With a lot of fanfare yesterday Mel Stride went on TV to announce yet another scheme to get people back to work particularly those who have recently left work to see if they can prevent that happening. They are recruiting and many are already set up, so I thought it was time to highlight the prospectus for you so you can read or download how this will work for yourselves which included an employment & health conversation.
The Employment and Health Conversation will determine which route claimants are pushed down so those in and out work need to pay attention to the document below.
These bastards are patronising to say the least, but with Government reforms being rolled out by stealth without scrutiny before they get potentially booted at election but don’t make the mistake thinking labour wont keep the status quo because ‘tough on welfare’ Reeves is no friend to us either. The latter document is for those who have disabilities There is so much I would love to post but it wont all fit .
I’m not going to waffle on but let you Download or Read for yourselves.
Update Info:
Universal Credit Managed Migration will clear Tenant Farmers from the Uplands.
Yes, it’s a thing. Tenant farmers rent land, rent their house and even rent the animals in the flock. Upland farmers are among the poorest farmers in the country. They are self employed with a fluctuating income, highly dependent for their income on sales at market or to supermarkets. This makes it difficult for them to have a predictable income.
Many low income farmers can claim Housing Benefit to cover the rental of the farm house. Where they have children, they can claim Child Tax Credit as well as Working Families Tax Credit. Housing Benefit, Child Tax Credit and Working Families Tax Credit are collectively called Now like a flock of sheep on a hillside the upland farmers are going to herded into the Universal Credit sheepfold, where they will get dipped into the Job Centre for an interview with a Job Coach. They will be told that they are not making enough money by the Job Coaches. They will be told that they are hobby farmers by the Job Coaches. To continue to receive benefits, Universal credit and the housing element of that benefit, they will be told to make visible efforts to earn more money from the farm, or to get another job. Tenant farmers’ income is precarious and they are always at risk, from land owners putting up rents, or evicting them to grow a Government subsidised wood, from supermarkets who pay them the bare minimum. The changes to benefits are coming so quickly the tenant farmers will not have time to diversify their businesses to make the more money that Job Coaches migrating them from legacy benefits to Universal Credit will demand. If there benefits are stopped by a decision maker how will they pay the rent of the farmhouse, their home? Is the DWP assisting with latter day version of the Highland Clearances?
Forgive me if this is a long one but it is necessary.
I am not a journalist but I am disabled and an activist fighting for disability rights In the UK.
I think it time to set the record straight and challenge the vile pervasive rhetoric that the public have been fed by the government for the last decade or more which has created ingrained hatred towards claimants, particularly disabled people.
Disabled people have been labelled work shy scroungers and demonised in the media long enough. 50% of Disabled people do work.
Nobody would choose to be either born with severe impairments or chronically sick or have their mental health impaired which incapacitates them daily. This is not the ‘bluesy life’s up and downs’ scenario but a constant daily battle just to get through a day without pain, get the right support to help you stay alive and live a independent life as much as possible within your community.
Most disabled people accept that to get state support from a social security system, you know that supposed ‘Safety Net’ everyone pays into in times of need. When life throws you a curveball that you have to try to overcome that may involve a ‘assessment of need’ through the state apparatus backed up with medical evidence to stake your entitlement to support.
Billions have been spent removing vital support from disabled people which incidentally has cut billions to disabled peoples income which is already cut to the bone, The DWP has had to pay millions too in misadministration via the courts when disabled people challenged decisions made by their contractors to deny entitlement to the support they should have received in the first place and complaints towards this department bad management rise year on year.
That was without the damming UN Report which condemned the UK government had gravely and systemically abused the rights of disabled people and that alone should have raised the alarm bells but it fell on deaf ears to everyone except those affected.
Then we had the Covid 19 pandemic (which is still ongoing) costing many disabled and elderly peoples their lives because of this governments incapacity to handle such a crisis and their failure to plan for such events plus Covid lasting effects all piled on the pressure on a system that was already at breaking point and the economy which went into freefall after Brexit and Liz Truss botched decisions and the DWP dropped the checks to UC to ensure people were actually entitled to financial support, crashed the UK economy into a recession where many also lost their jobs, and businesses closed daily . This led to untold fraudulent claims which ironically the said they would write off and are still chasing those claimants to hold them to account. I suspected at the time the fraud was announced it would be used to penalise the rise in claims due to long covid and sure enough that’s exactly what is happening.
Then add all cuts elsewhere in public services which compound the issues such as lack of GP appointments, social care, dental care, hospital outpatient appointments cancelled, led to many waiting on medical treatment and we have a sicker nation as a result.
Disabled people have to go through demeaning and humiliating strict functional assessments which includes form filling of 50+ pages and provide medical evidence to show that the impacts on their daily lives are worthy of what is the pittance of a low income that enables them to barely survive on the basics. Then add the cost of living crisis where everything a human being needs has risen to such high price it no longer meets that basic level of need for survival. That’s just for starters under Legacy benefits which are all being migrated to Universal Credit which is also afforded to those hard working families who are on a low income.
With government rhetoric of ‘getting more people into work’ breathing down the necks of many struggling families they have managed to conflate it to include Jobseekers who are able and fit enough to seek work and disabled people who can and are able to work also. The stark difference of some disabled people with impairments and access to work support to access the workplace. However chronically ill people, cannot always do this.
The Government then announced a series of reforms to Universal Credit making it more difficult to claim because of their own mistakes during covid claiming fraudulent claimants were taking the taxpayer for a ride which was a distortion of the truth as claimant fraud is and has remained 2-4% not that that’s acceptable it isn’t, fraud is serious criminal offence and should be stamped out, but cleverly distorting the truth of fraud is shameful attack because fraud also includes Dept Error which is higher so the claims of 9% justifies the removal of support to disabled people they have planned long term.
Then yesterday with much fanfare they announced further reforms to not only the work capability assessment but to the PIP assessment process criteria which will cut support for most disabled people to please the potential voters in a election run up where both main parties are battling to out do each other on who going to be tougher on benefits because we have a public who believed that the taxpayers are being mugged off by work shy scroungers with 50 inch flat screen tv’s and the mythical free car parked on the drive. This was also done on the day they debated the Assisted Dying bill which many disabled fear because the government claim they are non productive and called stock and useless eaters which are a burden on the taxpayer smacks of eugenics by stealth.
After releasing the consultation this is yet another demeaning attack on disabled people who are being asked should they be given vouchers AKA benefit card mentality instead of money if they are worthy enough to pass go, which can be exchanged at the ‘Crip Warehouse’ which is the disabled version of Brighthouse on the high street to access various Therapies and Equipment which isn’t always suitable for the needs of disabled people when other products are more suitable elsewhere most likely run by companies or NHS the government approved services contracted to deliver such things who will make a nice profit from misery or shove you into a care home to save money.
How is that not taking away independence, choice, self-determination for disabled people and another human rights abuses! It asks about Mobility equipment that will include the mythical free car that claimants use, the mobility component to pay for to the Motabilty Scheme Charity which provides vehicles or scooters to enable people to participate in society, most importantly to get to work, pay for assistance from a human being to get them ready for the day ahead such as cleaners, gardeners because they cannot do tasks others take for granted or someone to help them out of bed, feed and wash them.
Not only is this dangerous but if enacted will cause more deaths of those disabled people they so desperately want into work particularly to those with serious mental health conditions but those with chronic ill health too. The political opposition should not only speak out and quash fears many have that should they gain power they will do the same, but treat disabled people fairly, equally without fear of punishment because they happen to be unfortunate not to be able to work.
Being on social security is not a lifestyle choice trust me if you ever god forbid find yourself in need as I did after major surgery that went drastically wrong because of a underfunded, over burdened NHS. My saviour was a NHS Consultant who saved my life more than once. Yes life changes, Disabled people do adapt more often than not but people need to wake up and stop this continued assault and realise life could throw you a curveball and you will find yourself in a very different position terrorised by the state that promises to support you when you need it.
