Nancy's Crazy Adventures

I've moved the blog!

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 18 Jul 2014 03:47:00 +0000

You can find all my old articles and new posts here

http://nancyscrazyadventures.wordpress.com/

Goodbye google

The Gagging Law And Why We Need To Worry

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 30 Jan 2014 12:16:00 +0000

You may wonder why should be so concerned about the gagging law since it barely effects the small fry like us, but we need to worry, as it will in ways we wouldn't expect. Basically small campaign groups will be at a massive disadvantage to Political Parties financially in the year before an election when it comes to expressing their views on policy and trying to win votes (the amount of money campaign groups can spend will be limited for the whole year, while MP's can spend as much as they want until 4 months before the election) .
It won't effect smaller groups like us as we don't spend much, if any money. But larger groups who would speak up for us like 38 Degrees and Trade Unions etc will not be able to spend money on events with speakers, printed material and things like that, so will be effectively be gagged. Without the help we've had so far from groups like this things would be even worse for the poor and downtrodden, as there would be no one raising awareness for us on a large scale.
Once 2015 begins it will all be down to small grass roots campaign groups to raise awareness of how many thousands of us are being treated by the sweeping changes this government has made, and no other future government has any intention of reversing judging by what they have said so far. Social media accounts that mock the government are already being shut down on twitter, in the year before the election many more will go too, along with other pages promoting the alternative media and our take on what is going on.
Combined with the new policing and antisocial behaviour bill it will make it pretty much impossible for smaller groups to have peaceful flash protests too where we raise awareness with the public of what is happening, as they will be able to arrest us just for being there. You can see now why they are preparing water cannons for the summer etc, they are going to start arresting peaceful protestors who pose no threat, which will spark anger and trigger Police brutality. The media will present what started out as peaceful protest as a riot, and we will not have got our message out.
It all goes to show that the government are scared of us and want to silence us, and that our democratic rights are slowly being eroded. Don't look back and wonder why you did nothing, join us in peacefully fighting these unjust laws.
It's understandable if you don't want to join a protest, I don't trust the metropolitan Police to be able to use a water cannon safely either, you may not realise this but they are not there simply to get you wet, they are a crowd control device. They have different settings from "get them wet" to "punt them a few meters down the road into stationary objects in bone smashing agony". They have to be used with precision and be fired from exactly the right distance away or people will get broken bones and possibly even die. If one goes off way too close the jet hitting you alone can take your skin off. The Met don't exactly have a good track record for getting this sort of shit right do they either? Look how many unarmed people they've shot and just gone "oh sorry my bad we thought he had a gun", then just got away with it, and now were giving the water cannons?!
Also please remember when the media show you protests they only show you the people who were kicking off, the photographers dive in to get a picture of the person being arrested elbowing people out of the way to get that footage. I've been at many and the vast majority of people at these events are completely peaceful and just exercising our democratic right to protest, and if we stop now we face a horrific dystopian future where huge corporations actually openly control everything and there will be nothing we can do about it.
I understand many of you have reasons to live and don't want to die trying to peacefully resist what this government is doing, just spare a thought for those of us who have lost everything and no longer care. I've always been a pacifist and will never turn to violence, but I also will never stop fighting any other way I can for our rights and for justice for all the people who have already died as a result of the changes to the welfare system. Under the new laws passive resisters like myself will be treated as brutally as someone attacking the Police or causing damage to property though. I really hope it doesn't turn out to be as bad as this and we can raise enough awareness of what these new laws mean before it gets to the point where peaceful protestors are being hurt in large numbers. But we've already seen the videos of how brutally students were treated for daring to try and protest peacefully on their own campus, in some cases by private security guards not even the Police. There has not been enough of an outcry about that too in my opinion so it doesn't look good.
I'll leave you with some footage of the Irish Police (who are trained to use water cannons) demonstrating water cannon use. Notice how they still manage to fuck it up and actually get the crowd wet as they drove it to close to them when demonstrating the "diffuser" setting.

Also listen to the sound this Turkish protestors body makes as he crashes to the ground, and notice how motionless he is, and believe me if you were from Turkey you would be angry and protesting too so don't judge him harshly for angrily shouting at the water cannon and provoking them.

"Residential Training Provision", A Nicer Word For Work Camps?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 02 Aug 2013 13:48:00 +0000

Yesterday morning I was horrified to read that a report had surfaced saying they were planning "Residential Training" for Disabled and long term Unemployed people. After all welfare reform has been crashing disaster so far. Thousands have people have been declared fit for work with no impact assessment, or proper program in place to actually get us back into work after years of unemployment. So far it seems like a cold hearted attempt to get us of benefits at any cost, they don't seem to care if we end up with a job, or whether we end up destitute and dying, just as long as we don't ever get "ESA".

Also the anti-disabled propaganda display has made disabled people even more unattractive to potential employers, why did they do this ridiculous thing we all wonder? I think it's a misinterpretation of something good old Mansel Aylward said in his horrific "Psycho Social Theory Of Disability". He told them they needed to make disabled people working the "social norm". They could have chosen to try and make employers want to employ disabled people, encouraged compassion and patience, offered training and support for disabled people straight away. But instead the idiots opted to just make it a social crime to dare to claim disability benefits, no matter how ill you really are. Now people who walk with sticks or use mobility scooters (even those who aren't on any disability benefits) face abuse in the streets, and are accused of "faking" their disability.

The thousands of people dying after being told they were "fit to work" (10,600 in the first year) are being covered up and minimised, now not even recorded by the DWP. If you are disabled and don't work you are considered lowest of the low now. The fools have created yet another "barrier to work" for us.

So when I read they were planning work camps, I had no trouble believing IDS and his evil crew had come up with that idea. I broke out in a cold sweat and felt the familiar twist of panic and though "My God what are they going to do to us now?..." But then I actually read the paper.

It doesn't seem as bad as we first thought, its only in the planning stages at the moment but they are now actually doing what they should have done in the first place. Holding consultations about what they can actually do to HELP disabled people get back into work. It is literally residential training, and you will have a choice as to whether you go as residential or not. You can read the full report "Residential Training Provision - Independent Advisory Report" by clicking here.

