If only I was wrong

I just have to have a rant. The pain is too great. The shame, the disgust, the impotent misery.

Do you remember how hard I fought the 365 day time limit on sickness benefits? (ESA) The government didn't care if people with conditions like cancer or parkinson's or kidney failure got better, they didn't care if they'd found work. They just took every penny of support away after 1 year if they were in the WRAG. http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/impact-of-time-limiting-esa.html

If they had a working partner, the government argued they had "other means of support". Do you know how much that partner had to earn? Just £7,500 per year. Could you support a disabled husband or wife on £7,500 per year?

Do you know how many??? 700,000 people. 700,000 lives, real lives just like yours! Three-quarters of a million people. 7 TIMES this Glastonbury crowd.

And you know what? We won the argument. The Lords agreed with us. They amended the welfare reform bill to say that support should be for "a MINIMUM of 2 years". But this government just ignored it and refused to listen. Effectively, that negates the point of a second chamber in our lawmaking at all and turned this government into a dictatorship. Be very afraid. If you're not, you should be.

And now, today, every day, I get emails or messages from people affected. They are confused. The government don't explain to them this will happen, or if they do, not adequately. They have no idea. They're still sick, they haven't and couldn't find work. But they lose everything. £4,661 per year, 3 TIMES as much as higher earners lose in child support.

They are losing their homes, losing their hope, losing their pride. They cannot understand. "How did this happen?" They ask me. "The doctor said I have 18 months to live, how can this be?" They ask me. I mumble that I watched our politicians, here in the UK, in 2011 argue over HOW terminally ill you had to be to qualify. 6 months. That's it. More than that and off you go to the jobcentre.

Welfare advisors tell me this is the big issue now, as I argued it would be. People are losing their homes. Homes they cherished and worked for and paid off over decades. People are cold for want of heating, hungry for want of food. And they have conditions you would never, ever, ever, wish for your Mum or your Daughter or your Wife.

I want to cry. I want to give up and accept that politicians are just vile, disgusting excuses for human beings. I don't want to be English, I don't want to be right. How much I wished I was wrong.

But here it is, right before us now. And no-one will care because THEY don't have cancer (yet) And no-one will care becasue THEY don't believe this is really happening (yet) . And no-one will care because the Daily Mail and the Tories and even Labour tell them not to listen to "extremists" like me. (yet)

As the quote goes : "All it takes for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing" Well bravo England. Bravo. You have done nothing and evil flourishes.

Recent quote : "I used to be a guy who didn't like claiming and once I was in receipt 6 yrs ago never revised it, as I felt guilty getting it anyhow. But having gone through pure hell in this past year, its only the love for and from my family stopping me doing something stupid, or I may not be here right now typing this"

This is how I feel tonight http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJnjcX8skXk

"There's a pain that can't be spoken. There's a grief goes on and on. Empty chairs and empty tables....How they sang about tomorrow and tomorrow never came....they could see a world reborn and they rose with voices ringing...I can hear them now....Oh my friends, my friends forgive me, that I live and you are gone. There's a grief that can't be spoken, there's a pain goes on and on...empty chairs and empty tables....Oh my firends, my friends don't ask me what your sacrifice was for, empty chairs and empty tables. Now my friends will sing no more."

http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/rip-karen-sherlock.html RIP, my friend, Karen Sherlock, RIP Colin Traynor and so many more. http://uk.news.yahoo.com/video/benefits-tests-people-dying-penniless-073340447.html

18 months of Labour Welfare policy in 1 Article

As you all know, I was devastated to learn there would be a shadow DWP reshuffle. Most of you disagreed, sure that nothing could be worse than Liam Byrne.

But did you know we are now on our 3rd Labour DWP team now? Oh yes, before there was Liam Byrne, there was Douglas Alexander, a brief and disasterous union. You can see my responses to their first forays into welfare media here  http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/2010/11/take-time-to-listen-and-learn-douglas.html and here http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/2011/02/so-its-welfare-reform-on-agenda-today.html

But I'm sick and I'm tired. I'm exhausted and so are the legions of welfare warriors who have attempted to spread truth where there is dishonesty and compassion where there is cruelty. There simply isn't time to go through the same well worn stages of misapprehension and mistakes all over again before the 2015 election.

So here, I will attempt to fast forward through the mistakes and betrayals, the misconceptions and the common beliefs in the desperate hope that we can avoid making all the same mistakes AGAIN and just move forward with policy that will not lose us the next general election.

