Seven medals but now they want my benefits.

[carernotasaint]

blacktrianglecampaign.org/2012/08/28/seven-medals-but-now-the-tories-want-my-benefits-british-paralympic-gold-medalist-tara-flood-speaks-out/

I don't think they're suggesting exemption only for her or other paralympic athletes. Rather using her higher than usual profile for the next week or so to raise awareness of the mess that is Atos and the utter misery they have been causing.

How do you reassess the capabilities of someone who has no arms and has been without them for some time?

I guess she is going to be allowed to keep DLA, but I wouldn't like to say for sure.

What I'm very sure about is that ATOS and the other companies involved in govt contract wheezes will pick up millions in taxpayer-funded payments.

Meanwhile they will make the lives of people who are entitled to these allowances difficult and undignified. They will also succeed in winkling some people off the register. Some of them will be scammers but most of them will be assessed badly because ATOS and the rest of them are not skilled in medical assessment or the proper work of an employment agency which is about finding work and training for people rather than getting them off the unemployment register for money.

But it's fine if it makes the rest of us feel better about these scrounging bastards, isn't it?

I don't think they're suggesting exemption only for her or other paralympic athletes.

What they said was:

Tara is a seven-time Paralympic medallist. In 1992 she set a world record for 50 metres breaststroke that still stands today. But that hasn?t saved her from the Tories? harsh benefits clampdown.

The implication being that somehow being a paralympic medallist should/could be a valid reason to save her from being reassessed.

The Black TRiangle Campaign is probably well-meant but doesn't have the highest reporting standards because it's a campaign run by people perpetually given the shit end of the stick who aren't seasoned campaigners and don't have the assistance of professional journalists and PRs.

That doesn't make them wrong about the essential cruelty and ineffectiveness of the Work Programme in all its forms.

Too many 'campaigns' in there.

Anyone would think I wasn't a journalist/PR either.

What limitedperiod said. Perhaps you would like to take that point up with them niceguy

If you want well written read The Mark Steel article linked to above. It's making the same sort of point.

There was a caller with epilepsy? Wasn't me. Highlights the fact, surely, that certain conditions are just no longer recognised as disabilities by ATOS, despite being, actually, very disabling.

I'm far from the only person with a Neurological condition, or MH condition, or other fluctuating, variable disability that changes from hour to hour, never mind day to day, that has been treated like this.

The caller with epilepsy was a man who was making a superhuman effort to explain ATOS's view of his condition to Kaye Adams given that his voice was a little unclear and she kept interrupting him.

That in itself was a good illustration that having epilepsy and dealing with intransigent arseholes isn't just about having funny turns.

And a slightly more serious article from today's Independent for those who want to be pedantic about Black Triangle's writing style.

Further to my earlier figure of 40% of appeals are successful I was actually wrong. From the article above:

Just over 70 per cent of people who attend an appeal with a Citizen's Advice Bureau officer or lawyer successfully overturn the original DWP decision ? the figure is 40 per cent for those who go it alone.

I know someone with severe uncontrolled epilepsy. He's probably had a seizure more than 50% of the times I have seen him over the last 8 or 9 years (and I would see him for about an hour a couple of times a month). The idea of him being declared fit to work is terrifying.

All I'm trying to do is point out that it would be unfair to make exceptions in this case.

My opinion of the current system is clear. But I do believe using very flawed examples with an incredibly biased slant helps no-one.

Oh, it makes sense now saintly

The show had the patronising theme that we'd all be inspired by seeing plucky people in wheelchairs and soldiers with their legs blown off running the 100m on blades.

Everyone knows they're not actually as good as Usain Bolt but they deserve our praise because they're 'on a journey', unlike him, who's a cocky bastard who's just on a journey to his bank (the programme's pervading attitude, not mine).

The phone lines were spammed by a flashmob of people who weren't going along with it and were raising awkward points about Atos (including the Pope and gay festival one) instead.

Kaye testily pointed out that the view had been raised in the Independent this morning but wasn't relevant because not many people read it.

They switched to another debate because the switchboard operators obviously couldn't tell just by listening which callers thought the Paralympics was luvverly and which ones were crippled malcontents with an axe to grind.

They'll probably all get their entitlement to DLA reassessed for being able to operate a push-button phone.

70 per cent?

Wow.

No wonder CABs are being closed and free legal aid is being restricted.