As I said before they SHOULD have been looking into things like this before they rolled out the new "Work Capability Assessment" and had it in place before they declared thousands of us fit for work, closed lots of Remploy factories, and cut us adrift, making us sign on JSA with advisors who have no training in helping disabled people back to work. This is the sort of thing the report suggests, more advisors who are trained, and more practical courses that actually help you cope with disability and get employed. Not rubbish just designed to make money for the companies that provide them, while we're pushed from pillars to post and called "Lying Thieving Bastards" behind our backs.

All we have to fear is that they won't listen to what has been recommended, which they haven't been great at so far lets face it have they? Or they will start to do it, but like everything they've done in the past that works they will stop it because it costs too much.

We must keep our eyes on how this progresses, but don't be too scared, 75% of people on disability benefits want to work, they are finally going to try and help us. If they listen to the independent advice that is, and Tories generally don't like listening to anyone else's advice do they? But it shows our campaigning is paying off, they are looking into it at least.

Please help keep up the pressure on them to finally get it Right by signing the War On Welfare Petition if you haven't already.

More Propaganda Broadcast "Don't Worry Disabled People Are Fine, Go Back To Sleep..."

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 22 Jul 2013 11:45:00 +0000

Just been listening to BBC Radio Four, they were discussing disability and finances and how disabled people have more of a hard time getting loans. they also went into how it costs more day to day if you are disabled, how this is worse in the current economic climate, and mentioned welfare reform and bedroom tax, giving an example of one woman who has to now pay £20 a week she can ill afford. The report quite good and balanced up until that point, then they read out the government response.
They said that they are "Committed to helping disabled people" still spend 58 billion on disabled people, and that a number of disabled adults and children are actually getting more money under welfare reforms. Then went on to say something about some scheme to help disabled people say no to dodgy loans and expanding credit unions.
I couldn't believe it, I only know one disabled person who is in fact getting more money as a result of welfare reforms. I know many people who have lost money and are afraid they will lose more money when PIP comes in. Nearly every one of my friends who has mental illness has lost ESA on appeal, including myself, the mentally ill are always the first to be screwed over when there are cuts after all.
They completely ignored all the negative impact their reforms have had in their response and as usual didn't apologise one bit or admit welfare reform had gone wrong, it was a disaster, and they were sorry, let alone tell us they were working on putting it right. They just gave this reassuring response that practically said "go back to sleep, disabled people are fine..." even though the show had just given an example of a person who was suffering.
And to add insult injury those of us who campaign to raise awareness of what is actually happening are now labelled extremists. I just hope the general public aren't falling for all this rubbish, though lets face it they probably are...

List Of Brands Available In The UK That Use Monsanto Products.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 06 Jul 2013 19:03:00 +0000

Complete list of UK Brands that use Monsanto products, so these companies products probably contain Genetically Modified ingredients. Boycott all these companies for the good of your health! This site is very useful too called "How To Avoid GM Foods". And also check out "GM Watch"

And if you are in the USA watch the video at the bottom of the post for a full list of products you should be boycotting too.

Betty Crocker
Cadbury
Campbells
Capri Sun
Carnation
Coca Cola
Quakers
Green Giant
Heinz
Hellmanns
Nestle
Spam
Kellogs
Knorr
Kraft
Lipton
Minute Maid
Ritz Crackers
Ocean Spray
Pepsi
Pilsbury
Power Bar
Pringles
Proctor and gamble
Quaker
Ragu
Weight Watchers
Schweppes
Uncle Bens
Unilever

Art Action Week Slideshow

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 29 Jun 2013 16:22:00 +0000

Atos monlogues "Internet Survey number 2" for art action week project.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 16:07:00 +0000

Picture by Stewart

If we're going to do any of the Atos monologues I'm going to need a lot of volunteers who can record themselves and somehow send the video, because of the amount of time we have I think we can only do a small part. Mainly because we don't have time to send larger videos which would probably have to be sent by post on a disc. There are a lot of lines in this part, and the resulting videos will hopefully be short enough to email or send over facebook. If you just upload them to the art action group I can download them from there.

I've moved this post onto the blog as it's easier to share a link to it, and I can strike through the lines that are already taken. If you want to take part chose the line you want to read from the list below, record it and you can send it to me through facebook. If you don't use facebook leave a comment and we'll find another way for you to send me the video. And if the line you wanted has a line through it sorry someone has already taken that one.

Here is the full Atos Monologues 2 script:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/105841602/The-Atos-Monologues2

The part we are doing is on page 13

We can't see Post traumatic stress disorder and we've never heard of a hippocampus.
You do not meet my limited definition of being disabled
You drive an Audi. How would you afford it? It would be too difficult for a disabled person to get in.
You can text a friend
You can tweet
You watch TV and soaps and can sit comfortably for half an hour.

I saw you stand up!
'You're too young'
You can pick up a £1 coin
"You seem alright to me"
"You're smiling"
You look butch. Can't be anything wrong with you.
You could fill in the form.
You brushed your hair this morning and you’re wearing a nice coat
You answered questions that was asked
You traveled by bus
You don’t soil yourself every day.
You could fill in the form
You’re still breathing
You can spell your name backwards
You're not a dribbling, disheveled lunatic howling at the moon and threatening to axe people to death
You hold eye contact
You don’t look disabled enough to me
You brushed your teeth this morning.
You’re faking it.
You can’t have Post traumatic stress disorder because "you've never been in a war zone"
You’re at university.
You have a girl friend.
You don’t look autistic
You can talk
I cannot see anything wrong with you
You moved your leg.
You can lift an empty box up to waist height.
You’re so pretty.
PAUSE
You can’t be disabled because of Tory ideology

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:25:00 +0000

Sorry for the lack of posts I've been busy elsewhere, hope you enjoy my video of the 4th May Protest in Trafalgar Square London. We hope you join us for the next one.

The War On Welfare Petition.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 14:50:00 +0000

The War On Welfare petition is one of the most important petitions the Number 10 site will ever see. The Welfare Reform Bill put the UK Government in breach of the UN Convention on the Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and this cannot be ignored. How they respond to our petition will show how much they really care about and respect the UN Convention on Human Rights as whole, and judging by their actions so far as coalition, they care very little. Thousands of disabled people have died, we will probably not know the true number of deaths for a long time, but one day this country will hang it's head in shame that they let this happen.

