Get your MP to act against cuts

Thanks for sharing @Dav1D

Strangely, My MP’s name is not on any list. Was there any group list that were“Neutral “?

Best Wishes!

My MP is voting for the cuts . Scum .

@jul1aorways

Hey Juls,

Thank you again for your message. I always feel like we’re two mates sat in a pub after a long week, untangling the mess life throws at us with a bit of honesty and warmth. You’ve got a way of cutting through the noise and finding the real heart of things. It means more than I can say.👏

Physio’s been pushed back to the 11th, though oddly, I’m not too anxious about it. The shoulder’s slightly better when I don’t push too hard - but as you’ll know, it’s that dangerous “false plateau” that tricks you into thinking things are okay when they’re not. Still, small wins🏆. I really hope your seizures settle down soon. That unpredictability sounds terrifying, but your acceptance of it-not defeat, but real, hard-won resilience ….is something I truly admire. What you said stayed with me: we’ve become experts at enduring what would crush most others. There’s a certain strength in us disabled folk that gets overlooked far too easily.

That elderly gentleman I met in A&E really brought that home. Seven broken ribs and a fractured spine, yet he sat there like it was a sprained ankle. No fuss, no bitterness - just this quiet will to get better and return to his garden. 😬You’re right!At 86, that kind of injury can be a death sentence, yet he had more life in him than anyone else in the room. His wife’s strength too… I could also see how hard she was holding it all together. It stayed with me. I walked away thinking, if he can face that with such calm, maybe I can keep facing what I’ve got, too.I only wish to believe that he is recovering peacefully in his hospital bed, and that his wife is truly being supported -nothing more. Even if reality is different, that hope is what I choose to hold on to.❤️‍🩹

And coming back to the heart of what we’ve been discussing - this betrayal from Labour. Honestly, Juls, you’ve hit the nail right on the head with your views🤮. I’ve now added Stephen Timms to my personal list of so-called progressives who’ve drifted into Liebour’s territory. That BBC podcast interview of his (@Yogibear shared in the green paper thread) was nothing but polished spin. All that “consultation”🤭 talk, but no recognition of what we’re really up against. Just like Reeves, Kendall, and Starmer 😡 all stat sheets, no soul. I have added my views on Scope’s Green Paper Thread(SGPT).

Here’s the bitter irony they won’t confront and is still a great cause for concern and a reason to fight back :Instead of addressing the root causes behind the rising number of disabled people like poverty, burnout, long-term post-viral illness, workplace discrimination, and delayed NHS care -they’re ruthlessly doubling down on benefit cuts.

They don’t want to fix the broken systems 👆. They just want us off their books and to tidy up their budgets. It’s all too clear in the rushed, non-inclusive, and vague proposal — and the so-called consultation process, which is marketed as accessible but is anything but.

As Inclusion London puts it so clearly:

“We live in a world that disables us through systemic barriers. Benefits are not ‘extras’ -they are essential support to help us survive, participate, and live.”

And yet, they’re being gutted. Not to save lives, but to save face.
The statistics I’ve been reading in the Family Resources Survey 2022–23 -thanks again to @santosha12 🙏🏽for pointing me to it on the SGPT — are truly sobering, especially when considered alongside the powerful May 2024 House of Lords debate on “People with Disabilities – Access to Services.”
That inclusive debate covered the many challenges faced by disabled people, including access to benefits, employment, education, housing, and healthcare. This is such a crucial argument, especially in light of the current reality-where even a Labour government, which many of us hoped would champion the vulnerable, appears to be pushing through cuts that disproportionately affect disabled people. It’s a sobering reminder of how easily our needs can be sidelined, regardless of who is in power.

(Fair warning: That debate is a very long read, but absolutely worth the effort!)

And let’s be honest: things have only worsened since then. More people are falling into disability, poverty, homelessness, and hunger. And when you place that next to: 

 •   NHS waiting lists in absolute crisis 

 •   A crumbling social care system 

 •   SEND services slashed to the bone 

 •   Housing that’s inaccessible or just unaffordable 

 •   And workplaces still not even close to inclusive…(Credit: Inclusion London)…

it’s no wonder so many of us are trapped and invisible.
What stings most is how we’re portrayed. Lazy. A burden. It’s insulting and childish. Politicians using dog-whistle slurs to justify what is, quite frankly, economic violence against the most vulnerable people in society. They don’t just cut our benefits; they deny us the dignity and peace we deserve, as if our lives are expendable.😡

As you pointed out : The courts already ruled the Tory green paper plan unlawful — because the whole thing was built on the lie that it would help disabled people “back into work,” when the OBR’s own analysis said only 3% might actually benefit. Labour’s version? Same rotten framework, just dressed up in fancier suits, built on unreliable paper thin  evidence and blocking the voices of vulnerable people in the consultation process .