There is much confusion about recent announcements announced by Sunak but lets not take lightly the Statutory Instruments being rushed through Like the legislation to amend AET (Administration Earnings Threshold) Applies from May 6th and the cruel removal of benefits for those out of work for more than 12 mths in the next parliament.
Firstly All those legacy claimants who thought they had some time will now be moved to Universal Credit(UC). Those Migration notices will be all issued by December 2025 according to Neil Couling. These it is understood to be going out as soon as Sept 2024.
Disabled people and Fit Notes: When you fill in your UC claim you need to ‘State Reg 19 which means you have a pre-determined award’ on your form therefore you do not need a fit note but many work coaches are insisting this still is needed as many don’t know their own rules. Fit notes are being removed from GP surgeries no doubt by others who are not qualified like your GP to decide under new consultation by Sunak alongside a PIP consultation too, as too many they claim are entitled to high rates of benefit. This is no more than a stiffening of the processes to deny genuine claims to save money.
The WCA is also being scrapped from April 2025 where the new Dual Assessments will apply and those without PIP will lose £390 approx unless the work coach decides you may be entitled to the Health Element. These people are now in a position to decide if you are fit for work or not is one of the most dangerous moves this government as produced and many think Atos and the likes were bad enough.
Existing Universal Credit or Income based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimants who currently have no work-related requirements will not be reassessed or lose benefit because of these changes, except in some very limited circumstances. according to Mims Davies in her reply to me. They will be transitionally protected and that will be eroded over time by any rises in UC elements.
Customers on Contribution Based ESA and with Means tested Benefits HB, CTC,WTC or top up IB ESA will migrate, but those on CB ESA/JSA only will not. Many are worried that they be forced to work but Davies said remote working and hybrid working during Covid now makes this possible and everyone in the Household Benefit Unit will have to agree a Claimant Commitment.
This will come under the guise of Universal Support (out of work) or (In work) Workwell programs linked to Back to Work Plan. There was also a fuss about Health and Work Program finishing this is utter bullshit it was renamed Health Transformation Program and here are the contract areas for the Dual assessments. The target groups are mainly those with Mental Health and Musculoskeletal problems but not exclusively as there is a list of target groups also.
Many other things have been announced such as the Fraud Bill where the DWP can spy on claimants and while I do not condone fraud in anyway this can lead to those caught being arrested and possessions taken under new measures if this bill passes, Plus a overall tightening up on descriptors of both WCA/PIP to prevent a further escalation of new claims which happened under Covid.
On 15th April the Government updated 207 new documents on UC to bring them inline for the new reforms. While everyone is looking for a saviour under the guise of Labour’s Liz Kendal I fear she will be worse than the current lot and less transparent in all honesty , although polls are suggesting a win at election time. I fear many more deaths are in the pipeline for disabled people unable to cope or sustain employment under duress.
Apologies for not blogging for some time now but I have been busy helping people who have fallen victim to DWP assessors.
As election season begins The Tories have outdone themselves with a more brutal assault on disabled people and their rights in hope of pandering to the electorate’s hatred of claimants who they have been told are fiddling the system. Talk about being hoodwinked is understatement but we must challenge this divisive rhetoric.
Back in December 2023 I wrote to express my disgust at the way the Tories announced with glee they were going to target disabled people regarding their Back to Work Plan so I spent time carefully challenging them. I expected them to deny this and I wasn’t disappointed but it was letting them know I was watching them closely given I live in a tory safe seat.
“I am utterly disappointed to see yet again disabled people are being targeted by government policy.
In particular the fact that many who have been assessed by the gov contractors and placed in LCWRA group will now be subjected to some form of work related activity and 680,000 will retrospectively lose £390 month at a time of the cost of living crisis and may have to choose which priority they cannot live without for the additional costs of their disability needs to live independently. While I support the fact those who are able or chose to work should be supported to do so, but many cannot and could lead to unsustainable employment and in some cases fatalities of which the DWP has already seen happen in its thousands. This will lead to more health issues and likely increased admissions to hospitals when our NHS is on its knees and facing yet another winter crisis.
Secondly I am rather cross the Gov is still peddling fraud as a major issue regarding those claiming state support, When claimant fraud has fallen to 0.05% while other fraud has risen when the DWP has made major errors during the Covid Crisis in not paying due diligence to assess the news claims were genuine which has lead to an overall rise. Let alone the Covid loan crisis to businesses which was claimed to be written off. 99.5% of claimants are honest and there is no reason whatsoever that the government plans to check claimant bank accounts and potentially is against the HRA Articles 8 and 14 . This kind of interference is peoples lives is unnecessary and a waste staff time chasing bogus reports of fraud 99% are unfounded and malicious. You already have robust procedures in place to track those who do commit fraud but ironically cant track the Covid loans.
Lastly I realise that government wants to reduce the welfare budgets but targeting disabled people consistently in this government’s tenure is utterly disgraceful. Living on Social Security is not a lifestyle choice as nobody in their right mind would choose to live in poverty with the threat of having support removed by flawed assessments and sanctions and the fact this task is proposed to be passed to work coaches which in my opinion will lead to worse results and dangerous than the private contractors who regularly do not apply the criteria correctly and write reports which are later found to be wanting in fact and found to be embellished at times.”
Below is the response I got from Mims Davies (but she not off the hook yet cos I plan to attack their recent announcements) also that is something all disabled people can do as well as write to the local press challenging the rhetoric being spouted by both main parties on disability.
Mims Davies Response:
Thank you for your email of 13 December 2023 to the Secretary of State on behalf of Ms Gail Ward about the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) reforms, benefit fraud, and the Third-Party Data Gathering measure. I am replying as the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, and I apologise for the delay. Please pass on my thanks to Ms Ward for taking the time to write in raising these issues. I write to you with the latest update and I hope she will find the following comments to be helpful. The Government is committed to ensuring the welfare system encourages and supports people into work, while providing a vital safety net for those who need it most. To enable this, at Autumn Statement in November 2023, we announced changes to the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) criteria. The Government’s full response can be found here at: http://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/work-capability-assessment-activities-and-descriptors/outcome/government-response-to-the-work-capability-assessment-activities-and-descriptors-consultation. Existing Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimants who currently have no work-related requirements will not be reassessed or lose benefit because of these changes, except in some very limited circumstances. From 2025, the WCA will be updated to better reflect the increase in availability of hybrid and home working opportunities and better employer understanding of the accessibility needs of disabled people and people with health conditions. This will largely affect new ESA or Universal Credit claimants who report a health condition. These changes are not about sanctioning people nor forcing them into work where this is not appropriate, but about ensuring people can access appropriate support and enabling them to have access to the advantages that work can provide, both financially and for improving their health. Existing limited capability for work-related activity (LCWRA) group claimants do not receive employment support, and that is not right given we know one in five of them are interested in working in the future. The changes will mean that around 370,000 people by 2028/29 will be offered personalised support to help them move closer towards work. Under current assessment rules, these people would receive no support from the Department as they would have been placed in the LCWRA group. We recognise that work is not possible for everyone, and no one with no work-related requirements will face conditionality or related benefit sanctions as a result of these changes – all support towards work will continue to be voluntary for claimants with work-related requirements. The Department for Work and Pensions has set standards for the quality of assessments for all assessment providers and its independent auditors. The Department closely monitors all aspects of the process including the performance of the assessment providers. Audit refers to a comprehensive check of the elements of the assessment, as well as the evidence collection, further evidence provided, and the assessment report completed by the healthcare professional. The check is completed against a set of guidelines to ensure a consistent approach is taken. This ensures that assessment reports are fit for purpose, clinically justified and sound, and provide sufficient information for the Department to make an informed decision on entitlement to benefit. All assessment providers work with the Department on plans to continuously improve assessment quality through a range of measures including audit procedures, clinical observations (by the Department – only in Personal Independence Payment), tailored training and development plans, providing feedback and support available to healthcare providers. Assessment quality is a priority for both providers and the Department. It works extensively with providers to make improvements