tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17889211126526545012024-02-20T19:35:32.479+00:00Confessions of an Immigrant on WelfareLife as a bloody foreigner on the dole in the United Kingdom.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger140125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1788921112652654501.post-73749852970495671432013-08-01T19:08:00.002+01:002013-08-01T19:08:59.622+01:00Difficult DayDiscovered today that Cambridge City Council can only pay out <i>£330 per month</i> for a room in a shared house. Rooms are typically £400-500 in Cambridge - there are simply no rooms priced as low as £330 in Cambirdge City. The low limit is because the average rent price is taken over the whole of Cambridgeshire which includes low priced villages that no one wants to live in. Or they stump up $520pm for a self-contained 1 bedroom flat. These are usually just a room with a toaster and ensuite. If pets were allowed there would be no room to swing a cat. And all the bills to be covered by ESA.<br />
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On the subject of ESA I started preparing my appeal today (on the GL24 form) as the medical report finally arrived after two weeks. All they had to do was print it out and post it! They supply a rectangle 83mm x 120 mm (3.25' x 3.9') for spelling out why you are appealing to be filled in in BLOCK CAPITALS. I sent them two sides of A4 typed, and three supporting documents. Take that you bastards.<br />
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Back in June 2012 I got this: "" Mr X does have a Limited Capacity for <i>Work Related Activity</i>". That put me in the higher bracket for ESA.<br />
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This year my medical report says:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“The available evidence suggests that the client has a significant level of disability due to Anxiety and Depression, such that they would have a limited capability for work. Likely to reach threshold, personal action, getting about and social situations, <i>no significant chance since last assessment</i>.” [emphasis added]</blockquote>
Despite there being<i> no significant change</i> I'm down graded to the Limited Capacity for Work. The details of what this means are a bit arcane but it does mean about £35 a week less in benefit. Just at the time when I'm faced with being evicted because I'm a prick to live with and the only good option I have, apart from moving the fucking countryside away from everyone I know in the UK and all my support systems, is to get a bedsit on my own. But then I am responsible for <i>all the bills</i>. If anyone will supply services to me. The prejudice against people on benefits seems to run pretty deep here. So I need the money, though I think as things stand I am entited to it. I'd love to live on my own but had thought I couldn't afford it. Maybe I'll just have to. <br />
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The medical report does seem have ignored or at best underplayed my answers to Qs 14-17 on the ESA50 which cover mental health. I clearly fit the criteria and they thought so last year (on appeal) and they ought to be applying the same criteria this year. In any case the I'll send in my documentation tomorrow and cross my fingers.<br />
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My doctor's supporting letter mentioned that I had a panic attack while asking her for the letter. And this was interesting because I didn't think of it as a panic attack. It seems I have panic attacks much more often than I had thought. Just about every day at the moment. <br />
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I'm finding the dichotomy of trying to convince the government that my health is poor and my behaviour unacceptable and trying to landlords that my I'm going to be a great tenant is very difficult to hold. It's creating quite dangerous tensions at times. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1788921112652654501.post-37210891554762669072013-07-29T17:50:00.003+01:002013-07-29T17:50:34.255+01:00Appealing So I'm in the middle of moving house. But I'm also in the middle of being reassessed for benefits. Last year, after I appealed with the help of the Citizen's Advice Bureau I was placed in the Support Group for Employment and Support Allowance, and I thought that would give me some breathing space.<br />
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But the joke was on me and now a year later I'm going through it again.<br />
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I filled out my ESA50 as required and sent it off. The WCA I had feared did not eventuate, but the decision came with no indication of why the decision had been made. I was put back into the Work realted Activity Group and lost £35 per week in ESA payments.<br />
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Now the WRAG has nothing to offer me that would help me get back into work. I have long term mental health problems that have dogged me for 30 years now (if not longer) and fibromyalgia which is probably not unrelated. If I could chose to receive any kind of help it would be some kind of treatment to relieve my symptoms in a way that did not leave me with debilitating side-effects. So being in the WRAG is completely pointless. I know how to write a letter on a word processor. <br />
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CAB tell me that I need to include a letter from my doctor with my appeal. My Doctor tells me that "the agency" has told GPs not to write such letters. <br />
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I have a month to appeal. I had to ring the DWP to get an outline of why the decision had been reversed ("a copy of the medical report" they call it). I called on 16th July. I rang them today the 29th and they could not tell me why the report had not been forwarded to me. <br />
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I have asked to be referred to the NHS counciling service. But there is a 6 page form to fill in before they even decide whether I'm elligible. That's enough to send me first into a panic and then into inertial.<br />
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I'm in the middle of a stressful move from a hostile home situation and trying to find a place and convince landlords that I'll pay the rent. Every ad I answer says "no DSS" but since they are the only ads I apply anyway and just lie. Fuck em. I will be paying my rent on time.<br />
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I registered for council housing but I have zero chance of getting anything from them. Even I was evicted and in danger of homelessness I'd just end up in a hostle for homeless men. Surrounded by down and outs and booze and street drugs. Which is the last thing I need. So I perservere with house hunting and hope that the advice I got from the council guy about Housing and Council Tax Benefit is accurate. <br />
