The WoW Petition Reaches 100,000 Signatures

SICK AND DISABLED PEOPLE HOLD IAIN DUNCAN SMITH TO ACCOUNT
DISABLED PEOPLE’S PETITION GAINS 100,000 SIGNATURES.

A government e-petition, http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43154 written by sick and disabled people and carers today gained over 100,000 signatures, meaning it can trigger a Parliamentary debate.

Francesca Martinez, who has been championing the petition, says:
“This is a hugely important issue because many disabled and sick people cannot go out and protest against these devastating policies. It is vital that those of us who can, join together to ensure these basic rights aren’t eroded away. With 83% of disabilities acquired, anyone can find themselves with an impairment, or as a carer, and we must make sure that people are adequately supported when in challenging times. This is what a civilised society does. Instead of demonising those on welfare, we should be proud to create a society that provides for everyone regardless of health or ability. We will never forget the many tragic deaths already caused by this government and we will continue to fight in the hope that we can protect those in need from despair, poverty and death. We’d like to thank everyone who signed and shared the petition, and we look forward to the next phase of Parliamentary debate.”

Rick B one of the originators of the petition says:
“In July 2012 I almost died because of how the government treated me, many have not been as fortunate. Another founder of the campaign, John Dyer, sadly passed away in November before we reached 100,000 signatures. So we are resolute to take this democratic mandate and pursue the cause of making justice for sick and disabled people and carers a reality.”

Michelle Maher another WOW originator says:
“I became involved because of my cousin who had been living with Parkinson's for five years, with osteoarthritis and diabetes. Her claim for DLA took eighteen months to settle and she was in sheltered accommodation when she had to attend a tribunal. She was frightened, stressed and confused by the process. Inhumane.”

The petition was promoted through social media by people directly affected by welfare reform, many housebound or bedbound. Getting signatures was difficult at first, with the public unaware of a growing national scandal.

Recently however, public awareness has grown due to stories like this;

A dying grandmother faced the stress of moving home due to the bedroom tax, http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/bedroom-tax-charges-means-sick-2789221

Macmillan Cancer Care revealed that due to benefit problems, a terminally ill cancer patient was offered a foodbank voucher, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24785115

Parkinson’s UK revealed that almost half of people with a progressive incurable illness are told they’ll recover, saying ‘A system which tells people who have had to give up work because of a debilitating progressive condition that they'll recover, is farcical and simply defies belief’
‘On top of this, many have their benefit removed after a year as an added 'incentive' to find employment. http://www.parkinsons.org.uk/news/27-august-2013/fit-work-test-tells-people-parkinsons%C2%A0theyll-recover

It is time for the Secretary of State to be held to account.

The petition, (dubbed the WOW petition as it was set up to resist the War On Welfare) calls for

‘A Cumulative Impact Assessment of all cuts and changes affecting sick & disabled people, their families and carers, and a free vote on repeal of the Welfare Reform Act.

An immediate end to the Work Capability Assessment, as voted for by the British Medical Association.’

The Welfare Reform Act 2012   http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2010-1/welfarereform.html
was proclaimed as ‘the biggest shake up in welfare for sixty years’ and Iain Duncan Smith personally described the changes as ‘aggressive’.

So it came as a shock to learn that for the people most affected by these changes, sick and disabled people and carers, no cumulative impact assessment had been carried out. The Secretary of State had no knowledge or understanding of, and apparently no interest in, how their lives were about to be turned upside down.

In a similar show of disregard for the welfare of sick and disabled people, the government has ignored calls from the medical profession to scrap the Work Capability Assessments (WCA) used to decide whether someone can receive Employment Support Allowance (ESA).

At their British Medical Association conference in June 2012, GPs called for the WCA to be scrapped ‘with immediate effect and be replaced with a rigorous and safe system that does not cause unavoidable harm to some of the weakest and vulnerable in society’. http://bma.org.uk/news-views-analysis/news/2012/june/scrap-work-capability-assessment-doctors-demand

The WCA process has been blamed for the deaths and suicides of people caught up in it, many of whom are denied the support they desperately need. According to the DWP’s own figures,

‘between January 2011 and November 2011, some 10,600 claims ended and a date of death was recorded within six weeks of the claim end.’ https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/223050/incap_decd_recips_0712.pdf

More recent figures on the deaths of claimants denied ESA cannot be obtained. The DWP decided to stop publishing them, and a Freedom of Information request was denied. Following this denial a number of people made similar requests, which were then described as ‘vexatious’.