First, the new team will believe that talking tough on welfare will reverse the mistaken public belief that Labour are "soft on scroungers". Oh, the detail might be fine. If you remove your pressure valve and read Rachel Reeves article yesterday dispassionately, there is quite a lot that was good in it. http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/oct/12/labour-benefits-tories-labour-rachel-reeves-welfare But the tone is all wrong. Let me give you an example. The "jobs guarantee"

Here's what Rachel said : "under Labour the long-term unemployed would not be able to "linger on benefits" for long periods but would have to take up a guaranteed job offer or lose their state support. "Nobody should be under any illusions that they are going to be able to live a life on benefits under a Labour government," she said. "If you can work you should be working, and under our compulsory jobs guarantee if you refuse that job you forgo your benefits, and that is really important."

Now, she could have said "By cutting back on tax relief for 6 figure pensions, we will ensure that everyone who has been out of work for 2 years or more is guaranteed a paid job at at least minimum wage. We care about long term unemployment and we will never return to growth unless we tackle this issue. Only those who refuse appropriate paid work will lose their benefits" (Note "appropriate, immediately reassuring all those with disabilities that they won't be forced into slave labour they are too unwell to manage)

You see? Exactly the same policy, totally different approach. 

The first tries to out-Tory the Tories, be harder, talk tougher. This way, so the perceived wisdom goes, is the right approach. But it isn't and we can accept that today or wait 6 months, maybe a year. But in the end, Ms Reeves will accept it, just as Liam Byrne finally had.  I have some sympathy - every IPPR/Demos/Policy Exchange/Pollster assures new ministers that this is true, but it isn't.

You see, welfare polling is nowhere near as simple as it first seems. People want "tough" from the Conservatives. They believe it and accept it. But they don't want it from Labour. They don't believe it and "hedging" the message just makes us sound unstrustworthy. 

"But welfare polling is appalling!" I hear you say. Yes, yes it is. There is no question. But the "opinions" are based on lies. Lies fed to the public by both Labour and Tory governments for way too long now. Sure, this is unfortunate for Labour, but there is only one way it will ever change. And that is challenging the myths and breaking the political consensus. So do we re-introduce hanging just because the majority of the public say they want it? Of course not. 

And crucially, how much does it matter? Do people vote in a general election based on welfare policy? No. Emphatically no. In the You Gov tracker on the issues most important to voters, welfare doesn't even figure. Even amongst UKIP voters, it is only the 4th most important issue behind the economy, immigration and Europe. So do Labour plan an election strategy based on their weaknesses or their strengths? 

Well of course the answer is their strengths. The NHS, education, living standards and justice. Labour only win elections when those issues are front and centre. 

But does that mean we don't challenge the Tories at all on welfare? Absolutely not. But it has to be done incredibly carefully and sensitively, with genuine knowledge of the issues.

Here's another example. If I said "The coalition have limited sickness benefits to one year" that wouldn't be true. Instead I have to use this incredibly cumbersome sentence : "The coalition have limited sickness benefits to one year, but only for those who paid into the system or those who have working partners. This policy only punishes those who have "contributed" all their lives. Those who are judged to be too sick to ever work are not affected."

Without all of those caveats, we play IDS game of ignorance. But the caveats are vital. In every welfare phrase, there are caveats. Caveats that protext the most sick or the most disabled or the most unfortunate. You need to learn them all from the start.

People DON'T want people with disabilities to suffer. Poll after poll confirms this. Just 11% want to see disability benefits cut. Yet this government are cutting them by at least 20%. That's 1 in every 5 people with profound disabilities losing everything. 

People DON'T believe that parents of young children should be forced to work. The DON'T believe that pensions are even benefits at all. There are plenty of "welfare" areas that a Labour government can challenge on successfully. If I ask people "Do you want your hard earned tax money supporting scroungers" of course they will reply "NO!" with passion. If I ask "Is there anyone you worry for under the governmnet's welfare reforms" the answer is totally different. We must personalise at every step. 

But the most fruitful is Tory incompetence. http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/05/what-were-welfare-reforms-about Every single welfare "reform" is in chaos. Universal Credit, PIP, ESA, the Work Programme, the Bedroom Tax - it's an absolute disaster and at least one of these will blow up spectacularly in the government's face before 2015. Probably all of them. They have failed totally and utterly and all that has happened is the benefit bill has risen not fallen. As I describe in much more detail here http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/advice-for-labour-on-welfare.html we MUST take the fight to the Tories with passion and belief. They've failed and we have about 18 months left to show the public how badly. 

