Wednesday 20 October 2010

Here's the loophole that will end Incapacity and ESA for most.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/oct/20/truth-george-osborne-social-security?CMP=twt_gu

I can only hope to God this article is wrong.

I refer you to this paragraph


Taking the measures one at a time, the first – and the biggest – was to "time limit contributory employment and support allowance" for one year, that is the benefit formerly known as incapacity benefit. What this means is that a disabled or seriously sick person who has a working spouse, however low-paid their job may be, will lose their personal entitlement to benefits after a year.
Singles will be able to fall back on a means-tested safety net, but everyone else will be forced to rely on the generosity of their partner. Expect wheelchairs in Downing Street as the coalition does away with the long-established principle that people who have contributed their own national insurance in the past, and then become sick and disabled, should expect a modest stipend from the state in recognition of this.

So that's it then. Because I'm married, I won't be entitled to anything.
My husband who works two hours overtime every day to make ends meet, has to look after and care for me, has taken a less responsible and lower paid job to enable him to get time off at short notice, takes over entirely the child care for our two children as soon as he walks in the door now has to support me in every way too.
I'm worth nothing, I get no help at all, no matter what my condition?
We simply won't survive and that's that. 
I thought this blog would allow me to talk you through just why we need extra money and  the assessment process, but now it looks like there won't even be one . I'm a chattel, totally dependent on my husband for anything and everything.
I write this, with tears streaming down my cheeks in desperation.

45 comments:

  1. These policies must be fought. They do not have to be accepted. Will these Tories realise they are dealing with people not figures in bank balances?
    People like Osborne have no understanding of real people's lives. Disgusting. Don't give up, Sue. You're not on your own.

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  2. Sue.....You will survive, of course you will, and you are a valuable person so don't talk yourself down. Your frustration combined with your fear is damaging you at the moment, I am no analyst but I bet you'll feel better when you start to fight. so work out your battle plan, and don't let yourself be beaten. Easy for me to say, but I fought the NHS for 5 years and felt like a criminal, I was accused of all sorts of things and felt horrible, but in the end, against massive odds, I won it for my kid, just remember the golden rule, never, ever, give up !

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  3. Sue,

    If your predicament is as stark as that, (and I sincerely hope there is an avoidance measure somehow) you should contact the local press to make them aware of it. Better still email caroline Lucas (I have a good mind to do so myself). It would be quite easier to get exposure for this kind of predicament.

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  4. Dear Sue,

    I emailed Caroline the following: [I hope she is in touch soon],

    Dear Caroline,

    I am emailing you because I am not sure who else would care enough to take up this case in earnest. An acquaintance of mine, Sue Marsh, is I believe one of your constituents. She has been on the receiving end of some very bad news as a result of the CSR today. As a DLA recipient with a lifelong rare variant of Crohns disease, she is due to have her DLA halted as a result of the CSR changes. Her partner has already made sacrifices in terms of work and care arrangements for her children but I fear this may be the final straw for her in terms of making ends meet.

    i would greatly appreciate it if you could check out her blog which I include below. Any help you could offer to reassure her or highlight her case would be greatly appreciated.


    http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.com/

    Warmest regards,


    Éoin Barry Clarke,
    Queen's University, Belfast.
    Email: eclarke04@qub.ac.uk

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  5. Ken - IF this is true, we will definitely not survive it. I will have no choice but to work myself into hospital and lie on my applications. (As long as they don't read this blog)

    We already don't make ends meet, this will finish us. Simple as that.

    I am considered to be worth a measly £435 a month as it is. I worked for 7 years. £435 is our entire food and transport budget plus our utilites.

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  6. Eoin, that is very sweet. She's not my MP unfortunately - Peter Bottomley is, but perhaps she will care anyway.

    I'm very touched and can only hope eveyone feels as you do.

    I ask anyone who reads my blog tonight to send it on to everyone they can think of.

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  7. Wait a moment. Won't this force people to get divorced? Or am I reading it wrongly?
    If so, what happened to the pro-marriage policies?