Misinformation has abounded on these issues. The government, indeed the Prime Minister himself, has frequently and wrongly claimed that disabled people are exempt from the bedroom tax. http://blogs.channel4.com/factcheck/factcheck-cameron-wrong-again-on-bedroom-tax-detail

Grant Shapps claimed that ‘nearly a million people’ dropped their claims before facing a WCA, the implication being that their claims were not legitimate. This was completely untrue and he was rebuked by the UK Statistics Authority. http://disabilitynewsservice.com/2013/05/tory-boss-rebuked-over-partys-latest-misuse-of-benefit-figures/

In its own analysis of welfare reform, think tank Demos calculated that sick and disabled people will lose £28 billion in five years. http://www.demos.co.uk/press_releases/destinationunknownapril2013
This contradicts David Cameron’s promise to disabled people, ‘we will always help you,we will always stand by you’

In April 2013 Amnesty International condemned the government’s attack on the human rights of sick and disabled people. This went largely unreported.  http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/18320

In September 2013 the Dean of St Paul’s Rev David Ison presided over a ceremony in Parliament Square to remember the thousands of people who have died due to welfare reform. You can watch a brief video of the event here.
http://vimeo.com/75673397


The petition is still open until the 12th December 2013. http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43154


Thank you to everyone for signing, supporting and sharing. 

Open Letter From WOW Campaign Calling For Iain Duncan Smith's Resignation

The WOW Petition have become increasingly concerned with the rhetoric coming from Iain Duncan Smith and that concern has given way to no small amount of fear for the future of ill and disabled people. In light of the proposals attributed to Iain Duncan Smith in The Guardian today http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/nov/23/iain-duncan-smith-wrag-benefit-cuts we have written to Rachel Reeves, Shadow Minister for Work and Pensions, and Kate Green, Shadow Minister for Disabled People, to express our deep concerns. This is the content of that letter: 

As you will be well aware, Social Security claimants have faced a torrent of changes since this Coalition took office in May 2010, and no group more so than ill and disabled people who have borne the brunt of this concerted attack on benefits. The limiting of contributory based Employment Support Allowance (ESA) to one year, the change from Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to Personal Independence Payments (PIP), the Bedroom Tax, changes to Council Tax support, the benefits uprating being limited to 1% (which, contrary to government promises, does in fact affect disabled people) and more have had a cumulative effect on the lives of ill and disabled claimants.

We now read that Iain Duncan Smith is planning another “radical” change to ESA by disbanding the Work Related Activity Group (WRAG) which covers over half a million people. These are clamaints who are currently deemed unable to work due to illness or disability but may be able to sometime in the future. The article does not make clear what Mr. Smith would intend to happen to these claimants, and we are hugely concerned that they would be expected to claim Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) whilst not being ready to reenter the workplace due to their illnesses. 

This proposal would leave many vulnerable people “in limbo” as they are caught between out of work benefits and their illnesses and leave them without the support they so desperately need at that time. It would also mean that people who should be concentrating on their health will have the added stress and anxiety of dealing with a system that is stacked heavily against them. 

We are also extremely worried that this is coming across more and more as a targeted attack on the most vulnerable in our society and that this government is going too far in its’ perceived persecution of ill and disabled people. Iain Duncan Smith, in particular, has become a figure of genuine and heartfelt concern and we are concerned as a community over the rhetoric being used by him and his department. 

We would point you to searching “IDS” on Twitter and read some of the comments, especially after this article. Many of them are fuelled by fear of what Mr. Duncan Smith has shown himself to be capable of and we are frightened of what he will do next. Many people have questioned his motives and I would concur with their concerns. I would perhaps go further and question if he should be in such a position of power given his track record. 

As you will know, the WOW Petition is calling for, amongst other things, a Cumulative Impact Assessment of all the cuts and changes affecting sick and disabled people, and we believe strongly that this is even more important given that Mr. Duncan Smith proposed further dangerous changes. We believe that questions must be asked of Iain Duncan Smith. 

We believe his proposal is dangerous and will cause misery and hardship for thousands of ill and disabled people, at a time when we are already struggling. We believe that questions need to be asked of the Department for Work and Pensions. We believe strongly that Iain Duncan Smith does not command any respect of those he should be representing, not persecuting, and we believe that Labour should call for his immediate resignation. 

I truly hope that you can look to protect ill and disabled people and join the WOW Petition in our calls.

Paul Rutherford Reports On His Day In Westminster for the Bedroom Tax Debate

Is Democracy Dead And Gone?

It was cold and dark as I stood on the misty platform of our request stop train station here in Clunderwen, west Wales early on the morning of November 12, 2013.

I wondered if I was doing the right thing. Was I wasting my time going up to London to take part in a Lobby and demonstration in Westminster?