So when an interviewer asks "Do you support the overall benefit cap" the answer is "Not if it forces 200,000 families from their homes and costs more than it saves". When they say "Ahhh, but so many are festering on benefits long term" you reply that in fact "Long term unemployment is just a tenth of 1% of total government spending. That's one person in every thousand! - hardly the most important issue facing Britain today." If we don't challenge these myths no-one will and the public will of course stay exactly where they are. 

Campaigners have shown repeatedly that public opinion is not set in stone. The Bedroom Tax seemed like a jolly good plan until we repeated endlessly that 400,000 of the 600,000 affected had disabilities, that there simply weren't the homes to move to. PIP was going swimmingly until sick and disabled people pointed out that 4 x Glastonbury crowds would lose the support they relied on to leave their homes or get dressed and feed themselves. Suddenly the government delayed the bulk of the rollout until after 2015, terrified of endless media stories of people with profound disabilities forced into starvation and isolation. 

But we shouldn't be doing this alone. Even when it might not be an obvious "vote winner" an opposition party owes it to the public to speak truth to power. A Labour opposition particularly has the responsibility to do what is right, not always just what seems popular at the time. We are best when we do this. Sadly, think tanks and academics and advisors will be convinced that that means losing votes. We don't have 18 months to convince the new team this is wrong. 

There are more misconceptions - that social media is not representative of "ordinary core voters". As Liam Byrne found over the workfare debacle and many, many other faux pas, it is and it often matters greatly. After 4 days of sustained horror, thousands of lost votes and mainstream coverage springing directly from the online outrage, he finally realised that this just wasn't the way to go. Those that had begun to dare believe Labour could change, were horrified all over again. Delicate trust that had built was demolished and there are only so many times you can get it back. 

Rachael Reeves will almost certainly get a few chances to get this right. But only a few. It won't take long before activists and members up and down the country decide she's just "Liam Byrne with hair" (as one particularly funny tweet put it yeterday) and then it won't matter how far she travels, how good she gets, how accomplished at her brief, no-one will hear a word she says any more. Just as they didn't with Byrne. Even when he got it right, no-one heard him and when he got it wrong they spread it across all media like a virus. 

After realising how disastrous it is to write Daily Mail Articles for the Guardian, the next step (as Byrne could confirm) is trying to write fluffy bunny articles for the Guardian and save the Daily Mail articles for the Daily Mail. That doesn't work either. The same people mistrust us, but now they have proof we really ARE double dealing - "Look they say one thing here and another there" No no no. 

Here's another myth "People have lost faith in the welfare state. Therefore we need to talk tougher and means test as many things as we can. They don't want people getting something for nothing". This is completely wrong too. They may well have lost faith in the welfare state, but as we see around the world, the countries who get tougher and tougher and crack down hardest, lose more and more support for social security (see the US as the Granddaddy of examples here) The countries with the most generous welfare settlements (See Norway and Iceland) have the highest level of public support. 

Means tested benefits are generally hated, universal benefits generally loved. So Disability Living Allowance which ISN'T means tested, is a very popular benefit, Employment Support Allowance which IS means tested is hated and considered to be where all the scroungers lurk. Pensions are universal and everyone adores them - no politician dares to cut them. Jobseekers allowance is means tested and everyone hates it, though anyone can lose their job at any time. Child benefit until recently was non-means tested and no-one ever thought to question receiving it. Ditto maternity or paternity leave. Personally, I have some sympathy for means testing at times, but don't let anyone tell you it's what the public wants. They might say they do but the reality is totally different. 

Yet another step will almost certainly be "saying the right thing in public, then shafting us horribly and quietly behind the scenes" (we're back to the dreadful workfare case again) People WILL notice, they WILL hate you for it and you WON'T get away with it. We live in a world of 24 information freely available to all. There will ALWAYS be an eagle eyed blogger or campaigner who notices you changed the wording/made a dodgy deal/went back on your word etc. 

So. Let's start from the best place we can. If you must talk about welfare never say welfare. Say "social security". If you must talk about social security, talk about the horrors facing people with disabilities, or people desperately searching for work when there are no jobs. Talk about how pensions give us faith in the system and most of all, never open your mouths without reminding the public of the latest Tory "welfare" failure. Over and over and over in a loop, so that there is no-one left who believes the Tories are really doing what they say they're doing, but in fact are simply hurting YOUR Mum or YOUR Dad,  YOUR brother or child. 

