Green Paper Discussion - includes accessible formats and consultation event sign up links!
Comments
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Good on you !!! Hhhh did make me laugh I bet you wasn't the only one I can't even vote my areas one can't vote I'm really annoyed about that
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No voting in my area this year either. I think he only came because they are on Easter break, looking desperate if you ask me, trying to act like they really care about the community. I've voted Labour all my life. Never again.
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I agree if they came here I know the neighbour next door would chew his ear off I'd join into recieved a response from mine only emailed 21 times I skim when I read and caught word dignity and respect oh no way I told him that is something that the government dwp or some mps give us no dignity or respect I had a dig I said I only respect john mcdonnell Jeremy Corbyn Richard the guy who did pertition and spoke out so much I said they are the true face of labour men of honour I also said do you think the three at the top will have any of your backs I said No it was the voting public my daughter says who and what are you trying to write now an epilogue we shall not be removed and much more 😉
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In school in ancient times I argued with teachers that handwriting is not important because people will type on computers. And who was right - the schoolboy or the wise teachers?)
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Well I live near a load of farmers, OAPs and obviously there will be sick and disabled round here. So I can only imagine what other responses he's had when knocking on their door. He did look a bit shook up after his rounds lol. Think he went home after he came here😁🤣
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I replied to that quote by the MP too, it was a most triggering thing to say. @chiarieds was right to point it out. I won't repeat myself but see earlier post. Ignoring it diminishes what we are fighting for.
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In my opinion, it is necessary to write not only to MP, but also to corporations that directly or indirectly benefit from reducing payments to disabled people.
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I used to walk to school then jump in a bush and hide even then I couldn't abide the normal structure of society the occasions I did go to school I'd sit and stare out the window taking noting in thinking get me out of here I did like art that was all so all this started from young age
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Good well yes farmers elderly should of planned wisely and avoid god id love to have one on one with them like question time
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Think about it, why doesn't the government "allow" all forms of even non-violent protest?
Obviously, what is allowed is something that has no actual impact. Maybe we should also think about other methods of getting our opinions across to the authorities? Regarding the UK parliamentary system - it's scary that MPs in parties cannot vote as they choose and are subordinate to the top, although it is the number of MPs that chooses the Prime Minister.2 -
Wow @MW123, thank you so much for such a sharp and thoughtful analysis-honestly, you’ve helped me see this whole thing even more clearly(as you’ve done with many other issues). Your take isn’t cynical at all; it’s such a credible and powerful breakdown of what’s really going on here.
That phrase “creating an illusion” really stuck with me. This entire green paper proposal and the non-inclusive consultation process does feel like smoke and mirrors, doesn’t it? That link(I call it the Trap😳) in the email is steering( or luring ) disabled people—into a tightly controlled and pre-scripted process by the Government , leaving little room for genuine input or dialogue. Even some of my disabled colleagues have unknowingly followed that link, believing it was a genuine way to contribute.
And your line—“waiting for an invisible person to vacate a seat that was never there”-just says it all. It’s like a performative political theatre of inclusion, where the stage was never actually built for us.To all
While this sadly unsurprising experience reminds us to stay vigilant and never take anything said by the government at face value, I also believe we must hold on to HOPE and keep pushing back.For me, like many others, this proposal will deeply affect my wellbeing, my family, and our future-if it’s allowed to go ahead. I’m
I’ve had to keep my fears and anxieties at bay and find the courage to be brave-and that’s what pushed me to step out of my comfort zone. I’ve never been active on social media before, but I created a Bluesky account(with a close up profile photo💥)today and shared my story publicly, even tagging my MP💪🏼. It’s so scary, but I felt I had no choice.
We can’t afford to stay silent or let fear hold us back.
Let’s keep encouraging each other to speak up, stay aware, and fight this on all fronts. MW123-Your words, wisdom and support mean a lot-not just to me, but to so many of us in this community.With respect and Solidarity ✊
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Money bills can be used to adjust payment amounts (freeze, increase, or cut benefits like Universal Credit) because they focus on spending. What they can't do is change who qualifies, how claims are assessed, or the conditions for receiving benefits. While money bills can tweak payments, major reforms require full legislation.
Most welfare reforms involve both financial changes and rule modifications, which is why they usually need primary legislation, not just a money bill.