to guidance, training and audit procedures to ensure a quality service. A high standard is always maintained having an independent audit function that continually monitors performance and provides feedback to providers. Independent audit, a self-contained team comprising of experienced healthcare professionals, continually monitors performance and provides feedback to providers. Improvements have been supported by five independent reviews of the WCA process, two independent reviews of the Personal Independence Payment assessment process, and the Department has also taken on board recommendations from the Work and Pension Committee. Quality performance is regularly reviewed through the Department and provider senior governance meetings at a national level and in each of the provider areas. The Department is clear that providers should strive for 100 per cent accuracy. It wants every report to reflect a high-quality functional assessment that can be used to make benefit entitlement decisions. The Department does not want any reports to be of an unacceptable standard. It has set providers a threshold for unacceptable reports, above which there are performance guarantees. The Department receiving an unacceptable assessment report does not necessarily lead to an incorrect decision being made on the individual’s benefit entitlement, as there are a range of measures to safeguard the accuracy of the decision. • The Department makes the final decision on an individual’s entitlement to benefit. The information it uses to make the decision includes the assessment report, any further evidence provided by the individual or sourced by the providers, and the individual’s written application that includes a description of the effect of their disability or health condition. • The Department can seek additional advice from the providers on their recommendations and their rationale. • Reports can be returned to the providers to be reworked, or for an additional assessment to take place, to address deficiencies in the original report before the benefit entitlement decision is made. Turning now to Ms Ward’s comments regarding benefit fraud, I would first like to emphasise that benefit fraud is a serious offence, depriving those who need it most, of vital support. To address Ms Ward’s comments regarding the Department’s actions during COVID, it’s important to stress that, at the beginning of the pandemic, the Department introduced operational adjustments to the delivery of its services. These easements were necessary to provide immediate financial support to millions of customers impacted by the pandemic. The Department consciously prioritised payments over losses to fraud by getting money to those who needed it as quickly as possible, by streamlining checks, which allowed it to help an extra three million people in 2020-21. However, as previously reported, unscrupulous fraudsters, including sophisticated organised crime groups, chose to take advantage of the situation. Exploitation of the benefit system is simply unacceptable, and the Department never lost sight of fraud, which it has continued to invest in fighting and developing new policies to tackle in the future. As the Department lost over £8 billion per year to fraud and error, since the pandemic, it is vitally important that public money is spent efficiently and fairly, and the Third Party Data Gathering measure Ms Ward cites is a strong, yet proportionate step to prevent the exploitation of the benefit system. The proposed measure, being progressed as part of the Data Protection and Digital Information (2) Bill, was first announced in the Department’s fraud plan, ‘Fighting Fraud in the Welfare System’, published in May 2022, which outlined the steps the Government would take to reduce fraud and error. The measure is solely designed to identify individuals who are potentially committing fraud or have errors in their claim. It will only seek information on people that have been paid a Departmental benefit and where the data suggests a potential risk of fraud or error. Furthermore, it will only request the minimum information needed to establish that and enable further query. Regarding the specific concerns raised about privacy, I can assure Ms Ward that the Department adheres to the Data Protection Principles, including the Purpose Limitation principle, which would mean that it must ensure that data collected in accordance with this power is used for the purpose for which it was collected and incidental matters. Furthermore, I can also assure Ms Ward that the Department fulfilled all the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED), as set out in section 149 of the Equality Act 2010, and in line with the Department’s statutory duty keeps the impact of this measure on groups with protected characteristics under continuous review. More widely, I would also stress that the Department is always careful to process data lawfully, proportionately, and ethically with meaningful human input and safeguards for the protection of individuals. For further information about the measure, Ms Ward can access the Fraud Plan at: http://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fighting-fraud-in-the-welfare-system. Mims Davies MP Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work
While she is correct to point out fraud is a serious criminal offence she still avoided answering the questions in reality and this latest assault will breach our human rights yet again and sadly they know they are and none of them don’t give a chuff because they are brazenly being let off the hook daily. She must think we are all stupid not to have read the links she provided.
So if you think this blogger is going to stay silent forget it, that’s just not going to happen! I will keep challenging in whatever capacity I can because benefit deaths are happening and will continue to until someone from a legal background steps up and is prepared to take them on through the courts and stop this death train in its tracks. Yes its not being dramatic to say those with Mental Health issues are not just got mild depression or anxiety, but many have serious debilitating mental health problems that IAPT simply cannot fix which could lead to them taking matters into their own hands because of the lack of support or those who are very sick dying in a job.
Finally If you can , and only if you can please donate/ support this following fundraiser to challenge this Government under Art 4.3 of Human Rights Act which is stated in the fundraiser.
Please donate, share with friends and family, Twitter (X) and any other platform you use FB Groups and pages to make this happen. Given this brave lady has stepped up to the plate
Everyone is waiting with abated breath for drastic change so they feel secure, well hold your breath for more of the same, according to Labour NPF (National Policy Forum )Document which is the basis of future Labour Policy intention for the manifesto.
Its hard to see positives and there are some, for workers and Unions, Families alike, but for those reliant on the state support it looking like more of the same, in fact it alarmingly mirrors Tory policy. We will have to wait till we see the disability policy in detail where the meat on the bone resides, but I thought I would blog the outline of the NPF final report for disabled people.
Labour has a plan to get Britain back to work, providing a path to good, secure and well-paid work that matches the skills and experience of workers, opening opportunity and spreading prosperity fairly.
We will reform job centres to ensure effective help to find work, make work pay via reform to social security and deliver specialist help for people with health conditions, disabled people and the over 50s. Labour will also treat people who are unable to work with respect and dignity.
Has a familiar tone doesn’t it !
A Labour government will reform employment support, including by devolving powers down to Local Government across the UK. We will boost locally delivered partnerships, giving them the freedom to decide how best to design schemes so that they are targeted to the needs of the local area. Labour will allow self-referrals to employment services and enable GPs, housing associations and community groups in England to direct people more easily to employment support
Labour will reform Jobcentre Plus to ensure it becomes more responsive to local economic needs and more actively engaged with the needs of people looking for work where rights to financial support are balanced by responsibilities to look for work and tailored help, through a clear strategy of supporting lifelong learning, from improved careers guidance at school and right throughout our lives and reforming the National Careers Service.
The number of people out of work for reasons of long-term sickness is now at a record high, but with the right support many will be able to find fulfilling work that suits their needs and skillset.
We commit to providing tailored support in every local area for those who need it, such as people with mental ill health or addiction. We will build on targeted programmes, including those that join up with the NHS, to provide better specialist support and break the link between inactivity and ill health.
Labour will fix the Access to Work scheme, with improved targets for assessment waiting times at reasonable time scales and by giving people who are looking for work ‘in principle’ indicative awards.
A Labour government would work in cross-departmental collaboration to provide targeted help for the over 50s and offer all those who have previously worked but recently left the labour market back-to-work support and guidance.
Labour will introduce further reform of employment support, devolving it to local areas, with a commitment to provide tailored support in every local area for harder to help groups
We will provide a reliable safety net for people who lose their jobs or who cannot work due to ill health or disability and help people on their journey back into work by allowing people to try paid work without reassessments if it does not work out. We will replace the current system of work capability assessments with a system that supports people to live with security. Labour will work with employers, trade unions and other stakeholders to support the wellbeing of workers and their long term physical and mental health.
Just wait it gets better……….
They are not experiencing hardship because they do not know how to budget their finances or have low aspirations. Far from it. Successive Conservative governments have undermined social security in this country. Cuts to support, divisive rhetoric from government ministers and a punitive culture have altered the landscape completely.
Labour will provide a reliable safety net for people who lose their jobs, including through large scale redundancies and insolvency, or who cannot work due to ill health, disability, or caring responsibilities. This safety net will continue to apply to those on legacy benefits too.