We need more than ever to to start discussing the situation with friends and family, and while at other anti-cuts demonstrations. We need to raise awareness of the petition among other groups to bring it to a new audience and get them on side campaigning for us too. We can't just keep talking amongst ourselves on twitter and facebook, new people have to hear of our campaign and start sharing it with their friends too. Each protest or meeting is a golden opportunity to raise awareness of what has been happening and to let people know they can help by the signing the petition. It also doesn't hurt to remind people gently that most disabled people aren't born disabled they become disabled after an illness or accident; and in the future there will be no welfare safety net for anyone if we don't act now to protect it.

Also never forget a lot of the people effected by these brutal welfare changes cannot physically get to demonstrations because of illness or disability, we have to do this for them too. Print out a poster and put it up somewhere people will see it, I asked our local law center and citizens advice if they could put on up, they both agreed. Request fliers and cards to give out at anti-cuts demos. It would also be great if we could get stickers and badges made up to help promote the campaign too.

If you haven't already signed it click here to sign the War On Welfare Petition, and be sure to share it, and if you'd like to download a poster to print out and put up Click here to visit the WOW Petition website.

Paint Your Red Nose Black In Protest 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 13:39:00 +0000

This year I and others are painting our red noses black and intend to boycott the television shows we'd like you to join us, and I'm sure you'd like to know why? We are not against Comic Relief or the good work it does and encourage you to buy a red nose if you can afford it. But this year Comic Relief saw fit to include clips of David Cameron in the music video to One directions charity song. We feel including the Prime minister in this video is a slap in the face to the millions of people he has plunged into poverty in this country with his misguided austerity measures.

There are currently 3.6 million children in the UK living in poverty according to barnardos 58% of them are in a family where someone works.

Yet the Coalition have pushed through measures to ensure benefits even those for disabled people and people in work, like tax credits only go up by 1%. Further punishing children who will be forced further into poverty as their parents incomes are reduced even more compared to inflation.

These cuts risk putting the UK in breach of the UN Economic and social rights convention we are signed up to. Food poverty has risen so sharply that there has been a massive rise in emergency food banks already.

The cuts to housing benefit for many people living in social housing deemed to be over occupying their properties dubbed “The Bedroom Tax” Will see people expected to move to a smaller property or pay a charge for their extra room, even though there is a huge shortage of suitable smaller properties for them to move to. This will further increase the poverty people are suffering in the UK as they are forced to make up shortfalls in their rent or face eviction and homelessness.

The coalition also rolled out across the country a new and untested Work Capability Assessment when they came into power in 2010. Between January and November 2011 10,600 disabled people who clearly wrongly had their benefits stopped died within 6 weeks of losing benefit. (a sharp rise in the statistics compared to the year before).

Yet despite all these alarming statistics David Cameron's ministers continue to claim these cuts are fair and needed. Though they have made no cuts to their own wages, continue to claim massive expenses, and have not sufficiently cracked down on tax evasion by large multinational companies. But apparently we are “all in this together”.

We presented all this information to comic relief and they have ignored our requests to remove David Cameron from the video, and have even promoted pictures of David Cameron's wife Samantha baking in her tax payer funded kitchen at Number 10 with her children. Making cakes she will apparently sell to downing street staff to raise money for the event. Well it's alright for some isn't it?

Join us by liking the facebook page where there is a list of actions you can take and by tweeting your disgust at this flawed decision by comic relief using the hashtag #blacknoseday.

Atos Triggers People To Self Harm.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 10 Feb 2013 13:15:00 +0000

My latest youtube video about the tremendous harm Atos are doing to the mentally ill and vulnerable in the UK. I'm going to start making a lot more youtube videos so stay tuned, just ordered a webcam will be starting in earnest then.

The Effects Of The Cuts - Why I Campaign

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 20:31:00 +0000

The Welfare Reform Bill was a disaster waiting to happen, we campaigned against it before it went through but it was forced. The country did not listen and now 73 people a week are dying after being declared fit for work by the deeply flawed Work Capability Assessment. Which is being administered by Atos, a French multinational IT company on behalf of the DWP. This is not a figure we just plucked out of the air like some the government are presenting as reality in relation to welfare, it was obtained from a freedom of information request to the DWP themselves. So it is their own statistic.

They want people to believe that these measures are "tough love" and they are "helping people back to work" but in reality they are just cutting off peoples benefits and leaving them destitute. There is no support for people who are disabled to find work, in fact remploy factories that employ disabled people, and have since the end of WW2 are being closed. Making disabled people who did have jobs unemployed at a time when the fully able are struggling to find work. What chance do we have?

The changing of DLA to PIP will mean many disabled people lose this benefit altogether, this benefit helps disabled people cope with the additional costs being disabled creates, Disabled people with jobs clim it to help them work. So disabled people who work will no longer be able to, as they will no longer be able to afford the adapted cars they rely on to get to work for example.

In short none of these cuts are designed to enable the disabled to get back to work, it's just a callous cost cutting measure effecting the most vulnerable in society, and thousands are suffering and even dying needlessly.

When the proposed benefit changes take effect at the end of April it will effect not just the Disabled but working families who are already struggling to make ends meet. A new survey by shelter shows 1.4 million people in Britain are struggling to pay their rent or mortgage at the moment. People who have never suffered financially like this before are finding themselves facing unemployment and homelessness. And the government are about to cut housing benefit and council tax benefit, pushing more people even further into rent arrears and poverty.

The government wants you to believe that these cuts are necessary and unavoidable but there are alternatives they could pursue. Tax avoidance costs the state an estimated £95 Billion a year, since the banking crisis the average pay of FTSE 100 directors has risen by 55%, corporation tax has been cut, and rather than clamping down on tax avoidance they have actually cut Staff at HMRC, and there has been no reform of banks.

They are selling off the NHS to private healthcare companies under our noses, when many of the very MP's who voted through the NHS bill have financial interests in private healthcare companies. Click here for a link to a list of Conservative MP's who have financial interests in private healthcare companies, no wonder they voted yes to the NHS Bill.

Social media means it's harder for the government than ever before to dupe the public into believing their lies, we know that what they are doing is wrong and we won't stand for it. It's time for us all to stand up and show them that we will not pay for a crisis crated by bankers who have gambled away billions, while awarding themselves massive bonuses on top of already huge yearly salaries. And millionaires are allowed to legally evade tax.

