Confronted with Iain Duncan Smith and Boris Johnson in the Leave camp and David Cameron and George Osborne on the Stay side, many claimants may find themselves hating the thought of taking any part in the EU referendum.{jcomments on}
But, setting possibly odious personalities aside, which result do you believe is going to be in the best interests of claimants?
Should we stay or should we go now?
If we leave the EU is it likely that the Tory party will be able to make life even harder for claimants and carers?
Will workers’ rights be even more comprehensively eroded, so that if you are sick or disabled there will be even less protection against discrimination in the workplace?
The European Court of Justice has made some pro-claimant decisions, such as allowing UK claimants to take some benefits abroad. But would being unable to access this court have any great effect on your future.
The European Court of Human Rights is not part of the EU, but once out of the EU it is possible that the Tories would feel better able to try to limit the ECHR’s power to interfere in UK domestic matters, including the rights of sick and disabled people. Would that make any difference to your life?
And do you think that business will suffer if we leave, so that there is even less tax money available to the state and even more calls to cut benefits?
Or do you think that the EU is sucking money out of the UK and that staying in means there is less cash and more pressure for austerity cuts?
Would the ability to limit the free movement of workers, by leaving the EU, mean that there would be more jobs available for UK citizens, so employers would be more likely to consider employing sick and disabled applicants?
We all know that payment of benefits to claimants from outside the UK makes the right wing press foam with rage and possibly increases the level of prejudice against all benefits claimants. Would there be less hatred towards sick and disabled people if we left the EU and the press had fewer opportunities to run anti-claimant stories?
And - getting back to personalities – if the Leave campaign does win, will that make Iain Duncan Smith even more powerful and even more free to indulge his cruellest instincts towards claimants?
On the other hand, if the Stay campaign succeeds, will that mean George Osborne is most likely to take over from Cameron and is he to be feared even more than IDS?
What will you do?
After the unexpected awfulness of the last election result, it would be no surprise if claimants were increasingly reluctant to vote this time around. But is the decision on 23 June too important for the future of sick and disabled claimants to leave it to other people to decide for you?.
So, will you vote and, if so, which way will you go – Stay or Leave?