That starts with making Universal Credit work for everyone who relies on it. A Labour government will deliver this much-needed, fundamental reform of Universal Credit to tackle child poverty and offer a proper safety net. We will ensure it makes work pay, supports people back to work, allows people to live their lives in dignity, and addresses inequalities across society. Labour will do this by overhauling the current unfair and punitive system and end punitive sanctions which strip away people’s dignity, trap people in a cycle of low pay, insecurity and poverty. We will ensure every child has the best possible start in life and the opportunity to thrive.
When Labour says it will end punitive sanctions It doesn’t mean they wont sanction you, just reset them to there original purpose as a last resort.
Labour would examine whether the assessment period and payments are being delivered in a way that is responsive to changes in claimants pay, in recognition of the rise in zero hours contracts. Universal Credit payments must work for families where the main carer of children may not be the main earner, and we will consider whether split payments should be made the default to prevent domestic abuse and financial control. We recognize the importance of in person appointments in supporting people to access the social security system, such as those without digital skills.
A Labour Department for Work and Pensions would be committed to the social model of disability, not the medical model, and also incorporate principles of working with disabled people throughout policy processes, often referred to as coproduction.
We also know from experience coproduction means charities generally but good they switched to social model. When grassroots campaigners have tried to interact we are limited in scope as they have decided the direction of travel they just want disabled people to agree with them, and pick our brains on how to implement it. That is not coproduction its coercion.
Labour will treat disabled people with respect and dignity. Labour will work with disabled people to create policies which remove barriers to equality and focus on their representation at all levels of government. The Labour Party is committed to the social model of disability, not the medical model, and also to the principle of working with disabled people throughout policy processes, often referred to as co-production. This acknowledges that life is made more challenging for disabled people because of barriers in society and structural inequalities, not by their illness or impairment. We will honour our commitments to the United Nations’ Convention for the Rights of Disabled People and ensure its principles are reflected across government to create policies which remove barriers to equality and focus on disabled people’s representation at all levels of government.
I have to say this is disappointing and with Liz Kendall as the minister in charge and her previous divisive rhetoric about claimants it certainly isn’t a promising outlook at all. Its a carbon copy of Tory policy offering very little hope to those desperate for support. I hope Kendall et al prove me wrong but I doubt it. Even Angela Rayners Green paper was an identical copy. The glimmer of hope is Vicky Foxcroft who does listen, but is thwarted by her superiors in the department more often than not.
I think regardless of differences/grievances disabled people need to put that aside and come together to start the fire on the spit roast and hold Labour and Tories to account for the harm they have caused over the decades of eroding our rights and access to decent social security where we can live without fear of persecution in our homes and having our financial security ripped from our hands overnight by some zealous work coach, Yes the main contractors of Atos, Capita , Maximus are all responsible for considerably bad decisions but to leave it to work coaches in a JCP beggars belief. Finally not forgetting thousands who potentially are going to lose out under new Tory reforms in exchange for scrapping the WCA, which Labour agree with when they voted for the spring statement. Those without PIP will Lose £390 month which will not help disabled people meet their extra costs.
The Report mentions ‘we will be treated with dignity’ and ‘the rising costs of cost of living crisis’ many times but I will be watching out for that disability policy because they cannot be trusted as has been proven over decades. Disabled people are not guinea pigs to play with varying models of social security which have been enforced upon us and banded about before like UBI models. So it looks like UC is staying given the costs of it, but as SKWAWKBOX pointed out they plan to keep the brutal two child cap and as DNS also pointed out about the UNCRPD will be followed but not enshrined as campaigners have lobbied for, let alone the exorbitant care charges so many disabled people face just to remain independent while the wallets and purses are rinsed by greedy providers.
Just deliver a fair & just model and give us a standard of living to meet the additional costs we incur.
No Political Party in UK gets elected on a humane social security policy that much I know, otherwise anything that looks humane will just be a conduit for corporations to get contracts from Government to deny it responsibilities to those in need of state support.
Well what a day this Government has just divulged, its new Disability Paper yet to be passed through Parliament has been announced with glee while mocking the opposition in the process, and whom will no doubt support its progression into legislation.This legislation Is , if it passes not going to happen overnight indeed not in this parliament the scrapping of WCA and abolishing on conditionality groups according to journalist Dan Bloom wont happen till 2026/27and at best could be 2029 applying to new claims. Devolved nations are working with government but the Gov retains control of Universal Credit.
Disabled People now need to rise up in whatever way they can and Lobby the House of Lords for amendments to this legislation and look at if this can be legally challenged.
Minister Jeremy Hunt announced his mantra of ‘Creating Independence from Dependence’ Work will set you free in the name of inclusion of disabled people in society and workplace. Don’t get me wrong it not a bad thing to want inclusion and breaking down the barriers to employment for those who can and want to work.
So Lets gets to the nitty gritty of this paper.Its gonna be a long blog too so apologies in advance.
Supporting people to stay and succeed in work
We have expanded the group of healthcare professionals who can certify and issue fit notes. Since July 2022, nurses, occupational therapists, pharmacists and physiotherapists have been able to authorise fit notes in addition to doctors. This ensures that the fit note captures advice from the most relevant healthcare professional on how people can be supported to stay in work or return to work more quickly. We have also changed regulations to enable fit notes to be completed, authorised and issued digitally. This improves the experience of receiving a fit note for those that are digitally enabled.Occupational health (OH) services can play an important role in supporting disabled people and those with health conditions to stay and succeed in work.We are testing a financial incentive and support model to encourage employers to purchase OH services. User-centred design has commenced, working towards development of a minimum viable product. This test will help us to determine whether to seek to expand the service nationally in the next Spending Review period should it prove effective and value for money in helping small and medium-sized enterprises and the self-employed overcome cost and information barriers to purchasing OH.To tackle the declining number of OH professionals to deliver OH services, we are continuing work with the OH sector to identify ways to support development of the multidisciplinary OH workforce
Access to Work Supporting Transitions
Access to Work is a discretionary grant that provides a financial contribution for the disability related extra costs of working disabled people face, that are beyond standard reasonable adjustments.The grant can provide personalised support, of up to £65,180 per person per year, to enable disabled people to move into or stay in work. To transform the service disabled people receive and deliver a more efficient and quicker service, Access to Work is developing an innovative digital service.Access to Work has developed a flexible offer to enable disabled people or people with a health condition to take up new hybrid working opportunities. The flexible offer contains a blended package of support. This complements standard adjustments and offers a tailored package of support to work in the workplace, at home, or a combination of both. To support disabled people to work independently and explore new ways of working, Access to Work has introduced an application for disabled contractors and freelancers. This application offers greater flexibility to take up time-limited contracts and removes the need for people to re-apply for Access to Work every time they begin a new period of work. The application supports the movement between contracts by providing assurance for employers that support is already in place. It removes the need for repeated holistic assessments where the person’s needs remain the same. To help people as they move into work, and support the move from education into employment, Access to Work is supporting a series of Adjustment Passport trials. The Adjustment Passport will provide a living document of the disabled person’s workplace adjustments, general working requirements and signposts adjustment support at every stage of the journey into work. The Adjustment Passport can be shared with the employer to reduce the need for the disabled person to repeat details of their disability, empower them to have more confident conversations about disability and reduce the time it takes to obtain an Access to Work award by removing the need for an assessment where the in-work support needs remain the same. The new offer introduces a package of increased personal support, supervision in excess of what is usually required to perform work tasks, ongoing support from a work coach and support to deliver work tasks above the current Access to Work limit of 20%.
Mental health and wellbeing support
An essential part of supporting disabled people and people with health conditions to live independent lives is that we do more to prevent avoidable health issues and help people to recover where their condition is responsive to treatment. Mental health conditions are a particular area of concern, with prevalence of common mental disorders growing over time. DHSC will publish a Major Conditions Strategy. The Strategy will outline a strong and coherent policy agenda that sets out a shift to integrated, inclusive, whole-person care. The Strategy will tackle conditions that contribute most to morbidity and mortality across the population in England, including (but not exclusively) mental ill health and musculoskeletal conditions. The Access to Work Mental Health Support Service (MHSS) offers mental health support to people in employment. This can be accessed remotely as well as face-to-face. The MHSS delivers a package of tailored support and advice by experienced mental health practitioners for up to nine months and can provide coping strategies, developing a step-by-step support plan, advice on adjustments and support for employers to enable them to fully understand an individual’s health condition
This Document is meaty so I will try stick and quote the important bits into bite size chunks.