We will not allow them to make the poor pay for a crisis the rich created, we must campaign and peacefully protest to show them we not passively sit by and allow it to happen. They will drag Britain back to a system of Victorian values where the poor cannot access proper healthcare and are forced into workhouses. The welfare state and NHS are great things that show our compassion to those less fortunate and vulnerable in society, people fought protect and create these things, over the years many people have campaigned and worked hard to keep them. Don't let this government dismantle them in flurry of propaganda about scroungers and dependency, we are not just statistics, we are human beings.

High Court rules Work Capability Assessment arguably unlawful

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 16 Dec 2012 14:00:00 +0000

This is a press release from earlier this year about the judicial review that is due to be heard at the Royal Courts Of Justice on the 15th, 16th and 18th of January 2013. Lets pray it goes in our favour as it will open the floodgates for legal action over the WCA if it does.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

The High Court has today granted permission to two disabled people to bring a claim for
judicial review against the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to challenge the
operation of the Work Capability Assessment (WCA).
WCAs are face to face interviews carried out by healthcare professionals (HCPs)
employed by Atos Healthcare (a private contractor), to assess disabled people’s
entitlement to Employment and Support Allowance (a sickness benefit that has replaced
the old Incapacity Benefit). Each existing recipient of Incapacity Benefit is now being
assessed for eligibility for ESA, at the rate of some 11,000 people per week. WCAs have
been the subject of serious criticism by all relevant stakeholders in civil society including
doctors and NGOs working on behalf of disabled people.
The present case concerns some of the problems with the system as experienced by
people with mental health problems. Although medically trained, Atos HCPs typically
have very limited knowledge of mental health. The interviews are often hurried, and rely
on applicants to explain the limitations on their ability to work.
This is a serious problem for people with mental health conditions who lack insight into
their conditions, whose conditions fluctuate in seriousness, or who cannot easily talk
about their disability. Such people are placed at a substantial disadvantage in navigating
the system. Even if they appreciate the need to get expert medical evidence for
themselves, they are often less able to navigate the system successfully and to obtain
the medical report that they need. The Equality Act 2010 requires the DWP to make
reasonable adjustments to avoid such disadvantage.
The reasonable adjustment to the process that the claimants seek is for medical
evidence to be sought by the Atos HCP and the DWP at the very outset of the claim.
This would ensure that very sick people for whom having to go through a WCA would be
extremely distressing are exempted from the process, and for those that do attend a
WCA, the assessment of fitness to work takes place in the correct medical context, so
that dangers associated with forcing people back to work are correctly identified.
At present, the DWP do not routinely ask for expert medical report from an applicant’s
community-based doctor. The judge has held that it is arguable that this failure is a
breach of the duty to make reasonable adjustments, and is therefore unlawful.
In granting permission to apply for judicial review, the judge stated:
“I consider that it is reasonably arguable that the reasonable adjustments
required by the [Equality Act 2010] include the early obtaining of independent
medical evidence where the documents submitted with the claim show that the
claimant suffers from mental health problems and that this has not been done, or
at least not done on a sufficiently widespread basis”.
The claimants, known as MM and DM, were granted anonymity by the court. Their
solicitor, Ravi Low-Beer of the Public Law Project said:
“The present system results in many thousands of unnecessary appeals at great
public expense, with a high success rate. What is not counted is the cost in
human misery for those people who should never have had to go through the
appeals process in the first place. This could be avoided if doctors were involved
in the assessments at the outset. The Government’s policy of by-passing doctors
is inefficient, unfair, and inhumane. We gain heart from the court’s finding that as
a matter of law, it is arguable that something has to change.”
For further information contact Ravi Low-Beer on
r.lowbeer@publiclawproject.org.uk/0845 543 5944
or Adrian Lukes on
a.lukes@publiclawproject.org.uk/0845 543 5946.
Public Law Project (PLP)
PLP is an independent, national legal charity which aims to improve access to justice for
those whose access is restricted by poverty, discrimination or other similar barriers. To
fulfil its objectives PLP undertakes research, policy initiatives, casework and training
across the range of public law remedies.
For more information on our work, events and publications: www.publiclawproject.org.uk

Guest Post By Lynn AKA "Sign And Save Lives"

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 14:15:00 +0000

Guest post by Lynn

My name is Lynn, I’m 60 years old and I’d like to share my son’s illness with you all to try and help you understand the predicament thousands of others like my son are faced with next year, regarding DWP Benefit Reform for the sick and disabled.

My youngest son aged 40 has suffered from Paranoid Schizophrenia and emotional instability Personality Disorder since the age of 18. I have lived the illness with my son, the highs, the lows, and numerous hospital admissions over the years. My son had another very bad psychotic breakdown in August 2010, which resulted in a section 3 of the Mental Health Act and he has been in hospital care for 2 years this time.

Although my son is nearly 40 years old, mentally he is only 15, he is immature and extremely vulnerable and easily exploited. Therefore needs much support and care when living in the community.

My son, like thousands like him, who suffer from a Severe and Enduring mental health problem, has no voice when it comes to the DWP or ATOS, he like others wouldn’t be able cope with being interviewed next year 2013 when the Disability Living Allowance changes to Personal Independence Payment and he has to be assessed by DWP. He, again like many others, who suffer severe mental illness, doesn’t believe he is ill, and just wants to be left alone.

The severely mentally ill will be hugely disadvantaged by the GOV/DWP/ATOS putting them through this ridiculous assessment in 2013, particularly people who don’t believe they are mentally ill, who to anyone who doesn’t know them, or, their background, can come across as fine, strong, healthy people, and may not appear ill at all, or, that they need help and support in their day to day lives, keeping them and others safe in the community, they won’t see the risks for the mentally ill, and many won’t have family or support to go with them to the assessments!

My son would tell an assessor he wasn’t ill, and say he just wanted to be left alone to get on with his life, which would see him losing his DLA/PIP for sure. Yet in reality, my son cannot get on a bus or use any public transport due to his paranoia that people are staring at him. He would get upset and get angry, probably end up getting in to trouble, because his self-esteem is low as is his confidence, and he thinks the world and his mate are against him.

To avoid this kind of stress and a way of coping, he needs taxis to anywhere he has to go, shopping, to any appointments he has. It is the only way he can cope with going out, and without his DLA/PIP he would be housebound and have no quality of life at what so ever.