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I'm trying to do all this in a house full of people who don't like me which is triggering all kinds of shit. I'm toting up symptoms and concluding that I'm already clinically depressed. So do I submit to anti-depressants again? And the pressure feels like it's building. One day I'm going to find myself smashing shit up and screaming at the top of my lungs at some poor unsuspecting bastard who'll be frightened out of their wits. Then what? <br /><br />I'm so fucking tired.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1788921112652654501.post-75655182428381527512013-07-25T15:54:00.000+01:002013-07-25T15:54:13.737+01:00Moving OnSo, it's been a long time since I wrote anything here. In the mean time the MAEBs have clubbed together and are kicking me out. In addition I've just completed another ESA50 and had my status downgraded and my benefit reduced by about £35 per week. I still have not heard from them the reasons for the decision. <br />
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So I'm dealing the emotional fallout of being evicted, house hunting, and appealing the ESA decision. <br />
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Cambridge is quietly but seriously overcrowded. People are cramming in together without proper facilities, and I doubt many of the houses comply with minimum standards. "Cooking facilities" refers to a kettle, microwave and toaster in a room. I saw one with a fridge smaller than a loaf of bread - you'd just about fit a pint of milk in it but no more. Adults are crammed into these houses and paying £500 pcm for the priveledge. Seems there's a lot of private renting going on which is a relief as agent fees are outrageous.<br />
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Letting agents automatically treat tenants as criminally irresponsible and unreliable. Not only are they parasites on the bloated bodies of landlords, but they are cynical about their victims. <br />
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The vast scale of the housing shortage has meant that rents have continued to increase despite falling house prices and economic crisis. The shortage is artificial and sustained by both private enterprise and government because they're all getting fat on high rents.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1788921112652654501.post-85298343617700981692013-02-20T16:45:00.002+00:002013-02-20T16:45:53.716+00:00Housing. 2Update on my attempts to register for a council house. My application has been lost - on the computer!<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #222222; display: inline !important; float: none; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12.800000190734863px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Unfortunately your application has not been registered with Home link. You may have to start the process again. Apologies for this.</span>
</blockquote>
Of for fucks sake! How hard can it be? And the email is not signed by a person but by "Housing Advice". Thanks for fucking nothing "Housing Advice".<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1788921112652654501.post-53248735330406476962013-02-19T08:01:00.000+00:002013-02-19T08:01:11.173+00:00HousingI finally decided to bite the bullet and apply for a council house. This is made much more difficult than it ought to be by bureaucratic thinking and incompetent web design. The website and the various systems is constructed from the point of view of the council - it's all in their language, laden with jargon no normal person uses. No thought seems to have been given to using the language of the people who have to use the system. And I'm quite highly educated, and tech-savvy so I ought to find it easy. But I don't.<br />
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There is huge amounts of writing on the screen which is not optimised for easy reading but labours on in bureaucrat mode - long lines of text stretching across the screen. Half of what is there is unnecessary but has to be read anyway to find the bits you do need to read. This is one of the basic errors that web designers make. If you are a new user there is no guidance, no step by step procedure to follow - the procedure is spelled out long hand, and you must extract it and conceptualise it for yourself.<br />
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Registering is a nightmare. The process is convoluted and confusing. The screen says one thing and does another. . In fact it is a model of poor web design. If you don't have all the information you can go back and complete the registration at a later date (though the screen says you can). The phone drone asked for my password so that she could try logging in, but what is the point of having a password in that case? I had to email the extra info (My NI number) to an email identified only by initials (no name, no words) and ask that they advise me on progress. So it's now totally out of my control.<br />
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And the advice given at different times is contradictory. Thanks for that especially.<br />
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And then at the end I have to do all the leg work to get a place: getting a council house has been outsourced to the people who need housing. And for someone like me this places a heavy burden on me at a time when I really don't need that.<br /><br />And when it comes down to it there are 100 people on the list for every place offered. I'm hoping that my diagnoses will mean that I get my own place soon.<br /><br />I don't really want to leave my home of 10 years, but I don't think staying here is tenable any more.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1788921112652654501.post-42043223762350105392013-02-19T07:45:00.000+00:002013-02-19T07:45:16.061+00:00There are days...I have to say that there are days when having Complex Type 2 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Dysthymia, Fibromyalgia, and a Hiatus Hernia is a bit of a drag. Lately I've been spicing it up with panic attacks and mild paranoia. I know that people are not aiming to harm me, but try telling my endocrine system! <br />