If the government wants to alter eligibility, assessments, or conditions, it must use primary legislation, which takes longer as MPs and Lords debate and vote on it.
You asked what we can do, all of us can continue to contact MPs, ministers, and organisations. This is important for raising awareness and pressuring decision-makers before these changes become law. It’s important to highlight how these changes could push many people into poverty, as policymakers need to understand the human consequences, not just the financial savings.
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I hear what you're saying, and I agree. It’s frustrating when protest is only allowed as long as it has no real impact. It often feels like the system is more designed to silence than to listen. And yes, the way party politics works in Parliament means MPs are often forced to toe the line, even when they know the policies are harmful.
My own Labour MP is a perfect example. She has delusions of grandeur. When she stood for election, it was clearly a career move; she never genuinely had her constituents at heart It was all about her, never about us.
We’ve since found out she’s a PPS, so she is bound by strict loyalty rules (e.g., mandatory pro-government voting), which means she will never vote against government policy, no matter how damaging, because she’s chasing a ministerial role. She would have been far better off standing with her constituents, the very people who elected her. Had she followed through on that, people might have supported her again.
But instead, she chose ambition over principle, and the people in my town won’t forget that. Voters have long memories, and when trust is broken, there’s no second chance.
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Google CRACKING THE WHIP: THE UK’S PARTY CONTROL SYSTEM - the Constitution Society
(Angela Raynor was Labour's Chief Whip during the passage of the 2015 Welfare Reform and Work Bill)
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MY CASE IS A CASE AGAINST THE SECRETARY OF STATE:
I have used my self and the system as it has been applied to me since 1998 and probably before when I first became registered as disabled.
In those days the WCA and the assessment process was completed by ATOS who when I managed to get them to court for the number of Re-works of the Assessments completed by them far out weighed the number getting it right first time.
If you also remember there was a program on like under cover Boss, but this was a "new" guy wanting to get into the assessment of "people" and was hired by the DWP to help with the back log. "Or so they thought"
They paired him up with the "best" and who was at that time getting £850 for a simple assessment and then getting £250+ for extra work if they did ask for a rework or MR.
His words " you can make your self some serious money if you want, no questions asked." all I do is look at the paperwork sent in at home do the assessment at home which takes about 10 or 15 minutes make them an offer of a reduced rate or a possibality that what you offer if looked at to closley may go down if viewed by another assessor that is harder than me. Most accept, but I still put in another request for re-work, so I make about £1200 a claim and complete about 10 a day.
The day before ATOS were to appear they jacked in the contract to assess, you also have to remember who hired them.
They had to buy out of the contract to give the contract back for AN UNDISCLOSED AMOUNT? BUT STILL HELD ONTO THE LIMA SYSTEM and just in my eyes rebranded.
LIMA for those that do not know is Logic Intergrated Medical Access. Its a series of questions with a series of answers given by QUALIFIED DOCTORS AND SURGEONS, where there could be 3 to 5 answers to the question depending on the severity of the condition.
Where it comes unstuck is the people that use the system may have been qualified in something medical. But the Charter and the Law states that the people completing the assessment MUST BE ON THE BRITISH MEDICAL REGISTER AT THE TIME OF THE ASSESSMENT and MUST SHOW AN I D WITH THEIR PICTURE AND REGISTRATION NUMBER ON IT BEFORE THE ASSESSMENT BEGINS.
This is covered in the Bond Solon Rules Part 35 Section 2 where there are 10 sections just to this part that would not allow an assessor or any government department to use this.
This was why when being assessed in the early stages I asked for th Medical Report to be sent to my GP so that their assessment can be placed onto my Medical History along side my assessments completed by the NHS.
Fast forward 8 years and about another 6 assessments, Ian dunken Smith, in getting him to court he resigned the day before, saying his heart was telling him one thing and he was being told to do something else?
appearances in the upper Tribunal caused the 2008 Social Security Act to be written, and again in 2009, 2010 and 2011 where the upper Tribunal forced the DWP to relook at Thousands of assessments and there was a scramble to rewrite Acts and Laws that governed the Social Security Act, Human Rights Act, Data Protection Act, all around that time, since in refusing to accept an assessment completed by Capita, Concentrix, ATOS or Maximus who were now on the scene with the Universal Credit Program to save money in Admin by combining 6 different benefits into one where a CENTRAL COMPUTER WILL HAVE YOUR INFORMATION ON IT and any government benefit department that required information about you could get that from this computer.