Flexible working – helping people to remain in work
The Government has taken forward its manifesto commitment to consult on flexible working. The consultation considered steps which might increase the availability and uptake of flexible working arrangements in Great Britain. Following consultation, the Government has committed to: • Give all employees the right to request flexible working from their first day of employment. This will ensure that an additional estimated 2.2 million people will be able to request flexible working arrangements; • Require employers to consult with an employee, as a means of exploring alternative options, before rejecting the request; • Allow employees to make two flexible working requests a year (up from one) and ensure that they receive faster decisions on their requests; and • Remove the requirement for employees to explain the expected impact of their requested arrangement on the employer
Supporting people to start and succeed in work
Jobcentre Plus staff should have a better awareness of both physical and mental health conditions and disabilities and understand the impact a disability has on an individual. Feeling listened to and feeling that we have empathy for people’s circumstances are important. Over an initial three-year period we will be offering more work coach support to people with health conditions receiving Universal Credit (UC) or Employment and Support Allowance (ESA), helping open-up more access to labour market opportunities. Last year we began trialling an offer of stepping up the work coach support for people on UC and ESA currently awaiting their Work Capability Assessment (WCA) and for people who have been found to have limited capability for work or limited capability for work-related activity following a WCA but would like help to move closer to or into work. This support is being trialled initially across a third of Jobcentres. Through increased direct work coach support in Jobcentres, we will be able to make sure that disabled people can find out about employment programmes, wider skills support and schemes including Access to Work and the Flexible Support Fund to help more people overcome barriers to employment. The trial aims to improve our understanding of the support that disabled people and people with health conditions need, and we will expand access to all Jobcentres in future years.
Working alongside our employer and partnership teams, and with employers, our Jobcentre coaches not only help people to return to previous careers but also help to explore alternative jobs in new and emerging sectors. Our DEAs (Disability Employment Advisors) will continue to help embed understanding and upskill work coaches on new initiatives, like the Access to Work Health Adjustment Passport, to ensure that they can support our customers effectively, including as we rollout additional work coach support.
Improving Jobcentre Plus accessibility
During the pandemic we changed the way we delivered services through Jobcentres. These changes included directly contacting people when more information was required for their claim instead of waiting for them to contact us and the introduction of remote interviewing channels to support people through the claims process. We have worked with the National Autistic Society to develop a framework for ensuring that autistic customers of DWP received appropriate and high-quality service, then tested this in 15 offices across England, Scotland and Wales. All 15 offices were accredited as fully meeting the standard. We are now considering whether this framework can be rolled out across the whole network of Jobcentres. The improved ways of working set out in the framework will also have benefits for customers with other neurodiverse conditions and learning disabilities.
Isn’t it wonderful how they dress it up like they are doing you a favour? Future Generations will be subjected to this and I don’t think they will thank us for failing them miserably to a life of pernicious servitude and at the mercy of a Government (whoever that may be) with malicious intent to cause further harm to its populas, and possibly further fatalities of those who are very fragile health wise.If you have good health you don’t mind the opportunity to be part of society and Inclusion in the workplace, but you do expect them to understand the basics, of anyone can be struck down with ill health and need state support will get it.
Targeted employment support for disabled people
The Work and Health Programme (WHP) is a specialist employment programme to which work coaches can refer disabled people. The WHP provides additional support for disabled people and disadvantaged groups who expect to find work within 12 months.We will undertake full impact evaluation of the WHP, including delivery by our local government partners in London and Manchester. We will reflect this and wider evidence in the design and delivery of future support when this programme comes to an end.
Expanding successful tests and trials in health settings
We are working to increase integrated support within the health and care system through the DWP/DHSC Joint Work and Health Unit. As we learn more from our work, we are starting to expand initiatives that are proving successful, so that we can reach a larger number of people. We know that receiving employment support alongside psychological therapy led to improved mental health for clients who were out of work or off sick when they entered therapy.We are in the process of extending the Employment Advisers in NHS Talking Therapies services (previously known as Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) IAPT to all NHS Talking Therapies services across England. Full roll-out will be achieved by 1 April 2024. Over 200,000 people will start Employment Support in NHS Talking Therapies sites over the Spending Review period, of which 100,000 will start employment support per year from and including 2024/25.
The government will also pilot a new programme, Work Well, to better integrate employment and health support for those with health conditions, supporting individuals into employment and to remain in work.
Autistic people and people with severe or specific learning disabilities are the least likely of all disabled people to be in work. Working with local authorities, we could deliver a model of supported employment which increased the employment prospects for this group. Building on this test, we are providing funding to expand this provision to 28 local authority areas across England and Wales until March 2025. The local supported employment initiative will help around 2,000 adults with learning disabilities, autism or both to move into and stay in work. UKSPF funding can be used to support a wide range of people, including disabled people and people with health conditions, people aged over 50, women, young people not in education, employment or training, and people from an ethnic minority. Lead authorities have submitted investments plans to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities ahead of grants being issued. The Government is committed to exploring how we can work with local leaders to direct national and local support most effectively (including through devolved funding such as UKSPF), building on the learning from initiatives such as Local Supported Employment.
In-work progression
We are extending the support Jobcentres provide to people in work and on Universal Credit to help them to increase their earnings and move into better-paid jobs via the new In-Work Progression Offer. From April 2022, we have been rolling out a new voluntary progression offer, available to working Universal Credit claimants including disabled people and people with physical and/or mental health conditions to ensure they can access support to move into higher-paid work. This will be provided by work coaches and will focus on removing barriers to progression and providing help to put together a tailored progression plan. This may include considering skills gaps, identifying training opportunities or looking at opportunities for the person to progress in their current role or supporting them to move into a new role. Building on the voluntary offer, and as announced in the Autumn Statement 2022, from September 2023, we will start to require UC claimants in the ‘Light Touch’ conditionality group to engage with our progression offer. This will mean that over 600,000 people claiming Universal Credit will be required to meet with a work coach so that they can benefit from support to increase their hours or earnings and overcome barriers to progression. Employer engagement will be crucial to making this new offer a success. That’s why Jobcentres will be supported in this new role by a network of 37 Progression Champions across Great Britain who will spearhead the scheme. Progression Champions will work with key partners, including employers and skills providers, to identify and develop local progression opportunities. They will also work with partners to address local barriers that limit progression, such as transport and childcare.
According to Budget statement Progression Support can be up to 4k per head. The rumours flying around Yesterday all over social media surrounding PIP being means tested is not factually correct.
Disabled people while many will be pleased the WCA has been abolished under government proposals to scrap the conditionality groups , it will come at a cost!
We are currently ploughing through the Disability White Paper so far many disabled people will lose out under new proposals, as the Disability Element of Universal Credit is now to be changed to a Health Element with PIP being the passporting lever.
Those without PIP will only get the Standard Allowance of Universal Credit and ‘No Health element added’ to their claims.This means more savage financial cutting to those who need it, as it replaced Severe Disability Premium under the legacy system. More disabled people are now facing the prospect of being forced into work in the future and subjected to the sanction regime which is also being ramped up to be stricter even though it have proven sanctions do not encouraged people into work just further poverty.
Parents/ Carers who look after disabled children/people who claim UC themselves will be penalised and pushed into work.
Many disabled people still do not understand Universal Credit, that it is based on Household Income (Benefit Unit) and monthly assessment periods can change. PIP assessments remain In place. Those who are in the legacy system on ESA only to be migrated in 2028 will get transitional protection.
A simple Change of Circumstances will reduce any transitional protection , and if they lose benefit Transitional Protection will not be applied to future claims except in certain circumstances.”
