he said the welfare budget could be hit further down the line to foot the bill.

He told the Times that 100,000 people a year were “moving off work into benefits without any obligation to look for work” – a sign he said showed the system was not working.

The welfare system had to be a “mix of carrot and stick”, with more assistance required to help people find work, given there was “no shortage of jobs”, he added."

Funny how 'carrot and stick' always equates to 'more stick'.

We need more tax or to cut spending in other areas to increase spending like this. At the moment we are not even raising the amount of tax to pay for the spending we do - we are borrowing every year.

Why do you think saying disabled people can work shows contempt for them? I have a disability and it doesn’t stop me working. Many, probably most, disabled people can do some work.

SuVineer, what I am seeing though on this thread is a huge amount of generalisation, both about disabilities and the ability to work, and about how people vote . Most of my friends/acquaintances vote Labour for example and don't feel the way we are being portrayed. And we understand the differences in disabilities and why some cannot work.
FWIW, we have had rubbish government for far too long IMHO, none try to resolve the issues ,but faff around tinkering at edges, but with no understanding

Ironically the NHS would benefit hugely from a reduction in the welfare state. The number of nurses (and other healthcare workers) who work 16 hours per week in order to maximise their benefits is astonishing so if these people had to work full time we’d be seeing a massive reduction in the staffing issues as well as a reduction in the benefits bill.
Another major problem is the numbers of people reaching retirement age without any sort of pension or even qualifying for a full state pension based on contributions and it was about time that those opting out of work (who are not disabled or caring for a disabled family member) were forced to pay a surcharge to cover NI contributions for the time they are choosing not to work- if it benefits your household for you not to work it is only fair that you are taxed on that benefit.

Name changed for this.

I am a higher rate tax payer who has been off work for a year and is now being managed out of employment. I don't blame them, I had a failed return to work and am currently too fatigued to even work part time from home.

I am housebound and can't walk more than 100 yards without getting out of breath and resting, but I'm not entitled to PIP because I can shower, cook a basic meal etc.

There are lots of people in this situation and there will be more over this winter because covid is everywhere at the moment.

You are entitled to PIP. Did you apply and get rejected? If so did you appeal? You definitely meet the criteria for atleast mobility based on what you have said here.

Funny how the number having to reduce work or stop completely matches so closely with the arrival of covid - or rather more importantly with long covid.

The system might not be coping well with it, but it's wrong to blame the system, rather than examining properly the probable causes of rising ill heath and therefore spells out of the workforce

Yes, it is the rational choice for them, everyone is going to act according to their own economic interests.

I saw yesterday two jobs advertised at a local charity, both 16 hours a week. On the one hand I can see that it enables people to fulfil caring duties and also work. On the other hand I have friends who still only work 16 hours a week with teenagers and that's pretty wasteful in terms of state funding. It is a mess really.

I think many older nurses are working 16 hours because they have retired and then returned to the NHS rather than maximizing benefits ! As tax credits are being phased out there will be no more working 16 hours to maximise benefits unless you are a lone parent with very young kids, as Uc is tougher and earnings thresholds increasing.

My long covid nurse thinks I'm not entitled, won't write a supporting letter and in her last medical notes when I said I had walked to the post box said that I was managing regular exercise.

I did do an online checker and I think only got two points for mobility.

I used to live in an expensive part of London before starting a family, and knew two single mothers who had to house share as HB wouldn’t cover the rent in that area, so they and their children ended up sharing with strangers and just hoping for the best (in each case moving away wasn’t possible due to work or family support requirements, most parents I met then left shortly after having children). I met a lady in her 50s who’d fallen off the property ladder following divorce, and couldn’t afford to stay in the area (near her family) except by being in a house share. More and more older people and those on limited incomes will find themselves in this position. We will effectively go back to overcrowded tenements, with whole families living in one or two rooms. An actual private dwelling will only be for the better off.

I didn't know that @babyroobs - ie that tax credits are being phased out.

Well unless she's an expert on PIP I'm not sure how she can say that ? PIP is about being able to do an activity safely, reliably and within a reasonable timeframe. If walking is making you breathless then that should be taken into consideration when assessing you.

I think it’s both. It’s typically Tory - pick on the most vulnerable in society and screw them into the ground to benefit those who are already better off. The old and disabled are soft targets, it’ll probably be worse for disabled people because their core vote is over 65.

Where are these jobs that will allow people to work when they can? Yes there are laws in place to protect us. But I wouldn't call it reasonable to be calling in sick half the time.

Thanks @Babyroobs , I'll look into it again. Really appreciate you answering

saying a particular demographic are much more likely to vote Tory doesn’t mean that absolutely everyone in that demographic votes that way. When you are talking about a demographic as a whole, of course you have to generalize. The point is that pensioners have much more generous benefits and get a greater share of government spending because they have high levels of voting and have high levels of voting Tory.

That’s just a fact. No one is saying you or your friends vote any particular way.

I have adhd sp I’m in a few adhd groups on Facebook and PIP and how to get it is a common topic of conversation - some of the things people try to claim for is ridiculous. They want to pay for taxis because they don’t like buses or they want to pay for takeaways or meal subscription services because they don’t know how to or forget to cook. Paying for gym memberships, cleaners when they have husbands etc who could pitch in, gardeners. Wanting to pay for someone to accompany them on journeys because they don’t like going to new places. Someone wanted to employ a life coach with it and someone else using it to hire an accountant for her business. They’re all on these groups coaching each other how to game the system.

i see this stuff (as someone who has adhd, anxiety and depression) as things you shouldn’t be able to claim disability benefits for - which undoubtedly is going to get me piled on.

Not all disabled people need jobs like that. As I said- many, if not most, disabled people can do some work.

But if PIP is awarded it's up to the recipient to decide how to spend it. So, a person with learning disabilities might spend some on a specific activity , getting to the activity etc. What is wrong with that?

Please give any examples at all of tories “picking” on pensioners. They know fine that where their votes are.

Hear hear

But, but they all live in million pound houses that they could easily downsize and free up cash. Didn't you get the memo?

The point is that pensioners have much more generous benefits and get a greater share of government spending because they have high levels of voting and have high levels of voting Tory.

Do you have any statistics to support that? Because the most any pensioner can get from the state is £203.85 a week. Obviously it’s a high level of spending collectively because it’s a large cohort but individually it doesn’t seem overly generous.

Plus housing and council tax benefits, attendance allowance and winter fuel payments.