hilts said:
Rascal I get all this and as my previous posts have stated they have fucked up but fraud is only one reason why this has been brought in so the figure is irrelevant, the debate is about how many rightfully currently claiming the benefit and able to work and how do we fairly judge this, by throwing the unprovable fraud figure about you are sending the debate in the wrong direction
Although I don't generally agree with forced employment on employers I believe the government should make large companies employ by law a certain percent of mentally or physically disabled workers
By suggestion if you are removing 1 in 5 from disabled welfare it insinuates taht there was large scale fraud to begin with. That is why the figure is relevant. Without the 20% reduction the 0,5% figure is meaningless. But the difference is marked and it suggests that unfair treatment by association. That association allied to the huge amount of demonisation of welfare recipients over the last few years has proved very difficult to counter. It is though we are all scroungers now regardless of circumstance. The inclusive state safety net into which i paid into when i was able is being dismantled and people cannot see it.
As for the last part of your post as i have pointed out on 100s of occasions, it was the intention of the WCA to determine what jobs those with disabilities could do and in better times before the banking crash was a noble and worthwhile ideal. It is now not worth jack shit as any help that was to be provided so disabled people could work has been cut to the bone and the WCA ethos has changed from providing information about what jobs a person could do with assistance to a broad stroke test of what a person is capable of regardless. As in if a person can push a button then that person could work in button pushing factory therefore that person is only eligible for work related group ESA and becomes under threat of sanctions and likely to lose any DLA/PIP payments as well. I know disabled people who want to work, i would like to work ffs, i have a brain i want to use it and was training to be a teacher when i became ill. But take my circumstances for instance. I want to work, im capable of doing the job, but i cant work any wednesday because im at hospital for treatment. another 2 times a month im in clinic to see a specialist and top of that i average 9 weeks a year in hospital. I can work when im well but what employer in there right mind would take me on without the support that has since been cut from the budgets. How could i possibly buy into the Tory always making work pay mantra. I am fairly bright but just cannot see how it is possible.
Now and this is where many are scared. What happens if i take my WCA and i get passed fit for work. It happens a lot. Then i have to appeal and spend on average 6 months waiting for the appeal to be heard. Whilst awaiting the appeal my welfare consists of JSA and i have to attend job interviews. If a job interview is on a wednesday i cant attend so i get sanctioned. I lose all welfare. I have nothing. Where am i likely to end up? Probably hospital costing £3.500 per week to the taxpayer. 2 weeks in hospital covers the cost of all my welfare for a year. I have tried to explain effect-consequence in a previous post but it was ignored.
Then we see that there are a further £12 billion in welfare cuts to come. Am i worried, damn fucking right im worried. Im worried even more when the new minister for Disabled happens to have voted against protecting child disabilty welfare payments.
Of course there will be somebody everyone knows swinging the lead. They will be this that and the other and those people have added to the hardships many now face. But it feels at times that people who are genuine are being punished because others are not and im sorry however anybody puts it that is in my opinion morally wrong.
