#universal credit

[listen-to-the-inner-walrus]

so who had the government violating human rights law because they hate poor people on their 2023 tory bingo?

yeah so this piece by robert booth just got published in the guardian and it begins as such:

which is not at all surprising because yeah the government really hates poor people here. like as in one of the "solutions" to rising in homelessness in cities is to just,, buy unhoused people a one way train ticket to somewhere else.

its good to know that weve officially reached the level of violating international law. and by good, i dont know what i mean either.

anyway, booth goes on to say:

he is, of course, incredibly correct, and im highkey obsessed with him calling the welfare state "a leaking bucket".

obviously, the government gave a response of:

but did also go on to say this:

which doesnt really strengthen their argument. if anything, it actively hampers it.

it is also incredibly funny that the government's response to being accused of human rights violations due to the poverty in their country by the guy whose job involves being the go-to expert on human rights and poverty is akin to a child saying they didnt steal the chocolate that is staining their clothes and their hands and also they are still eating it.

please join me in pointing and laughing. at least, we have that.

de schutter actually offers solutions of his own within the article:

these, of course, famously being loved by tories. loved so much that they just forgot to do any of it during the last 13 years.

yeah, its been 13 fucking years.

if you dont use your vote to vote them out at the next general election, i will break your kneecaps with a rounders bat.

anyway, robert booth finishes the article off with:

and wheres the fucking lie? it hits the nail on the head so accurately, its honestly as impressing as it is depressing.

obviously, this isnt the entire article and i would implore you to read all of it.

i dont exactly have my hopes up for the government actually doing anything to effectively address poverty, but hey, you never know.

[theinconvenientlifestyle]

[18thcenturythirsttrap]

This is the wonderful 'life on benefits' that disabled and sick people endure. This is what Tories and Labour both stigmatise us for. This is what, too often, kills us.

And they don't care.

[cobragardens]

[ditchadderband]

I swear my migraines can be vengeful

So, as I type I’m having a brutal migraine.

My hands are shaking and my legs can barely hold me up. It’s 11.54 and I just want to sleep.

The real kicker is that I tried to use sumatriptan to prevent it. Not only has that clearly not worked but this is noticeably more vicious than average. I swear it feels like this happens to me every time I try to head of a migraine by using medication.

I don’t have a point here, Im just exhausted. Alvo sent me the music for a song that I wanted to have out days ago and I can’t even listen to it right now. I also have the added insult of a Universal Credit questionnaire sat on my desk because they don’t think my doctor sending them a sick note of my migraines is sufficient proof of my illness and insisting that their utterly non-medical opinion is more important. If their goal is to make me feel less like a person then, for today at least, they succeeded.

[91vaults]

It's pretty funny to me that the justification for people on unemployment doing pointless busy work (such as Work for the Dole) is the Idea that the unemployed just really struggle with basic concepts like getting up before 10 and being in a specific place for a specific amount time (""""regulsr routine""""") I've heard all the pollies say constantly. BITCH WE ALL struggle with this concept. That's why none of us are getting out of bed unless we're getting paid AS IT SHOULD BE.

[feckcops]

Why the trope of the benefit “scrounger” has returned

“Everything is dark. A siren yelps, drums kick in, police in riot helmets march up a stairwell, and a man – his head out of shot – zips up a black stab vest marked ‘DWP’.

“It’s Tom Pursglove, a Tory minister of the Matt Hancock aesthetic (Foxtons Tintin), tabard strapped over his suit, standing beside a tree. Brow furrowed, he quasi-quotes Liam Neeson’s ex-CIA maverick in the 2008 film Taken: ‘We will track you down. We will find you. And we will bring you to justice.’ ...

“This is the Department for Work and Pensions’ latest campaign warning against welfare fraud. It was tweeted from the department’s account last Thursday morning, with a take-on-Taken caption: ‘At DWP we have a very particular set of skills that we use in conjunction with the police to tackle fraud.’

“The focus on benefit cheats is disproportionate to the reality. Fraud amounted to just 3 per cent of welfare payments in 2020-21, or £6.5bn. This looks even less significant when you compare it with tax fraud: the ‘tax gap’ between what is owed and what is collected (of which fraud is a large part) is at 5.1 per cent, costing the government £42bn a year. Fraudulent Covid loans, meanwhile, cost the UK £17bn – most of which the government does not expect to recover.”

[loveheartgirl1]

I was having a lovely day off from work, until I decided to ring Universal credit for the problem I am having them with.

At this moment, I am currently not on universal credit, they kicked me off about a year ago, but think I should be paying back the overpayments for something that was never my fault to begin with. I was told in file from DWP, that I only pay back £300 ish, but to Universal credit case manger says I actually have to pay back the whol £1700 Was literally crying on and off the phone. Said it was no ones fault, but if there wasnt any fault in the system or the computers, I wouldn't have gotten overpaid? Anyway really ruined my mood :)

[nagichi-boop]

The whole idea of “weeding out the fakers” when it comes to getting benefits is crazy to me. My mental health has been crushed by trying to get/stay on benefits.

[theinconvenientlifestyle]

Social tariffs are special affordable broadband deals offered to customers who receive benefits such as Universal Credit. Over four million households are eligible for social tariffs, but only a fraction have taken them up

They exist to help ensure broadband connections are available to everyone, are available from a wide range of providers and cost as little as £12 per month, but far too many people still don't know they're available.

Social tariffs are usually easy to switch to - the major providers have instant eligibility checks. You also won't be expected to pay any exit fee if you're in a fixed term contract and want to move to your provider's social tariff. Plus there's a range of speeds on offer, including fast fibre options. It may also be possible to switch to a social tariff with a different provider without paying a penalty.

[listen-to-the-inner-walrus]

does it count as an omen if filling out the disability capability form for universal credit genuinely made me disassociate?

[mrsmarymorstan]

Good News Everybody!

Universal Credit have officially declared me as having a "Lower Capacity For Work and Work Related Activity" which means I do not have to look for work, or prepare to look for work!

All I gotta do is check my emails every so often, and make sure my to keep them up to date on changes to my health!

I should also qualify for extra benefits as a result too!! Which is going to be helpful in saving up to go back to Uni. The extra money won't be added for a little while though, which is annoying AF but at least I won't have to go through the ordeal of appealing the decision!

So an excellent personal start to Disability Pride Month 🥳

[chronicallyillandcoping]

rant

getting really fucking fed up of the dwp cancelling my capacity for work assessment ive been sat waiting since 9am for them to call and now theyve decided they cant do it today this is the 4th time theyve cancelled it. The lady on the phone just said staff shortages. They dont understand how much it takes for me to mentally prepare myself for these appointments and how exhausting it is to wait by the phone with so much anxious energy for them to just call hours after they were supposed to to say theyre cancelling. Im so fucking tired of it all.

[wild-garden-fairy]

Universal credit have decided they need to phone me every three months for no apparent reason.

I have Limited Capability for Work and am already working at the limit of that capability. Leave me alone!