Sunday 14 April 2013

John Pring's Weekly News Round Up


  • A disabled man has won compensation from the government’s “fitness for work” contractor Atos Healthcarebecause of the weeks of distress, pain and fatigue he suffered after being forced to attend an inaccessible assessment centre.
  • Another government minister has used misleading figures to try to whip up anger about the scale of spending on disability living allowance, in order to try to justify the coalition’s programme of cuts and reforms.
  • Fears are growing that the government could be preparing to scrap Equality 2025, the network of disabled people which advises ministers about the possible impact of new policies.
  • A Cornish politician who was forced to resign after suggesting that disabled children should be “put down” because they cost too much money to support, has decided to stand again for election.
  • The latest legal challenge to the government’s welfare reforms will “shine a spotlight” on the “injustice” of its new disability benefit, according to one of the three activists spearheading the case.
  • A union has disputed government claims that hundreds of jobs have been created for disabled Remploy workers made redundant through the coalition’s programme of factory closures.
  • One in four of the 36 Remploy factories that were condemned to closure last year are now helping to provide jobs for some of their former disabled employees, according to new figures.
  • A new survey will help build an accurate picture of how the UK is implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and provide campaigners with ammunition when discussing policy with the government.
  • The two companies carrying out assessments for the government’s controversial new disability benefit look set to offer contrasting experiences to disabled people who undergo the tests.
  • 4 comments:

    1. Ha ha. I had to laugh. It is a ceaseless source of amusement to hear how bad tory MP's can be. They are not of this world! It seems a Cornish MP said 'disabled children should be put down because they cost too much'. In all seriousness, this person must have a brain the size of a pea and a heart that is as cold as ice. If conservatives really want to generate the hate they need to control the masses, this person should be prime-minister. I would never ever forgive this person for their sick words and i feel scared for their children, because if they ever develop any form of disabilty they will be shot and the MP will them commit suicide. And they call it a progressive government, FFS!

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    2. I cannot believe we are actually living under this govt. I can't believe we are seeing a fascist dictatorship unfolding in front of our eyes.

      Something I was wondering about - any sort of legal comeback if Atos says you are fit for work, then go try for a job, and being told by a company's Occupational Health department that you are not fit for work.

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    3. ATOS wont be satisfied sue until the vast majority of sick and disabled are found fit for work but end up dead and only then will they be satisfied' and woe betide those that are left behind still receiving their benefits what's then left for them ? maybe like myself over the years you'll get your road bugged ? just in case you sneak out your front door ? or a bug placed inside your car late at night to record when a where you've been

      Those left alive will be in for a nasty shock i can tell you and i tell you now it's tough going for the rest of your life and if you think you've had it tough in life you haven't

      ATOS and the DWP will make your life hell and like me you'll never recover that you can be assured of

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    4. Do you remember when James Callaghan's Labour tried to make things bad in revenge for what Ted Heath did when he was Tory prime-minister in 70's. I think this stupid numpty 'call me Dave' led government is merely continuing that train of thought. I.e: Deliberately hurting people that Tories think MIGHT vote labour, oh you know, minorites, disabled, etc, etc. I use capitals for MIGHT to highlight the nastiness in Tory thinking. They don't care about the many people that MIGHT vote labour but who are not actually Tory haters, the damn Tories only see Labour supporters as people who hate them, you know, Red Vs Blue and all that out-dated tired, worn out pathetic rhetoric that was past it's sell by date at least a hundred million years ago!!! Will conservatives ever learn to live without looking back? Don't hold your breath, i am just waiting for another apology to African people for the slave trade again, you know, like good old Tony did with New Labour, oh about twenty years ago. wait a minute, didn't Thatcher say sorry too?!!! You know where i am going with this i hope. As i say, Tories and their long grudges, oops, i mean memories. Aren't they sad. They almost make me weep.

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