Shouldn’t “Policy Exchange” be honest? “Propaganda Exchange” is more accurate
“I’m SICK of half truths and misleading sentences. Sick of cherry picked data that uses random figures to paint false pictures. Sick of assumptions about the labour market and fraud that just aren’t true.” Sue Marsh takes aim at a new report from Policy Exchange.
The Government considers itself to be above the law
“…they have not stopped, they have not listened and they have not been reasonable. Ever felt like your Government is really out to get you?” kittysjones explains how the Government is refusing to respond to legal rulings challenging its welfare reforms.
It’s fraud, Lord Freud.
“You have got to admire the consistency – the last 27 words contain four statistics and four of them are wrong. When speaking about disability benefits Government ministers have consistently abused numbers to make their case – but four inaccuracies within 27 words is surely a record.” Paul Morrison challenges yet more inaccuracies from Lord Freud.
Dear Esther McVey MP
“…“around 50 per cent of decisions are made on the basis of the claim form alone” - the contrary evidence for this is overwhelming but most tellingly on the DWP’s own site…” Jayne Linney has some questions - as yet still unanswered - for the minister for disabled people Esther McVey.
‘Benefits Britain’, a study in enabling hate speech
“Ultimately it is clear that Benefits Britain served to enable an orgy of hate speech against disabled people, and it is difficult to conclude that this was unintended.” David Gillon is concerned that Channel 4’s portrayal of disabled people has legitimatised disablist views.
Benefits Britain
“Channel 4, you let us down. You hurt me. It’s your fault if people with invisible disabilities felt like Twitter was rounding on us during and after your programme.” Law Geek is not happy with the way Channel 4 portrayed disabled people in their Benefits Britain programme.
An open letter to Andrew Stephenson, MP for Pendle
Dear Mr. Stephenson, As you are very much aware, I have been affected by the Bedroom Tax since April, despite the Coalition claims that disabled people like myself would be unaffected. You are also very much aware of how much I despise this ridiculous and unfair tax on those least well off in society or, […]
Get better… or else?
Disabled people have precious few illusions left about how the DWP views us, but a new pilot programme is going to take that relationship into even more disturbing territory. Starting in November, 3000 disabled people in the Work Related Activity Group of Employment and Support Allowance will be forced, under threat of sanction, to attend medical […]
WOW, impact assessments and consultation
When I reviewed the provisions of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, by reference to a Report from a Joint Committee on Human Rights published in March 2012, I suggested that the Government’s failure to perform a cumulative impact assessment of its reforms, its response to the WOW Petition and its refusal […]
Not even human; disabled people are no more than names. It has to stop.
“Disabled people are being lost, forgotten. We need to act and at the very least show what the government is doing to our lives is unacceptable.” Becca explains how the Government’s welfare reforms rely on regarding disabled people just as names.
Open letter to Paul Maynard
Dear Mr Maynard, I watched your passionate defence of sick and disabled people in the House of Commons during the Opposition Day Debate on a cumulative impact assessment yesterday with a mixture of pride and horror. Just like you, I believe passionately in the abilities and potential of sick and disabled people too. I too […]
Call for evidence on Work Capability Assessment: My submission
Tell him about it: Dr Paul Litchfield is carrying out a review of the Work Capability Assessment and needs to know how you think the system could be improved. The Coalition government would like him to think that there is no need for any change at all; if you don’t tell him exactly what you […]
A huge percentage of the population without redress – that is dangerous
The Government’s plan to slash £220m from the UK’s legal aid budget has rightly been condemned for its sweeping scale but, in this series of interviews I’ve done for the Guardian, the very human impact – the effect on the individual – is laid bare. Under the proposals, victims of miscarriages of justice like Gerry Conlon, […]
Atos boss earns £44k a week while disabled fight to keep just £131
Last year, ten thousand six hundred sick and disabled people died within weeks of losing their benefits, after Atos assessed them as ‘fit to work’. Thierry Breton, boss of IT firm Atos, has just been awarded a £280k pay rise, bringing his total remuneration to £2.3m a year. While disabled people were hounded to death for a […]
We know where you live!
“Mark Littlewood, the Institute for Economic Affairs and the Mail on Sunday can make their pious pronouncements that they are sure no harm will come of their modest proposal, but the truth for disabled people and other benefit claimants is likely to be far harsher.” David Gillon explains the impact on disabled people of stupid suggestions from think tanks and media commentators.
The perils of being a “vulnerable” benefit claimant
Today, the Commons Public Accounts Committee published its report into some of the activities of JobCentre Plus (JCP), managed by the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP). Despite being snowed under with other work, I’ve read some of the report with interest, since I know very well that sick & disabled people who are dependent on benefits […]
PIP: A step in the right direction
It isn’t often we can say it, but the disability lobby has today forced the DWP to take a step backwards in their never-ending erosion of the rights of disabled people, by forcing them to go back to consultation on the 20m limit imposed in the Personal Independence Payment regulations (the replacement for DLA brought in by […]
Hallelujah! The miracle of Atos strikes again
Every now and then, for a bit of a laugh, I play “Spot the truth” on the @DWPpressoffice twitter account. It would seem poverty rates came out today and I don’t suppose you need me to tell you they’ve gone up. Nonetheless, @DWPpressoffice are valiantly tweeting that some relative poverty levels have gone done and […]
Myths about DLA and PIP
Today is the start of the national roll-out of Personal Independence Payments. All new claims for DLA/PIP will be for PIP from now on. Given the DWP’s emphasis on the need for PIP, it seemed timely to summarise some of the main facts (and myths) about PIP. More can be found on our most recent […]
ESA, WCA and the Telegraph
Hardest Hit was pleased to see Isabel Hardman’s piece in the Telegraph on ESA. Ms Hardman wrote to explain that, “Disability testing isn’t working as it should – and Conservatives must have the courage to admit it.” This is an encouraging stance from a right-leaning newspaper and could become the start of increased accuracy in […]