So far contributory benefits are not mentioned in the paper,but those on NEW ESA/JSA which is Contributory Based Normally, this means you may be able to get it if you’ve paid or been credited with enough National Insurance contributions in the 2 full tax years before the year you’re claiming in. included in managed migration to Universal Credit if they get any of the following:
Child Tax Credit
Housing Benefit
Income Support
income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
Working Tax Credit
In Other Budget News
Its isn’t the best news in the world that’s for sure this will worry many and have adverse affect on there well being both mentally Parents: The government is significantly expanding the support on offer by providing 30 hours a week of free childcare for 38 weeks a year, for eligible working parents of children aged 9 months to 3 years. This will be rolled out in phases from April 2024 and is in addition to the 30 hours a week already provided for eligible working parents of 3 to 4-year-olds. The government will also provide £204 million in 2023-24, increasing to £288 million in 2024-25, to substantially uplift the hourly funding rate paid to providers to deliver the existing free hours offers in England. The government is also launching a new wraparound pathfinder scheme to support the expansion of school-based childcare provision either side of the school day. Support for childcare costs in Universal Credit will be made available upfront and the maximum potential benefit for parents will be increased.
The government has already committed to maths to 18 and is rolling out T Levels, Skills Bootcamps and the Lifelong Loan Entitlement, which will have a transformative impact on post-18 education, giving people the opportunity to study, retrain and upskill throughout their working lives. Spring Budget introduces Returnerships: a new offer targeted at the over-50s, which brings together existing skills programmes, supported by £63 million of additional funding.
The government is increasing the amount of income tax relief available to foster carers and shared lives carers. The threshold of income at which qualifying carers begin paying tax on care income will be increased to £18,140 per year plus £375 to £450 per person cared for per week for 2023-24 and these thresholds will then be index-linked, representing a tax cut worth approximately £450 per year on average.
The government is introducing a Universal Support programme in England and Wales to match people with disabilities and long-term sickness with jobs and provide support and training to help them succeed
Spring Budget also introduces a suite of measures to address the leading causes of ill health related inactivity, including tailored employment support in mental health and musculoskeletal health services, and expanding access to digital resources and health checks.There are currently 5.9 million Universal Credit claimants. Many are out of work or on low earnings and could be contributing more to the economy and earning higher wages. The government is therefore providing additional support to help Universal Credit claimants find employment or increase their hours, by increasing Work Coach support and work search requirements, and strengthening support for claimants that are carers of children. Workers aged over 50 left the labour market in the greatest numbers during the COVID-19 pandemic. To encourage this group to extend their working lives, the government is increasing tax relief on pensions. The Lifetime Allowance charge will be removed from April 2023 before the Allowance is abolished entirely from April 2024, and the Annual Allowance will be raised to £60,000.
Hopefully most people will understand this and you have not either fallen to sleep, died and rigor mortice has set in or have gone for the nearest bottle of alcohol But smokers beware your habit just went up £1.15 pkt.
“For those who are receiving the limited capability for work- and work-related activity (LCWRA), but not PIP, we will carefully consider whether they meet the PIP assessment and eligibility criteria. As we develop our reform proposals, we will consider how disabled people, and people with health conditions, who need additional financial support may receive it. This will be carefully worked through and reported on before we introduce legislation in the next parliament.
People who are eligible for PIP will be able to claim it, and Universal Credit will continue to provide support for people on low incomes.
Our reforms mean we will take a new approach, focused on what people can do, and with personalised support, rather than focusing on what people cannot do and writing them off.
These reforms will be rolled out on a gradual, geographical basis, starting with new claims from 2026, and reaching existing claims from 2029 onwards at the earliest.
Any claimants on the Universal Credit health journey who do not currently claim PIP may do so.
With regard to migration of legacy benefit claimants, the Government is committed to migrating all legacy benefit claimants to Universal Credit by the end of 2024, except for claimants receiving income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) only, or income-related ESA with Housing Benefit, who will be migrated across from 2028. However, these claimants can still migrate onto Universal Credit before 2028 if they have a change of circumstances that requires a new claim to a benefit that Universal Credit is replacing, or if they choose to do so.
Claimants in receipt of both income-related and contributory-based ESA, or Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), will form part of this migration. This is because the income-related aspect of these benefits will need to be replaced by Universal Credit. When this occurs, the contributory-based ESA or JSA will then be converted to New Style ESA or JSA.
However, for claimants who are currently receiving ‘old style’ contributory-based ESA or JSA only, their claims will become New Style ESA or JSA, if, in the future, they make a new claim to Universal Credit.”
Throughout history there have been arguments and theories about how the natural world is governed by certain truths, that cannot be denied.
Charles Darwin (1809~1882) was a geologist who developed The Theory of Evolution to try to explain the progression of our humanity, he wrote a lot about the need for any animal, bird, fish or insect to be able to do one of two things to survive, the main one being working together, secondly the ability to change when living situations change The Origin of Species first published in November 1859 said that animal , birds, fishes, or insects who learned the best way to survive and had the ability to adapt are usually the ones who survive and succeed.
His arguments regarding natural selection, have always been used as the basis of eugenicist arguments that keep telling the story that disabled people are a natural drain on a communities resources and time. Political parties on the traditional left have always given the impression that they really care for the vulnerable in society.
But their words hide a sinister truth, several contributors to the birth of The Welfare State, and The Labour Party were supporters of eugenics, William Beverage thought ‘The Generally Defective’ were nothing but a public nuisance that should be denied civil freedom, the vote and fatherhood. (Freedland J. (Eugenics the skeleton that rattles the loudest in the lefts closet.
As Mike Oliver Author and activist stated “The definitions and experience of disability vary from society to society depending on a whole range of material and social factors. The crucial area to be discussed… is why is the view of disability as an individual, medical problem, and a personal tragedy been the most predominant view in Capitalist societies?”
Oliver (1990) P,25.
No political establishment, or socialist state can ever be expected to liberate anyone with a disability because the workplace, whether within the home or factory has never been fully accessible, to disabled people!
And for as long as we are seen as weak and defenceless the state will always make sure we remain that way… And profit from our poverty, no political party cares unless some politician can win votes by saying they ‘understand’.
So where does that leave us as a community facing yet another round of cuts to our standard of living, cuts to benefits, heating, and rising food prices.
As Peter Kropotkin said “The species that practices peace and mutual support as the rule, prosper, whilst unsociable species decay”.
(P.A.Kropotkin: Mutual Aid a factor in Evolution) (1902)
So what is ‘Mutual Aid’ and can it change the lives of disabled people for the better? Okay lets look at the current situation in the U.K. we have got a Kleptocratic government (A government that has used their power to steal the nations resources). They have made people believe that food banks are the only thing the poor might be entitled to.
But for as long as those food banks are run by charities and churches rather than the people that need them, then the Victorian myth of the feckless pauper and the deserving poor will remain embedded in the nations collective mind.
The same stupid standards are not shown to the rich man who has inherited his wealth and the other man who has worked for it!
The very idea that the inherent threat of impending starvation can coerce a man or woman into wage slavery until ten or twenty years before death is an insult to everyone who fought against the indignity of fascism!
the State wants a person to prove beyond doubt that Now they are disabled enough to justify a basic standard of living.
Meanwhile The Catholic Church, of which I am a somewhat sceptical part, tells the poor that an anarchist carpenter, who was a thorn in the side of the Jewish hierarchy and the Roman occupation of his native land, suffered and died for their sins, and will bring them everlasting life.
Provided that they give some of their wealth to the church, so the church that has its own bank, can give to the poor and destitute. Unlike Said Carpenter who whipped the money lenders in the temple, and drove out the animals, symbolising a new form of individual sacrifice more profound than any other in history!
(The Gospel of John 2:13 ~ 16)
To quote The Catholic Anarchist Dorothy Day when quoting the English Dominican magazine Blackfriars headline in 1965
“Who Baptised Capitalism?”