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I'm not sure how much longer I can live like this.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1788921112652654501.post-71953056533033184352013-02-18T09:01:00.001+00:002013-02-18T09:01:40.836+00:00The last few weeks have been interesting. When you have chronic illnesses there are always the extreme days - days when one is either caught up in illness, or blithely unaware of it. And especially with mental problems there are days of clarity amidst suffering. <br /><br />I'm trapped in some behaviours which had survival value 40 years ago - it's painful and frightening for me and those around me. But I'm seeing it reasonably clearly. My primary orientation to the world is: who or what is a threat? Early experience tells me that any person can suddenly switch from friend to foe. Trust no one. That experience tells me that conflicts result in me getting hurt, thus it is vital for me to avoid conflict. I'm almost always on edge.<br /><br />It's important to be able to anticipate what people are going to say in order to predict possible threats. I had a quick mind anyway, but this pushed it's development in a particular direction. I can scan ahead using patterns to predict how people will unfold an argument, and anticipate it, and often be ready to respond before the person stops talking. I know that everyone does this, but I think I do it for different reasons and to a greater extent. It is about trying to appear dominant, but not because I feel superior. Quite the opposite. I feel inferior and vulnerable. <br /><br />I was severely bullied at primary school (broken arm at one point) and a good deal of secondary school. But in addition my neighbourhood was violent and unpredictable, as were members of my family. <br /><br />For me the best solution to an anticipated conflict is to hide. To physically hide if possible, or to shield myself mentally and emotionally if not. Thus drugs and alcohol were welcome in my life, though destructive. And if I could not hide then I would make a show of strength to discourage opponents. This dynamic came out particularly with my younger brother. C used to take out his frustrations on me by verbally winding me up. I was often left in charge and he resented it. I think he wanted his Dad, and his Dad was simply not available as he lived a long way away and our mother vehemently hated and denigrated him. So C would needle me until I thumped him, then having reached this climax things would calm down for a while. But it festered and we are now estranged. I had the same kind of relationship with my older brother A, though he moved to another country which helped to diffuse things. The oldest S seemed to somehow not be drawn into the conflicts. As I got older I became more adept at avoiding the conflicts, but also mired in drugs. I had a series of breakdowns, was repeated diagnosed with depression, though it's clear to me now that depression was only a symptom of a much deeper problem (complex type 2 post-traumatic stress disorder)<br /><br />And yet within this I'm high functioning. I do have friends, I did get married even though it didn't last. I am a member of a spiritual community. I have long periods when the anxieties and paranoia are in the background. But there are many triggers.<br /><br />The latest flair up revolved around my birthday. It's so complex that it's hard to know where to start. I had been feeling left out - but then I hide often so I was also opting out. I partly opt out because I feel ill in one way or another; partly because the group I currently live with are difficult. They are cliquey - a group of friends linked as much as anything by common interests in TV shows and films, though it does go deeper I suppose. I don't see much else. From time to time they just seem to rub my nose in being an outsider: dinner time will change without me being told so I come down half an hour late; they'll all be watching a movie without asking me to join them. Stuff like that. Though on the latter subject they all seem to enjoy films that I don't. I struggle with violence in films and with love stories. They watch the latest violent movies and say it doesn't affect them. But I can't watch, say, a Bond film without it having a serious impact on me. I experience strong anxiety and distress. <br /><br />So I'm not really fitting in. I'm frustrated by the lack of care shown in particular areas of the house. I'm frustrated that I've gone from having everyone's respect to seemingly not having respect. It used to be my home, but now it's this house where I live and I'm this awkward bugger that no one really wants to spend time with. I have to confess that I've been making sure to take my pain meds (codeine) just before dinner so I'm a bit fuzzy at the table - I'm anxious and tell myself I can't face it straight. Probably a mistake. <br /><br />About two weeks ago I asked for my usual decaf tea after dinner and the idiot who was making the drinks gave me ordinary tea. I always drink decaf because of insomnia. And he's known me for 3 or 4 years now. He knows, but he's not very mindful. He gets focussed on one thing and forgets everything else. And we have this coffee machine now that is complicated to use. Drink making is now about 75% making espressos for the in-crowd, and 25% making tea for the rest of us (about half of us don't drink coffee). Anyway I didn't sleep much that night, and I have a full day the next couple of days and I felt very tired.<br /><br />A couple of days later we're sitting having dinner on our home night - where we clean up and do some activity together. I was really tired and didn't say anything all night. I felt depressed. And no one spoke to me - they ask each other how their day was but not me. Until suddenly I was being asked to lead the activity - and this particular thing I don't really do any more. And especially not when I'm tired and depressed. And after not having talked to me all night, one of the others starts pressuring me to say more. It's done in that English way of understated passive aggressive needling. I'm upset at being put on the spot, and I blurt out about the wrong tea and not sleeping. I'm angry and can't hide it. Which gets everyone's backs up.<br /><br />So my birthday rolls around. A few years back the guys would club together and buy the birthday boy a nice present. Now we do it out of a common fund, and they just pick something off your Amazon wish list. It has become perfunctory. No one really makes an effort. Though I notice that people that are more cliquey buy gifts for each other. And I couldn't bring myself to celebrate my birthday with these people. It felt hypocritical. So I ran away to London for the afternoon and evening, had dinner down there and came back late. Without telling anyone - hiding again. <br /><br />There are so many little things that I find difficult here. But they're turning into big things. I'm so bloody over-sensitive it's painful. That image of being flayed alive and having no protection from contact - the agony of it. I can relate to that. But I'm so fearful of moving. It's incredible expensive here - agents extort fees here that are unreal. Plus you almost never get your bond back. The agent charges the tenant for services provided to the landlord; and relentlessly takes money where ever they can. And it's very difficult to get anything fixed or upgraded. Such a different experience to renting in NZ where laws favour tenants. So I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place. Where would I get the money to move? How can I stay here? A council flat might be an option but I've been discouraged because for every place there are about 100 people looking in this town (and I understand that we are reasonably well off). Moving back home to NZ? I just don't see a way to do it and survive.<br /><br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1788921112652654501.post-4058499603250910892012-12-09T15:19:00.002+00:002012-12-09T15:19:49.893+00:00Housing Benefit - effective reductionsI've received my latest assessment for Housing Benefit. I gave the Council notice in July when I received notice from my landlord of the annual increase - which this year was well above inflation. The increase started in Oct. The Council sent me the assessment on 3 Dec. Are they overworked?<br />
