Listen to this, then try to say the government isn’t victimising the disabled
Disability rights campaigners protest outside the Houses of Parliament, in Westminster, London, after they had disrupted a session of Prime Minister’s Questions.
In the same week David Cameron tried to put us off signing the petition on ESA deaths by saying mortality statistics would be published – but failed to mention that the numbers would be fudged into an ‘Age-Standardised Mortality Rate’ ratio, rather than be a straight statement of the number of deaths…
In the same week that the Gentleman Ranker, Iain Duncan Smith, tried to tell MPs that his Department for Work and Pensions doesn’t collect those figures…
In the same week that the Labour Party told us the DWP’s flagship Universal Credit will take nearly 500 years to roll out across the UK at the current rate, while the cost has increased to £15.8 billion…
… a disabled pensioner named Susie called an LBC radio phone-in and spoke emotionally to Iain Dale about her worries over the forthcoming budget and its implication for another benefit, Disability Living Allowance. Here’s what she had to say:
It is abundantly clear that this poor lady is being driven out of her mind with anxiety about her future – a future which the Conservative Government is deliberately keeping uncertain by refusing to give any hints about its plans for sickness and disability benefits.
The DWP has stated – repeatedly – that it is “irresponsible” to connect the deaths of people claiming sickness and disability benefits with the stress that its ministers have gleefully encouraged, by making changes to the benefits assessment regime that mean no claimant can feel secure about their immediate future – let alone their long-term hopes.
Susie’s call shows that all this bluster is bunkum.
Whatever happens in the July budget, DLA claimants are being migrated onto PIP, a benefit with much harsher – some would say unreasonable – conditions. For a start, it employs the same brutal ‘work capability assessment’ medical test (in fact a tick-box computer questionnaire designed to put people off-benefit if at all possible) as Employment and Support Allowance.
Not only that, but the claim process – originally estimated by the government to take around 2.5 weeks per claimant – has left thousands waiting more than a year for a decision.
The best way to end this deliberate infliction of suffering on those who are already suffering enough is to join together and present a united front.
Protests against DLA/PIP aren’t currently gaining national media attention – but the petition for the government to tell us how many people have died while claiming Employment and Support Allowance has.
Cameron’s false claim that the government will publish those figures has slowed the number of people signing it – exactly as he hoped it would.
So let’s all get behind it. Tell everyone you know that they have been misled by this stranger to the truth – and let’s get more signatures on the petition!
It can be found here, on the Change.org website. If you haven’t signed already, please do so.
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Calling someone like Ian Dale is not going to help her any.
The man is a c***.
Anyone that doesn’t just mindlessly buy into the mass media hate campaign and govt propaganda as well as having the intellectual capacity to think beyond what they hear and read will know what the Tories are doing and why they are doing this targeted campaign of denial and indirect murder. It’s because Tories hate those they deem below them and because they are on a continuing campaign of wealth transfer from poor to rich.
If the stats get out, as they damn well should (keep up the good work Mike Sivier, you have much support), Tories fear that they will be kicked into the bin of history for their genocidal ways against sections of society.
If you value the truth and the effort that Mike puts in to get information for all of us then please sign and also have the courtesy to make at least some brief comment here.
You need to choose your wording a little, Rupert, not everyone feels comfortable leaving comments. That doesn’t mean they don’t have courtesy at all! They have done an enormous favour by signing the petition as it is, I myself do not appreciate being guilt-tripped into doing what you want.
I have passed the petition on and I feel, that is all I can do with my limitations.
To a non professional accountant the simplest way to save money is not to spend it.
Isn’t that what IDS is doing, saving his own money, whilst spending tax payers money (expenses)!?!
Think about the leeches that make up the members of this so called government. They are failed, fraudulent, corrupt, tax dodging businessmen, who own or have members of their families who own or are chairperson of this company or that company. They have bought their way into politics or through nepotism, who knows who could be covering up crimes of paedophilia, corruption. Think of the Idiotic Demented Sociopath, how could anyone with a failed past such as this cretin find a job governing the health and welfare of some of this country’s most vulnerable citizens, then make such a mess of it and get away with it. If the law was fair and just in this country these leeches would be seen for exactly who they are. Their only interest getting control of this country’s exchequer then passing on to their relatives, friends and business partners as much as possible under the guise of politics. They are nothing more than thieves and criminals of the worst kind, who hide behind a corrupt justice system.
do you mean (I)ncredibly (D)angerous (S)ociopath
A corrupt Justice system “aussieeh”? A No Justice system “aussieeh”, not until Justice and the Law start communicating with one another again after many years of estrangement will we have anything like Justice.
I haven’t felt so angry about the state of this nation since the 80’s and yet so powerless to do anything about it except to rant on here, sign petitions and rant on other forums, I have an MP who hates the sick, the elderly and the disabled and she’s also pro hunting foxes to a bloody and painful death, she doesn’t care that our bees are being poisoned, or that our cows are being shunted into “Milk Factories” all for the sake of a few lousy bob!
You are quite right, Mike that the only way this is going to be stopped is for all of us to join together and forget all the differences.
Politicians are very clever in using divide and rule and we have to overcome that. Also, in the comments we need to learn to be respectful and supportive. Otherwise, as you see happening so often the thread degenerates into silly arguing and insulting remarks.
Who wins?