What would the day achieve anyway? I'd already done the maths: it was unlikely that this Opposition Day Debate and vote on repealing the Bedroom Tax could be won by the Labour Party who had called it.

So why was I going?

Well, first, I had known about this debate for around two weeks before it was formally announced, and had been [probably], the first person to tweet about it – to an often disbelieving world! [Yes, I hear a trumpet blowing too!]

Second, thanks to Ros Wynne-Jones of the Daily Mirror, my family situation had, during the previous week, been featured in the paper to help highlight this invidious and loathsome piece of legislation. And the Mirror had offered to pay for my ticket, for which I was very grateful, because there was no way I could have afforded it otherwise.

Third, I wanted to meet other anti-Bedroom Tax campaigners, many of whom, like myself, are disabled and, or, carers. They do a fantastic job in highlighting the unfairness of this legislation at every opportunity. [You know who you are]

My final reason for going was to watch the debate in Parliament and see for myself how well and reasoned the arguments on both sides would be made. At the end of the day, I do enjoy a good debate!

I was met at Paddington by our solicitor, Mike Spencer from the Child Poverty Action Group [CPAG], who was coming to Westminster with me. This was the first time we had met each other after many, many phone conversations and emails. So that was good.

It didn't take long to get to our destination and in through the seriously tight security zone. Questions were raised about the possible contents of my oxygen tank, but I was finally allowed to take it through with me.

We were then mistakenly directed to the wrong room, a trek through the maze of Westminster and back again which tired me. I was glad to get into the meeting and listen to the discussions taking place, although my train's arrival time and our misdirection meant that we missed hearing what MPs Rachael Reeves and Kate Green had to say.

A few people knew who I was and introduced themselves, but feeble excuse as it is, I was so full of painkillers and quite out of breath that I barely managed to recognise their names, despite having shared 'tweets'. Because of this, I won't mention anyone by name in case I inadvertently forget you and I am sorry about that. But I was very happy to be amongst so many like-minded people with different backgrounds and views, yet with one united purpose: to fight the Bedroom Tax. Thank you all. You have my greatest respect.

I don't know where everyone in that packed room came from, but I know many had made journeys as long or longer, as hard or harder than mine from all over the country just to be there. It was truly inspirational.

After the meeting closed, it was good to chat for a while with fellow protesters before we went outside to demonstrate and tell the public why we were there. It felt good to be part of a group at last, after being something of a lone protester back home in Pembrokeshire since April this year. And it was good to see a Cornish flag there too!

There was a little bomb alert then in the Parliament building, which meant we were moved on by the police. But all ended well and we continued demonstrating and speaking a little further down the road where we were filmed and photographed.

Then it was time for the debate, so we headed back through the security area into the Parliament buildings and on towards the public gallery.

Rachael Reeves was speaking as we took our seats, surrounded by many fellow protesters. Immediately, I was struck by the noise.

How was she managing to be heard? How could anyone be actually listening to her? It was disconcerting to say the least. Perhaps they would calm down soon?

This however was the House of Commons.

I had always believed that here, in this place of government, where our elected representatives meet and policies which affect all our lives are made, they would have the highest standards of debate.

The reality shocked me to my core. I knew I wasn't alone in feeling like this as I looked around the public gallery. It was absolutely shameful to witness. I was horrified.

I soon had to force myself not to leave in absolute disgust. I was close to tears witnessing the events unfolding down there below me on the floor of the 'House'.

Put quite simply and, I must emphasise, non-politically, the behaviour of the few Members of Parliament on the Government benches was simply disgraceful.

Their behaviour was perhaps the biggest insult to every disabled person, to every carer, to every chronically sick person, and yes, insulting to every 'hard working family' in the country, many of whom are also affected by Bedroom Tax.

There was NO debate: there was no dialogue on the Bedroom Tax on Tuesday 12 November 2013. At least not in the House of Commons.

It saddens me so much and I wish it were not true, but it is.

I repeat: there was no debate.

What there was instead showed me the reality, the truth of the political process that we have here in the United Kingdom. Serious reform of some sort is needed if there is to be any hope for the future of all citizens of our country and especially perhaps, our children.

Does a person who sits and openly laughs at another Member of the 'House' telling of a constituent's suicide and comforting the bereaved son really deserve their seat in the Commons?

I believe not. Not under any circumstances.

It is honestly very difficult indeed for me to write this even now, two days later.

I am certainly no emotional 'softie'. I have been called ruthless many times in my life, possibly deservedly so, but I was very nearly in tears witnessing what I had travelled so far to see.

