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@Rik Very true. People can't seem to get their head around the fact that people get sick.

@Jon The public are very anti welfare for working aged people. So don’t agree that Labour will u-turn on disability benefits reform.

@Jon Let's hope so.

@CaroA Thanks for this I hope many others on here read it It's a terrible indictment of the way we are all manipulated by unscrupulous corporations and it's so helpful that you have pointed this out

@CaroA Thank you for posting this! These outlets running speculation that PIP would be means-tested like the government was seriously considering it is a particularly egregious example of this kind of exploitation. Well done to The Canary for running a piece on this and trying to reassure people.

@Eloise Not true I think, Labour have said multiple times they are reforming sickness benefits, and they have put Liz Kendall in the chair, they are devolving employment support to councils for them to do the dirty deeds.

All the building blocks are in place for the upcoming cuts, the question is which specific people will they target.

The only thing Reeve has confirmed is they have no intention to change PIP payments to vouchers, however that didnt surprise me at all, I think the vouchers in the consultation was planted as a decoy to grab the attention, the real plans will be to change the criteria for claiming PIP, which is also in the consultation but has had far less scrutiny because of the vouchers.

@Sadly Simon A bigger focus on diagnosis isnt positive in my opinion, there is many people who have problems that either have no diagnosis or a misdiagnosis.  A person shouldnt qualify just because of a diagnosis, and likewise they shouldnt be disqualified just because of a diagnosis either.  Even tow people with the same condition can have very different restrictions on their daily living.

If they focus on diagnosis how do the people without one get the support they need?

@Neal There's an article in today's (Sunday) Telegraph online stating Liz Kendall has said the cuts are most likely to be, what she calls,  for milder mental health issues.

@Neal "rather than arbitrary tests to check whether a person is mobile and independent. This may require an assessment by someone with more detailed health knowledge"

@A Yes it's only going to make the rich / elite better off.

@A I believe he was referring to working people 

@Dave Dee There are lots of very wealthy socialists, actors and musicians who are left leaning Guardian readers, they have also been complaining about the cuts to WFA. I actually find the champagne socialist types even more repugnant because they are the biggest hypocrites.

@Dave Dee

@Dave Dee Me too.

@Dave Dee Mel Stride is disgusting and clueless.

@Caroline I don't think they fully understand what goes on in our community. There is often a disconnect, that much is clear. All I can say is that I have dealt with these issues for about 22 years now, after I had a breakdown and lost my job. Since then, aside from a little part time and voluntary work, I am stuck in the welfare system and have been through several changes, where the furniture has been moved around. Each time, I enter a period of bleakness and dread and once had 6 months of perilously low income, yet here I am. There is "usually" (more often than not) a way through Caroline.

If the state is seen to directly impoverish us and generate more homelessness or the potential for homelessness, they will be forced to act, as the already pressured and crumbling services will be overwhelmed.

The money is there - when they go to war, all of a sudden "billions" of pounds manifest.

I hope it works out for you and (lesson to self) - try not to overthink, live in the day.

@Caroline No news until spring apparently 

@Caroline Same here Caroline

@Sadly Simon That's very deep. Almost Schoepenhaueresqe.

@Philc Thank-you Philc.

I am sure my vision of events is incomplete, as there are so many moving parts and in some ways I don't blame any one of us, including the warmongers (as hard as that can be) - I think, from what I have read and my own understanding, that the universe is chiefly deterministic so in some respects we are witness to and subject to universal entropy. All things appear to have built in obsolescence and tragically(?) we see through history that all monolithic structures crumble.

Impermanence is a wild ride.

Regardless of these abstractions, let us hope for positive change for the disaffected and vulnerable, but maybe we are attempting to negotiate with factions who view us as maladaptive or broken cogs that would be better off recycled.

I regard myself as functionally unusual and haven't found an environment beyond my own four walls where I "feel" comfortable and where I can adequately function without eventual collapse.

Not my fault - if I existed prior to birth and could view the span of my life up to this point and see the often pointless struggle, I would never have signed the contract.

We are taught that life is a gift, I beg to differ, life is "always" an imposition.

Sorry if this is rambling a little - I will go.

Take care

@Sadly Simon Thank you, a well presented, and placed post. You took me away with your words, making our lives seem even more controlled as I wished it to be. I do agree with you that we are having our options so reduced, that many do indeed just have enough of what feels like the constant drip drip drip of divisive control that doesn't go away. Your insight , and clear understanding is appreciated.

@Ah I read that article yesterday and was appalled at the "wording" - but not exactly surprised considering this is The Telegraph.

Anxiety & depression are "symptoms" and often co-morbid. I am Autistic and have had anxiety problems since a child and also suffer from periods of enervating depression, along with ongoing struggles with OCD.