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The upshot is that for the third year in a row my rent has increased at more than inflation and my benefit award has stayed the same. This amounts to an effective 10% reduction in Housing Benefit. And that extra comes out of ESA (Income Support as was).<br />
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If Housing Benefit does keep pace with rents then the poor will be getting poorer. I'm not too badly off being single, frugal and living in shared accommodation, but for some people this effective reduction in the amount of money they get will be hurting.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1788921112652654501.post-7247343810154817232012-10-28T12:55:00.001+00:002012-10-28T18:12:53.438+00:00ESA and WCASo. I last mentioned that I was waiting for my WCA results in August (4 Aug 2012). The result came that I have been put into a <i>Work-Related Activity Group</i>. And at the time I had no idea what this meant. It sounded like a scheme to get me back into work. I could have saved myself a lot more misery by reading more about the process, but at the time I was in no fit state to go seeking information - this is part of the problem, yes? And when you get the letter there's really nothing to say what it means.<br />
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What it means is:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Claimants identified for this group will take part in work-focused interviews with a personal adviser, and have access to a range of support to help them prepare for suitable work." </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg/groups/dg_digitalassets/@dg/@en/@disabled/documents/digitalasset/dg_177366.pdf">A guide to Employment and Support Allowance – The Work Capability Assessment</a>. ESA214. June 2011</blockquote>
Anyway I decided to appeal without the full information. But once I found out I decided to see it through for several reasons. I felt I needed more support from the government, and I did not want to be subjected to the horrors of the WCA again. I haven't written about my experience of the WCA yet, but it was traumatic. But I also just wanted to appeal to say FUCK YOU to the system that was saying <i>fuck you</i>, to me. I wanted time and resources to be tied up. I wanted to contribute to the wave of appeals, to boost the statistics that the WCA does not work.<br />
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A couple of weeks later I was summoned for my work-focussed interview. Each letter one gets from the DWP is combined with a subtlety stated threat that if one does not comply one's benefits will be cut off. <br />
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So I attended the interview where I alternated between extreme hostility verging on paranoid about how this might affect my appeal, and breaking down in tears. And it took some time for the information to sink in that I was not expected to look for work, but that if I did decide to do so they're support me in some way. It took a long time to get an answer to what "support" means. It seems to me that it's aimed at people who're never worked (whereas I was a professional for many years before becoming ill) or who were living really sheltered lives. Which I suppose I am, though I'm reluctant to see myself this way.<br />
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After this as I say I decided to continue my appeal. I must say a big THANK YOU to the Citizen's Advice Bureau who coached me through the stages of the appeal and gave me an over-view of the process. I can recommend CAB to anyone thinking of appealing a WCA judgement.<br />
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To support my appeal I had to approach medical professionals and ask for their help. My GP was very helpful and supportive and wrote a note which emphasised the points that I had asked him to more or less. Part of the CAB strategy is to go through the transcript of the WCA and identify places where one got less points than one should have, and ask Drs etc to reinforce the need for more points. I also approached the past pyschotherapist I had seen and asked for her help which was also generously and compassionately given. (And she said that she thinks I have <i>Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder</i> which I'm not sure we had discussed before). Then I wrote, with the help of a friend, a long critique of the WCA pointing out inaccuracies, omissions, and numerous spelling and grammatical errors! I bundled it all up and sent it off.<br />
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And I won! I WON! I got moved to the Support group:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Support Group</b>: If the effects of a claimant's health condition or disability are so severe that it would be unreasonable to expect them to prepare for work, they will join the Support Group. These claimants will receive the higher rate of Employment and Support Allowance and do not have to take part in any work-related activity as a condition of receiving benefit (although they can volunteer to do so). ESA214</blockquote>
And the good news is that I get about £20 extra a week. Now I'm still not sure how long this will last, or whether they will force me to undergo the WCA again soon, but I did point out that in the three years between my initial assessment for Incapacity Benefit and Employment Support Allowance my condition had not changed, and that the balance of the medical advice was that my condition was unlikely to change much, and that work if anything would make it worse. So hopefully they'll leave me alone.<br />
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That said I'm looking into ways of escaping from the system. I am looking at full-time study. This would be extremely challenging both physically and mentally but it might be doable with the right help. I'm more than capable of getting a PhD but my illnesses at various stages have made me back away from following through on my potential. My interests have changed since I last considered the possibility and I would need to do an MA or similar in my chosen subject before enrolling for a PhD. I'm using this year as a run up and a chance to explore funding opportunities for a one year MA or MPhil. It's what I love doing anyway and would take about 5 years. Not a bad five year plan! After that who knows?<br />
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This process has been six months of debilitating stress:<br />
<ul>
<li>Apr 26 - warning that benefits are about to change.</li>
