To be concerned about what Liz Kendall is up to with disability benefits?

[Locutus2000]

The Times reporting just how enthusiastic Labour are about targeting the disabled.

I can only hope they are getting the worst ideas out there first, if not I dread to think what is coming in the upcoming review.

I was confident Labour would at worst be no worse than the Tories.

I was wrong.

Free archive link here.

I'm fine here on a thread about just that.

No answer on why Labour would be pitch rolling high costs and how that helps public perception of people on benefits.

This is a thread about propsed cuts tp disability benefit

Er yes and Labour are proposing it.. hence posts on the gov

No answer on why Labour would be pitch rolling high costs and how that helps public perception of people on benefits.

I put forwards a possible answer on the last page. They are running scared of the Reform vote.

If we can't afford these levels of sickness benefits, what do we do? Continue and Go bankrupt? Cut benefits? Tax workers more? Have a revolution and seize the assets of the rich?

I am not so sure. Kendall made clear before the GE her ideology on benefits, so it is not something they have suddenly decided to do in response to Reform polling well at the moment.

@Locutus2000 yes thanks meant to respond.

It could be this. It's a risky strategy, by highlighting the high cost they either have to get it down or if it goes up / stays the same then they haven't succeeded in changing that.

In all this it shifts public perception and people talk that high cost.

I don't think it's fear of reform, I think it's dogmatism. Liz K has made no secret of her opinions.
They pitch rolled before the budget too, look how well that went for them! The economy stalled before RR had even stood up in the HoC.

Yes this is what all the people against disability reform can’t answer

Official quote :

A registered disability is a physical or mental impairment that significantly and long-term affects a person's ability to carry out daily activities.

FYI: the guy has a knee problem (now fixed so walks fine and able to go to gym etc) The wife had a bad problem but now she says she's fine.

I don't know the figures, but this is similar to the argument that thousands of young people are not in education and it needs change.

One has to understand why. The answer is not to just make them go to school. That is actually the Government approach of late, attack parents and fine them.

The reason the majority will not be in school imo is because they absolutely cannot access school in its current form. These kids will primarily be SEN. Autistic and ADHD. This population is going to be far greater than anyone can conceive.

The schools are now all mainstream and SEN kids are being told to just go there and be ' normal '. I hate that word but it pretty much sums it up. When you can't just be like everyone else and sit in silence then you know how it unfolds. I have a child in mainstream with ND conditions ( very bright) getting detentions in average once a day for shouting out. He has tourettes diagnosed along with Autism and ADHD diagnosed. Managing this alone as a parent is a full time job.

Those parents then can't work and earn to their full potential. The kids usually at some point have severe mental health breakdowns. At this stage, parents might not even have realised their kids were Autistic but then it all becomes obvious once they fell apart. But they can't access an assessment anymore. They cost about £2000 privately. So they get gaslit people frothing at the mouth ( not you necessarily) just go yeah yeah beat them. And they don't under what's happening out there behind the scenes. Many of us are 'socially acceptable ' and intelligent and not the scum of the earth people like to think we are.

This situation is reality for thousands and thousands of UK families atm. The forums online are heartbreaking and full of thousands including highly suicidal people who never would have been had their lives been different.

These kids and their parents even will make up a large part of thos group at some point who don't and just cannot access work.

With support they could in some cases. But they can't even access an assessment for ADHD for example and access the medication that can make some non functioning people able to function much between and have a life ( that's productive).

The media and Government tend to not tell people this because it's not very sexy is it I guess. They tend to gaslight and punish.

Don't tell me there aren't other groups out there that they really could focus on where much greater losses are occurring.

Many people accept improvements to systems but we know from the above that the real people who are so vulnerable will suffer. I've spent thousands and thousands supporting my child. I lost my home. People have no clue. I was lucky I had the thousands from my home to access. Now I'm in social housing. So very grateful for that. I'm lucky. Most are not!

It's a strange way to do it for sure. Politics aside Labour's optics are consistently terrible, Sue Gray was just the start of the terrible communication strategy they seem unable to shift.

This is an excellent question really. I think it's helpful to propose alternative approaches with evidence. I agree we need concrete examples in order to support any argument.

I myself am rather obsessed with the Royal Family hence my reference there. The losses incurred there are significant and my continued reference to them is relevant to this discussion based on your very question.

I'd like to understand more regarding losses from large companies and taxation and how viable that actually is. One poster did say that you encourage businesses to leave if you aren't careful. I am going to research!

There are other answers apart from hyperbolic nonsense like having a revolution.

Where is your "official quote" from? There is no official register of disabled people, no matter what AI may quote 😅

Stop reassessing people who aren't going to get better and get rid of Atos and the like

What are they?

You seem to be suggesting increased individual and/ or corporate taxation to fund a lifetime of benefits for those who can’t work. The current costs are unsustainable and to suggest an increase is insane.

Yes brilliant answer.

I recall facing a reassessment for a long term life changing condition whilst they were trying to save my life in hospital from sepsis and half my intestines were being removed. No joke. Totally unnecessary costs associated with that reassessment process.

Which politician I wonder is best mates with Atos big wigs, because we all know that's what's usually going down.

But we can. I already have. Tax breaks for businesses who employ people who are disabled or have chronic ill health so they can put flexibility and support in place. Monitored to make sure they actually do it. Reform, restructure and properly fund the NHS so people don't rot on waiting lists getting worse but get better and are able to get back to work. See also my previous post on ADHD services on this thread. There are solutions - just not easy ones. And because they are not about punishing benefit claimants by taking their money away, the benefit bashers don't want them.

Not individual necessarily.

I'm genuinely interested in the approach to wages and salaries and how at present these are not sufficient for hard working families who will access top up benefits. Is there scope to push for higher salaries where possible. I appreciate this is not feasible for many small businesses.

And where is the money for all that coming from when the country is already bankrupt?

Government will always fuck over those without a voice.

@pointythings

The elephant in the room is employers. No government has ever tried to address the way employers themselves are a huge barrier to people with disabilities and health conditions finding and staying in work.

Exactly.
If they want disabled people to work, they should be going about it by ensuring employers take them on.

I'd love to ask her what schemes her own department offer for getting autistic people to work for them (a group with a high desire to work but v low employment rates). I'm autistic myself and there's nothing if you're not a "young person".

And I'm not just talking about guaranteed interviews under the "disability confident" scheme - I mean things that actually address the barriers people face, like having a poor work history, so eg. a chance to do the job for a short time to prove themselves. I am educated and capable, I have a lot to offer but I need to be given a chance to show that.

*edited for misspelling of "educated", amusingly...

All of this! Better access to work for all disabilities,lower NHS waiting lists, quicker access to proper treatment with high skilled NHS staff, better Sen provision in schools…. are all key.

The reason so many are reliant on top ups is directly because of Gordon Brown and tax credits. We are paying the price for the last largesse of the Labour govt, However, we now have an even bigger problem. Those who have studied, got on and qualified now don’t earn much more than minimum wage. Minimum wage has risen significantly yet graduate entry salaries have not. There is not enough incentive to skill up anymore. It’s across all income brackets. Hence why a lot of people just “go sick.”