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  8. Sh*t Julian, what a terrible solution.

    Either that or my husband will have to give up work and become my full time carer, something he has always refused point blank to do.

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  9. I can't see anyone, least of all Tories themselves accepting a policy which results in encouraging divorce.
    If this 'weakness' in the policy is pointed out by the media, I suspect we'll see a very quick backtrack on this one.

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  10. Julian,

    Yes, I sincerely hope so!

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  11. Brilliant Julian, I'm on a massive publicity drive (all help gratefully received) I think I'll pojnt it out to everyone I can think of now.

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  12. Lots of couples will "separate". Back in the 70s a family member and their spouse had to "separate" in order to keep some or other benefit. Good idea not to get married until the end of the Coalition!

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  13. Yes, the anti married doesn't ring true. I hope, if true, that this is retracted. I fear, the human sory that Sue is relating is just one of hundrends, thousands of people in impossible situations. This is like something out of Dicken's.

    Labour might not have got evrything right, but this is something else.
    Sue, the reason you decided to write this blog was belief that you could influence, don;t give up hope. Might take a while though.

    My sister lives in West Sussex (Henfield) and she has been campaigning against hopital closures, there must be ways of fighting this.

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  14. This is over twice as much as a family on over 44k would lose in Child Benefit.

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  15. All people getting sickness or disability benefits who are married should threaten to get divorced en masse on a certain date unless the Tories retract.
    It wouldn't matter if the Tories refused. They could all remarry when Labour win the next election and have double celebrations.

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  16. Sue,
    The Country and by that I mean the real people are with you and support you somehow we will change this evil government that to date has never experienced any sort of hardship other than where to put their millions to keep from paying Tax on it. Of course if they paid Tax there would be no problem with you having help which you a deserve and b should be entitled to.
    I am old enough to remember when I had to get my husbands permission to open a bank account. In one swoop this evil government has taken us back to that state
    Somehow we will beat them

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  17. We're on your side Sue - thank you for all your efforts to keep this in the public eye. You WILL have an influence, and we are standing beside you.

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  18. Hi Sue,

    Carers UK will be responding to the Government about the implications for families of the changes they are making to benefits. We think it is so important that real examples of the implications for families are put front and centre, alongside all the statistics.

    Would you be happy for us to quote from your blog about the impact this will have on your family?

    Best wishes,

    Steve McIntosh, Carers UK
    steve.mcintosh@carersuk.org

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  19. Steve, I'd be delighted. That's exactly why I set up the blog. If you need any info, just let me know. I hope you saw my update this morning.

    It seems it's not ALL ESA claimants who will lose their benefits after a year, but those put into the Work Related Activity Group, ie those judged to be able of doing SOME work.

    Thanks so much for the support

    Sue

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  20. Sue, thanks so much!

    Just had a couple of questions, any chance you could pop me an email at steve.mcintosh@carersuk.org so I can email you them?

    Thanks again,

    Steve

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  21. Listyourevent - Just sent it, thanks again.

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  22. I'm in the same boat as you sue so you’re not alone i have to take anti sickness drugs every day and i can assure anyone reading this that out of all illnesses it is the worse even those being treated for cancer will tell you that. I will certainly keep an eye on your blog so at least you'll have some company

    Take care

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  23. Fourbanks - I take cancer drugs anyway!
    It's great to know so many people can relate to what I write, thanks so much.

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  24. Your very welcome sue
    i also have a lung / heart/bowel/bladder/neck/headaches/small hernia/tinnitus/Ménière's/kidney stones disorder as well which leads to feeling and being sick 24/7 which results in me looking like i have just been released from a prisoner of war camp
    I cant take painkillers because of side effects in fact i cant take any drugs via mouth apart from my anti sickness drug
    As i say we both will have to take it step by step
    My illnesses started when i was just 18 I'm 54 now and to say it's been a nightmare that's a understatement it's been to hell and back and for the government to make us feel worse then we already do is plain wickedness pure and simple

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  25. Fourbanks - It really is a weird little world we live in isn't it? I say it's like I've been having lunch with the Devil while all my friends went on an Enid Blyton picnic.