<li>May 10 - request to complete ESA50 (which replaces IB50)</li>
<li>Jun 03 - reminder re ESA50</li>
<li>Jun 18 - notification of WCA</li>
<li>Jul 09 - WCA (by registered nurse).</li>
<li>Aug 22 - notice of benefit change to ESA.</li>
<li>Sep 10 - acknowledgement of appeal </li>
<li>Sep 26 - DWP employee rings me to try to "sort out" my appeal over the phone. I take this to be a thinly disguised attempt to screw up my appeal by an unscrupulous employee trying to meet targets.</li>
<li>Oct 02 - Personal Advisor interview.</li>
<li>Oct 22 - Appeal decision</li>
<li>Oct 25 - Notice of change of payments.</li>
</ul>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1788921112652654501.post-49302475485623612512012-08-14T08:40:00.001+01:002012-10-28T18:13:55.674+00:00Self deceptionsI've noticed with the Olympics that it gets co-opted.<br />
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A woman I followed on Twitter wanted to make the point that women were dominating the medal podium one day. She was apoplectic when I pointed out that it was because they only competed against women. If they had taken equality to it's logical conclusion the Olympics would not have a separate category for women it would simply celebrate the best at each sport. And some women would make it. I imagine that South Korean archer Ki Bo Bae would be there - she is awesome. But in athletics men run faster, jump higher, lift and throw heavier weights, the swim faster etc etc. Look at who holds the world records in most sports activities and it will be men. I don't see this as a put down, it's just a fact. And yes it is quite true that the fastest women are faster than the average man, faster than me. But this does not alter the fact. I grew up with women assuring me that thy were not only as good as men, but better in many respects; that they could do anything and probably better than men; that women deserved to be treated as equals or betters in any aspects of life. OK then let's have a level playing field in sport. There's no reason why most sports need to have separate leagues and separate competitions for women. Why should women runners not run against men? Where size is a factor - as in weight-lifting or judo - we already have weight grades to even things up. I'm all for equality.<br />
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Another person wanted to compare the medals that Scotland won with the medals that New Zealand won. Except that Scotland didn't win <i>any</i> medals - the United Kingdom certainly won a lot of medals and within Team GB (as it is inaccurately called) there were lots of Scottish Athletes. Would Scotland win so many medals if they were independent? We'll never know until they follow through on the independence movement. New Zealand is a separate nation, and we did not benefit from UK money or facilities. And we did not have a home crowd advantage in the last couple of weeks. Same with Yorkshire claiming to have won more medals than any other county. So what? Yorkshire wouldn't survive for 10 years as an independent country - they're absolutely dependent on wealth generated elsewhere in the UK (including Scotland). One of the main proponents of this Yorkshire lark is Jon <i>Lord </i>Prescott - who is so fat these days he couldn't run 100 metres let alone race it, though I'd want to be arms length away when I said that because not doubt he's still got a mean left hook.<br />
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It's all just a weird form of jingoism - dividing into arbitrary groups and then saying "we're better than you are". As if that really means anything that one's neighbours are good athletes. I like seeing Kiwi's doing well, but I don't then claim to be a superior person on the basis of that. It's not me that won the match! Why should I feel good about myself because someone I've never met and never will has played a good match, or run fast? <br />
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Medals were won for your country not by your country.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1788921112652654501.post-71399323101654011902012-08-05T09:46:00.000+01:002012-08-05T09:49:41.668+01:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<a href="http://atosvictimsgroup.co.uk/">ATOS Victims Group</a>: a webpage which tells the truth about ATOS, who they are, how they operate to force ill and disabled people off benefits and into the job market (at a time of high unemployment); and the government and what their program of welfare is really about.</div>
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Unfortunately the government have waged a campaign of press releases which deride and disparage the ill and disabled and have manipulated public opinion. So welfare reform is a popular policy and many of the government's lies have been accepted as true. The truth is that benefit fraud is tiny, and mistakes in payments are high. Tax cheating costs the UK 100x as much as benefit fraud. White collar fraud in banking and finance have cost this country trillions of pounds. </div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1788921112652654501.post-32769352212932512372012-08-04T17:15:00.000+01:002012-08-04T17:15:20.273+01:00Still waitingStill waiting to hear the result of my WCA. Depressed and despondent. Suicidal thoughts.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1788921112652654501.post-74340849164710366092012-07-31T12:15:00.000+01:002012-07-31T12:15:00.585+01:00So now we know...What we've suspected all along is that ATOS employ artificial targets aimed at shifting people of benefits into the workforce, and this at a time of high unemployment (though the most recently figures showed a decline in the jobless, the figure is still higher than when the ConDem goct came to power).<br />
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The <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jul/27/disability-benefit-assessors-film">Guardian</a> have reported on a secret film made of ATOS training:<br />
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<strong>Atos assessors told to keep disability benefit approvals low, film suggests</strong></blockquote>
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<em>GP applied for job with Atos assessing whether benefit applicants were fit for work, and secretly filmed his training.</em></blockquote>
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"Undercover filming shows Bick being told by his trainer that he will be watched carefully over the number of applicants he found eligible for the highest rate of disability payments."</blockquote>
The article also says:<br />
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"Large numbers of people found ineligible for the benefit are appealing against the decision to find them fit for work; about 41% of those refused support go to tribunal and 30% are subsequently granted the benefit. There have been more than 600,000 appeals since the WCA started, costing about £60m a year."