If mental health sufferers lose their DLA/PIP benefit, (same as all disabled), it will place a huge extra burden on family, carers and friends emotionally and financially to provide the care and support and finance they need, which most of us couldn’t afford! All to often family/friends who are carers, as in our own case, are ill, worn down.

I was diagnosed 2 years ago with Moderate to Severe ME/CFS and told by my consultant it was due to being a carer for 22 years. My husband is 76 years old, in bad health, tired, it catches up with us and having to provide even more care to our loved ones should they lose their benefit, will put carers at more risk mentally and physically.

Because I understand the plight of the severely mentally ill, and have insight to the wider implications of what the GOV/DWP actions will cause for the sufferer and family, and carers, I have started this e-petition asking the Government to Exclude all severely mental ill from the 2013 DLA/PIP assessments, because what the GOV/DWP are doing is the biggest travesty and betrayal to our sick and disabled who in most cases have already proved their illness/disability with medical evidence and assessments they have already had to go through to get their DLA in the first place, and many like my son, were awarded DLA for an Indefinite period because they have provided proof their illness/disability is a life long one!

There are a number of e-petitions about Benefit Reform, I have signed them all which everyone should do to try and help protect all disabled, however, this petition is specifically to try and get the severely mentally ill EXCLUDED from the assessments because they do not have a strong enough voice and they will be hugely disadvantaged as I said before.

As a mum of a severely mentally ill son, and on behalf of all other sufferers like him, I know these assessments will cause SUICIDES in our most vulnerable, and cause huge hardship all round, please may I respectfully appeal to your good hearts and souls to support this e-petition and sign it, to share it with family & friends, on twitter/face book accounts, groups you may belong to, as I need 100,000 signatures to stand any chance of getting the House Of Commons to debate this, and at the moment I only have 2,456 signatures, we only have until March to get the 100K!

Thank you all for taking the time to read this my plea, and I very much hope you will feel able to sign this petition.
http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/35092

Kind Regards

Lynn
---------------------------------------

You can follow Lynn on Twitter > @SignSaveLives

Atos Are The Number One Provder of Occupatuional Health Services In The UK.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 15:49:00 +0000

Last night I was furious to discover that giant multinational IT company Atos is not only responsible for administering the government's hellish Work Capability Assessment, they have also been providing occupational health services in this country for years too, in 2010 they even won an award for it.

So they are declaring the sick capable of work, then if you are lucky enough to get a job (if your not one of more than half the people declared fit for work who end up destitute) you will still probably have to put up with them telling you how much time you can have off when your illness returns. As none of these people being declared fit for work have actually got better, they are just expected to work around their disability, so there is no escape from the bastards it seems.

Yesterday I learned that Co-Op uses their occupational health services, so much for ethics eh? They have posted a statement saying they can't just close the contract but will consider not renewing it. So DPAC are encouraging people to boycott them and go and inform them of this on their facebook page, at least until they issue a statement saying they definitely won't renew the contract.

I did some digging last night and found that:

Royal Mail also uses them, and until recently
The Armed Forces Mutual Support Organisation had a phone line provided by Atos. The page has been removed now but still shows up in the google cache.
DEFRA also uses their services.

And two county councils I found also use them

West Sussex County Council,
and Lancashire County council also uses them too.

Since they are apparently the number one provider of Occupational health services in the UK there must be many more companies and councils using them too, and I saw lots of job vacancies for them posted all over the country.

This post informs you of much money they are raking in with double digit growth in the UK this year, as lives are daily ruined and even ended by the software they own the copyright to. And I'm also learning that this huge multinational company owns oil companies (including Shell and Esso), electronics manufacturers and many more highly profitable companies, more on that to come as I collect the evidence.

Condems, Bringing 19th Century Values to 21st Century Britain.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 09 Sep 2012 15:24:00 +0000

Captioned Photo Kindly provided by Christos Palmer

I was reading "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens yesterday, a book written in 1843, and I'd like to share this excerpt from the first chapter.

Two men enter Scrooges office on Christmas eve asking for charity for the poor.

.... "at this festive season of the year Mr Scrooge," said the gentlemen, taking up a pen "it is more than usually desirable that we should make some light provision for the poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. Many thousands are in want of common comforts sir."

"Are there no prisons?" asked Scrooge.

"Plenty of prisons" said the gentlemen. Laying down the pen again.

"And the union work houses?" demanded Scrooge. "Are they still in operation?"

"They are still" returned the gentleman "I wish I could say they were not"

"The treadmill and the poor law are in full vigour then?" said Scrooge.

"Both very busy sir"

"Oh! I was afraid from what you said at first, that something had occurred to stop them in their Useful course", said Scrooge "I'm very glad to hear it".

"Under the impression that they scarcely furnish Christian cheer of mind or body in the multitude" returned the gentlemen " few of us are endeavouring to raise a fund to buy the poor some meat drink, and means of warmth. We choose this time, because of all others, when want is keenly felt, and abundance rejoices. What shall I put you down for?"

"Nothing!" Scrooge replied

"You wish to be anonymous?"

"I wish to be left alone" said Scrooge "since you ask me what I wish, gentlemen that is my answer. I don't make merry myself and I can't afford to make idle people merry. I help to support the establishments I have mentioned - they cost enough; and those who are badly off must go there."

"Many can't go there; and many would rather die"

"If they would rather die" said Scrooge "they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population. Besides - excuse me but I do not know that"

"But you might know it" observed the gentlemen.

"It is not my business" Scrooge returned "it is enough for a man to understand his own business, and not to intrude with other peoples. Mine occupies me constantly. Good afternoon gentlemen."

Seeing Clearly that it would be useless to pursue their point, the gentlemen withdrew. Scrooge resumed his labours with an improved opinion of himself, and an even more facitious temper than was usual with him...

As you can see the attitude towards the poor and destitute in Britain is becoming chillingly close to that of 19th century Britain. The current government is bringing values from that century that even the Victorians were ashamed of and sought to bring to public attention the hypocrisy and barbarism of as early as 1843 to this century.

So before you harshly judge a benefit claimant as workshy or a scrounger remember, the welfare state was bought in to put a stop to the inhumane methods of dealing with the poor used before it's creation. The benefit claimants of today are no different to the poor and destitute of the Victorian era. Do not let the government drag us back to the 19th century with their propaganda about "benefit dependency" and "tough love".