Time after time, Labour politicians told heartbreaking stories of how some of their most vulnerable constituents had been so needlessly affected by the Bedroom Tax.

On virtually every occasion, there was derision from the Coalition MPs. When they spoke, they constantly refused to acknowledge what they were hearing, instead arrogantly and disrespectfully quoting party rhetoric with little regard for context.

'It is all Labour's fault.'

There was no acceptance of Labour Members' attempts to bring reasoned argument to this alleged debate.

Everything that the 'Opposition' Members said was ignored or simply shouted down.

This is the level that our once respected, often emulated political process has sunk to. It is  extremely worrying.

Let nobody, nobody at all, of any political persuasion be in any doubt whatsoever: the current Government do not care one iota for you. Not in the slightest.

That was evident on Tuesday.

If they can laugh at suicide. If they can ignore disabled people's problems. If they can shout down evidence of broken families, of children being made homeless, of increasing poverty, then they are unable to accept responsibility for their own actions in implementing policies that harm.

Policies that harm everyone. Policies that divide our society. Policies that kill. Policies like the Bedroom Tax. Policies like Welfare Reform. Policies such as privatising the NHS. Policies that affect every one of us.

Yes, we are all in this together. We are all at the mercy of these monstrous egos.

After witnessing this on Tuesday, I can promise one thing, one truth: you, whoever you are, you are not safe. Nobody is safe from these bullying, arrogant, self-serving excuses for politicians.

They do not care for the British people at all.

Amongst all this hatred, derision and scorn, I found myself looking again and again at a lone figure sitting calmly on the Opposition front bench.

This was Kate Green, Labour's spokesperson for disability. She knew I was probably watching. Someone had told her I was there.

I knew she would mention how my family and others had been affected by Bedroom Tax in her closing speech.

I am glad I had to leave for my train home before Kate's speech because I don't know if I could have coped with hearing my own story being heckled and denigrated in the same vile way so many others had been during the four hours I had sat there.

My journey home was long. I ran out of oxygen. My mind was trying to deal with the events I had seen that day. I got home exhausted, both physically and mentally. I am still very tired.

Yesterday, Kate Green emailed me. Amongst other things, she apologised for what I had witnessed.

That was the point when I finally broke down and cried.

Kate Green knew exactly what myself and the others had experienced in that gallery. She cared. I think she knew the effect it would have on me and those others of us who were there. For that, I thank her on behalf of all of us.

As a nation, as a society, we must somehow rid ourselves of the divisions that have been intentionally created and fostered by this Government. We must look at each other with fresh eyes.

It isn't Labour's fault.

We disabled are not causing any harm. We are not draining the economy. Our carers are saving the government billions of pounds each year. Yet we are blamed by them for costing too much in benefits.

The people I saw behaving like overgrown schoolchildren on Tuesday are afraid of us. They are afraid of all of us: able and disabled alike. They need to keep us divided and fighting between ourselves. With a united society, they have no power.

We must not behave like them.

They owe us an apology.

There is something you can do to help right now: Please sign the WOWpetition.

Thursday is Mass Tweet Day Sign wowpetition.com #OneMonthto100k

Thursday 14th Nov is Mass Tweet day on #WOWpetition!!
To mark our four week countdown the theme will be "One Month to 100k"

So please join us to mark this momentous occasion by tweeting including :-#OneMonthto100k and the link epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43154 - use #WOWpetition only if you have room. Tweet any message you choose.

Times for the MT are 9 - 10am 12 - 1pm and 7 - 8pm

Please join us to make this, what might be our last MT, a memorable one!

Tomorrow is the start of the week 4 countdown so #WOW4 replaces #WOW5

Thank you……

- Include the #OneMonthto100k hashtag in EVERY tweet you send. We've got #WOWpetition trending lots of time in the past, but this one will be more likely to make members of the public curious if they see it on the trending list. Therefore, it will also be important to include the link to the petition site -http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43154 - so people can simply click on it to sign. Sign and Share http://wowpetition.com #OneMonthto100k

Example Tweets:-

FINAL COUNTDOWN: One month to go; 20,000 signatures needed for sick & disabled people. Can we do it?epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43154 #OneMonthto100k

Over 80,000 people have already said "No!" to govt disability policy. Now we only have #OneMonthto100k Sign here! epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43154

One month. 20,000 signatures needed in support of sick & disabled people. Let's get to 100,000! epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43154 #OneMonthto100k

Just one month left for 100,000 people to say "No!" to unjust disability benefit changes: epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43154 #OneMonthto100k

Sick & disabled people need 100,000 signatures against unjust cuts. One month & 20k to go! PLS sign: epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43154 #OneMonthto100k