And remember. In 97 we won on the NHS. We won because people finally understood that Conservative policies only ever lead to a broken and hopeless Britain. We won on education and compassion and the minimum wage. We won because people believed we would make their lives better. We didn't win by promising to hate the hated and hurt the suffering. We never will. The Tories might, because that's what they do, but we never will. 

By 2015 the sheer numbers involved in this attack on ordinary lives will be the NHS 97 equivalent. Everyone will know someone who has been hurt by these "reforms" An elderly relative left in their own filth for want of care. A friend with cancer who worked for 30 years told she's not entitled to sickness or disability support. A child refused the education they need, a colleague made homeless by the bedroom tax. Even a boss earning plenty who lost his child benefit and had to give up his golf holiday - it all counts. Social Security is for all not just for "scroungers"

We have no choice. We have to get this right NOW. Not next month and certainly not next year. As I'm sure Liam Byrne will gladly confirm. If not, we will be torn apart by our own, already reticent to trust us and return to the ballot box in 2015. We will be torn apart by a Tory press who know we'll never be Iain Duncan-Smith (Why oh why would we ever want to be???) and we'll be torn apart by floating voters who don't really give a damn what we say about "welfare" as long as they worry about putting food on the table, keeping a roof over their heads or getting the kids new school shoes. 

It's a lose lose. Actually, it's a lose, lose, lose, lose, lose. And it doesn't have to be that way. But it means trusting the people who really know, who are living through the hell. The few experts who can bust any myth for you, counter every nasty Tory swipe at compassion. 

And most of all it means realising that everything you thought you knew was wrong and you only have a few short weeks to get it right. 

This isn't about "them" it's about "us" - every last person in the country with a child, every last pensioner, every last person living with an illness or disability and we simply can't afford to get it wrong again. We don't have time. 

Mental Health Stigma - Our Failures Shame us All

I was sent this story this morning. The woman who wrote it had to be braver than you can imagine, just to share it here. But after the vile Sun headlines that upset so many this week (I won't link to it, it only increases the people who will be subjected to it) she felt she couldn't wait any longer to tell her story.

An individual story of pain, yet one of failure that is so common it should shame us all.


"In 2001 my 48 year old father died of secondary cancer the primarycause was a very rare form of kidney cancer.

At the time I was 25 and in a relatively new job 3 months straight out of Uni.

My mum was 42 when he died and considered too young for widows benefit so before we could even bury my dad DWP were already hounding her.

She was allowed two weeks to grieve his passing and then expected to find work despite being a lifetime carer to my dad who was already disabled before the cancer (a lorry fell on his back when he was 17, he was forcibly medically retired by the time he was 25).

Given my job and income at the time I was ready to stay at the family home and declare her my dependent if it got them off her back.

Her then doctor finally came through for her and signed her off as unfit for work. Sadly, by this point a lot of damage had been done and my mum was in and out of hospital for the next 18 months.

I didn't grieve my fathers passing at first because I was too focused on my mum. I was pretty much running on adrenaline.

At the same time one of my colleagues was prompted to be our line manager (LM) and on top of my personal experience was now being bullied by him. Usually in one-to-one meetings away from any witnesses.

At first I didn't even spot the bullying because it was mostly coming from my senior manager who was acting on the malicious lies of my LM. This on top of what I was also dealing with personally.

Eventually my mum met someone and it was shortly after this time that the bullying began to take its toll and the grieving I hadn't done caught up with me.

In the latter part of 2004 I had my first breakdown. I was being bullied on the phone (subsequently developing a phone phobia as a result) and I snapped. I have never cried like that in my life nor
since. I had no control over it and I simply could not make it stop. I was convulsing. I felt the real need to flee and so I did.

I walked out of my job with no intention of ever returning. I'd stopped caring by this point whether I lived or died I couldn't cope any more. Something had snapped in my brain, a flood gate had opened
and there was no stopping the tsunami of mental torture & pain I felt. I was making my way to the multi-storey car park with the intention of jumping off (no suicide guards at the time), I could see very little
because the tears which were practically blinding me and they would not abate. I walked around aimlessly not knowing where I was and not caring about the way people were looking at me. Not one person cared to see if I was alright despite the obvious distress I was in. I managed to get my self very lost into the backstreets and I still could not see well with the flood of tears still streaming down my
face.

At one point I did become aware of where I was and I stopped, brushed away the tears and then entered the building of The Samaritans.

I spent half a day there with them calming me, listening and trying to talk me down out of wanting to end my own life. It is no understatement to say that they saved my life that day.

