Is Labour about to Abolish Illness?

[telemetry9]

I found this post of an article in the New Statesman that I thought was well balanced and out of the zone of lies and government and media spin.

http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2008/05/work-benefit-claimants-reform

At least it will bring some comfort to know that there are still journalists and commentators who have insight and awareness and not supposition and prejudice.

 

[Starbright]

I am sad, worried, scared, stressed about this but I can't do anything about it I just pray, that's all I can do. Thank God I have a good psychiatrist.

 

[telemetry9]

Hi starbright,

I share your concerns and I also pray to change this insidious mood of redefining the forms of mental illness into an amorphous zone of frippery amongst those of us who must live with the daily consequences of our conditions.

I recently wrote to Baroness Warnock who has some influence in the House of Lords. She was very kind to reply to me and mentioned that she shared some of our concerns regarding these changes. She has also mentioned that she will be raising the issue in the next parliament.I try to do what I can but I know it isn't much.

There is a very dark change happening in British politics and I do pray that the British public wake up to consciousness rather than swallowing the media and government spin on Incapacity Benefit. But it is the overall sense of our society entering into a dangerous phase of categorizations and backwards social prejudice that has to be fought. Dressed up in "transforming lives" and "new initiatives" of course when the real motives are economic and about financial gain (unum provident and government affiliates). Programs like, Little Britain portray people with disability as con artists or capable fraudsters who are fine when no one is looking. All of these things are feeding into an inertia that seems to be taking over our society. A kind of resentment towards illness that feeds into the worst parts of human nature.

I think the first step is to recognize that society is changing in a way that is immoral and dishonest. And for those of us who have faith we can pray because we know how powerful that force for change is and for those who don't then they will act and campaign and ask questions of those in power. Perhaps enough people will become conscious enough to say this isn't going to happen in a nation like Britain. Glasgow East might have been the first sign of that.

 

[honeyquince]

Yes scary stuff. I can't wait to be 'judged' by the people on the new sceme and I do still wonder and worry about what training they will have had (2 weeks I reckon). The bit that talks of a course based on CBT sounds like CBT at its worst... yet another great example of politicians completely missing the point for the sake of being seen to do something. Sighhhhhh.

 

[James Buchanan]

I would like to throw windbag from a very tall building.

 

[Dollit]

Can I just say that if Mary Warnock is bringing this to the attention of Parliament then there is every chance they will listen to her. I've had nothing but positive experiences with her - she helped a friend about something a few years ago - and she is one of the most respected people in the country.

 

[telemetry9]

I apologize to anyone who is upset at me posting these articles about the changes. It is part of my illness to obsess about things that worry me and to get to the bottom of what I think it is. This causes me a lot of anxiety and worry and fear. I don't mean to cause worry or fear but thought that it is better to know the nature of what is happening today. I know that what I don't understand is what I am most afraid of and I know that a few people posted in the forums they were glad to find the posts regarding the changes they had heard on the news and didn't feel so isolated in their worry and anxiety.

But I have been thinking it is wrong of me to bring that information here when there are people who aren't well enough to deal with it (myself included) but still I can't shut off my mind or stop the news or media from reporting and terrorizing me. So I feel very much alone in those worries and fears of being targeted because of my illness. But I think I will leave this subject for another place and time from now on if it is detrimental to people coming here. It is wrong to project my own obsession into a place were people come for some refuge and not to be made more anxious or depressed by what is going on in UK politics. So: my apologies to anyone who is upset or worried by the information I brought here.

 

[Dollit]

The best way to allay a fear is by good information. What you are doing is saying that this scares you but you are trying to do something about it and to find out what can be done. You have garnered support, Mary Warnock agrees with you and I'm grateful that you have the motivation to do this. And if you don't give us the information do you think we're going to worry less? It makes me feel less odd by knowing that other people are scared as well.

Thank you.

 

[KP1]

Telemetry it is useful to bring this sort of information onto the forum. Sadly whether people can cope with it or not it applies to anyone on incapacity benefits and it is best to be informed.
I personally think that it is not so likely to affect people in the acute stage of many mental health problems but more people trying slowly to recover will be put under undue pressure.
Also if you return to work too soon which I did because of financial pressure and guilt it can cause a relapse. I relapsed quite severely and was nearly successful in killing myself. I don't know quite what will happen with cases like mine in the future.
Another example with mental health is thinking you are well when you are not and thus having cognitive and thought disorders. Who will be assessing whether you are fit when you think you are but might not be.
Good employers will also be concerned as they have a duty of care and if some one is unfit for work will send them home where do you stand there?
There are so many questions raised by this.

 

[yakuza]

The media are sensationalising this for all its worth but the IB changes are'nt as clear cut as they would like us to believe because current claimants will NOT be forced to attend 'work focussed interviews',this will only apply to new claimants.

Section 1.2 of the DWP's 'Pathways to Work Performance Summary' which was published in march 2008 states:

The process involves a series of mandatory Work Focused Interviews (WFIs) together with the Choices package,a range of provision aimed at improving labour market readiness and opportunities.Pathways to Work is primarily aimed at new incapacity benefit customers but is also available to existing customers on a voluntary basis.




The media also seem to omit the statistics for the amount of claimants who currently receive IB based upon physical disabilities which must be a significant figure I would have thought.

 

[telemetry9]

Thank you very much. I really appreciate your consideration and empathy. I didn't know that part about the changes Yakuza - so thank you. Thank you Dollit for helping me feel a little less like the harbinger of doom.

telemetry