Labour will replace ‘callous’ work capability assessment regime with ‘dignity and inclusion’ for the sick
Debbie Abrahams, Labour’s excellent Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, has long spoken up to defend the sick and disabled from Conservative persecution.
This is for those of us who have spent years campaigning against the fatally-flawed assessment regime for sickness and disability benefits: Labour will end them.
It is a major departure from the party’s policy under recent right-wing leaders – before the general election last year, policy was to retain the hated work capability assessments, despite the fact that they are based on nonsense and have contributed to thousands of deaths.
It is therefore all the more welcome.
Remember: The work capability assessment – along with all the death and misery that it entails – will only continue as long as we have a Conservative government. If you vote Conservative, you are contributing to that harm.
Don’t vote to persecute the sick. Don’t vote Conservative.
Debbie Abrahams MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, responding to the government’s announcement of consultation on the Work Capability Assessment, said:
“Whilst I welcome the Government’s acknowledgement that their callous Work Capability Assessments cause needless misery and stress for thousands upon thousands of sick and disabled people, Theresa May needs to take responsibility for her part in these disastrous social security reforms. To suggest that these have been a success is derisory.
“This cruel Tory approach is ideologically driven with the sole purpose of targeting the most vulnerable in our society to pay for their austerity plans, painting disabled people as scroungers and shirkers, whilst making no impact on the disability employment gap.
“Rather than tinkering at the edges, I have announced that Labour will scrap the Work Capability Assessments and replace them with a holistic, person-centred approach, based on principles of dignity and inclusion. This will be a key policy under our plans to transform the social security system.”
Source: Labour Press — Theresa May needs to take responsibility for her…
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Go one better. Jeremy Corbyn should do a Donkey Trump and say at PMQs that when they get in power the likes of serial killer Ian Dunkedin S** and others of his foul Nazi party are fully investigated and imprisoned for corporate manslaughter. Better still lets just string the evil B—–ds up and let the birds have a good feed. No doubt I will get reported for cruelty towards birds.
Labour won’t get in and the tories will continue with their dastardly plans. Many people hate those on benefits and like what they are doing. The people likely to vote labour don’t bother as they are not educated about politics. My friend thought all parties are the same when I explained she went out and voted labour. Then when they lost said it wasn’t worth voting. So people like her are apathetic and then we get the dutiful pensioners who are always at the voting booths more likely to vote tory.
Although I like Corbyn I don’t think his cabinet will appeal to the people who go out and vote.
Well, folks – is Marie right?
Are you inclined towards Labour, but haven’t bothered to vote because Labour haven’t got into office lately?
Or has everything changed since Jeremy Corbyn became leader, and you have promised to make the effort next time?
Off course Marie is right, many will vote for their parents choice, it’s just to much trouble to bother their heads about to do anything different. Until of course they become recipients of their choice. This world seems full of people who practice hypocrisy every day of their lives, some think they have a limited supply of brain cells to waste on such trivialities as politics.
Or, that was the case, awareness through cause and effect is seemingly adjusting perceptions of the consequence of choice. So no, the Tories are under threat, and new choices will be formed as a result of those very personal consequences endured. The stage is inexorably being set for change that I believe will be the political tsunami of the age.
It only takes one lie to be unequivocally exposed to cast doubt, and when trust breaks down it is long lasting, the Tories only have themselves to blame for that. Corbyn has played the long game and knows you can fool some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people, all of the time.
replace them with a holistic, person-centred approach, based on principles of dignity and inclusion hmm whot does this mean actually has it was blairs gov who hads brought us this wca are they now going back to doctors who sat at these boards and told gov if ones ftw oh thats to easy for them you bet trust them never but it seems its our last hope
The WCA does not do what it says on the tin it doesn’t make any assessment of if you are capable to work.
Mike: You have probably seen this report, but other may not have.
http://content.digital.nhs.uk/article/7433/Three-reports-providing-official-adult-social-care-statistics-released-by-NHS-Digital-today
Dr Simon Duffy, Director of the Centre for Welfare Reform noted:
“In 2015 the Government changed the data collection system for adult social care. The figures are now far more confused and it is harder to see the long-term impact of cuts social care. It seems likely that this was the real reason why the system was changed. Nevertheless the pattern is clear and the cuts continue. In 2009 1.8 million people received social care and this figure had fallen to 1.3 million by 2013 (a cut of 27%). Today we know that less than 0.8 million adults get long term care. Overall the cut in numbers seems to be somewhere in the region of 40% or even more. We have never seen such a severe cut to any vital public service, nor have we seen such a significant failure of the political system to defend disabled and older people from this sustained assault on their basic human rights.”
BASIC INCOME 18 TO 60, CITIZEN PENSION FROM AGE 60
My petition would ensure a Labour landslide victory in 2020 (or hopefully sooner) by bringing back the majority of the lost 75 per cent over 65s votes and bring those men and women turning 60 in 2020 to voting Labour.
Please sign and share: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/citizen-state-pension-same-money-for-all-age-60-men-and-women
The TUC have formally taken on as policy the Basic Income for all citizens, automatic and universal for all of working age, to replace entirely the cruel Tory conditional benefit system, so forever ending the benefit scrounger label, which especially has increased the Hate Crime verbal abuse and physical assaults on the disabled, assumed to be on benefit and committing benefit fraud to get it.
Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell support the Basic Income policy but have yet to make that formal Labour party policy. We see from Debbie Abrahams’ statement that Tory Labour has thwarted John McDonnell, who said democratic socialist Labour would be even more radical than Attlee who started the welfare state, cradle to grave support for those with no income for whatever reason.
Only the full abolition of the Department of Work and Pensions, abolition of all the private welfare admin contracts and shutting down all 750 Jobcentres, will be justice to those who may have died from benefit cuts since 2010. Being as the UN’s own investigation findings concluded that all welfare reform since 2010 has to be repealed as it breaches human rights.
The disabled / chronic sick are already medically diagnosed by consultant specialists in their condition and so the NHS has already stated if they are sick / disabled. No other government department or private firm is needed at all.
Basic Income by finance boffins at the 40 per cent of average wage below which poverty starts. For the disabled Basic Income Plus.
Then at 60 the Citizen Pension, 60 per cent of average wage, so can retire and free up jobs for those of working age. As around 40 per cent of the disabled are pensioners, we are not talking about 11 million disabled on between 40 to 50 per cent Basic Income as well as the pensioners, around 12 million.
Guy Standing, the economist, talks of a sovereign wealth fund to support the Basic Income. But this is what is in place for Norway’s state pension, which is non contributory from such a wealth fund from their oil wealth.
What is forgotten in UK is that the DWP admin and private contracts cost tens of billions of pounds every year. So their abolition in staffing and building running costs means the Basic Income and Citizen Pension are instantly cost neutral and admin minimal. The NI Fund has been for decades direct admin by the taxman already.