I eventually went to my mums and spent the day with her. I was not left on my own after that and 9 months later I did manage to return to work.

I received a letter telling me our whole team had been centralised into IT out of education and I'd have a change of senior manager. At this point I thought this was a good thing because at this time I
still didn't know that how my senior manager had been treating me was based on the lies my LM had been feeding him (not that this condones his behaviour either). My LM was a master manipulator and had us all fooled even my colleagues.

With the help of Unison (because after that kind of treatment in the work place you do need a Union) we negotiated the conditions for my return to work and appropriate support.

It was all a wasted exercise. Within two months of returning I was back to being bullied but this time there wasn't the senior manager to hide behind. The bullying was the same as ever but this time direct
from the horses mouth; the LM.

I was still not fully recovered from my last mental health experience and my strength was not fully returned to me so I was more vulnerable this time and it took less time for the second breakdown to inevitably occur.

By 2007 I was again unfit for work. By 2008 ATOS had declared me unfit for work. With the help of my Union we negotiated my contract termination package as my employer stated they needed to replace me and would be terminating my contract.

You'd think with my being made unfit for work and loosing my job the bullying would stop. It did not.

For the whole of 2009 the bullying continued, now online. I bided my time collecting the evidence. Screen grabbing and printing it off to a file waiting for him to slip up and then one day he did, committed fraud by impersonating me. I then went straight to the police. They visited him at Somerset County Hall and gave him a warning.

It will come as no surprise that this is what it took to get the bullying to finally cease after eight years of it.

I still get the odd thing and as recently as last year, a nasty email redirected to me and again using my name fraudulently which I could prove and got the offending email account shut down. Otherwise I don't have much happen and it's not something I spend any amount of time
thinking about.

In between all this happening I was eventually on antidepressants (after the second breakdown). Over the years about 3 different types. Other than 6 therapy sessions I got no other support or treatment.

I begged my doctor for a referral to the NHS partnership for treatment but it was always phone counselling which with my phone phobia (my doctor knew full well of) never happened because of my anxiety with using the phone. I'd get on the CBT list and drop off because my doctor never chased it up or ensured I actually got the treatment. Everything I needed, I was denied.

For four years I was left to rot in my condition. I did the best I could to manage it, but like any ill health you do need medical intervention, there's only so much self medicating or self help you
can do on your own when your condition is severe.

I'd begun developing a form of agoraphobia when I was still in work (stopped going out for lunch, couldn't attend meetings on my own and eventually stopped using the canteen and always ate alone) and being left to rot in that condition as I was, it got severe.

The anxiety got worse as did the depression. After nearly four years and no light at the end of the tunnel I was probably at my worst. I stopped taking care of myself, I rarely ate and I'd stopped taking my
medication because in all the years I'd taken it I wasn't seeing the improvement I'd hoped for (I would like to add that with any medication it's important to get the supporting treatment which I didn't get and likely why on their own the antidepressants didn't work in my case).

The weight gain was also adding to my depression. My family seeing my deteriorating health made an appointment to see my doctor concerned at the way I was being left and how bad I had got. Little did they know that when on my own I was planning to end my life again and spending nearly all my time on suicide usenet groups and researching ways to end my life. I'd even begun writing my note.

One day I had nothing short of an epiphany and one I wish I'd had sooner, but sometimes it's takes going to a certain point in your life to see clearly; getting to the bottom where you either end it or drag
yourself out.

I contacted MIND, informed them of all I'd experienced and how I'd been left for years without proper support or treatment.

Whilst waiting for my assessment from them I took ownership of my health. I went fully vegan and increased foods I knew to be high in amino acids. I stopped researching ways to end my life and instead researched ways to improve my diet and use that as medicine. I lost nearly 5 stone in weight as a result.

In the time that followed I finally got the start of the help I so desperately needed four years before. I moved home, got a change of doctor and instantly got referred to Somerset Partnership for a home
visit.

I'd barely begin my journey with them when I was transferred from Incapacity Benefit to the WRAG (Work Related Activity Group) group of ESA. Now I should point out I had a severe phone phobia, agoraphobia, anxiety, depression and remained a suicide risk, but this coalition government were placing people like myself in the work capability group.

So just when my hope had returned that I could focus on getting better I was set back once again by this news.

I wrote straight away to them informing them it was quite impossible to do phone interviews with a phone phobia and that face-to-face interviews were equality out of the question when I could barely leave my home most days let alone travel eight miles on a bus to the local job centre.

To the credit of the lady handling my case she was amazing and supportive, but not typical of that Job Centre from my experience.

