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    Damn the DWP

    Given that Stephen Crabb, the homophobic fundamentalist Christian who is also Work and Pensions Secretary, is putting himself forward for Tory leadership, his dedicated thread should probably be given over to that. So here's a new DWP one. I apologise for not sticking to the standard sweary format, but I thought I'd make it safe for work.

    The UN Committee for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has published its UK assessment, and it isn't pretty.

    The Canary summarises the conclusions here. Notable is the recommendation that all benefit cuts since 2012 be reversed, something that many Labour MPs would do well to take on board.

    None of this has any legal force, unfortunately.

    #2
    Damn the DWP

    Time for us to leave this undemocratic, self-appointed nest of New York bureaucrats. Back off Boutros!

    Comment


      #3
      Damn the DWP

      Centre for Welfare Reform summary. Somewhat clearer than the Canary one.

      Comment


        #4
        Damn the DWP

        Less facetiously - fascinating stuff DM, and well worth bringing to wider attention, if only on here.

        Comment


          #5
          Damn the DWP

          Some good news.

          A judge has ruled that a man's benefits were sanctioned illegally, and he should get them refunded. Could open the way for others.

          Has anyone seen coverage of the UN assessment on any mainstream news outlets btw? This is another thing the Labour Party could be bringing attention to if they weren't too busy.

          Comment


            #6
            Damn the DWP

            New ogres at the DWP

            Sec of State is Damian Green, "MP for Ashford. Fan of Reading FC and Half Man Half Biscuit". Four ministers, three of whom have constituencies in Hampshire and one in Watford. That's an incredibly SE-centric group.

            Comment


              #7
              Damn the DWP

              delicatemoth wrote: This is another thing the Labour Party could be bringing attention to if they weren't too busy.
              Yep.

              Comment


                #8
                Damn the DWP

                Universal Credit delayed until 2022

                Comment


                  #9
                  Damn the DWP

                  Despite four years of legal manoeuvring, the DWP has had to name all the organisations who were involved in Mandatory Work Activity in 2011-12. Much applause to Frank Zola and Boycott Workfare for dogged and eventually successful persistence with this.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Damn the DWP

                    Effects of cuts in disability support

                    Includes a young basketballer who had to pull out of Paralympic trials because she's stuck in sheltered housing for over-60s where she has to sleep every night, so can't go to the training camps.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Damn the DWP

                      DWP refusing to publish reviews into benefit claimant deaths, again

                      I say 'again' because this is not the first time the DWP has done this with reviews. Seven of these reviews relate to people who took their own lives.

                      Incidentally, I could quite easily post every article Frances Ryan writes (see my last post) on this thread. I urge you to read her pieces, she's one of the Guardian's remaining bright spots amid its sea of tedious opinionmongers.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Damn the DWP

                        Retesting scrapped for chronically ill ESA claimants

                        This seems like reasonably uncomplicated good news, so I'm looking for the sting in the tail. Incidentally I haven't been retested since being awarded ESA 2 1/2 years ago - hopefully this news means that more claimants will be spared such tests.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Damn the DWP

                          A couple of relevant Guardian articles:

                          Fit for work.

                          Not fit for work.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Damn the DWP

                            Reports of progress on Universal Credit.

                            Also reports of massive overspending and hundreds of contractors being sacked, some at one day's notice. Wonder if our old friend, IDS, is implicated.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Damn the DWP

                              I knew I was missing something.

                              The extension of 'work related activity' to people who've already been classified as medically unemployable

                              The very language of this shit is violence. Entangling healthcare, which is supposed to be helpful, with the systemic economic coercion of work programmes and 'favourable work outcomes' is violence. Undergoing the sort of 'work related activity' they have in mind is quite literally Kafka-esque - you are forced to accept blatant nonsense as real. I struggle to find the strength to talk about it.

                              Comment


                                #16
                                Damn the DWP

                                Some thoughts from someone who does have energy to talk about it

                                More hearteningly, some Conservative MPs are threatening to oppose ESA cuts.

                                Comment


                                  #17
                                  Damn the DWP

                                  Might be one for the Lords too, like tax credits? At least keeps it in the news a while if that happens.

                                  Clegg got one thing right. Plenty of Lib Democrats peers to hold vote against this stuff.

                                  Comment


                                    #18
                                    Damn the DWP

                                    Watch job centre staff telling a disabled woman to climb stairs to sign on

                                    If you can't bear to watch the video (I couldn't, but I'm pretty familiar with this stuff and it's quite close to home) then the article it's in is well worth reading.

                                    Comment


                                      #19
                                      Damn the DWP

                                      Not unknown at WCA centres either, I gather. Appalling.

                                      Though Osborne was stopped from cutting working tax credits, I think there are still a load of miserly benefit rises due. Not what's needed with more inflation.

                                      Comment


                                        #20
                                        Damn the DWP

                                        I didn't mention out of work benefits there, did I?

                                        I am sure the poor sods are even worse off.

                                        Comment


                                          #21
                                          Damn the DWP

                                          Alright, here is the UNCRPD Report on Abuses of Disabled People’s Rights in UK.

                                          The response from the UK govt has basically been "What the fuck you gonna do?". Predictable fury in the fash tabloids at these foreigners daring to tell us not to be so brutal.

                                          Benefits cap started rolling out yesterday.

                                          Comment


                                            #22
                                            Damn the DWP

                                            Universal Credit making everything worse in Glasgow

                                            73 homeless people now owe £144,000 after being mistakenly placed on UC.

                                            Comment


                                              #23
                                              Damn the DWP

                                              And making things worse beyond Glasgow too.

                                              http://www.insidehousing.co.uk//7018394.article?mobilesite=enabled

                                              the percentage of council home tenants in receipt of Universal Credit who are in rent arrears has increased by seven percentage points – from 79% in March last year to 86%.

                                              This compares with 39% of tenants in arrears who do not receive Universal Credit.

                                              The average arrears total has also increased, from £321 to £616. The research also revealed 59% of Universal Credit claimants living in council homes have arrears that equate to more than one month’s rent.

                                              Comment


                                                #24
                                                Damn the DWP

                                                DWP outsourcing fuck up. Concentrix.

                                                No need to read a newspaper story. The National Audit Office put it strongly enough.

                                                https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Investigation-into-HMRCs-contract-with-Concentrix-Summary.pdf

                                                Appalling treatment of tax credit claimants and serial failure to reach targets. Eventually replaced by 670 DWP staff. Not to be reoutsourced.

                                                IDS was obsessed with tax credits being "targeted by fraudsters from around the world". Hard not to see him as the driving force behind this.

                                                Comment


                                                  #25
                                                  Damn the DWP

                                                  Unbelievably the "Pregnant with a third child? Abort of face penury" bit of Universal Credit is still going.

                                                  https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/584802/government-response-to-universal-credit-and-child-tax-credit-exceptions-to-the-2-child-limit-consultation.pdf

                                                  Comment

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