Duty of Delight, The Diaries of Dorothy Day Edited by R. Ellesberg
The www.ImageCatholicBooks.com) well worth a read if you want a very different view of what it means to be a Catholic, and an Anarchist.
This same state lets the bankers use quantitative easing to prop up banks, these banks thrive on the lies of debt, Our money is little more than a promissory note used to buy other countries debts, the whole system is a bloody con, where G.O.D. is the thing that keeps the corrupt system going namely (Gold, Oil and Drugs,)
This in turn has plunged many people, particularly disabled people into more extreme levels of poverty, and as resources become squeezed, those seen as not economically resourceful or viable become the scapegoat for all that is wrong with capitalism.
This in turn has plunged many people, particularly disabled people into more extreme levels of poverty, and as resources become squeezed, those seen as not economically resourceful or viable become the scapegoat for all that is wrong with capitalism.
The truth is we have to work collectively to survive, we as a community are not invited to the table of the Kleptocrats, and political party politics are blatantly not interested in our rights or needs, unless their is political advantage in it for some politician. So to change the situation we should refuse to take part in any oppressive decision making structures that profit from our or others dependencies on hierarchical power or solidarity that is not based on mutual aid and consent.
And we should smash all pre conceived ideas about disability and identity, the famous anarchist Alexander Berkman said that the state would always revert to fascism in times of austerity, therefore we should always be aware of red herrings used by the state as subtle forms of psychological violence.
A woman and a man should be able to identify themselves as a woman or a man without fear of being labelled “Anti Trans” because they do not agree with a statement given by one trans person, divide and rule is what the hierarchical state relies on to keep disabled people in poverty.
Also the notion that if you acquire a disability through combat, you are seen as heroic, but if you acquire a disability from birth you are a medical curiosity that hopefully will be cured/rehabilitated needs to be challenged.
The other issue that needs to be challenged is the fact that once you are an adult disabled person you are no longer worthy of community support. The historic hierarchy of impairment needs to be exposed examined and smashed!
The types of mutual aid that may suit disabled people are generally more low key, everything from a text to a cup of tea, could be considered mutual aid; Sensory over load was something I experienced when protesting against nuclear weapons… It was nice to have another disabled person on the protest too who could relate to my situation, and frustrations when cold and tired without feeling the need to rescue me. A very interesting blog on the subject https://disabilityvisibilityproject.com/2021/10/03/how-disabled-mutual-aid-is-different-than-abled-mutual-aid/
There are many other situations of subtle mutual aid that are invaluable to disabled people such as:
Loading software on a computer, reading correspondence, filling out on-line forms, being an advocate, or independent witness, explaining the layout of a room, explaining that the medical model of disability is no longer acceptable when dealing with a disabled persons intimate needs whatever they may be.
If a disabled person needs mutual aid then the community of local disabled (and non disabled can help) but not without the full knowledge and consent of that disabled person (Nothing About Us Without Us!)
When those who demand solidarity are not prepared to look beyond the divisions of mainstream politics we are doomed to be the perpetual “Charity Cases”. Solidarity demands that we educate ourselves, and live without fear where ever possible, because fear makes spontaneity impossible and we might never be free in our bodies, but we must learn to be free in our minds. Because mental freedom gives us all a chance to be creative.
Mutual aid depends on whether or not we believe we can work for ourselves together collectively using bargaining in exchange for what we need as a diverse and resilient community, without a lust for power or control over the lives of other disabled people?
For a disabled person to be truly free, they might need to give up any sense of ownership of anything! Distributism is the idea that property of any sort should be distributed as widely as possible for the whole community to enjoy.
Possessions are the bedrock of our collective oppression, no person or persons can force a person to give up what they have been taught is rightfully theirs, the community as a whole whether virtual or local can lead by example, the sharing of communal goods, and ideas, in exchange for support in daily living support could be a way to stop the carer or person receiving care feeling a loss of power in any way.
For as long as we have something of value that we as individuals can give to another disabled person, whether that be knowledge, time, or a certain skill in exchange for something that they might be able to do for us we are practising a very basic form of mutual aid.
(Marja Urwin 2014) ‘A Few Thoughts On Disability And Anarchism’
Urwin says that in a modern society a persons worth is decided by how well they can use any gift they may have to make money, and as those with power are usually non disabled, so they tend to decide what is considered acceptable in the workplace, this situation makes sure wages and access become a revolving door that disabled people cannot access without major difficulties, Urwin suggests that a universal basic income might be the solution?https://c4ss.org/content/24733
Turn off your television, pick up a book, write… Become the very revolution you want to see, remember revolution starts with you discussing ideas, and moving forward every day do one thing to make that revolution a reality! Evolution is the main basis of a sustainable revolution, organise on your street, get involved if you cannot leave the house get your relatives or friends to come to you…
Organise a phone tree, If you see a bailiff on your street phone a neighbour, DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR OR GIVE YOUR NAME…
Do your own research, on setting up a food co op, anything that will keep you busy, and warm.
Research the history of mutual aid, remember freedoms a;re not given they are taken!
Some might say I am a rare breed, I am a Catholic Anarchist, and also disabled !
Let’s look at the history of political indifference to disability…
It is a common misconception that eugenics, is the living manifestation of right wing racists!
The Foundation of British Socialist thought and The Labour Party is steeped in the supporters of Eugenics.
Everyone from George Bernard Shaw to Marie Stopes, to John Maynard Keynes.
I also notice that State Socialist ideas are dependent on “The Workers accessing the means of Production.” So where does that leave disabled people?
As economic stagnation has become an ever increasing prospect for England, let’s also look at traditional Conservative views of disabled people..
The following quote is from Winston Churchill…
“I am convinced the the multiplication of the Feeble-Minded, which is proceeding now at an artificial rate, unchecked by any of the old restraints of nature, and actually fostered by civilised conditions, is a very terrible danger to the race. The number of children in feeble-minded families is calculated at 7.4 whereas in normal families it is but 4.2….Runciman [President of the Board of Education] tells me that he has now got 12,000 feeble-minded and defective children in the Special Schools; many others are in residential homes. These are all segregated and kept under control until the age of 16. At 16 the parents claim them in the hope of making some profit out of their earnings. The girls come out by the thousand at 16, are the mothers of imbeciles at 17, and thereafter with surprising regularity frequent our workhouse lying-in wards year by year. The males contribute an ever broadening streak to the insane or half insane crime which darkens the life of our towns and fills the convict prisons.
As Churchill explained to Asquith, he was certain that one day the “acquiescence” of the feeble-minded in a sterilising operation would enable a large number of them to regain their liberty. In the meantime he proposed a stopgap measure for the segregation of children.
It is also notable that the first point of history of any political will to enhance disabled people’s rights in the U.K. was The Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970, this was sponsored by deaf M.P. Jack Ashley.
Since then how many MPs have been disabled?
So how in the heck can disabled people hope to get fair representation through so called party politicians or the State?
I notice that even The Green Party advocacy of Assisted Suicide has almost become politically acceptable, this means no public policy will ever be formally be pro disabled people, unless seen as politically expedient to any political party!
So what does Anarchism offer disabled people?
Anarchy is not the lack of order, but rather the lack of endorsement of coercive leadership, the very idea that adults need to be told what is best for them by people who do not have any idea about their lives is nothing short of patronising!
Mutual Aid is the crux of an anarchist society’s means of survival, disabled people need to seriously consider what this means to themselves and start to take responsibility for every aspect of their lives as far as possible !
For as we stay depressed and dependent on a state that continues to revert to fascism in times of austerity then someone else will always profit from our potential poverty!
Many who read my blog know all my life I have been a socialist and supporter of the Labour Party, Standing up for the working class since I was able and the Thatcher years were tough. When Corbyn became Leader I joined as member purely because of policy, not personality, and held my Branch Chair and Secretary roles within Labour until I was unceremoniously suspended last minute after making being on the ballot, in the purges when I stood for NEC disability post in which I was monstered out of the way. I left after I responded to allegations and left the party, I heard nothing since my submission and when I demanded my Data in 2018 guess like many I’m still waiting for a response. The Forde Report barely scratches the surface.
