To think benefits need to be cut to fund increased spending on defence

[Viviennemary]

This is absolutely necessary. Keir Starmer shouldnt have backed down the last time. But now with the current situation with Russia drastic steps need to be taken. We simply can't afford to sustain the current benefits bill with the armed forces so depleted. The money is needed to increase defence.

I don’t think it’s as easy as that , actual money for people is really low, £424 a month for a single person and Just over £600 for a couple it’s the housing costs that sends it through the roof … and I know I’m going to get flamed for this but removing the 2 children cap was a mistake .. also MPs pay and they extras need looking at as well as big companies who pay very little tax

Meds for one thing and the regular doctors appointments you need to keep getting the meds if you can't access them through the NHS. Where I am they've closed the waiting list for adults unless you have a mental health issue as well. Before it was closed I was told it was at least 4 years long just for assessment - in some places I've heard it is 10 years. So you have to go private but it might keep it in work. I've known people who have run out of meds and their bosses have noticed a change in the quality of their work and asked them if that's what's happened so they do make a big difference. Meds can also reduce problems with addictions and impulsive behaviours like gambling that can be ruinous so they're undoubtedly worth taking if you really struggle.

That said, very few working people are considered disabled enough for PIP at least and those that are are usually the undeniable cases with non-invisible conditions from what I've read.

Fair enough.
I'm not talking about profound disability. Or serious illness. But you can claim for many things which don’t prevent you from working. It needs to be better administered

There are some people at work who choose to work 16 hours a week to get UC top ups. But I can work and work to get more money. I like money.
if I want to gamble on the stock market and make even more money I can. They can’t. They have to keep savings down. I can watch mine grow.

Such as?

I have quite a low wage but don’t need to claim benefits as my husbands wage is high however others I work with aren’t so lucky so one would presume some must be eligible. I have no idea at all who claims or doesn’t. It absolutely is not something people discuss. Not at work or socially. My dc has to claim PIP, none of us have told anybody as we’re too ashamed and scared of unpleasantness the like of which you see on these threads.

As such I’d take such claims with a very big pinch of salt. People can say anything they like on threads.

Exactly.

That's my personal experience too.

The 16 hour thing hasn't been a thing for years

Well they are all open about getting UC. All working part time. So there isn’t a rule about having to work full time.

Wouldn't you rather be able to work than be disabled though? Even if your job is difficult. I suppose you have the ability to change your job. Disabled people can't undisable themselves.

Exactly ! But no , people would rather hurt a benefit claimant directly than make a huge company pay more tax

There absolutely is if you are not earning over a certain amount then you will have to prove you are looking for extra work. People still think the benefit system is the same as it was 10/20 years ago and its not. Its significantly harder to get benefits and to just sit on benefits like you use to just isn't a thing anymore unless disabled or a carer.

It’s the same people that complain about people on benefits for ADHD and autism or LDs as that doesn’t prevent them from working that are complaining about colleagues at work needing unfair adjustments so they can work or in fact complaining full stop that they have to pick up the slack for incompetent so and so who shouldn’t be in the job, then complain out in general society that the slow checkout staff in the supermarket that was a inconvenience should not be serving but should be serving someone somewhere else because they should be working but it shouldn’t affect you and again you want them to work as long as it’s not where you work.

They simply can’t win, and yes I’m guilty of getting extremely frustrated with a colleague who has ADHD too but I don’t generally think they should do the job they do their best but that takes so much more effort for them and still isn’t up to scratch but I wouldn’t begrudge disabled benefits for someone I didn’t feel comfortable working with because working with someone who lives in their own little world, forgetting things and being disorganised or someone who is just a little bit slow and is constantly asking other people because they can’t think on their feet who is clearly trying their hardest to just show up and do that much doesn’t feel fair either but as much as they agree they aren’t fit for work either, once they have a job they are protected from being fired because of their disability which in those cases are usually executive dysfunction which is exactly what it takes to be good at your job and you can’t give more training or discipline on something that someone doesn’t have the ability to control.