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Of course ATOS continue to deny that they set targets.<br />
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The film was shown on Channel 4 8pm Monday 30th July. It can be seen on Channel 4OD online.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1788921112652654501.post-69267342498782804602012-07-30T09:10:00.000+01:002012-07-30T09:10:00.409+01:00Coming Out<strong>The politics of mental health</strong>Last month, four MPs bravely told the world about their own mental health issues in an effort to reduce the stigma. They talk about what happened next - <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jul/29/politics-mental-health">Guardian</a>.
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<br />
The article mentions this website: <a href="http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/">Time to Change</a>. Thousands of people talking about their mental health problems.
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<br />
<em>Meanwhile </em><br />
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<strong>Million jobless may face six months' unpaid work or have benefits stopped.</strong><br />Community action programme to tackle long-term unemployment could prove expensive failure, says thinktank - <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/jul/29/long-term-unemployed-unpaid-work">Guardian</a>.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1788921112652654501.post-11254787186125103582012-07-10T18:55:00.001+01:002012-07-10T18:56:28.754+01:00WCAI had my Work Capacity Assessment yesterday.<br />
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I was interviewed by a nurse rather than a doctor. The nurse did not perform any of the standard tests I have come to associate with my conditions -- fibromyalgia or anxiety/depression. He seemed to take my diagnosis as read, but was solely concerned with my ability to work <i>despite</i> the diagnosis. <br />
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But then as a nurse he could not really make that assessment and his job was simply to run me through a questionnaire so that other faceless bureaucrats could make a decision well removed from me. I have no right to face my accuser or to have a day in court over this. To the people making the decision I'm not even a person, just a file. And they have no idea of the consequences of their actions.<br />
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He was all business, appeared quite friendly, but not particularly sympathetic. At one point I burst into tears and it took me a while to get myself back under control. He pushed a box of tissues across to me. I tried to convey what my life is like when things are bad. He seemed to take me at my word on this which was one thing. But then I did not see what he was typing on his computer.<br />
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It was a grueling experience that I have no wish to repeat.<br />
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The one thing that has become all too clear is that being at the mercy of these cunts is not something I think I can tolerate long term. I'm going to have to find a way out of the health trap. I'm wondering about going back to school, but I'm not interested in practical subjects. If I could I'd like to study economics and public policy for instance. I've become quite concerned about how the government is trashing things. But where's that going in employment terms?<br />
<br />
In any case I have to wait a few weeks now. I'm dreading being forced into job seeking. I wish I could have found a way out for myself before now. Losing the Income Support I've been getting and dropping down to the level of basic ESA is not going to be easy. It's about £25 a week less. At present I have about £50 of disposable income -- from which comes clothes, shoes, and any extras. I confess to spending most of it on trivial stuff, but it includes books. <br />
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At 47 and not having worked for five years now, who is going to offer me employment? Or will I be forced into one of these workfare benefit slavery deals? The chances are I'm going to fall apart under pressure and that's all going to be distressing for me, any employer and the people I work for.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1788921112652654501.post-25654630036207190852012-06-12T12:58:00.000+01:002012-07-10T18:56:13.065+01:00Sensible Economist<div style="text-align: center;">
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Steve Keen, Autralian economist talking about the world financial crisis (which he predicted in 2005). He identifies the amount of private debt as the big problem. In the US it reached 300% of GDP. It will take decades to get back to manageable levels by paying off and bankruptcy. </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zwaS0w9wUF8" width="560"></iframe></div>
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The solution is to abolish debt. Have a debt jubilee (by giving money to the debtors, but requiring people to pay off debts if they have them). Allow the banks to go bankrupt. Restructure them. Never again allow banks to lone money to people so they can speculate on the price of assets.
If we don't the right-wing will probably rise up (as it did in the 1930's), and there will be widespread social unrest.
