Upcoming changes to benefits

I appreciate your points @Adrian_Scope

If you look at a few of my posts of the previous thread I’ve been trying to defend the strategy seem to be taking

But the leaks from last nights labour meeting revealed a huge amount and a lot of masks have appeared to have slipped

I know that scope since labour came in power has had direct (in person, virtual, written) correspondence with labour ministers (I know scope met with Kendall in the summer at least once and that Stephen timms has spoken with you a few times) - obviously I’ve don’t know the details talked about but if itv leaks are confirmed then the dwp have ignored or disregarded a lots of scopes and other charities concerns (I questioned back in the summer if Kendall and co was telling charities what they wanted to hear to keep charities from considering further action such as increased interviews with press (I don’t know if legal challenges and reporting gov to higher bodies is even an option on the table for disability charities - but the labour higher ups will certainly not want big charities even discussing it as a possibility)

Writing joint letters with other disability charities is not enough as said letter can be easily ignored or binned - it’s just not enough

And I know that scope has a sign up campaign going - however those of us on welfare know to be ultra careful giving out personal details (we don’t want any way to be tracked down) and the scope form asks for our full name, address and postcode without it being disclosed what our personal info will be used for and more importantly who will see it (I think the fear is scope could send Kendal and co a list of everyone who signed like you doin a petition) - for that reason I don’t feel comfortable signing though if form sections were changed/renamed to initials and constituency I think that would reassure a lot of us who haven’t signed

I think a lot of us are reeling at starmers suggestion that the majority in their gut should feel it’s wrong for a disabled to get additional money compared to fully abled counterparts (and implying only those in work or looking for work deserve additional money for quality of life, no exceptions given to personal circumstance). Further leaks on social media report that Stephen timms (whom we were told was a disability ally) stood by starmers side, nodding in agreement a lot

Obviously we are still waiting for officially conformation via the upcoming disability green paper (and then early votes) but signs from recent leaks do imply disabled people have been lied to and betrayed by labour and this may be the biggest gov ‘damaging attack’ taken on disabled community in years (even bigger than ids and the introduction of UC)

I was always worried about panic tactical voting giving labour a dangerous size majority (and I remember getting hammered by a few members for having that concern - haven’t seen those members in a while - as much as a ITYS moment appeals these past few weeks have probably been especially hard for them to stomach and a tough lesson to learn)

parliament is made up 650 mps (minus 7 Sinn Fein mps and 4? non voting speaker roles so 639 seated mps). A majority can be achieved by 320 mps voting one way (if no one abstains) - once contents of the green paper gets compiled as a bill we will need all non labour mps to vote against it (237 total mps) we would need another 83 labour backbenchers to vote against their own party (and not chicken out be abstaining)

Realistically their is a zero percent chance of that happening (more realistic win is the whole Tory party voting against the bill and a handful of labour mps willing to put their whip (and career) on the line so the govs majority stays as low as possible (a majority of less than 60 would probably be the best we can hope for)

Last night signalled that welfare reforms may be the flagship policy to starmers labour, as the Rwanda bill was to sunak’s tories (which the delays and blocks in that bill played a huge part in tories losing massive support and adding multiple nails to that govs coffin) - in comparison labour are taking a huge risk trying to appeal to voters considering voting reform next GE and may lose their own traditional voters (and those on the centre and left who loaned a vote last GE)

It is now clear the endless barrage of distressing media articles (to a disabled pov) and labours/starmers strategy revealed last night to sell the following pitch to the general public (building on months of articles from the times, telegraph, etc leaked by gov insiders) - that disabled claimants getting more money due to health as an ‘unfair advantage’ and something we are undeserving of as we don’t work (and pay taxes)

If you don’t work, you don’t deserve quality of life regardless of personal circumstance (and if reports of autumn budget knock on costs for businesses and employers already has a number of them stating they can not afford to hire disabled ppl turns out to be accurate - this labour gov has you covered, as in the worst political timing since partygate, we have a certain Kim leadbeater bill coming to the rescue with the 3rd reading for that due in late April - if disability activists and human rights lawyers aren’t pre prepping for that potential 2+2 situation then I really despair)

My gut tells me that any green paper bill will pass through 1st to 3rd Parliament reading in the matter of weeks and we have to have House of Lords can delay progress for as long as possible so (hopefully multiple) high court challenges can be prepped, submitted and accepted as possible to delay, tie up and prehaps cut the most damaging parts of any welfare reform bill

Problem is disabled people don’t talk to one another

Disability charities don’t seem to chat to disability organisations (such as dpac whom public figure activists such as Ellen Clifford) and vica versa

There is no safe disabled space online (such as a forum) where you can talk about and get advice on the process of taking dwp sec of state to high court or similar or even get interest & signatures for a class action suit (which scope mods will be able to clarify but I imagine they don’t want those types of discussions happening on the scope forum

And there’s multiple angry disabled people and activists on social media and forums beyond livid and calling for action but unwilling to put in any leg work themselves and/or think beyond old favourites like emailing your own mp and then sit back thinking your done your part

as I said we are still waiting for confirmed official details from the green paper but early signs are for many in the disability community the highest stakes will be put on table (and ‘absolute poverty’ isn’t actually the highest stake on that table

2025 is the year that each individual decides if they are taking a stand (or - and I apologise for thinking the following - become a ‘martyr’

so for the tough love but politicans see disabled ppl as easy targets and we can’t afford to live up to that stereotype