You’re right, Juls. They are trying to erase us. But they’ve underestimated us too.(credit: @grumpy1314)
We’re not going quietly. We’re not backing down. And we are most definitely not alone.

Thank you for suggesting I reach out to DPOs -I’ve tried a few already, including local DPAC, though I’ve not heard anything back after couple of emails . I imagine they’re completely overwhelmed. I even shared an email list of every DPO I could find in SGPT, but I’m unable to locate it. It’s so exhausting trying to chase it all up with my brain fog-especially when navigating our comments within the whole forum threads is quite difficult, unless it’s your own thread.I’m thinking of messaging our lovely Scope Admin Mods just to see if there’s a better way to track our own conversations.
Thank you for the laughter and solidarity, Juls. You keep me going. And you remind me that even when we’re knackered, even when our lives feel like they’re hanging on by a thread, our voices still matter.

You’re right-they really are making our lives a living hell. All we want is a peaceful, stable life. A life where we’re not punished for simply existing. But they won’t allow that, will they?

I’ve known real hunger and so have many others, Juls. I don’t say that lightly. As I said, I remember stale bread and empty cupboards. Starvation isn’t just hunger……it’s a fear that gnaws at you. And I never want to go back there again. But with all these cuts, that fear is creeping in again. There are days I pray for a miracle- that my health will suddenly return, and I’ll be able to work like I used to. But that hope only ever sets me up to fail when I start to push myself . I spend 80% of my time in bed now. My body just doesn’t play along.

I’ve written to my Labour MP five times. The last one was that brilliant Benefits and Work letter you shared. The two replies I got so far? Just the same Labour spin, repackaged as local concern - full of the usual waffle about “supporting people into work.” But who asked for that? It’s insulting. I deliberately left some parts of that B&W letter untouched — I wanted to see if he’d actually listen and stand up for us when this hits Parliament. No answer yet.

I also saw a post from @yogibear yesterday on SGPT about the Disability News Service article that mentioned three firms of solicitors preparing to challenge these benefit cuts. What caught my eye was the line that “many of these proposals will be implemented via primary legislation.” That’s serious. So I urged others to prepare and  respond directly to the consultation-because if enough of us raise our voices now, it can’t be ignored when this goes to parliamentary debate.

We might not know all the parliamentary processes - but we know this much:A proposal not built with disabled people must never be passed over us.

Your last post really touched me. You’re so sharp and informed. All your posts are informative 📰I’ve learned more from you and the Scope community😇 members than from any policy document or politician. Being disabled is a full-time job in itself. I can’t even get to my own garden most days. And yet, I have to stay alert to every headline, every rumour, every consultation-just to protect the fragile stability I’ve managed to build. It’s draining, leaving me with no energy for anything else. 😔

Thank you for being there, Juls. For your humour, your fire, and your honesty. Keep shining your light we all need it!

In solidarity always!

@jul1aorways

Thank you , Juls . I’ve just signed it. Did you notice that the ‘No 4-Point PIP Descriptors’ survey on Benefits and Work has now been closed?
Best wishes ✌️

https://chng.it/dktWmNS6kV

@Catherine21

I wish I could just be a fly on the wall too… Catherine….but I can’t. I have to stand up and speak out-not just for me, but for my family (I’ve got three kids) and for all of us in the disabled community. That includes you, me, everyone here on Scope, and every family across the UK going through this.

Honestly, I feel like I’m in survival mode every single day-and that’s with barely any health left in me. This is the state this government has pushed us into. It’s not living… it’s just trying to hold on.

But I/we will keep fighting for our rights with whatever strength we have left. We won’t be silenced, and we won’t live in fear.

In solidarity ✊

Some encouraging developments for a change!! 🤗

The Canary reports that up to 80 Labour MPs could lose their seats in the upcoming Local Elections over DWP cuts.😉

I am starting to think that unless the changes affect you then nobody seems bothered by what happening. My Mp seems distant to me not wanting to comment

(Apologies if already shared)

I’ve just sourced this useful comment from the Benefits and Work webpage:

“Equal Lives (Norfolk, suffolk) are calling for comments on the govt proposals, which they will anonymise and send to all mps in the area.

Email is communications@equallives.org.uk “
https://www.equallives.org.uk/post/pip-daily-living-component-change