The only thing that will end benefit dependency and help the long term unemployed and sick and disabled back to work is job creation, and a more sympathetic and helpful attitude towards them, that enables them to get work and remain employed. Labeling, hounding and cutting off benefits will not help anyone except the government in their endeavours to save money, caused by a crisis they created with their relentless pursuit of profit over humanity.

Ed Miliband's reply To Sonia Poulton.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 17:19:00 +0000

I'm reading that lot of people seem to have taken a lot of negative things from Ed Miliband's reply to Sonia Poulton's letter regarding welfare reform and the new Work Capability Assessment that was signed by thousands of people including myself. I'm actually quite surprised by this as I thought for a letter from a Politician it was very positive and actually addressed what it said in the original letter directly, which is quite rare. Lets look at it again for a moment.

Dear Ms Poulton,

Thank you for your correspondence regarding the Work Capability Assessment, and my apologies for the delay in replying. Disabled people need support and compassion, and the Labour Party believes in a welfare state that fulfils this principle. The previous Conservative Government took the opposite approach and left many disabled people on Incapacity Benefit with little support to return to work where possible. It is also important to separate out ill health and disability from the decision not to work, which is taken by a distinct minority. For these reasons, the previous Labour Government introduced the Work Capability Assessment, and I am supportive of the principles behind this test.
However, I share some of the concerns that have been expressed about the test by you, along with many charities, disability groups and healthcare professionals.
These concerns, the high percentage of appeals, and Professor Malcolm Harrington’s expert reviews have shown that the test must be improved. The Government needs to listen to Professor Harrington’s advice, especially when his third review for 2012 comes out.

We have also forced a vote in Parliament on the need to reduce the human cost of the wrong decisions that result from the WCA in its current form. Given the importance of this issue, I am keen that you discuss this further with the Labour Party and share with us some of the experiences of people going through the WCA that you have collected. Anne McGuire, my Shadow Minister for Disabled People, would be happy to arrange a meeting in order to do so. Please contact her on ********** to arrange a convenient time.
Thank you again for taking the time to get in touch on this issue.
Yours sincerely, Rt Hon Ed Miliband MP

I can see it's going to have been the first paragraph that has angered people so much, he is stating what the new WCA was meant to achieve there. I agree with the points he makes, there was little or no support for people wanting to return to work from incapacity benefit under the old system. I have always wanted to work and said that in every medical I ever had under the old system. The problem is that I have to have a job I can reliably do, and mental illness prevents me doing a lot of jobs.

The new system was supposed to support me to get back into work which I was pleased to hear, but when I finally had my assessment I was horrified to find they were trying to deny me ESA altogether. I was confident I would get into the work related activity group where I would still receive ESA for 1 year and attend groups and activities designed to help get back into work. I am now having to go through the stressful and uncertain process of appealing their decision, and I daily read about people who have severe physical disabilities or are even dying being declared fit to work.

If we lived in a Utopian society where every employer would pay for adaptations and carers for disabled people from their own profits to enable them to work, and every employer was trained in mental health issues and was sympathetic towards employees who suffer from them. If businesses could afford to employ people who may be absent because they are receiving medical treatment or just too ill that day to show up, then it would work. Every disabled and mentally ill person would have a job and we'd all stand in a big circle with the able bodied and mentally well holding hands and sing "I'd like to teach the world to sing".

But here's the problem Ed, society is not like that, hate crimes against the disabled are being committed every day, employers can't afford to adapt buildings and employ carers without any funding available. And where are all these jobs we are supposed to be applying for anyway? There aren't even jobs for the able bodied who have just been made unemployed, let alone jobs for a woman like me who hasn't worked for 10 years because I'm mentally ill and prone to nervous breakdowns. And all the thousands of others who have even more severe metal illness's and physical disabilities, who is going to employ them Ed?

Even if I do make it to the Work Related Activity group, what will the people there actually be able to do for me to remedy these problems? Are the department for work and pensions even the best people to be in charge of such a thing? How are we going to change society enough in the one year I have to get me a job? There are thousands like me, nothing the DWP alone will be able to do will find us all suitable jobs. Money needs to be available to employers to enable them to employ us, and they need to be educated in the many and complicated needs of people who have mental illness and disabilities. More jobs need to be created to meet the demand for them, as we want to work Ed we really do, this minority of people who don't want to work are non existent Ed. Only someone who's never had to live on benefits would say something like that, it is a soul destroying experience and everything rests on the words of an anonymous decision maker who you will never meet.

So that's the bit that makes us angry fair enough, but he does go on to talk about the human cost of what is happening, so he's admitting things aren't right there in a veiled way. And he says that he has concerns about the high number of appeals, that's all we can really hope for, he's a politician after all. He's never going to turn around and just say "sorry everyone it's not working like it should have, we didn't think it through we'll go back to the drawing board", Politicians just don't do that. But there is hope that behind closed doors they are frantically reassessing what they've done and realising it is going horribly wrong. Bills have gone through parliament now though and thousands of people are suffering, if they admit they were wrong they will have to compensate everyone who has suffered, I can't see that ever happening. It will take years to undo the damage that has been done, the human cost has already been too great and will only get worse is the horrible truth.

It's not only the benefits system that has to change for this to work it's the very nature of employment and societies attitude to disabled people that has to change too, and that will take more than a year.

Should We Blame ATOS?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 12:12:00 +0000

Today I have read a blog post where the author basically suggests disability campaign groups are wrong to go after ATOS to the extent that they are, and that ATOS are only the IT company in charge of a system put in place by the DWP and they are the ones we should really be targetting. I've also seen several leading disability campaigners openly support this view, and even not support DPAC's protests at the Paralympics (which are being sponsored by ATOS).

I do agree with this argument to an extent, we do need to clearly target the people behind this assessment process, and not just ATOS. I thought we had been from day one though? We have constantly lobbied the government and named the ministers responsible for this crisis as well as targeting ATOS.

But the defense "we are only doing what the government/DWP is telling us to do" is an empty one in my view. Wasn't it also the defense many NAZI's also used when being tried after WW2 was over? "we were only obeying orders"? Recent documentaries that used secret filming have shown us that ATOS assessors are having crisis's of conscience over the process, they cope by blaming it on "the decision maker" (which sounds incredibly Orwellian to me). I think these individuals need to be made to take responsibility for their own actions, they could speak out even if it is anonymously, or they could quit their jobs and find another one. At least the NAZI's had the defense that they would have been executed if they disobeyed Hitler's orders, no one is going to shoot an ATOS assessor for walking out and saying "I can't do this anymore".

