Let’s have a few facts around the DWP’s dangerous game of words about disabled people, courtesy of Charlotte Hughes and her blog, The Poor Side of Life.
I think everybody reading this is likely to know that Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said she thinks some disability benefit claimants were “taking the mickey”.
The language that we use can and does influence and shapes people’s perceptions.
Language also influences government policies which have a huge influence upon people’s way of thinking… [The new Labour government’s] words directly harm and impact vulnerable communities – specifically, disabled individuals seeking rightful support through benefits.
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This insidious narrative undermines the legitimate struggles of the disabled community, casting a shadow of doubt over those who genuinely need support.
The article quotes statistics: approximately 188,000 benefit claims, that were initially rejected, were later granted after the decisions were appealed via mandatory reconsideration. Ms Hughes states:
This is a huge intentional oversight that has dire consequences. Forcing disabled people to go through hoops of unnecessary appeals causes them mental and physical pain, financial hardship, and emotional trauma that many don’t recover from.
Also: £9 billion in benefits have been underpaid over two years. The past year alone saw a 25 per cent increase in these underpayments.
These figures aren’t just numbers they represent real people left without essential financial support, struggling to make ends meet.
Tactics by some DWP assessors involve falsifications within claims, amounting to fraud. Examples include false documentation stating that a person has two arms when they have only one, and assertions that a claimant is fit and healthy when this is not true.
These intentional inaccuracies not only obstruct rightful claims but also erode trust in a system that should be supportive.
Ms Hughes states, and I agree with her, that Labour’s “radical overhaul” of benefits – which will be a package of cuts totalling around £3 billion – threatens to strip away critical support from those who have the least, amplifying the ongoing crisis.
This situation is reminiscent of democide where systemic failures lead to preventable suffering and loss within a population.
That’s a highly diplomatic way to describe it! Democide is the deliberate murder of any person or people by their government, for political reasons.
How do we prevent this rhetoric-and-policy tango from causing irreparable harm?
It’s time for a concerted focus on accountability, transparency, and empathy within our social systems.
Ensuring the protection and dignity of disabled people should be a non-negotiable priority, not an afterthought shrouded in harmful discourse and dismissive claims.
A good question, supported by strong points.
I wonder how we put them to the nation as a whole when the facts are stifled by our politicians – of all sides; they seem to be colluding in this democide – and their client, right-wing, media.
Source: The Dangerous Game of Words And Their Impact on Disabled People – The poor side of life
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A few facts around the DWP’s dangerous game of words
Let’s have a few facts around the DWP’s dangerous game of words about disabled people, courtesy of Charlotte Hughes and her blog, The Poor Side of Life.
I think everybody reading this is likely to know that Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said she thinks some disability benefit claimants were “taking the mickey”.
Buy Cruel Britannia in print here. Buy the Cruel Britannia ebook here. Or just click on the image!
The article quotes statistics: approximately 188,000 benefit claims, that were initially rejected, were later granted after the decisions were appealed via mandatory reconsideration. Ms Hughes states:
Also: £9 billion in benefits have been underpaid over two years. The past year alone saw a 25 per cent increase in these underpayments.
Tactics by some DWP assessors involve falsifications within claims, amounting to fraud. Examples include false documentation stating that a person has two arms when they have only one, and assertions that a claimant is fit and healthy when this is not true.
Ms Hughes states, and I agree with her, that Labour’s “radical overhaul” of benefits – which will be a package of cuts totalling around £3 billion – threatens to strip away critical support from those who have the least, amplifying the ongoing crisis.
That’s a highly diplomatic way to describe it! Democide is the deliberate murder of any person or people by their government, for political reasons.
A good question, supported by strong points.
I wonder how we put them to the nation as a whole when the facts are stifled by our politicians – of all sides; they seem to be colluding in this democide – and their client, right-wing, media.
Source: The Dangerous Game of Words And Their Impact on Disabled People – The poor side of life
Vox Political needs your help!
If you want to support this site
(but don’t want to give your money to advertisers)
you can make a one-off donation here:
Be among the first to know what’s going on! Here are the ways to manage it:
1) Register with us by clicking on ‘Subscribe’ (bottom right of the home page). You can then receive notifications of every new article that is posted here.
2) Follow VP on Twitter @VoxPolitical
3) Like the Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/VoxPolitical/
Join the Vox Political Facebook page.
4) You could even make Vox Political your homepage at http://voxpoliticalonline.com
5) Follow Vox Political writer Mike Sivier on BlueSky
6) Join the MeWe page at https://mewe.com/p-front/voxpolitical
7) Feel free to comment!
And do share with your family and friends – so they don’t miss out!
If you have appreciated this article, don’t forget to share it using the buttons at the bottom of this page. Politics is about everybody – so let’s try to get everybody involved!
Buy Vox Political books so we can continue
fighting for the facts.
Cruel Britannia is available
in either print or eBook format here:
The Livingstone Presumption is available
in either print or eBook format here:
Health Warning: Government! is now available
in either print or eBook format here:
The first collection, Strong Words and Hard Times,
is still available in either print or eBook format here:
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