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.

Kendall is a right wing tory, check out her voting on various issues. A very unpleasant person. As if life isn't hard enough for people with health issues. The UN have frequently spoken out on the the cruelty of the DWP in the UK

Well a lot of people on benefits thought by voting this labour lot in would keep them on benefits- but they were wrong 🙄

23 billion goes unclaimed every year, you notice they don't advertise that! B..ta.ds

Spot on . 👏

Although that’s not disability related benefits

There are a lot of people on this thread talking about benefits and including pensions. Fair enough.

But there are many who have paid 40% tax all their working years who have paid into the system. So far I’ve done full time for 44 years and obviously contribute to pay tax and NI. I fully understand that the state pension is a ponzi scheme and it’s not banked in an account for retirement.

But there has to be recognition that there will be many who have been net contributors who will also continue to pay quite a fair amount of tax in retirement albeit without NI contributions.

Kendall had a child with a surrogate mother, aged 51. She lives in a £4.5 million house with her banker partner. She voted for assisted suicide, which is opposed by every disability charity.

Just saying.

What you could it possibly be that's causing so much illness & sudden deaths? Are doctors still "baffled"? 🤔

Agree
Pensions were never called benefits.
At some point that changed but in reality

Pensions are just that……pensions.

When anyone refers to those who receive pensions they do not refer to them as being on benefits unless they are on pension credits, which generally is known as a top up benefit.

I didn't say it was. What is relevant is that the populace is not told, why not?

Pensions should never become means tested. If they did, there would be no point in saving a private pension for many people. Private pensions for most are a top up that allow a better quality of retirement.

Agree

Well, if they go down the road they are planning without looking at how to stem the tidal wave of MH issues in younger people the unemployment rates, poverty, suicide and social unrest will go through the roof. The whole political scene is a shit show at present.

You do know suicide rate is highest in middle aged women and men, not young people?

I think Labour are being disingenuous. They are jumping on people with health problems, why also loop in pensioners? Most over 65 have worked or they would not have a pension!Also this is coming from the current workforce. Not a benefit claim!

We have taxed the rich as much as we can as Labour have found out with the non-dim situation. If you want European style social security we need to have European style income tax and increase the basic rate by 10%.

Totally agree with this and state pensions are crucial.I for one would just have a nicer time in the run up to retirement putting our pension contributions into paying off the mortgage quicker and having an easier time raising kids. However those in receipt of state pensions have no reason to be smug, the contributions we all make do not fund our state pensions. So let’s just keep that in mind when bashing those unfortunate enough to need disability payments.

With the bill going up that much and a huge rise in younger people on benefits, I am wondering if Gove's education reforms have something to do with it by removing vocational subjects and making it all about GCSEs and A levels. Which didn't /doesn't benefit all children. There would always be a good amount that would always struggle with exams etc. I was a teacher when Gove made all the changes. The reforms made BTECs not count as GCSE equivalent qualifications, so schools stopped offering them etc. It wouldn't suprise me if a lot of children grew up feeling they were failures because they weren't able to pass their GCSEs /alevels and found no career options for them once they became adults. If trades were focused on too and not an after thought, then maybe more children could have found careers they were good at that wasn't solely based on how academic they were. I hope the government might see where they have gone wrong in this and start allowing more vocation subjects to be taught.

I agree with Gove, I think it plays a big part.It’s shit for those doing GCSEs and Alevels too. The pressure put on schools, students to reach pathways and goals set out by the government and the curriculum is unbelievably dry with very little creativity. It’s awful.

Couple that with dire SEND provision, zero mental support, inadequate funding, overworked teachers and crumbling buildings,families struggling to make ends meets meet, a burning planet, atrocities and wars in their faces on their phones, social media and phone pressures, lack of opportunities or hope, Brexit…..

Why are we surprised?

The UK has low tax on median taxpayers and is on the top end for higher rate taxpayers compared to most of Europe.

It’s also relatively punitive for single income families and generous to childless singles.

VAT is also paid on far fewer items.

Basically, people on average incomes would need to pay more tax, as would singles, and we’d need to pay more VAT, if we are to approach “Europe”. We would also need to start considering linking tax paid to the benefits you’re entitled to - at the moment for most benefits there’s no link at all.

Agree on your comparison @Porridgeislife re Europe

We would also need to start considering linking tax paid to the benefits you’re entitled to - at the moment for most benefits there’s no link at all.

I wasn't aware of this, I wonder why we are different

More checks on the people doing the assessments. My assessor was nice and I was awarded enhanced for both on PIP, but when I got the report through, she'd given the right amount of points but in the wrong categories (got showering and toileting mixed up, for example).

Also more robust auditing when things are denied. I know of so many people whose reports read "you said you were unable to do X, Y and z. I determined that you are able to do these things" - where's their evidence? How did they come to that decision over the phone?

I used to work in audit for an ambulance service and it shocks me sometimes, the level of mistakes deemed acceptable by the DWP.

My adult son is disabled, needs 24/7 care . He gets the highest rate of UC £809 per month and then pays £156 per week to social care as his contribution to his care package. This leaves him with practically nothing. Luckily we are able to support him financially but the system needs looking at definitely.

Then why is the rest of the world getting in fine? What nonsense.

Yet some people love to loudly claim, that the Country is bankrupt, and blame most of it on sick, and disabled people.