I feel ashamed to claim benefits and have very little actual support nowadays, so have to struggle through this difficult culture chiefly alone.

These articles serve an ideological agenda and the authors of these superficial diatribes surely understand the impact on the vulnerable.

Regardless of whether there are a minority "swinging the lead" - I would say the majority of claimants have genuine reasons born of necessity to claim.

They often state the statistical up tick in claims over the past few years as an indication of how the system is being "played" and abused.

I view this as a lack of vision and comprehension of actual circumstances.

Over the past few years we have experienced a culture shock - the pandemic was devastating; it served to further isolate us & disconnect us from systems of support and in many instances obliterate those systems. Many businesses were destroyed due to lockdown and the effect of this is still being felt nationwide.

The economic squeeze has been horrendous these past few years, what with energy prices rising and the knock on effect across other utilities/services and of course food being grossly inflated.

We also witnessed specific corporations and even members within government taking advantage of the pandemic for economic gain. So while we were collectively forced into a pressure cooker, for the financial elite and those with the "right" connections, it was business as usual. Partygate to the max!

People "checking out" is natural - this is a culture in decline. We witness corruption and profiteering off the back of the common man, we see their war games, legitimised through the rags that masquerade as honest journalism (we peer through a distorted lens at world events). The war machine is a devilish obscenity and the elite are knee-deep in the muck of it all. Think about the cost of maintaining that hideous entity; one ballistic missile alone can cost 10s of £1000s.

At every turn we are prodded, poked and penetrated without compunction by social engineers embedded within high finance who slavishly shill for the betterment of their masters coffers while suckling the rancid nipple.

Toxic celebrity culture, conspicuous consumerism, animals slaughtered by the billions annually in incomprehensible squalor, culture wars raging, cities overflowing, the job market more cut-throat than ever, the insidious imposition of AI further decimating specific employment sectors, home ownership now a pipe-dream for many, a crisis in the rental market ... and on and on we go.

So yes - people are checking out in greater numbers and depression is on the rise - what a surprise!

Kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall and those of us with innate sensitivity feel the turbulence of this world more so than others.

There is no quick fix or easy answer to any of this unfortunately, in my view, and all I can hope for as times get tough for many of us, is for a little compassion to shine through. A glimmer of reason, truth and love to warm our hearts again and guide us to calm waters as we weather the coming storm.

@Ah It's worth noting that The Telegraph is a renowned Tory rag and is infamous for writing this kind of tripe on people who claim benefits. It wasn't too long ago they wrote an article whining that people were 'being directed on how to commit benefit fraud' when they were actually seeking help and advice with their benefits on certain internet communities, even though said communities have a cast iron rule against that sort of talk under threat of being banned.

@darinfan I agree with you, but I’m still anxious. I’m a life long Labour voter. I recently got awarded pip after many years of being rejected unfairly. If Labour take away the independence and dignity I’ve finally been given, I’ll never ever vote for them again. 

@darinfan Are there any other Countries that have a voucher system for benefits?

@Nightcity Let's hope so. I'd love to see the entire process shelved but that's not very realistic. I think the best we can hope for is a delay. If I were in the government's shoes I would start it at the beginning of 2027 and complete it by April 2028.

@Rik they've never reached a deadline yet, I doubt they'll make this one. 

@Rik Lol. I stand corrected. March 2026 it is. Memo to oneself, Read things carefully. I hope I am in the December 2025 tranche. More time to get my head round this.

@Jonno No, this is what we already knew. The last migration notices are planed for Dec 25, you’re given 3 months from the notice to migrate which takes you to March 26.

@KABTT If you don't mind me asking were you up and running on the system on time or did the process drag on waiting to hear from universal credit

@Jon Yes, it was a nightmare because I wasn't a B&W member when mine happened, with me it was more of a boot off ESA - no letter or help from the CAB and my GP wasn't about so doubly awful.   Soon as all benefits stopped I subbed here to get the guides and advice so I got through it ok, without this site I'd have had major problems.  It was a barbaric process so I'm hoping that others in my situation won't go through it so badly, here we have the right materials and advice to fight back to survive.  So much easier to be well and to enjoy work for our income - being unwell and trying to fight back isn't easy. 

@CaroA I know that will make a lot of claimants more anxious hanging around in limbo even longer not knowing our fate, but It could be viewed as a positive thing because the longer Labour delay making any decisions on welfare reform, the longer we will be able to keep the awards we currently have and the longer it will take for Labour to be able to implement any potential changes.   

@Henry I hope so Henry.

@Eloise Could well be close to a couple of years yet before anything is finalised with pip .

@Eloise https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/pip-claimants-limbo-reforms-delayed-3316538