RIGHT? WRONG, every assessment or requirement from a government department that needs to know about you to access this computer MUST ASK PERMISSION BEFORE ACCESSING THIS INFORMATION. THIS IS THE DATA PROTECTION ACT.
So in plain english they reworked the paperwork so that when you give permission in one form they worded it so that you gave permission to others to also access it by saying, We will only use this information if when applying for benefits another department may require this same information. For Instance Housing Benefit when applying for a bridging loan. If you history of payments are rubbish then your not going to get one.
Or applying for housing reduction or council tax reduction. ON EACH OCCASSION THEY HAVE TO ASK YOUR PERMISSION, including access to your medical files.
My case next week is to claim compensation for the repeated errors to me and my family, and the people I represent, and to make sure that Tribunal Results and judges directions are upheld and that amendments made to the Benefit are legally logged, so that conversations later after a year or two don't alter the original agreement.
Oh we always do this when you are comming to the end of your certificate (a 3 year certificate issued, and then reassessed after 1 year and 2 month?) the charter is spacific, it states that if any changes to you or your medication that can affect the original out come must be reported, but it also states that we may contact you 3 MONTHS before the end date, just to ask some preliminary questions prior to sending out another claim form or appointment review.
Once you answer with more or less information it gives them a chance to review your case and start a fresh claim.
There are lots more, but needless to say I am expecting the DWP to try again the 11th Hour call to settle out of court, but I have covered this like last time where they contacted the court not me to say they WILL BE MAKING ME AN OFFER. THIS GOES AGAINST THE JUDGES DIRECTION TO APPEAR, THE TIME RESTRAINTS SET IN LAW AND BY THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, i DID NOT RECEIVE THE AMENDMENTS TO THE FILES where they committed fraud, forged my signature on a document, and rewrote some of my medical history, (I was in hospital having Bi-lateral Knee replacements) and an assessor came to the hospital to see if I was their just before going into the operating theatre, that all the assessors I saw never showed me a name tag, and when asking one from Capita who came to my home, he assaulted me, because I would not let him in my home but was persuaded by my wife to let him in, after 10 minutes he asked me to look on the medical register which I was already doing and I showed him the result of him not being allowed to assess until he finished his formal training which was started 3 years before and NEVER COMPLETED OR SIGNED TO SAY HE COULD ASSESS, he slammed the computer down on m,y fingers and almost took the front door off the hinges including the front gate.
But other wise its a pretty straight forward case. More open and shut if you will excuse the pun.
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Ahh a career politician, hate them. Did she even have a local link, or got parachuted in like most of them?
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Anyone Living with ME/CFS:
Please email your case study/experience now toinfo@stripylightbulb.com
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Please see this link for detailed guidance
The time to act is now.0 -
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I don’t think there’s a Human Rights Act 2022’, but from a quick search as a layperson, I found mention of a Bill of Rights (2022)intended to reform the Human Rights Act 1998. It looks like that bill never progressed beyond the first reading in Parliament, so as it stands, the original Human Rights Act 1998 remains in effect.
Best Wishes!1 -
I read your post with wide eyes and deep admiration. Your strength and resilience in enduring such a brutal, long-term legal battle is truly inspiring. I couldn’t even manage one benefit tribunal-it was overwhelming and incredibly stressful. I honestly don’t know how you’ve done it. Hats off to you.🫡
I truly couldn’t believe it when you said you were physically assaulted by an assessor. That’s truly appalling behaviour😡-as if we don’t already suffer enough at the hands of the DWP. I’m so sorry to hear that, and I sincerely hope you get the justice you rightfully deserve.
I wholeheartedly wish you all the very best for your final hearing (hopefully!🤞) and a well-deserved victory. Thank you for sharing such valuable insights. We really look forward to your continued support, and we could certainly use your ONEBIGVOICE and lived experience to help fight against this ruthless government’s benefit cuts.
Disabled Voices Matter
Take care, my friend.
With respect and solidarity ✊1
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