Another Tired Kicking For The Sick And Disabled By Rishi

Germanshepherdsmum

Agreed LizzieDrip (that must be a first!😊).

I always think of my great grandmother who died before she would have had the chance to vote.

Yes indeed
We should use our vote

Agreed LizzieDrip (that must be a first!😊).

I always think of my great grandmother who died before she would have had the chance to vote.

In Wales it's almost certain that Labour will get in but I will plod up the hill and vote as women's votes were hard won.

In fact I've decided not to vote at all

So, freya5 I take it you won’t be commenting on politics or ‘the state of the country’ for the term of the next parliament then. IMO those who choose not to vote have chosen not to comment either. In our democratic system your vote is your voice; no vote = no voice.

Unfortunately, Freya, not voting increases the likelihood of whichever parties you dislike being elected. Depending on your constituency, failure to vote can be a vote for Labour.

In all my 15 years of advising people ( I have not kept records of how many people) about benefits, I met only two who I believed were not genuine, and two others who took my advice that they would be unlikely to qualify ( for PIP ). The vast majority were people who needed help to claim or to challenge bad decisions.
I soon learned not to be judgmental about claimants.
I know there are some false claims and some who with the right support would not need to claim. I also know many whose health has worsened thanks to the punitive system, and the delays in NHS support.

Go! Freya5 tell it like it is😄😄😄

What I love about Gransnet is for a posting such as this, there are always those have those who ‘know’ the lazy, the benefit scroungers, etc and then there are those who respond to the posting with a recognition of the breadth of human challenges.
I suppose that’s why we have Daily Mail v Guardian readers and Tory supporters v the rest!
Always useful to see how others see the world.

flappergirl

Freya5

vegansrock

He’s only saying all this as an attempt to get votes from the UKIP / Reform voters who love all the right wing rhetoric. He won’t be in any position to enact it if they lose the GE ( hopefully).

Oh dear, so they're not decent people in your estimation then. You have no idea how they will vote. I for one won't be, neither will I be voting Labour. In fact I've decided not to vote at all. They're all shysters, corruption on both sides of the House .

I'm always saddened when I hear of a woman not exercising her right to vote and I don't think I need to provide a history lesson to illustrate my despair.

As for them all being shysters. Have you not been reading the news? The current batch of Tory MPs have behaved appallingly. There is not a week goes by without a sexual assault, misappropriation of funds and/or some other sordid scandal. They have demonstrated an all time low in politics. Last time I checked, the same cannot be said for other parties.

However, not voting is a dereliction of duty to one's country and an easy "cop out" in my opinion.

With Labour it's corruption, Mcshane anyone, Paterson, Webber, infact seven Labour MPs have been jailed in the last ten years. Don't let's forget underpants Bryant, who in spite of scandal has been allowed to continue, at least they got rid of racist Abbott, oh and what about Thornberry , the one who despised anyone who drove a white van.
I don't really care what you think about my voting or not.
I certainly won't help open the door to 5 years of a Labour government with Starmergeddon, who changes his mind depending on which way the wind blows.

Easy to pick on the vulnerable isn't it?

AGAA4

There are always cheats who will take benefits they aren't entitled to. They cause so many problems for the genuinely ill.

There are cheats everywhere. But hey! Let’s target the most vulnerable!

Tax cheats swindle the state of a massive amount more money.

I know of a young woman who was signed off as fit for work. She was found wandering in her nightdress in the rain having pulled out half her hair and had cut herself in several places. Obviously fit for work!

