The Personal Independence Payment benefit was introduced by the scummy Tories to cut the bill for Disability Living Allowance, which was the existing benefit paid to the disabled. Alas for the Tories, they mucked things up on two levels:
The
first is that often people who had a lifetime DLA award, and whose
condition then deteriorated did not tell the DWP. Had they done so then
the whole award would have come under review. People know just how verminous the Tories are, so they settled for the half loaf that they
already had, rather than risk it all with a full review of their claim.
However, and here is where the fun begins, PIP by
definition involves a full assessment of a claimant's disabilities. So some people who were on lifetime DLA awards suddenly found that they
were getting higher rates under PIP because their existing condition had
worsened, but they had not said anything to protect their DLA.
Secondly,
even though many more people found that their award was being cut,
because PIP is more tightly drawn than DLA, the government then discovered to its surprise that
disability does not respect social class. There may be people in the leafy shires who are crippled, but they are not stupid, and they can afford good lawyers
to argue their appeals. Folk on the council estates can rely on an army
of charities that give them free legal advice and across the board the
advice is appeal, appeal and appeal again.
The regime could
afford to fight all those expensive appeals, so it relied on making paper
submissions to the appeal tribunals. If you turn up with your lawyer
then you have a better than average chance of winning your case, which
means more costs to the Tories.
So the fuckers then announced plans to recruit more people to argue the regime's cases at the tribunal level, but all that means is that the regime is now prepared to spunk away more money in its failed attempt to save money. Does that make sense to you? If so, please let the rest of us know just what is going on here.
Let's be honest - the Tories
thought that it was open season on people like me. They dismissed us as
gimps, spastics and mongs, but we have done something that nobody else
has managed so far: we have forced a cabinet minster to resign, to be replaced by a loyal and faithful servant of the capitalist class who is treated with contempt by almost everyone. We changed
government policy and reduced the regime to one that seems to be in
office, but not in power.
You have no idea how glorious it is for disabled old me to sit back and survey the wreckage of this government and its policies.
We will keep fighting the monsters. Even if they do try to censor our protests.
ReplyDeleteWe've got to get the £30 cut to WRAG group restored....keep fighting....
ReplyDeleteLeaving the EU might well make things worse for poor & vulnerable - IDS wants it, so beware...
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree. There is no "might" about it. It would definitely make things worse.
DeleteI do not really give a stuff about IDS and what he wants. I want Britain out of the EU because the EU is a front for the employers and those who have their noses jammed up the ring-pieces of the employers. If you want revenge for the decades after 1979, then you should vote to leave the EU. It is a step on the road to retribution.
ReplyDeleteIf we leave the EU, you do realise we will have no rights as a disabled citizen? They could then remove PIP altogether and you wouldn't be able to do a thing about it. Additionally, they will change the voting laws and so we will be permanently under a Tory Government. Make no mistake leaving the EU would be very detrimental to the disabled.
ReplyDeletePIP can be removed as DLA was - the EU has nothing to do with that. The voting laws are set by Westminster for the UK and Holyrood for Scotland, which is why 16 year olds now have the vote in Scottish elections. The EU was not involved in that, either. Finally, the plans to reduce the Commons to 600 seats, which will also tell against Labour has bollock all to do with Brussels.
ReplyDeleteIf you are the best that the federasts can produce then I reckon that Leave will walk it.