So all the smugness in the world is going to come and bite you in the bum. For all those who want to bash the benefit bashers

[Leithlurker]

So this is not a tale about how bad the system is, although it is. Neither is it a thread to tell tales of fecklessness. This is what happens in real life and can and probably will to a huge number of people once universil credit comes in.
www.scotsman.com/news/lesley-riddoch-no-benefit-in-system-that-won-t-pay-1-2603294

You know what, I am relatively well paid, and I always think 'there but the grace of (insert deity of choice) go I'

I am happy to pay taxes so that it can be used to support those less well off, and would happily pay (a bit) more, if it was going to help anybody who needed it.

I don't give a fuck that there a tiny tiny minority who abuse the system. Those people are the ones that grab the headlines, but are not representative of 99.9999 percent of those in receipt of benefits

That link is horrific. Suicide numbers are going to rocket!

I'm with you Norma.

great link lurker.

It's frightening isn't it? What is the Coalition doing, just covering their ears and going 'la la la' really loudly? How can they carry on when they know things like this are happening? And MP's must know because they are often approached by their constituents.

Shocking and depressing.

I think it's really concerning that a main 'trigger incident' in the whole awful story was simply the woman changing her address - something IDS needs to think about.

I have changed addresses. I have written to/phoned the relevant authorities, suppliers and banks, and some of them take notice and some don't. And I have also paid to have my mail redirected by the Post Office, and some of it has been redirected, and some hasn't. And I have also asked new tenants to forward my mail, leaving behind stamped addressed A4 envelopes, and some have forwarded it and some haven't.

I hope the woman in the story has some way of proving she told the DWP she had moved.

Great link, Leithlurker.

There will be someone along shortly to tell you all how she should have just got on her bike and that's she's probably obese.

Horrifying.

I pray to God that these bastards are wiped out at the next General Election.

This is happening right now. And a system which defeats even an MP's expert needs major change.

There's no way to predict if it will worsen under UC - and in a simplified system with fewer constituent parts it is equally possible that maladministration will be both reduced and quicker to remedy.

Then again, as the record on public sector computer systems is pretty dire, and the current Government have right royally f*cked up on even minor things such as the CB omnishambles, you just can't be confident that it will be properly administered.

Sorry I was in a rush this morning, the title should of course be "smugness". Scarevola, I am sorry but even if we were to suspend belief in how badly the computer ystem debacle WILL be, we have csa, id cards, many local cb systems, nhs records, all computer sytems that were never properly designed or worked with out months and millions of pounds worth of fixing.

Also the only contact with the dwp for UC will be through internet. This is going to make mistakes much more difficult to change, lead to hardship for those without access to internet, reduce access for many types of disability, and mack the back log worse as it only takes the computer system to go down once to bring the entire system to a halt. I cannot think that this is anything other than a disaster happening in front of us as we stand by helplessly watching.

UC will also impose impossible restrictions on people working part time as well as self employed. More people will be like the partner of this woman, left with little choice but to leave in order just to provide stability for the family.

this is totally frightening

how can the coalition stand by and let this happen?

they must be evil

Thanks for this link. I am a student atm and, obviously, a parent. I have bugger all spare but thankfully I'm nowhere near in this poor woman's (and the countless other people who are suffering) situation. This has inspired me to find out where my local food bank is and donate to it.

I think what is being done to the disabled at the moment through Duncan Smith plan is cruel Cameron should rehash the interview sythem and stop playing "nasty Tory"