Disabled try to storm parliament.

[Obelix]

There aren't, there isn't enough. The take of of benefits is much lower than it should be. Our society is more than capable of looking after the poorest, the sick etc.

 

In case you hadn't noticed we DO look after the sick, the disabled, the poor, the elderly... it's not like we've suddenly regressed to the Middle Ages when we used to drive them out of the village....

[DnAuK]

MPs do a hard job that they are probably underpaid for. 10% pay rise for 650 people is a drop in the ocean compared to the amount we spend on benefits. Agree about the Houses of Parliament improvements, Parliament should be moved into a more modern building outside London. Do not agree with the painting of Buckingham Palace, it isn't that much in the grand scheme of things and the Palace serves a public good, as do the Royal Family.

 

Oh that's right... move Parliament into a nice modern building with plenty of disabled access... Makes it easier for them to storm!

 

And yes I am joking...

 

But loving the comments that there isn't a huge amount of fraud going on. You only have to take a look at some statistics on GOV.UK, or the Public Accounts Committee inbestigation into Disabled Students Allowances, to know that it's rife, and Government have to do something about it. At least with the Tory priority of reducing the defecit.

 

Unfortunately this means that some innocent people get caught in the crossfire as well.

[Anna B]

Oh that's right... move Parliament into a nice modern building with plenty of disabled access... Makes it easier for them to storm!

 

And yes I am joking...

 

But loving the comments that there isn't a huge amount of fraud going on. You only have to take a look at some statistics on GOV.UK, or the Public Accounts Committee inbestigation into Disabled Students Allowances, to know that it's rife, and Government have to do something about it. At least with the Tory priority of reducing the defecit.

 

Unfortunately this means that some innocent people get caught in the crossfire as well.

 

The cuts aren't just about trying to prevent some bloke with a dubious bad back getting benefits, but a wholesale dismantling of welfare services that are fundamental to helping seriously disabled people live their lives.

 

This is a quote from the meeting thread I mentioned:

 

'Some people have lost a third of their care; only 20 minutes is allocated for bathing, breakfast and dressing. Others are having to pay up to a third towards their care, (something the general public are generally unaware of.)

People have told (not in all cases) of rude, unhelpful staff, difficult traumatic assessments, while others have been offered 're-enablement' or nothing at all, and are then trapped in their home. Short hours has meant difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff.'

 

Remploy has also closed, day care centres are shutting down, and so on.The situation is at crisis point. Not just for the disabled, but for their carers who are also threatened. It's hard enough having to devote your life 24/7 to the care of someone else, but they are expected to do it for the princely sum of £60 a week - absolute penury, (and this sum is subtracted from the disabled person who needs the care.) And even this is threatened. Yet care homes feel free to charge an average of £500+ per person per week, plus extra for board and lodgings, whilst paying staff minimum wage. Nursing homes can cost double that. Where's the logic in that?

Edited June 25, 2015 by Anna B

[Mister M]

................

Edited June 25, 2015 by Mister M

[DnAuK]

The cuts aren't just about trying to prevent some bloke with a dubious bad back getting benefits, but a wholesale dismantling of welfare services that are fundamental to helping seriously disabled people live their lives.

 

This is a quote from the meeting thread I mentioned:

 

'Some people have lost a third of their care; only 20 minutes is allocated for bathing, breakfast and dressing. Others are having to pay up to a third towards their care, (something the general public are generally unaware of.)

People have told (not in all cases) of rude, unhelpful staff, difficult traumatic assessments, while others have been offered 're-enablement' or nothing at all, and are then trapped in their home. Short hours has meant difficulties in recruiting and retaining staff.'

 

Remploy has also closed, day care centres are shutting down, and so on.The situation is at crisis point. Not just for the disabled, but for their carers who are also threatened. It's hard enough having to devote your life 24/7 to the care of someone else, but they are expected to do it for the princely sum of £60 a week - absolute penury, (and this sum is subtracted from the disabled person who needs the care.) And even this is threatened. Yet care homes feel free to charge an average of £500+ per person per week, plus extra for board and lodgings, whilst paying staff minimum wage. Nursing homes can cost double that. Where's the logic in that?

 

Don't get me wrong I understand that. One of the reasons I moved back to the Sheffield area was to take care of my dad wjho was dying of lung cancer and could only be offered basic re-enablement by the council. Ironically this was set for review as to whether he still needed to on the day I found him dead, but anyway...

 

The point being you can either live in a Marxist society where everyone gets what they need and everyone gives what they can, or a Capitalist society where everyone gets the basics and pays for any additions themselves. Considering the first never caught on and the closest anyone came seems to have failed in practice, is it a surprise that our currentl Government adopts the latter approach?

 

I was faced with a choice of paying for my dad's care out of his estate or changing my life and doing the job myself. But I honestly think that was my responsibility - paid for by the years of low taxation I had. I know not everyone will feel the same, or be in a similar position. But you can't be fair to everyone unfortunately.

[Anna B]

Sorry to hear about your Dad.

 

I agree you can't be fair to everyone, unfortunately, but the poorest in society seem to take the major knocks. They could try, for example, getting the tax owed by some of the rich and the major corporations, rather than giving them even more benefits and tax breaks.

They always go for the easiest target, and the people who can't fight back. Going for the disabled who've already been served a bad deal is deplorable.

Edited June 25, 2015 by Anna B

[Flanker7]

..................The point being you can either live in a Marxist society where everyone gets what they need and everyone gives what they can, or a Capitalist society where everyone gets the basics and pays for any additions themselves. /QUOTE]

 

Why have you reduced the whole debate, world?, into a choice between the two extremes. It's not like that. We are a rich country and the way we collect and distribute revenue is up to us, we choose the priorities.

[I1L2T3]

Clearly this is something you can't possibly know, you can know how many are caught , but you can't know about the people that are never caught.

 

It doesn't follow that there must be huge numbers of people defrauding the system.

 

If the cost of fraud versus the amount not claimed is neutral or better you can definitely take a chill pill. The evidence anyway is that unclaimed benefits is massively more than the amount lost to fraud.

 

The evidence points to a more serious problem and that is the nature of the system and the way people can cynically game it fully within the law.

 

A couple of years ago I'd have defended tax credits to the Max but now I can't any more, now I know what is going on it makes me sick to the stomach. My household income is quite high but now I've become aware that people are leading similar lifestyles, driving nice cars and living in nice houses while doing jobs like walking dogs for 16 hours a week. Some sites I've seen even have people boasting how they declared tax credits income to get mortgages. That is messed up - I've have no objection if my tax goes on housing benefit for the needy but now it seems I pay a lot of tax to help pay for other people's mortgages.

 

System has got to change. It's totally wrong.

[petemcewan]

Well it does beg the question don't you think?

 

It doesn't beg any question."Storm" " was being used figuratively.

[Weazel2006]

working tax will be cut, companies won't meet half way, tax income will not rise, tax breaks for those working won't come in (the excuse being rail upgrades that will take a generation.

 

The country is being sold a brochure holiday, and the reality is far from the glossy pictures you are being shown.

 

British society is becoming dangerously divided on issues that in the grand scheme of things just do not matter.

 

The disabled didn't cost people jobs, homes and futures, they asked for stability and care that used to be a staple of british society.

 

They know exactly how to go after claiments commiting fraud, and they know the difference between a scally and a genuine disabled person. They want maximum workforce which leads to better profit projections and makes the banks happier to lend.....it's that simple.

 

Pretty big coincidence that the whole disabled witchunt started after the economic crisis. This country makes me sick, it's arrogance and neglect of others is disgusting.

 

Rich in the material, bankcrupt in empathy.