Interesting stats from the govt @Dec 2022

“ The main headline figures for the DWP benefits in this report
In the year to August 2022:

the number of people receiving the State Pension rose by 130,000 to 12.6 million
Employment and Support Allowance fell by 6.2% to 1.7 million claimants
Income Support fell by 21% to 170,000 claimants
Jobseeker’s Allowance fell by 35.1% to 89,000 claimants
In the year to November 2022:

Housing Benefit fell by 7.9% to 2.5 million claimants
The periods covered by this release were affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Universal Credit has been replacing some older-style Working Age benefits. The latest Universal Credit Official statistics show:

there were 5.8 million Universal Credit claimants at December 2022
People can claim more than one DWP benefit at a time. Experimental Benefit Combination statistics show:

22.4 million people claimed some combination of DWP benefits in August 2022 (of the 17 benefits included in these statistics). Of these:

12.7 million were of State Pension Age (including those in receipt of their State Pension)
9.1 million were of Working Age
600,000 were under 16 (and in receipt of Disability Living Allowance as a child)”

I watched a 999 type programme, where someone had a history of self harm.

My God!
To see what this person had done to himself was terrible.

He cried later on, when interviewed, and asked "Do people think I want to be like this?"

There are always cheats who will take benefits they aren't entitled to. They cause so many problems for the genuinely ill.

The U.K. is one of the least generous for welfare of any other rich nation.

At one time our welfare system was considered exemplary, but unsurprisingly it took a sharp downturn during Thatcher’s period, it rose a bit under Blair and more so under Brown.

It doesn’t need outlining what has happened since.

Unemployment benefit fell by 44% under the Tories - only Greece is similar.

Now Sunak is proposing further penury.

If you can power through MH issues by working, thats admirable I suppose. But many people simply can't. Absolutely can not.

I’ve worked with loads who used the system, rife working for the council one went to Cyprus paragliding whilst on long term sick, she eventually left and got disability benefit due to a bad back.They spoil it for genuinely ill people who have to fight to. keep their benefit, tgey must be worried sick at the moment.

Where is the empathy? Who wants to be ill. I had just retired when a had my cancer diagnosis otherwise I would have had to take some time off work for treatment. I know I would not have liked that and would have worked when I was able to as many would I believe.

back in the day the job centre used to help people seek jobs and make the appointment for an interview for them to attend.

now they do very little and everyone has to seek things out for themselves which is very difficult for some people to do . everything being online at job centre and young people being penalised and no money given if they have not had an interview... they can apply for jobs and be turned down which is not their fault then no money to pay their way or get somewhere to live!

Dickens

Sunak apparently wants to explore the possibility of replacing payments to claimants with mental health conditions by treatment or access to services.

Disregarding for the moment those who might be manipulating the system - isn't this what the majority of those with such problems have been crying out for?

How does he plan to make such treatments and services available to claimants?

The accommodation and food sector services are the hardest hit by staff shortages. Plenty of vacancies to be filled. Does it need to be emphasised that low-pay, the inability to provide guaranteed hours, and lack job-security, are the reasons why these sectors cannot attract people into them? Or keep them when they do?

This "sick-note culture" is just dog-whistle politicking.

Exactly.

Toting for Reform voters.

In the year to August 2022:

the number of people receiving the State Pension rose by 130,000 to 12.6 million

Employment and Support Allowance fell by 6.2% to 1.7 million claimants

Income Support fell by 21% to 170,000 claimants

Jobseeker’s Allowance fell by 35.1% to 89,000 claimants

In the year to November 2022:

Housing Benefit fell by 7.9% to 2.5 million claimants
The periods covered by this release were affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Universal Credit has been replacing some older-style Working Age benefits. The latest Universal Credit Official statistics show:

there were 5.8 million Universal Credit claimants at December 2022
People can claim more than one DWP benefit at a time. Experimental Benefit Combination statistics show:

22.4 million people claimed some combination of DWP benefits in August 2022 (of the 17 benefits included in these statistics). Of these:

12.7 million were of State Pension Age (including those in receipt of their State Pension)

9.1 million were of Working Age

600,000 were under 16 (and in receipt of Disability Living Allowance as a child)

I think there are very few who wouldn't work if they were well enough. This puts a lot of stress on genuinely sick people to prove they aren't well enough to work.

I shall go and check.

Really MissA? That’s a huge number - or does it include people receiving only child benefit or state pension?