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Reform economics so that it reflects reality (which is doesn't now). Don't over-rate sincerity, the most sincere person you'll ever meet is the maniac with an axe trying to chop your head off. Or indeed the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1788921112652654501.post-26826789616110559932012-06-04T11:33:00.000+01:002012-06-04T11:33:09.888+01:00Physical FunctionsCan you walk at least 200 metres before you need to stop? [this unaided by another person, but including<br />
walking stick, wheel chair, crutches]<br />
Can you walk up and down 2 steps without help from another person?<br />
Can you sit for an hour without help from another person.<br />
<br />
And the answer is every case is HOW OFTEN? How often am I required to do this? Once a week? Once a day? 10 times a day? 100?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1788921112652654501.post-71208125012628972032012-06-04T09:40:00.001+01:002012-06-04T09:41:19.722+01:00ESA50Filling in the ESA50 form which has replaced the IB50. The last time I filled one of these in, the emphasis was 'what is wrong with you?'. Now it's 'why aren't you out working?'.<br />
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The questions are terrifying in a peculiar way. They want to know shit like<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
can you get out of bed and wash your self?<br />
do you eat?<br />
can you stand up or sit in a chair?<br />
can you walk at all?<br />
can you leave the house?<br />
have you got minimal use of hands and arms?<br />
can you socialise at all?<br />
what do you do that might upset workmates?</blockquote>
The lists is so minimal. Like a basic list of human functions. And you just know that behind each one is the implied question, 'if you answered yes to this question, then why aren't you working?' Can you fill in this form? Yes? Well you, my friend, just qualified for the workforce. Are you alive? Well get a fucking job.<br />
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This is much worse that IB50. I don't think I'm going to make it, but then that means that I'm supposed to go back into the workforce. I'm panicking just thinking about it. What it will mean is that welfare is cut by £25 a week, and I'm forced to apply for jobs that no one in their right mind would give me.<br />
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Some of the things I can do once or twice, but not continuously or repetitively. Certainly not two days in a row, and not without the help of a hefty dose of codeine. But they do not test for this, and they never have. How do I make them test me for the problem I have?<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1788921112652654501.post-52825390410065830192012-05-13T08:11:00.000+01:002012-06-04T09:41:34.851+01:00Weasle WordsGot my letter today and the form, but only after a very weasely phone call. What with all this stuff about "may affect your benefits" - you must fill in this form or it "may affect your benefits". What they mean is FILL IN THE THIS FORM OR WE'LL CUT OFF YOUR BENEFIT. Why don't they just come out and say it? <br />
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And what are they still saying 'You may be asked to come to an assessment"? It's fucking government policy that every single person receiving welfare because of illness will have to attend an assessment, so why fudge it and make it sound like an option. It's just bullshit.<br />
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Is it just them being English do you suppose? Fucking irritating. No one who has listened to the news in the last two years can misunderstand the intention of the govt, so why are they making it seem otherwise on the official forms?<br />
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OK, yes, I'm, freaking out. But wtf? Actually I'm terrified. I was looking forward to celebrating my 10th anniversary of arriving in Blighty, but it's going to be right in the middle of this process.<br />
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Meantime I have a molar in its death throes giving me agony when anything under about 15C touches is; plus swollen and tender gum around the root. So no room-temp food in the morning for instance. Dentist says he might be able to save it by replacing the filling, which over the years has grown to cover about half the tooth. So we're having a long drill in two weeks, and will have to see what happens. A root canal is next option.<br />
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And the current set of MEBs seem particular bent on driving me mad. I'm tired all the time and can't just pop out to the shops, so I asked them to not eat the white bread that I need to eat because of my hiatus hernia, and to either eat the brown bread that one of the other MEBs make, or to buy some more bread. But will they help me out on this? Will they fuck. I'm sitting here starving. Wondering what to do. I put 4 sweetners in my tea instead of 2 and it's undrinkable. It's four flights of stairs back down to the kitchen which is beginning to seem like a marathon each time I have to attempt it.<br />
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I've been having a lot of dark thoughts lately. Like I'd be better off dead. I actually don't think it would make much difference to most people, and my house mates would probably not notice for a week or two, and then I doubt they'd really care. One less irritation in their lives.<br />
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I get quite angry when I'm depressed. It's a thing apparently. Something that happens especially to men. I'm angry about having lost control of my life, right down to the white bread situation. I fucking hate white bread, but I need to eat easily digestible food that won't sit in my stomach and cause acid reflux. I'm fucked and waiting for it all to be over, but the humiliations never seem to end. And I'm powerless to do anything about them.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1788921112652654501.post-37831465409243366732012-04-30T11:38:00.000+01:002012-04-30T11:38:09.852+01:00Review TimeIt's been a long while since I posted anything here. Things got kind of busy and I was dealing with it all. My health has been declining gradually in that I'm becoming increasingly tired. Which makes everyone ask: have you got Chronic Fatigue Syndrome or ME? No. I have Fibro-myalgia... <i>still</i>. I'm now taking codeine as my main pain relief, but don't feel very good about it, and I don't really like it (fuzzy head, constipation, and worry of habituation & addiction etc. that come with opiates). At the moment I have a candida infection in my ears, and I'm somewhat haunted by all the stuff that used to go around about systemic candida infections. Might have to look into this.<br />
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Anyway I'm writing now because I finally got a letter from DWP saying they are reviewing my case. The inevitable consequence will be an ATOS review. I feel sick with anxiety, and I can't really talk about it to anyone.<br />
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Step one: they ring and talk to me on the phone.<br />
Step two: fill in another IB50 form or whatever the equivalent is.<br />
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Then they say "you may need to attend a Work Capacity Assessment" but of course they're forcing everyone to have a WCA and ATOS are charged with taking welfare away from as many people as possible.<br />
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I suppose one must grant that the welfare bill is high in the UK and that it is fair enough that they check from time to time whether I still need it. But as the NHS can provide no effective treatment for my conditions (except maybe the ear infection), then I don't know why they expect me to have improved.<br />
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I don't know. I'm just worried sick. And it means I'll have to start answering the phone during the day as well!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1788921112652654501.post-29130626200937099422011-08-14T10:48:00.002+01:002012-06-04T09:42:38.820+01:00OppositionA number of voices are emerging which are critical of the welfare reforms:<br />
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<b>Atos doctors could be struck off</b>. </div>
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Twelve medics at the disability assessment centre are under investigation by the GMC over allegations of improper conduct. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/aug/13/atos-doctors-improper-conduct-disability">Guardian</a> 14.8.11.