Oh I am so sorry, it's heart breaking isn't it. I hope he's doing as well as is possible 💕

Meanwhile, looking in a different direction altogether, maybe the government could look at things like this before targeting welfare (Ref Greenpeace)

“In the 2025/26 financial year alone, oil and gas firms were handed £1.9 billion in tax breaks.”

https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/news/13-3bn-tax-breaks-for-oil-and-gas-firms-could-have-funded-7-years-of-support-for-north-sea-workers-greenpeace/

We have claimed DLA for autism. It will help because we are probably needing private speech and language therapy for him as NHS is rubbish. Although there is no harm if they wanted to claim.

In regards to state pension, I saw yesterday that state pension is now approaching the 20% income tax threshold. Andy Burnham had commented that he would look at this if he becomes PM. It's comments and policies like this that people find insulting. Why should a working person pay tax when they earn a certain amount but others can recieve the same amount tax free?

Income tax thresholds have been held now for a few years. Many people working for private companies haven't had a pay rise inline with inflation for years because businesses just can't afford it. Yet benefits do rise year on year. For people who don't claim and are just scraping by can you not see how unfair the system seems?

I don't believe it's about punching down, I think it's more about people wanting everyone to be held to the same standards. Companies like starbucks or Amazon aren't comparrible to people who work just getting by where as families living in the same street with kids at the same school are.

Initiatives such as the UC days out for a £1ish seem really unfair to families who are just above the level to claim and equally can't afford to go to these venues yet don't qualify for the discount.

Our council do offer council tax discounts for disabled, I know there are schemes such as for water bills where you can pay much lower tariffs if you meet certain criteria, most utility companies offer schemes for people who claim UC to get discounted broadband and mobile phone rates etc all of these types of schemes do make a massive difference to peoples pockets.

There seems to be a lot of defending claiming benefits on this thread with calls for understanding but it isn't seen from the other way around either. Maybe people feel personally targeted but I don't think posters are targeting individuals but are targeting types of claiments and the unfairness that they feel in their lives.

I think invisible disabilities do play a part in this too (I know I'm going to get flamed, it doesn't mean I think this is right, I'm just trying to explain a little of what I think is impacting the pushback) that isn't to say that they don't impact the person but when you walk around somewhere and there is lots of people getting priority access and/ or free carer tickets for a parent, friend or spouse who don't look any different to anyone else it's difficult to see how that's fair. Yes, I appreciate you shouldn't judge people on how they look but the reality is people do and people do compare. Venues are having to change policies to cope with demand for carer tickets and access too (eg Blackpool PB now charge for carer tickets/ Merlin have implented changes to their access policy to cope with demand (pre booking RAP)- on a thread about this earlier in the year some posters admitted not needing the access but used it anyway as why wouldn't they). The sunflower lanyards at airports- I know people who put one of these on their kids to use the fast track queue through security (child doesn't have any needs), you don't need to prove anything to get one, you can buy them on ebay and some places give them out free.

I don't believe people generally judge those with obvious disabilities in the same way (this doesn't mean I agree with doing this before I get jumped on but it is an observation).

Something I haven't seen discussed on this thread is net zero/ environment policies. I do believe the environment is important but I don't think the policies implemented in the UK are going to make the changes that are required to compensate for countries like China and India. We could start drilling in the North sea again for some offset against future fuel issues and cost rises.

It's always been accurate to pretty much the pound when calculating both my income/entitlements and my disabled fathers.

But people will be "defensive" if they are feeling under attack, which disabled people increasingly are as apparently the root of all society's problems. My disability is pretty obvious (judging from the stares I get, not always, but often), and it's fine to discuss the issues facing us. What is less fine, from my peespe, is random people who think they know better than the individuals themselves andcl those looking after them what they are and aren't capable of.

*from my perspective

Why can't those with invisible illnesses who can spend hours online on sites lile mumsnet do a wfh job in customer service, phone calls or emails or such like?

I'd rather we started with the heavily subsidised facilities in Westminster, the second homes, fuel and travel allowances for MPs and the utter waste I see absolutely everywhere in local government projects.

Because its very difficult to get a 100% wfh job as a healthy person let alone as someone who is going to need a significant amount of time of. If these jobs where actually available with the flexibility a disabled person would need then most people would jump at the chance but the reality is where are these jobs

Are you only talking about UC? As I presume you know that PIP is not a work related benefit?

It's very difficult to get any job these days but people try and do get them.

Is there an actual reason why people with invisible disabilities who sit on the internet half the day can't do those jobs?