UK govt cuts mean £2bn is being taken out of care budgets by local authorities! To say "No! sign: epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43154 #OneMonthto100k

Govt chose to raise some disability benefits less than inflation, while prices keep going up. Sign: epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43154 #OneMonthto100k

78% of disabled people said their health had got worse as a result of the stress caused by unjust ‘fitness to work’ tests. #OneMonthto100k

Half a million people are expected to lose out on vital support as the Government scraps Disability Living Allowance (DLA). #OneMonthto100k

87% of welfare advisors say the frequency of disability benefit reassessments has a negative impact on people's health. #OneMonthto100k

450,000 disabled people could lose out under new Universal Credit. Many disabled people will get significantly less help. #OneMonthto100k

84% of disabled ppl say losing DLA would isolate them & leave them struggling to manage their health: epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43154 #OneMonthto100k

9 in 10 disabled people fear losing Disability Living Allowance would hit their health. Say "No!": epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43154 #OneMonthto100k

65% of disabled people in work stated that they would no longer be able to work without DLA. Sign: epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43154 #OneMonthto100k

Three in ten disabled people say that without DLA their carer would no longer be able to work. Sign: epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43154 #OneMonthto100k

75% disabled ppl say losing DLA wld leave them needing more social care support from local councils. epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43154 #OneMonthto100k

At least 39 in 40 people losing out on govt's new disability benefit = genuine & medically assessed! epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43154 #OneMonthto100k

Government statistics show 0.3% fraud for incapacity benefits - yet they're cutting DLA by *20%*!! epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43154 #OneMonthto100k

Government figures show that their own mistakes cost more than disability benefit fraud! epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43154 #OneMonthto100k

Figures show that disabled people are twice as likely to live in poverty as other UK citizens. Sign: epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43154 #OneMonthto100k

Figures show over half of disabled people in the UK could be living in poverty. epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43154 #OneMonthto100k

UK govt cuts mean disability benefit claimants will be up to £9bn worse off between 2010 and 2015. epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43154 #OneMonthto100k

The govt are cutting disability benefits by *40x* the amount of fraud! To say "No!", sign: epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/43154 #OneMonthto100k

Tweet LibDem & Tory MP's to End #BedroomTax

Please tweet LibDem & Tory MP's ahead of Tuesday's bedroom tax debate using Paul's open letter & any other powers of persuasion you have at your disposal! We have information that privately many coalition politicians are despairing at the disaster that is bedroom tax. So persuade them to do the right thing.

http://wowpetition.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/open-letter-from-paul-rutherford-to-mps.html
 
Lists of LibDem & Tory Mp's on Twitter:-
https://twitter.com/tweetminster/libdems/members
https://twitter.com/tweetminster/conservatives/members

Open Letter From Paul Rutherford On The 'Bedroom Tax' Debate

Dear Members of Parliament,

I'm sorry I feel that I must write this today, but watching what is happening in this country makes me despair. It makes me upset and it absolutely appals me. And I am by no means alone in feeling this way.

What is happening to our society when ordinary people are being used as political pawns in what seems to be a 'rich man's game' over which they have absolutely no control?

Of paramount importance in the coming week, on Tuesday 12^th November, is Labour's Opposition Day Debate: 'Abolition of the Bedroom Tax'.

The 'Bedroom Tax' [as popularly known], may have begun as an idea by which it was thought some Social Housing could be freed up in order to positively affect 'overcrowding'. The very same idea was mooted by Margaret Thatcher's government back in the 1980s but dismissed as not only unworkable but also potentially politically damaging.

The 'Bedroom Tax' is causing so much worry, misery and hardship among many thousands of those affected. It has also directly contributed to suicide.

The 'Bedroom Tax' has without doubt hurt many of your own Constituents. I am sure that you have heard personal examples of the absolute unfairness of this policy at your own surgeries.

On a personal level, my family's 'Bedroom Tax' experience has been one of struggle and fear.

My wife and I care for one of her grandchildren, Warren Todd, who has profound and multiple disabilities, requiring 24 hour care and supervision. We live in a purpose-built, heavily adapted bungalow. Over £20,000 worth of further adaptations were added in September, thanks to a Welsh Assembly grant. We have carers to help with Warren and despite needing a room for them to sleep in and to store his equipment, we are considered to be underoccupying.

You can watch a short film made by the BBC about our case here:

After a long battle and a series of appeals, we were finally granted a Discretionary Housing Payment to cover the Housing Benefit we have lost: for a year.