She spoke with my care support and even the Job Centre lady said to them I clearly should be in the support group of ESA.

I had eight months of hell from that point fighting the patently wrong decision. They wouldn't revise the decision so I entered the appeal stage expecting to have to go to a tribunal which terrified me given
my agoraphobia.

MIND were still very much in the picture helping me, making sure I had a care plan and putting me in touch with Shelter to help me with my appeal.

I had many interviews with Shelter and they helped me write up my appeal. I'd convinced myself I was looking at loosing everything and was even facing the prospect of being homeless. The thoughts of
suicide returned and hopelessness was creeping back in. I could feel the dark abyss sucking me down and I was back to not eating or sleeping.

I eventually won my appeal without needing a tribunal, but it was eight harrowing months and lot of wasted time that I could have been focusing on making the most out of my treatment as opposed to fighting a system I'd spent more than half my lifetime paying into.

My case, whilst unique to me is not an isolated case. So much time and energy was wasted, years where I could have been given the right support and early treatment that would have given me to the tools to be able to manage my condition and even be back in work. Instead I was left to rot in my condition, getting worse and now it will take as many years to undo all the damage that has been done and still with no guarantees at the end I'll ever be able to work again.

For me personally it's sad to have lost so much time and see my skills wasted. I've worked hard all my life, since I was fourteen and never known anything else. It was so alien for me not to be working.

Now, today the government is still attacking people with mental health as are The Sun. The stigma continues and the support is wanting.

They talk about making work pay and then they punish, and penalise.

Demoralising and demeaning people does not motivate or empower people to work.

Give people the support they need as soon as they find themselves out of work or sick, and the difference in getting people to a place fit to work will have lasting benefits for us all.

I've not gone public like this over my experiences before because of the stigma and way I have been treated. For a long time I had to resort to a pseudo name online to be able to even go online because of
the bullying from my ex-LM. I've been called a fake and a scrounger for claiming sickness benefit. So I've been reluctant to openly go public, but you know there comes a time when enough is enough.

1 in 4 people will experience mental illness in the next year and after the horrible headline from The Sun I decided to finally break my silence.

I will have depression for life now, as well as anxiety. It has been a mixture of support from my family, MIND, Shelter (who didn't have enough funding to remain in my town so please donate if you can) and
Somerset Partnership that I've made any progress at all and of course my own self determination.

The government have not supported me, they have not made work pay and they have punished and penalised me, yet in my last employment I was paying forced deductions of approx. £600. I have less than that each month now to 'live' on.

To be labeled by this expenses swindling government a scrounger when I struggle to buy food, to be told I am a something for noting after all the forced deductions I have paid, when ultimately all I wanted was to get better and be financially independent from the state is egregiously insulting to me and others like me.

I didn't choose to go from £2,000 a month to £300 a month. That is not a choice. If I'd had the choice my complaint of bullying and harassment would've been upheld instead of being the pointless lip
service policy it was and I'd still be earning 2K a month. The irony then that my employment was with local government and of all the jobs I've done it was THE worst.

Nobody chooses a life on benefits because it is not life.

Most days I'm afraid to check my bank balance because I can barely live and yet I get more than those on JSA. I've given up everything I can to ensure I eat the right foods to help manage my condition.

I don't have live TV so no TV licence, I don't drink, I don't smoke and I don't drive. I don't have a landline so no broadband. I have a PAYG mobile which I use as a wifi hotspot for my internet. I have done everything humanly possible to keep my outgoings for only the absolute essentials and to support my condition.

I'm currently in arrears with my council tax because I simply don't have enough money each month to pay them even more so now they've doubled my bill since the 20% change.

I've even had a benefit advisor look at ways to help me and she looked at my spreadsheet, admitting there was nothing more I could give up. I was also told I'd be better of stating I spent £27 on Sky than eating healthy (in light of my being a vegan) because they make an allowance for Sky but not for eating healthy (all of which I relayed in a letter to Jamie Oliver after his rant about the eating habits of those on low incomes).

Dealing with mental illness is struggle enough but it is perpetually compounded by not getting the right support and treatment, the right attitude from your own government and the tiny income your given which compounds your ability to cope and manage when you struggle to feed yourself, and pay for only the essentials. I've proved that by giving up everything deemed not essential and still I struggle to manage. 15% of my income goes on gas and electric placing me in fuel poverty the other higher percentage is food.

My aspiration is a simple one to continue getting the treatment and tools I need so I can safely manage my condition and eventually work for myself.