I notice from that article that there's a demonstration at Atos's Central London HQ this afternoon. I wonder where it is? I might pop down as I'm at a loose end this afternoon.

I'm sure there'll be no trouble because the police got told it wasn't very nice to tip people out of their wheelchairs after that Jody McIntyre incident. They do make ever such a fuss, don't they?

I admired the bunch of people who chained their chairs together at Oxford Circus a couple of months ago and when asked to move on said: 'We don't feel like it yet. But we'll let you know when we do, Officer.'

No one's suggesting that she is made an exception of niceguy. Read what limitedperiod already said. Anyway the article actually comes from the Socialist Worker originally. Focussing on one badly expressed part of the article is a little disingenuous tbh. Just after your selected passage the article quotes I?ve already had my letter,? she said. "At some point next year it will be my turn to be assessed.? Tara is one of hundreds of thousands of people in the Tories? sights as they try to slash benefits for sick and disabled people. rather suggesting the point of the article isn't about whether she should be exempt but about the cuts in general.

If you don't like The Socialist Worker then read the Indie articles. Same point expressed more intelligently.

IT is a shame that there are people who really go believe the government spin on DLA and ATOS.
they really do believe that disabled people will not end up in poverty and that these cuts have to be made.
how sad, and be they will sit and watch the Paralympics as well.
the lady in the link is making a good point, she can get press because of her gold medals. so it is good imo that she is using it. there are so many other disabled people who really have no voice.

Kaye Adams is a little uncomfortable with it.

I bet she was!

Kaye testily pointed out that the view had been raised in the Independent this morning but wasn't relevant because not many people read it.
The fact that their show didnt go the way they wanted it to this morning proves her wrong.
And theres loads of people on my Twitter feed who have retweeted the Mark Steel article.
If i could push a like button for your post at 12.32 limited i would.
You too Couthy.
I was fighting to send an important e mail last night and as my internet was playing up it took the best part of 3 hours. So thats why my posts were a bit short and sweet.

Owen Jones also from the Independent.
www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/owen-jones-david-cameron-praises-paralympians-but-his-policies-will-crush-them-8082036.html

I've seen so many claims about how superhuman paralympians are on here but now they want the opinion to be ah dear give hem some money, the government is being mean when they are capable of work. This is just emotive nonsense and pathetically poor journalism.

The government is just assessing to ensure that the money goes to the deserving and not the malingerers.

"
The government is just assessing to ensure that the money goes to the deserving and not the malingerers."

I see someone ele actually think the government give a shit about disabled people. I am sure all the people who have had DLA wrongly taken away from them will not agree with crap like that

how sad it is that some people have bought into the hype and still struggle to understand that DLA is not a out of work benefit and this is one of the disability benefits being policed by atos computer systems.

lots of people who recive dla quite rightly get given lifetime awards some of these people may be in work some not, a lifetime award is only given if the condition has no cure and no known cases of recovery however you are still legally obliged to inform them if your condition improves or ceases to impact on you in the same way to not do so is a criminal act. so if your arms/legs regrow or your ms/autisum/learning disability/other lifetime none curable disability goes piff paff poof GONE then you have to inform. but people who have these conditions with no changes are being reviewed lots some only days/weeks after the tribunal rules in there favor. a huge amount of these assesments remove the benefit 70% of appeal cases delt with by an agency have it reinstated 40% who deal with it alone also do.

that leaves a fair few who dont but should as atos seam to rely on people not bothering to apeal and for some time after they first took it over it became normal practice to refuse every application that did not involve a limb from above a elbow/knee joint not being presant or a wheelchair in the hope that an appeal wouldnt happen. this is widly known within advice agencies and often just expected by claiments.tax payers are funding this stupidity and thinking the huge waste of money is acceptable.

whilst i dont understand this whole benefit hatred bashing bullying and almost jealiously i can just about get my head round why some people feel that way even if i think its stupid but i cannot even find any level of understanding towards someone who does the same towards any type of disability benefit especially when the max amount of dla any one person can recive is approx £131 a week. how many of you would be willing to live with any disability that impacts on your whole life and ability to care for yourself normally for a maximum of £77 pw and/or not being able to walk unaided both indoors and outside for a max of £54 pw? would you feel like you were gleefully smug or taking the piss out of tax payers (even though you probally are one)?

Of course they don't agree at being found out that they were milking the system taking money from the needy. They should thanks their lucky stars they are not all being done for fraud.

you fell over there as I said wrongly
so shows how full of holes your "argument' is