I’m mostly known for my Welfare Reform work with DPAC and Black Triangle Campaign, also particularly Universal Credit and the Hand2Mouth Project delivering workshops to explain how the policy worked or didn’t in real life. I must have been doing something right and submitted many a report to UN and Labour to support claimants ,mainly disabled people but not exclusively. I have spent over a decade Informing, researching and most importantly helping those who needed support with claims among many other issues Individuals face.
I was proud to finally be recognised for the last 12 years work when I got an award from Difference North East who recognises those who provide support and services to support disabled people live independent lives. There are many other individuals who deserve such recognition who have been fighting for the rights of disabled people most their lives.
I digress anyway back to the point:
I saw and heard things that made me seriously question some of those in the Labour Party who had positions of office, and the undue influence they had, claiming it was coming from above. These operatives and influencers were supposedly there to guide members how to campaign and join to get the party into number 10. The main issues of Misogyny,Sexism,Racism,and many other isms as well as disdain for women in the party were in plain sight and acted upon in some circumstances and anyone who complained were patronised, silenced, erased, or got personal. Many activists have also experienced this first hand over the decades, some stayed some left.
Watching Al Jazeera Investigation ‘Labour Files’ was not such a shock to me as I had witnessed some of it both In person ,online or other platforms. The targeting of women politicians in particular was very concerning regardless of the party flags disgusted me coming mainly from men supposedly on the left of labour, particularly Diane Abbott was blatant racism. Even the Al Jazeera platform is classed as controversial because it run by Qatari Government, while continuing selling them arms.
Anyone who thinks after watching these three episodes- that this a way to treat members, run a party, let alone govern a country seriously needs to take a good look at why they are still in a party which claims equality and fairness,while doing precisely the opposite. You are complicit and colluding and unintentionally endorsing such behaviour. Most people know that Anti Semitism was used to smear Corbyn and members to get rid of those they disagreed with and why the coup was planned.
It not just a Labour Issue, It is all parties who meet leaders, who commit human right abuses both at home and abroad while selling weapons that kill, silence debate and free speech and apply rules retrospectively making and destroying members and MPs lives is a national disgrace and should make most decent people disassociate themselves promptly from being anywhere near them. Yet they wrap themselves up in the butcher apron pretending we should be being proud of the country we live in. Sure we cannot change the past violations of other peoples which our country was built on, but we can change what we do now as socialists and address the issues which are raised!
Islamophobia and racism etc mentioned above we cannot stand idly by and let the party continue to fail those members from all corners of the world who make up a diverse country that we have now become, and so blatantly anti women with many leaving the party because of the hostility they faced and obstacles put in their paths to progress to the higher echelons of party politics purely on the basis of the sex they were born . Suffragettes fought for the women’s vote and we should have had a female leader by now , even the Tories have managed 3 of those, speaks volumes of the sexism and misogyny where some labour men would rather we went back to keeping house and looking after the kids.
Under Starmer they hope to win an election by default based on Tory failures is not leadership, it is cowardice to take on the difficult challenges that we face as a society let alone within the party he runs.
His policies are weak if you can find them, in middle of a cost of living crisis while soundbites are supportive of tory policies and announcements. He is not inspiring , he more boring than John Major which takes some doing frankly, most people don’t know what the party stands for- while selectively listening to peoples concerns when they have to chose between eating and heating making even the Tories sounding liberal progressives when they offered the support recently administered to tackle the current crisis even though they caused the mess we are in, even if it doesn’t touch the sides of the real issues and Starmer prefers propping up capitalism than real socialist policies which could have helped many people had he not scrapped them because his ego still had the Corbyn era living rent free in his head and the party. I feel so angry for those who have been publicly lied about and humiliated, and had their lives destroyed by the party machinery. Yes I know they need power to change things.
The Unions are not much better, as there is a huge crossover with many holding office in both Union and Party alike . For decades they have supported Labour financially ,supported LP policy , and have different experiences to those unable to work, while happy to call people scroungers and repeat the language peddled and lies from Tories in the press, and throw others under the bus unless it affects workers and tell those disabled people who cant to ‘get a job’-lazy b******* , my taxes pay for you to sit on your arse, while I work hard for my money’so more deserving’. The divisions were set long ago under Blair and Reeves and others, and once IDS got hold of it made things much harsher. A good example of this division was Tax Credit cuts and Covid Pandemic, Happy to tell those who cant ,then squeal like piggies when it affects them.
I remember In 2014 emailed Frances O Grady for support for the Hand2MouthProject re UC and her response was it isn’t our remit as it doesn’t affect workers. Along comes Covid and suddenly they all understandably go into blind panic cos the chickens came home to roost. While the Pigs in lipstick were outside tanking the country into recession and inflation at a high and now may just blow their houses down as the housing markets pull mortgages never seen on such a scale,and many of those who were managing could potentially find themselves on Universal Credit. TUC have produced a report on replacing UC which is pretty decent in fairness but will never see the light of day.
One thing nobody seems to be able to see is neither of the main two parties in this country have no real desire to change this very expensive system,if they got power,both wanting to ‘Making Work Pay’ singing from same hymn sheet like canaries down a mineshaft, while the miners drown below ground. So now the Unions are rising with Enough is Enough Campaign,yet once and if they get results from joint strike action, which I fully support, they will throw the rest of us under the bus as usual. I’m tired of talking shops promising the world ,and delivering Sweet FA.
So forgive me if I’m angry and F****** off with you all when our welfare state and public services are being dismantled and people are continuing to die (particularly disabled people) while you shuffle your bums in discomfort like you got piles, while turning a blind eye to the real structural changes that are needed while you line your own nests, climb various greasy poles to advance your careers and using the working class of this country as pawns in your political games and point scoring.
I will not forgive you and don’t dare call yourself a bloody socialist, your parasites feeding off the corpses of the many who are at the bottom of the ladder you promised to protect. This is precisely why 42% of the electorate do not vote any longer.
We need a new party plain and simple and need a System Change at the highest levels and root the rot out of our political system.
For almost 13 years now, many individual activists and DPO’s have been fighting welfare reforms. We have achieved a lot, but the destruction and killing continues unabated. Why because many do not read research readily available and challenge their MP’s and demand they stop this ,after all they work for us!
Yes we had the UN accuse the Government of Grave and Systemic Violations of Disabled People, Yet the Government ignored and tried to demonise the Rapporteur Phillip Alston over his report but the lives lost since his visits continue. Many more lives will be lost as many Disabled Legacy claimants are transferred to Universal Credit from April 2024. A large cohort are those with mental health or who are severely disabled the government has already decided they are too sick to work.
The Governments White Paper is due shortly outlining how they will persecute those needing state support further. Yet Social media is awash with stories of the horrors of a government policy ,who fails to act to prevent harm to it’s citizens, they promised to protect and support with the rest of society cheerleading the government on from the sidelines because they have to work and pay taxes. The welfare cuts to Disabled People are in excess of 32bn since 2010 and Yet they face further reductions of income and care in the middle of a cost of living crisis this Government caused, and Inflation forecast to rise further.
We cannot continue to become victims of this government So I’m asking you to send the following reports to your MP. It doesn’t matter that are Tory, Labour, Lib Dem, Green, SNP or Independent but we can no longer sit on our laurels and leave it to the few that have spent many years championing the fight as many more since Covid are becoming for the first time or becoming Ill or disabled with age.
Mo Stewart has been writing and highlighting why this is happening and calling for this to stop and is now more popular with academics and others who are pointing out the bloody obvious than disabled people, and has bombarded those in power with her reports.
We cannot continue accepting this barbarity and continue to lose many lives along the way, It’s time to Act!
Email These latest report to the press local and national, Write letters citing the links, Email your MP with all links below and ‘Demand’ this stops now!
blueannoyed 