I have a degree in art and my work isn't half bad. I would like one day to work from home using my skills and selling my work online. Had I had treatment sooner I could've been doing all this already and
years ago.

Support & early treatment is everything.

John Pring's disability news roundup

• New government plans to force long-term unemployed peopleto attend their local jobcentre for 35 hours a week in exchange for their benefits have been branded “unworkable”, “unethical” and “cranky” by disabled campaigners.
• Labour’s shadow minister for disabled people has told Disability News Service that she is resigning from the party’s frontbench.
• The Motability car scheme has won praise after announcingthat it will hand £2,000 to every disabled person who has their vehicle taken away after being reassessed for the government’s new personal independence payment.
• Universities are still putting significant barriers before disabled students and failing to provide them with the support they need on campus, according to new research carried out by young campaigners.
• The minister responsible for supporting disabled people into work has admitted he has no idea how many former incapacity benefit claimants have found jobs as a result of his government’s reforms.
• The minister for disabled people has attacked her predecessor– a fellow Conservative and a senior government colleague – for failing to do more to persuade employers to provide jobs for disabled people.
• The former Conservative minister who laid the groundwork nearly 20 years ago for the much-criticised work capability assessment has defended the role he played in developing the “fitness for work” system.
• The minister for disabled people would not rule out scrapping the government’s controversial “fitness for work” test, she has told Disability News Service.
• The minister for disabled people has refused 21 times to say whether spending on a key disability benefit will be cut next year.
• Campaigners have told delegates to the Conservative party conference why intensive support is vital in helping disabled job-seekers to find work.
• Disabled actors, performers and activists have joined faith leaders and mainstream grassroots campaigners for a memorial event outside parliament to remember the thousands of disabled victims of the government’s austerity programme.

INCREDIBLE tool for jobseekers

Last night, one of those rare moments of campaigning joy popped up on my timeline. A guy sanctioned onto a work programme scheme was asked to give a presentation. And BOY does he do us proud!!!

This is the most simple, easy to understand accessible report into just how it feels to be unemployed in this current, toxic climate. I've never read anything so helpful or empowering or which busts the governmnets dreadful myths so clearly.

Copied across from http://virtualgherkin.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/jsa-lambasted-by-this-govt.html?m=1 who as so often was first with the news, read this story, be astounded and CLICK IN THE LINK! Be amazed, then share it with absolutely EVERYONE you know who is searching for work or helping others to.

"Theres a massive focus on tiny sections of expenditure by this govt.

And then this happens......

A fella on JSA goes to Jobcentre
Is put on a course.
The course says "Research a subject, and do a presentation to the people on the course"
Now this sounds all fair. However the presentation chosen by Benjamin here was RESEARCH on JSA and Jobcentres. Ironic. No. Brilliant? Yes.

The following I got from Benjamin:
=====================
(Dear Jules, Via email )
In June I was forced to go on a course by the Jobcentre as I'd been unemployed for six months. I say forced because if I hadn't gone on the course, they would have sanctioned my benefits. The course wasn't as painful, embarrassing, and demeaning as I expected it to be.. A constituent part of the course was that I had to do a presentation. I decided, given the resources and audience that I'd research the true impact of Job Seekers allowance on society. It busted myths and made people feel a lot better about their situation. When questions pop up, ask yourself those questions. Share it, and ask and show others. The presentation makes a compelling case.

I was happy to keep the presentation to myself and put it away having only shown it to the group. That changed though. The myths need busting, and I'll tell you why. Every time I hear about a bedroom tax suicide, I realise as many people as possible need to see this, to debunk myths. Every time I hear about yet another person dying after being found "fit for work" I realise it needs to be seen. We need to be heard, that's why I need people to see it.

Benjamin
====================
Did I tell you also he showed me MSM emails not wanting to particularly extract info from slides 40ish onward? No? Ah. Thats what they did.they didnt wanna show anyone.

The presentation is in powerpoint.I've hyperlinked it to microsoft on line. There should be no compatibility / viewing problems.

< Click here to see the presentation >

A bit of myth busting eh?

Nice one Benjamin."

AND SO SAY ALL OF US!!!!

Please, share this with all of your networks, MPs, work providers, benefit advisors. You can use the buttons below to RT and share on Facebook or Google. 

Housing Consultation

I know, I know, it's another consultation, but as they say, "Nothing about us without us"

I've copied the below with thanks to Jane Young, do please take the time to take part if you can.