When a disabled person goes to one of these assessments their life and quality of life is in this persons hands, the decision maker makes their decision based on what box these people tick. In my case after examining the criteria I can clearly see 3 places my assessor should have awarded me points and failed to, and I appealing their decision. All I wanted was to be put in the work related activity group where I would receive the help and support I need to get back into work after 10 years of unemployment. Just one year to give me a fighting chance of finding a job I can reliably do with enough hours to support myself and some kind of support system that ensures I do not lose my job if I become ill again for a short period, and I would stick my middle finger up to the DWP and never claim again. But they did not give me that, they only awarded me 6 points, and I was lucky to get that by all accounts. I have the support to be able to make an appeal which I am confident I will win, but many others don't. Many people will not be able to act when they receive that dreadful letter saying they have been turned down for ESA, they will just sink into despair and lose everything, end up homeless and destitute. Some will harm themselves or even kill themselves alone, they may not be found for days or even months.

So I'm sorry but I say YES we should and must blame ATOS, we must blame everyone responsible for this horrific mess. If anything we need to focus more of our attention on the organ grinders and not the monkeys, but we must not give in and let up in our campaigns against ATOS to gain sympathy from the right wingers. We must continue to target every one of them, and not rest until they ALL are bought to justice.

Email Your local MP telling them to stop Cuts to support for disabled people.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 14:47:00 +0000

38 Degrees appear to have finally started a campaign to put pressure on the government to stop cuts to support for disabled people. Click here to email Andrew Turner (or whoever your local MP is) it only takes a minute you just need to provide your postcode and fill in your address. MP's do respond to emails too I've had several letters from the house of commons in response to emails I've sent.

The Computer Said No.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 10:01:00 +0000

The decision after my work capability assessment came back remarkably quickly, I received it on Wednesday. I have been turned down for ESA as I was only awarded 6 points and you need 15 points to receive it. My next payment of Income Support will be my last.

I was very shocked by this as I expected to be put in the "work related activity group" (WRAG) at least, and still receive ESA at a reduced rate for a year and have to attend work focused interviews etc. But they have apparently denied my illness altogether almost and said I can't even receive ESA at all. I really wish I had recorded the assessment now as she has not recorded what I said and has failed to award me points accordingly.

I am of course appealing their decision and have an appointment with citizens advice next week, I'm going to have to get a sick note from my doctor too and attempt to claim ESA while I wait for my appeal to be heard.

I went to the doctor yesterday on an emergency appointment to get more antidepressants and sleeping pills as I bloody need them now obviously, my illness has got dramatically worse since hearing this and realising I'm going to have to go before a tribunal and face uncertainty while I wait for that. I have to start my appeal before I can ask to receive ESA while I wait for the tribunal, I don't know if they can turn down my claiming ESA while I wait either as if they do I'm screwed.

I can't claim Job Seekers allowance there is no way I could meet the criteria necessary to do it, and cope with going to sign on once a fortnight and face the meeting with an advisor. If my benefits stop altogether I could lose housing benefit which will put my home in jeopardy too, I've been advised to just keep in touch with the housing benefit people while it all gets sorted out and hopefully my rent won't stop.

Had My ESA Medical Yesterday.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 12:42:00 +0000

Regular readers will be aware that I have been campaigning against the austerity cuts our government is imposing on the UK and the effect they are having on disabled people. The benefiits system is being changed, and the benefit I currently recieve is called Income Support, this is being phased out and everyone is being put onto the new disability benefit ESA. As this happens many disabled people are having their benefits cut or completely stopped as a result of being unfairly declared fit for work by the flawed capability assessment, at the same time as services for us are also being cut, a huge accident waiting to happen I'm sure you'll agree.

In fact things are already terrible, people are commiting suicide after having their benefits stopped or just from fear of having to go to the medical. Others have died from the stress of having to appeal whilst genuinely ill. I read only a couple of days about a woman who died as the stress of all these changes was too much, and a week later her mother also died after witnessing her daughters money being stopped and her eventual death at the stress of appealing.

There are many cases like the one I have mentioned above yet the government are still pressing ahead with these cuts to disability benefits, even though almost daily rich people are being exposed as tax evaders and bankers who have actually failed us terribly are still receiveing pay offs and bonuses.

I finally had my medical yesterday, it wasn't as bad as I thought as the asessment has been changed to suit people with mental illness better (previously everyone was given the same assessment regardless of their disability, which is grossly unfair to people with mental illness). So I wasn't asked to do any strange physical tests as others have, they just asked me about my mental health. The woman was really nice but it's not her decision what happens next. I will either be put into the "support" group where I will be repeated re-assessed but not have to go to the job center or be forced to try and find work.

Or I could be placed in the "Work related activity group" where I will have to go to work focused interviews and after a year my disability benefits will completely stop and I will have to sign on to the benefit designed for people who are fit to work.

If this happens then it will be the end for me as I am not fit to work, I've chronic anxiety based depression since childhood and as a result of that have social anxiety and insomnia. So I don't sleep, can't get up early and on some days can't even talk to anyone or leave the flat. Unemployment where I live is incredibly high compared to the rest of the country anyway so the chances of a woman who can't be on time for work or even come in some days beating someone who is in goood health are zero, I have no chance of finding work. In fact I don't even meet the criteria to sign on JSA so will probably end up homeless as my rent will not be paid.

I just have to pray it's the support group.

Arthur Of Albion - Book Review

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 20:16:00 +0000

Arthur of Albion is a beautifully illustrated version of the King Arthur Stories for children, an excellent book for older boys (or girls) interested in Knights. Published by the wonderful Barefoot Books company.

It is set out as a sequence of stories told each night at the round table, as King Arthur requires one of his Knights to tell a tale of valor and adventure every knight before dinner.

It is written by John Matthews illustrated by painter Pavel Tatarnikov and is truly breathtaking, the hardcover edition comes with a map folded up in the back showing the lands of Albion (or the UK as we know it now) in the days these stories were first told.

It would make a fantastic gift for children who are confident readers or to be read aloud to younger children, The way the stories are told makes it an excellent book for reading aloud one story a night for example.