    I think even some of the people who know me in the real world wouldn't have a clue how ill I am, which is why I always get so cross when I hear people say "Oh, the bloke down the road's obviously cheating, you can see there's nothing wrong with him..."
    You can't always see.

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  26. Indeed you cant sue i have to take my clothes off to see how ill i am as i can look quite fit to those who don't know me. My daily food/drink intake according to my health worker is the same for an 85 year old and because my intake is so low through constant nausea means i cant sleep and can fall down at anytime if any additional stress is placed upon me. I like you live on a day by day basis and am constantly reminded of my 35 year old neighbor who died with very similar condition's to myself
    Although i did my very best for her her weight went down to a level where life would be very difficult to live at and she passed away sadly

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  27. I paid tax for 35 years and worked as a Probation Officer. I got M.E. in 2006 and was at first severely affected and was in bed for ten months. Since then I've been in and out of bed, exhausted and sometimes in pain. I believe I am getting better but it's very slow.

    I've claimed Incapacity Benefit since 2007 and if these proposals go through I'll lose it and will be reliant on my partner, who is a low earner. We already struggle to makes ends meet. I can't afford to have the heating on during the day so we've installed a wood stove and he chops wood so I can keep warm. We don't drink or smoke and I can't remember when we last went to the pictures. I've never claimed DLA because by the time I knew about this benefit I was too functional to apply for it! I'm now up and 'pottering'. I'm able to do things slowly and I have to pace my activity. I'm nowhere near ready though to take up a job.

    I feel angry that the energy I need to use to get better will have to be used fighting these evil proposals.

    I do believe thought that united we can fight this. Lets stand together!
    Emuna
    x

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  28. Thank you so much for your story Emuna. Do you mind if I keep it? (And you please fourbanks?)I'm hoping to put all testimonials together and present them to George Osborne.
    We CAN fight, you're right. My niece has ME and she's never really been taken seriously by her doctors. If doctors don't understand a condition, how on earth can politicians?

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  29. please do sue i can assure you that the likes of George Osbourne wont be round my house. I'm glad i don't live in his constituency and feel very sorry for those that do

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  30. Just an update sue in that my Conservative mp is going to look in on me from time to time to make sure I'm OK and that i am being looked after as well as possible so that will help i hope.

    I will make him aware of this blog as he when i speak with him sound's to have a caring attitude well only time will tell if that's the case

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  31. Yes, you can use it - no problem. Thanks for the work you're doing.
    Emuna

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  32. Fourbanks, he sounds great. Actually, my Tory MP is rather good too and hardly ever votes the way the government tell him to.

    Good luck.

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  33. He knows my background from the bank of england sue where i use to work before my retirement which was a very long time ago they were indeed dark days after retiring and then finding that the DHSS didn't like the idea of you going out so you were sort of like put on house arrest and were continually watched and it got to stage where i couldn't go out at all at one point so any offer of help from my mp would be a god send as i don't feel like be permanently trapped in the home again if at all possible by the DWP

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  34. I think lots of us feel like that.
    Is someone watching if we dare go out?
    Is someone following you as you do the shopping?
    Is someone taking pictures if you dare play with your kids?
    What have we come to?

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  35. I was living in Burgess hill when i retired but i was being watched to such an extent my doctor advised me to move so i went with my wife at that time to the isle of wight.
    well things didn't get any better and my mental health deteriorated and after 7 years their returned back to west Sussex
    The marriage as you can imagine broke down but to this day I'm still watched from time to time and i dare say to the day i die

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  36. i think for people like me who have been on incapacity benefit for a long time i think the local offices of the DWP are trying there best to harm me so that i commit suicide and i must say with my stress levels high and my eating and drinking at a record low i could be losing this daily battle and i guess only time will tell
    if only i knew max Clifford (lol)

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  37. You know me Fourbanks, and I will fight every day to stop you having to feel that way.
    I don't think it is uncommon for those faced with the benefit system as it stands to feel hounded or suicidal.