"Accessible housing standards – urgent response needed
07/10/2013


by Jane Young

Our friends at Habinteg Housing Association have alerted us to an important Government consultation on housing standards, including accessibility standards, which closes on 22 October. Habinteg is well known for its expertise in building accessible homes; it developed the Lifetime Homes Standard (in which housing is built so that it can be easily adapted for changing needs, especially when occupants become disabled) and both provides and promotes fully wheelchair accessible housing.

As a retired local authority Disability Equality and Access Officer, I have very clear views on the accessibility of new housing; on my patch I pushed for 100% of new housing to be built to at least Lifetime Homes standard, with 10% built to the higher wheelchair access standard. Before I retired, I campaigned hard for the Lifetime Homes standard to be incorporated into the building regulations, to ensure compliance, so I’m pleased the Government is addressing this issue.

Habinteg (and I) take the view that the Lifetime Homes standard, or similar, should be the minimum accessibility standard for all new housing, with a proportion built to the higher, wheelchair accessible standard. However, despite our aging population, the relative inaccessibility of our current housing stock, the chronic shortage of accessible housing and the fact that new housing is expected to last several generations, the Government does not agree. It is therefore vital that as many people as possible, especially those with existing knowledge in this area, respond to the consultation.

Habinteg has provided a wealth of information on the Government’s review, including drafts of their own responses, to help us understand the issues and respond to the consultation. Please do all you can to spread the word and make your own response, however simple, to the consultation."

Reshuffle live blog....

13.20 We hear that Rachel Reeves is on her way to Ed's office and will be promoted. Widely tipped to get Liam Byrne's job, leaks are tightly controlled among Labour contacts today, so we'll have to wait and see.

13.21 I'm hearing Esther McVey has been promoted to Minister for Employment (Hoban's job) Stunning that someone so incompetent should be promoted but there we are. This leaves Hoban floating - might he get IDS job? It would certainly be good for us welfare warriors if so (though "good" clearly a very loose definition.....

13.24 I hear Hoban has been sacked!! Very surprised and Mike Penning is being moved across from Northern Ireland. Know nothing about him as yet, will update on all new appointments as soon as I can

13.29 If Hoban has indeed been sacked, I would expect some rather more robust criticism from him on the whole WCA mess. Depending of course on where he ends up. Sacking him from DWP can only mean he took a line the gov don't approve of. Fingers crossed.

13.32 Apparently Penning is getting Minister for people with Disabilities. Quote "Not expecting any changes at cabinet level except for Scotland" which would mean IDS keeping his job :((((

14.10 Well, that seems to be that little flurry out of the way. Labour List seem to think all the LAbour moves could be announced together later. Incredibly tight ship if so. I'm going to watch the Waltons and pretend the world is still a nice place til we hear more....

14.25 Helen Grant gets equalities, though to be fair, this portfolio has barely troubled us so far....

14.51 These really are only rumours, Labour are keeping an incredibly tight ship, but rumour has it Ivan Lewis, Twigg AND Byrne could all be going, as Labour List say, that would be quite the "Blairite cull"

15.37 OK Byrne's definitely gone, we think Reeves did get it, will update ASAP....

15.56 Burnham definitely staying at health thank goodness.

16.48 And to complete the incredibly tight Labour reshuffle, here's the full list - perhaps a reshuffle that will come to be known as the "Bonfire of the Blairites" http://labourlist.org/2013/10/labours-new-shadow-cabinet-in-full/

As expected, Rachel Reeves got DWP

Rachel Reeves is a rising star in Ed Miliband’s team. Untainted with associations with either the Blairites OR the Brownites, she’s seen as a safe pair of hands in both media situations and on policy. As one of Ed’s favourites and a woman, her appointment to shadow Secretary of State for DWP is a truly heady promotion. It puts a woman in charge of another major portfolio – one traditionally reserved for right wing (male) hawks.

If Ed Miliband was keen on following a “business as usual” path, the job would almost certainly have stayed with Byrne or gone to another prominent welfare hawk and Blairite. The Conservatives have made much of their intention to paint Labour as “soft on scroungers” at the next election and the safe move would have been to keep a right-of-centre hardliner in place. A move away from this very much signals a fresh start. Reeves can be her own woman and we can be fairly sure her approach will be an approach Ed approves of.

She supported Ed in the leadership elections and her appointment signifies that whichever way the wind ends up blowing, the DWP brief is extraordinarily important to Ed. This can only be good news for us.

**Obviously the post of shadow for disabilities is way too unimportant to announce. Still, what did we expect eh?