To many, £14 a week may seem like a pittance. To us it is a lot.

What perhaps staggers us most, is that there is absolutely no recognition by the government that we actually save the Public Purse a minimum of £250,000 a year by caring for Warren. We don't seek praise, just help in difficult circumstances.

The amount effectively saved by kinship carers such as ourselves is assessed by some charities as well over a billion pounds a year. Carers need real understanding, compassion and help from those in power so that they can continue to help save the government such a huge amount of money.

Why then are people such as us, the chronically sick, the disabled and their carers forced into ever more penury by the imposition of 'Bedroom Tax' and indeed, other changes to Social Security?

There are plenty of 'fit' people adversely and unfairly affected by the 'Bedroom Tax' as well, and I hope they have been represented elsewhere.

What is so morally wrong with requiring space to store often bulky medical and other disability-related equipment that the government sees fit to penalise people for it?

What is so morally wrong with making sure that the vulnerable are looked after properly in a fair society?

How is it possible that people who are elected to serve their constituents are prepared to allow the most vulnerable and needy of them to be treated in such an inhumane way?

We see the government fighting to protect bankers' huge bonuses and arguing to keep meal allowances while simultaneously reducing social security for those most vulnerable.

That is not demonstrative of austerity in action. Politicians ought to be seen as role models, as caring individuals who put the people of this country first. That, unfortunately does not appear to be the case for many.

To me, it seems that the rich and comfortable are motivated by bonuses but the poor and vulnerable are expected to be motivated by sanctions.

I find this so very hard to understand.

I would, therefore, respectfully ask you to consider the real human impact of the 'Bedroom Tax'.

I ask you to consider fully what you, as an individual, ought to be doing to truly help those who truly need your help, but in many cases, do not know where to turn.

This single issue is perhaps now one on which the next Parliament will be decided. To vote in support of the 'Bedroom Tax' will be seen by millions as a vote against the welfare and dignity of this country's most vulnerable people.

Please vote to repeal this legislation before it is too late.

Stand up for the vulnerable.

Thank you.

Paul Rutherford

Film of our story from BBC1's 'Saints and Scroungers' [30/10/2013] is here:
http://t.co/VBAV57vMLV

Details of our legal challenge may be seen here:
http://cpag.org.uk/content/bedroom-tax-rutherford

A recent Daily Mirror article [6/11/2013] is here:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/bedroom-tax-discriminates-against-disabled-2679229

Open Letter From Paul Rutherford to MP's On Bedroom Tax Vote

The 'Bedroom Tax' Debate

Dear Members of Parliament,

I'm sorry I feel that I must write this today, but watching what is happening in this country makes me despair. It makes me upset and it absolutely appals me. And I am by no means alone in feeling this way.

What is happening to our society when ordinary people are being used as political pawns in what seems to be a 'rich man's game' over which they have absolutely no control?

Of paramount importance in the coming week, on Tuesday 12^th November, is Labour's Opposition Day Debate: 'Abolition of the Bedroom Tax'.

The 'Bedroom Tax' [as popularly known], may have begun as an idea by which it was thought some Social Housing could be freed up in order to positively affect 'overcrowding'. The very same idea was mooted by Margaret Thatcher's government back in the 1980s but dismissed as not only unworkable but also potentially politically damaging.

The 'Bedroom Tax' is causing so much worry, misery and hardship among many thousands of those affected. It has also directly contributed to suicide.

The 'Bedroom Tax' has without doubt hurt many of your own Constituents. I am sure that you have heard personal examples of the absolute unfairness of this policy at your own surgeries.

On a personal level, my family's 'Bedroom Tax' experience has been one of struggle and fear.

My wife and I care for one of her grandchildren, Warren Todd, who has profound and multiple disabilities, requiring 24 hour care and supervision. We live in a purpose-built, heavily adapted bungalow. Over £20,000 worth of further adaptations were added in September, thanks to a Welsh Assembly grant. We have carers to help with Warren and despite needing a room for them to sleep in and to store his equipment, we are considered to be underoccupying.

You can watch a short film made by the BBC about our case here:

After a long battle and a series of appeals, we were finally granted a Discretionary Housing Payment to cover the Housing Benefit we have lost: for a year.

To many, £14 a week may seem like a pittance. To us it is a lot.

What perhaps staggers us most, is that there is absolutely no recognition by the government that we actually save the Public Purse a minimum of £250,000 a year by caring for Warren. We don't seek praise, just help in difficult circumstances.

The amount effectively saved by kinship carers such as ourselves is assessed by some charities as well over a billion pounds a year. Carers need real understanding, compassion and help from those in power so that they can continue to help save the government such a huge amount of money.