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  38. Your a great asset sue and if i felt stronger i would be at that Birmingham rally that's for sure. But with people like yourself who i think are amazing there must be hope for us all but at the end of day the likes of David Cameron normally will win the day as he had a disabled son and for the life of me i don't understand his mentality nor of his DWP cabinet

    Some people are just born with a certain type of evilness we know that through other world extreme dictator's

    The public at the last election couldn't tell the difference between the parties and in panic went conservative had we had a proper labour government then things would have been different

    There's no going back we are where we are and only a miracle it now seam's will protect the weak from this government

    The BNP party we were told were bad but at least they had a care and a understanding of the sick and disabled

    The conservatives have always been throughout history and that of there followers people who are self sufficient and wouldn't give the working class the time of day they didn't years ago when i was working at the bank of england and northing's changed to this day so I'm told

    I have only ever known conservatives in my working life at very close quarter's and in general they may only be small in numbers but they control everything not only in this country but across the world

    The old style of conservatism where i grew up was balanced but today it has gone to the very extreme and has no place in any decent society

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  39. your link sue They're starting to listen...
    at the top of your blog is not working my end

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  40. Thanks for that, I've changed it now. You should be OK to see it now.

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  41. Many thanks sue the link is fine now :)

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  42. Sue, i have given you alot of stick on uk polling report, as you know we have varying views on many political issues. Today i would like to re balance and praise you for starting your blog site.

    Your site, your story and your cause are all incredible and i genuinely wish you all the best.
    Anything i can do to raise your profile and / or add to your campaigns you only have to ask.

    I like to think i am a government supporter with a heart (well sometimes) but i genuinely applaud anyone who goes the extra mile - your blog site does that with bells on. WELL DONE.

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  43. What a lovely, lovely comment!

    I'm ashamed to say that though I've racked my brains, I can't match you with your UKPR name (blushes furiously)

    When you tell me, you'll probably say you've mentioned Winchester in every post or something.

    Anyway, though there will be partisan posts that infuriate you, the ESA campaign, for me, should be valid to everyone. Labour started it and the Conservatives are making it worse, so if you agree, you can certainly sign the petition and there is also a letter template to send to your MP by Carer Watch on another post.

    Frankly, we won't get anywhere until able-bodied (I assume, though probably shouldn't) government supporters join us.

    Thanks again,

    Sue

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  44. cameron and his mickey mouse idiot goverment MUST BE STOPPED , other countries around the world stand up to their goverments when their trying to rip off their citizens so why can't we ???, cameron dosn't care about the genuin paople on incapicty benifit , i have been through numerous so called ''panels ' where i've been prodded ,pocked and humiliated by doctors , when i say humiliated , i mean by the one or two doctors who DON'T WANT TO BELIEVE YOU , EVEN PUTTING ME ON A BROKEN BED BY ONE DOCTOR TO EXAMIN ME , EVEN AFTER ME POINTING OUT THE BROKEN PART HE IGNORED ME CAUSING ME A lOT OF PAIN AND DISCOMFORT WHICH RESULTED IN ME ALMOST THROWING UP ??????, THESE TESTS ARE RIGGED , I HONESTLY BELIEVE THEIR ARE DOCTORS WHO TAKE BACKHANDERS JUST TO GET YOU OFF INCAP , EVEN WITH X RAYS AND CAT SCANS TO PROVE THE INJURIES [ I DAMAGED MY BACK LIFTING A PHYSCIARTIC PATIENT RESULTING IN DAMAGED VERTABRAE , ARTHRITUS , SCIATICA , COMPLETE NUMBNESS IN MY LEGS AT TIMES , NECK PAIN, SHOULDER PAIN AND SEVERE SWELLING IN BOTH KNEES AND HANDS ], BUT STILL I WORRY WHAT I WILL HAVE TO GO THROUGH ON THE NEXT '' TEST ''.

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