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<br /><b>DWP admits disability reform based on dodgy figures</b>, as reported by <a href="http://www.leftfootforward.org/2011/08/dwp-admits-disability-reform-based-on-dodgy-figures-as-reported-by-left-foot-forward/">Left Foot Forward</a>. 11.8.11<br />
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</div>
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Statistics Authority steps in over disability benefits tests</span>. <a href="http://fullfact.org/blog/dwp_statistics_authority_esa_benefit-2918">Full Fact</a>. 11.8.11.
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">These work capability assessments are a farce</span>.
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So, politicians designed an incapacity benefits system in which virtually nobody qualifies for help. How can that be justified?, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jul/26/work-assessments-incapacity-benefits-system">Guardian</a>. 26.7.11
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Some of these via <a href="http://benefitscroungingscum.blogspot.com/">Benefit Scrounging Scum</a>.<br />
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Meanwhile local housing charities, with encouragement our millionaire uni-student PM are taking it upon themselves to pre-empt the courts and punish rioters by <i>evicting them from their houses</i>. Apart from the alarming prospect of state sponsored vigilante justice (why not just lynch them and be done with?) we have to ask how evicting people who everyone acknowledges to have no stake in society is going to <i>help</i>?</div>
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Please write to your MP and ask them to put a stop to this madness and let the courts punish wrong doers. Let's tell David Cameron to just shut the fuck up. Cameron is not trained in law, or policing or any of the disciplines he is trying to micro-manage in the last few weeks. He's got a degree in economics, philosophy and politics, and work experience as a secretary. He is not fucking qualified to have an opinion, and that's why he has <i>advisers</i>. I was very pleased to see the police telling him to fuck off and mind his own business.</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1788921112652654501.post-8672786008535928712011-08-09T12:51:00.001+01:002011-08-09T12:52:57.886+01:00London's BurningRioting for three nights running? WTF? Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1788921112652654501.post-56949398055517435662011-07-30T10:29:00.002+01:002011-07-30T10:36:49.602+01:00DigestionI can confirm that Boot's fig syrup with Senna extra is a prodigious laxative.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1788921112652654501.post-44643364012871700132011-07-22T15:30:00.003+01:002011-07-24T10:15:57.254+01:00The Problem of OverviewMy health problems cover many areas.<div><ul><li>I suffer from anxiety, and from mood problems - dysthimia or depression.</li><li>I have fibro-myalgia - widespread pain, fatigue, and difficulty concentration.</li><li>I have recently been diagnosed with a hiatus hernia and have complications from that - difficulty and pain swallowing, constant indigestion and acid reflux (sometimes accompanied by intense pain).</li></ul></div><div>So I went to the doctor today to say that the treatment for the swallowing problem and eventually got referred back to the Gastro-enterologist. But part of my problem is that I'm in pain all the time and I have been taking Non-stroidal Anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID). </div><div><br /></div><div>Now NSAIDs reduce the ability to protect the stomach lining from acid, and exacerbates acid reflux. So I've had to stop taking them. Which means I'm experiencing more pain. I can take less powerful NSAIDs (codiene/paracetamol) but it doesn't work that well. I need help with pain management, and I'm thinking of paying for a pain management course because the NHS does not seem to offer non-drug pain management. I can use my TENS machine, but it's expensive and not always effective.</div><div><br /></div><div>All of this is making me pretty anxious about my health. I no longer take anxiety or depression drugs, and I try to manage without. </div><div><br /></div><div>The GP manages to just about deal with the eosophagus problems, by getting me a referral. She glosses over the pain control problen, reassures me about the NSAIDs (I'm worried about my liver). But she doesn't really address my anxiety or mood, or overall pain problem at all. My quality of life is sucking at present. And no one amongst my medical support people have an overview of my health - not even my GP who is the generalist. The specialists only deal with problems in isolation - the are not able to link anxiety, FM, and other problems. So it's up to me to have my own overview, but I'm not in a good position to do that. I'm intelligent enough to understand medical jargon and concepts (I have a degree in science) but I don't have the resources and I don't have the emotional robustness.</div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1788921112652654501.post-70179969326604709232011-07-15T16:34:00.001+01:002011-07-17T13:14:07.468+01:00Government delays Welfare Reform Bill<h3><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; font-weight: normal; ">The Government has been forced to delay the 2nd Reading of the flagship Bill in the Lords due to peers' concerns over the people affected.</span></h3><p>DWP is suggesting other business has blocked progress but the surprise postponement till September from Tues will also give the Government time to lobby peers and answer the queries raised in DA's legal challenge.</p><p>from <a href="http://www.disabilityalliance.org/welreform5.htm">Disability Alliance</a>, via <a href="http://benefitscroungingscum.blogspot.com/2011/07/breaking-news-government-delays-welfare.html">Benefit Scrounging Scum</a>.</p><p>And by Sunday 17th if I hadn't read this on BSS I would not have known about it, because it has not been reported in the mainstream media!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0