Arthur Of Albion Available on Amazon.

Expose Your Blog.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 20:24:00 +0000

Many of my readers will have probably first found my blog through the old blog traffic exchanges like Blog Explosion and Blogazoo, they were a good source of traffic for bloggers and increased readership, sadly those sites have all gone now.

But don't despair there is another Blog Only traffic exchange I've found, Expose your blog has a long timer so visitors definitely read your blog. There is currently a weekly referral and surfing contest too (see the sites forum for more details) so sign up now and start recruiting your blog readers.

If you've never heard of a traffic exchange before let me explain, you add your blog and once it's approved you surf "other peoples blogs reading each one for 30 seconds (or more if it grabs your attention) you then click a button to move onto the next blog and earn credits as you surf. The ratio on expose your blog seems tight at first but there are bonus credits that appear as banners and about every 10 pages theres a verification page where you earn bonus credits. If your looking for traffic to your blog it's a good place to start. Also make sure you remember to surf at least 5 blogs to activate your blog when you sign up, I recommend surfing more in fact to gain as many credits as possible.

For more advice on increasing blog traffic see my other post on the subject:

My Tips On Increasing Blog Traffic

The Great Food Waste Scandal.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 16:20:00 +0000

As austerity measures bite and the Condems seem to be trying to do away with the welfare state altogether and just leave us all to starve I like many others have been forced to use food banks and places that serve hot meals to those who have fallen on hard times. My local place in Ryde on the Isle Of Wight is called "The Open Arms" and takes place in the local methodist church hall (Garfield Road) once a week on a Sunday evening. The provide food for the homeless and for hungry people who are short of money for whatever reason.

I have become friends with those that organise the proceedings there and learned how they get the food they serve. Most of it is donated by local business's but so far big supermarkets have refused to donate the surplus food that they actually throw away despite it still being fit for consumption.

The Food waste facts are grim, an estimated 400,000 tonnes of food according to food cycle could be reclaimed from retailers every year if they would just hand it over. Sadly in our experience only small local businesses with a social conscience have actually given us anything, large retailers like Tesco and Iceland refuse to give us the food they would otherwise throw away.

Right now I am roasting carrots and potatoes and making carrot and potato soup out of surplus vegetables kindly given to me by the folk at open arms that would otherwise have been thrown away. They were donated by the local farmers market I believe. There are still some left I didn't have the time to chop so I'll be making more tomorrow. It infuriates me and many others that so much food is wasted while people starve, and here are two campaigns you can join if you feel similarly angry at this and want to fight for food waste prevention.

Food Cycle collect surplus food and cook it for the disadvantaged at several hubs around the country, sadly they aren't going to open anymore hubs but check if there is one near you you could volunteer at if you are interested.

Feed The 5000 Invite you to sign a pledge to reduce your own food waste and encourage businesses to do the same. And also run a great scheme where farmers allow volunteers to go in and harvest crops that would otherwise be re-plowed into the soil as they are surplus or not cosmetically good enough to be sold in shops.This kind of eco food recycling and reclaiming is great and we are looking into doing this on the Island too.

Finished the soup and roasted veg by the way, smells lovely, and to think it would have all just been thrown away if no one claimed it!

The Darkness Comes Again.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 10 Jun 2012 12:48:00 +0000

This morning I awoke feeling ok really, but as the hours have passed I've felt a bout of depression beginning again. I have no anti-depressants and can't get any until tomorrow, so there is no relief.

It is hard to describe how it feels, it's like all the hope is going, there is no hope only futility. I try to cling onto hope as when it is gone there is nothing and that's when the crying begins. You can't stop the tears and when people say "why are you crying?" There is no answer so I hide from people. It distresses or angers people when they can't help you and they can't understand what is wrong with you.

I've had my letter telling me I have to go for my "The computer says no" medical, which will not take into account my mental illness. There is nothing they can do to help me when I am like this so I don't get sectioned you see. If they could quantify and attempt to relieve my symptoms they could treat me in hospital, but as they can't I am by many not considered to have such a high degree of need, ironically if I committed suicide today I'd qualify for help tomorrow is the way it is for women like me.

I have been expecting to have to go for this medical ever since Labour announced the proposed changes to disability benefits, and that income support (the benefit I receive) was to be phased out). It took them longer than they expected and the government has changed to a more heartless Tory Lib Dem coalition, but we are all receiving the pink form and the letters now. There are many of us who don't know what we will do when we are declared fit to work despite our illness not having changed at all and despite not having worked for many years, some of us have never worked in our lives. I have been doing voluntary work and studying for three years now in preparation for this moment, I even tried applying for jobs, jumping before I was pushed so to speak. The futility of it drove me mad, you rarely receive any form of reply there are so many people applying for these jobs. I've got no work history for the past ten years, I do 2 days a week in a bookshop at a local abbey which I have done for three years and now know my boss very well, so at least I can get a reference. Many people I know have no one to ask for a reference, you need two references to apply for a job stacking shelves in Iceland these days. Of all the people being forced to take mandatory work experience I wonder how many of them will actually be given a contact when they leave so they can ask for a reference, probably not many. I know people sent on these placements, they are told from the outset there is no job for them, probably because the job center sends so many people who work for free. They are treated like dogsbodys and are not trained in anything as far as I can see.

So all of us thousands of people who's medical condition has not changed are now expected to apply for the same jobs as the able bodied people who have been recently made unemployed. There are not enough jobs for them even in this current economic climate it seems, yet they are adding thousands more people to this pool everyday.

They have picked the worst possible time to have decided to do this, other countries increase welfare spending in times of economic crisis, not our government though. They let the richest people in the country evade tax while the poorest lose what little they ever had, and people who never suffered poverty before are feeling it's cruel bite now too.

You can see how it is hard to cling to hope when I see all this happening on a daily basis, but I must as without hope there is nothing. We are hearing they starting to realise and even admit welfare reforms are not working and are flawed, too late for the people who are already declared fit for work by the flawed system, and those being declared fit every day until they actually halt the reforms and review what they have done. I can only hope that by some miracle I will find employment, and where I live it will truly be a miracle as unemployment is incredibly high all the time anyway. Or maybe my endeavors to make money on line will finally start to pay off, I'm feeling a bit more hopeful about what I'm doing now, but it happens slowly there's now way to speed it up and there is so little time left.