Why then are people such as us, the chronically sick, the disabled and their carers forced into ever more penury by the imposition of 'Bedroom Tax' and indeed, other changes to Social Security?

There are plenty of 'fit' people adversely and unfairly affected by the 'Bedroom Tax' as well, and I hope they have been represented elsewhere.

What is so morally wrong with requiring space to store often bulky medical and other disability-related equipment that the government sees fit to penalise people for it?

What is so morally wrong with making sure that the vulnerable are looked after properly in a fair society?

How is it possible that people who are elected to serve their constituents are prepared to allow the most vulnerable and needy of them to be treated in such an inhumane way?

We see the government fighting to protect bankers' huge bonuses and arguing to keep meal allowances while simultaneously reducing social security for those most vulnerable.

That is not demonstrative of austerity in action. Politicians ought to be seen as role models, as caring individuals who put the people of this country first. That, unfortunately does not appear to be the case for many.

To me, it seems that the rich and comfortable are motivated by bonuses but the poor and vulnerable are expected to be motivated by sanctions.

I find this so very hard to understand.

I would, therefore, respectfully ask you to consider the real human impact of the 'Bedroom Tax'.

I ask you to consider fully what you, as an individual, ought to be doing to truly help those who truly need your help, but in many cases, do not know where to turn.

This single issue is perhaps now one on which the next Parliament will be decided. To vote in support of the 'Bedroom Tax' will be seen by millions as a vote against the welfare and dignity of this country's most vulnerable people.

Please vote to repeal this legislation before it is too late.

Stand up for the vulnerable.

Thank you.

Paul Rutherford

Film of our story from BBC1's 'Saints and Scroungers' [30/10/2013] is here:
http://t.co/VBAV57vMLV

Details of our legal challenge may be seen here:
http://cpag.org.uk/content/bedroom-tax-rutherford

A recent Daily Mirror article [6/11/2013] is here:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/bedroom-tax-discriminates-against-disabled-2679229

Kenny's Review of the PIP Assessment

WOW Campaigner Kenny Blong underwent a PIP Assessment recently, this is his review of what it was like:-

This week I had my assessment for PIP, and as there isn't really much information available about what exactly goes on in the assessment, I thought i would write up a brief review to help others who are expecting an assessment in the future.

First thing you need to know, is that this assessment is not like the Work Capability Assessment for Employment and Support Allowance. This assessment is not directed around work or work limitations, this is basically to see how your disability affects you on a day-to-day basis, taking into account both your "good days" and your "bad days".

PIP is made of two parts, the Daily Living  component and the Mobility component. We'll start with the Mobility component as its the shortest part of the assessment; This part is basically describing what your mobility limitations are, if you have any. This includes walking (not mobilising as it is in ESA assessments). Now the assessor for me, very rarely used the word "pain" when asking her questions, but I advise that you do. Describe how long you can walk, stand etc, before you start to experience pain and emphasise exactly how much pain you often experience doing these activities.

This then brings me on to the Daily Living component, which takes up the bigger portion of the assessment. Your assessor will ask questions on topics such as:

can you cook a meal or do you need help;

can you bathe/shower yourself or do you need help with it;

can you go out on your own or do you need someone to go with you;

can you dress yourself or do you need assistance from someone;

can you take your medication or do you need prompting or help from someone.

When answering these questions, always describe what assistance you need on both your good days and your bad days, whether you are asked to or not. That way, the assessor knows if you do need help, just maybe not all the time (e.g if you have a fluctuating medical condition)

You may be asked about any aids or adaptations you may have and use in your home. You need to describe these in detail and exactly how beneficial these are to you. If you are not asked about them, remember to include them in the above topics.

If you are on strong medication that causes side effects, make sure that these are brought up with your assessor, along with how they can affect you. If you need extra assistance from someone because of these side effects, make sure you explain this to your assessor.

All in all, the assessment will go on for about an hour, so there is plenty of time to make sure everything is included, so do not rush! I wish you all luck with your assessments and I hope you all get the assistance that you deserve and are entitled to.

In Actual Fact Counter Propaganda This Week

Two events coming up - we need you!

Event 1: [Join the Facebook Event Page] Tuesday 5 November is the People’s Assembly national day of action against austerity, tweeting on #burnausterity. Alongside the many events of the day, we want to raise awareness of In Actual Fact and enourage people to use it to back their anti-austerity campaigns.

We’d love you to tweet on and off throughout that day from the In Actual Fact site, adding the #burnausterity hashtag at the end of tweets (you might have to modify some tweets to squeeze it into the character limit).

Please also send out more general tweets, including the #burnausterity hashtag and directing people to In Actual Fact: the counter-propaganda site, giving actual facts about benefits and public services cuts.

Event 2: [Join the Facebook Event Page] Wednesday 6 November 9.00pm, BBC will broadcast ‘Britain on the Fiddle’ (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03hhvsr) (the first in a series of three). This is a chance to show In Actual Fact working to counter propaganda. We need you to join us, mass-tweeting on the #britainonthefiddle hashtag (you might have to modify some tweets to squeeze it into the character limit).

We’ll be tweeting throughout the hour of the programme and for the hour after, answering every single lie with relevant tweets from the IAF site. We’re also planning to use tweets to respond directly to misinformation and bile put out by other people on the #britainonthefiddle thread.

And of course direct people to sign WOWpetition.com!

Mass Tweet Tips:

1. Go to http://inactualfact.org.uk/facts/

2. Have a look around and find a fact you want to share.

3. Click on the share twitter symbol.

4. Review & click 'Tweet'

5. Repeat!

6. If you want to, submit your own facts together with their source by clicking Submit Fact on the bottom bar or going to http://inactualfact.org.uk/submit-fact/

NB.  Retweets DO NOT COUNT towards #hashtag trends! So if you want to RT anything, it would be so helpful if you could copy the text into a new tweet and add 'RT' to the front. Thank you so much for your support.

Disability Doesn't Discriminate

How often have I said "Disability doesn't discriminate"?

Some of you know I have been terribly upset and worried this week because my sister has been unwell and in hospital. Thank you for your support through this, frankly it's been awful and without my family, friends and "virtual" friends I don't know how I'd have coped. We've been waiting for the diagnosis, it's come.

Let me start at the beginning.

My sister is healthy, has decided to take early retirement from the DWP (yes, stop booing) because of the tremendous stress she is under. So with just one year to go she decided to bring to an end nearly 30 years of work for the DWP. My sister was really looking forward to finishing because she has a new grandson,her first, just 8 weeks old. My sister already has a swimming session booked in with him, has changed her car to accommodate all the paraphernalia that goes with having a baby these days. My sister was looking forward to the retirement she and her husband have worked hard for. The round Europe in a camper van type holiday. The round the world trip etc etc.

So. My sister was getting ready to board a plane for Vietnam on Wedsnesday. She "fell" - she cracked her head open and has four staples in it. She started to "fit" - she had eight "episodes" in an hour and continued to have episodes every hour or so, she still is. I knew immediately from what she said that it was Epilepsy, however the hospital have done many, many tests - a lumber puncture, taken bloods, monitored her for 24 hours, a CT scan etc etc (thank god for our NHS), all this time she has been losing consciousness, at one time the crash team were called and my brother in law stood by thinking he was about to lose his wife. Finally today at 6pm, the consultant came, finally today the diagnosis came...."you have epilepsy". Let me tell you being at the receiving end of that statement is horrendous. The clock stops. Time stops. Then it hits you. The enormity of that diagnosis.
The enormity for my sister. She won't be able to drive her new car to pick up her new grandson. She won't be able to go swimming with him (on her own), she won't be able to ride her scooter round Europe..... the ramifications are enormous.

So. My oft spoken and written words "disability doesn't discriminate" are proven true again. It didn't discriminate against me, it didn't discriminate against my sister.

What if it doesn't discriminate against you? What if your comfortable lifestyle is all of a sudden hit by disability? Maybe you'll realise then that you should have signed http://wowpetition.com ......

I'm not writing this to make mileage from my sister, or to make a dramatic difference to the signatures, I'm writing this to show you it happens, it really does happen. There are four of us, four siblings. Two have diabetes, two have epilepsy. What are the odds of that happening?

Please protect your future and the futures of those you love, sh*t happens - believe me, it does, and when the sh*t hits the fan wouldn't you like to think the state will be there to provide for you? Think again!!

Please sign & share http://wowpetition.com NOW, TODAY!

There are just 40 days till the petition closes. 40 days for us to make a fairer, better, safer future for all of us.

My sister is aware I am writing this and fully supports me with all I and all the WOW team, followers and supporters are doing to make WOW petition a success. In fact just two weeks ago, to help me in my "traipsing" around the country for WOW, trying to raise awareness and signatures, my sister drove me to Bangor so I could help @TenPercent. Most of my family have met Rick. All my family support WOW petition. All of my family know the urgency to succeed and the need/importance to sign http://wowpetition.com ......because all of my family know DISABILITY DOESN'T DISCRIMINATE.......

Written and reproduced with permission from Jane @WOWpetitionchat