dwp rang yesterday tried to stop me appealing from wrag to support group

[scottspeirs1]

a man from dwp rang me yesterday and tried to persuade me to drop my appeal stating fibro is not severe enough to be in support group

[esagestapo]

I hope you asked him where he got his medical qualifications from and if it is possible for him to do a home visit to confirm his telephone diagnosis.

[Fibrofoggiest]

I second everything esa has said - how low are the dwp prepared to stoop to avoid paying really ill people, whilst supporting layabouts and all sorts of other undeserving people !! Grrrr

Foggy x

[Kirby in reply to Fibrofoggiest]

Sorry, but I object to this. The 'supporting layabouts' and 'undeserving people' is just Daily Mail rhetoric and has little basis in fact. The undeserving poor is harking back tot he poor law which is exactly what this vile government wants. Please don't play into their hands.

[Fibrofoggiest in reply to Kirby]

Having never read the Mail I'm not aware of their rhetoric, I apologise profusely for any offence caused, it wasn't meant to. I infact didn't say "the undeserving poor" I said undeserving people, who do exist, because they choose to live on benefits as a lifestyle choice..... No offence meant at all

Foggy x

[Kirby in reply to Fibrofoggiest]

Hi Foggy -the rate for benefit fraud is extremely small and no system is ever 100 per cent fraud-free. But benefit fraud is as low as it gets. The line that 'people choose to live on benefits as a lifestyle choice' is one I only hear from this government and the right-wing media! It's nigh-on impossible to choose a life on benefits when the rate we as a country pay out in benefits is pitifully small compared to more equal societies. I prefer to direct my anger at the obscene policies that allow tax avoiders/evaders, CEO salaries and MPs expense scandals to commit fraud and never have a finger wagged at them. That dwarfs benefit fraud. Disability benefit fraud is 0.5 % and that's from the DWP's own figures.

K x

[Fibrofoggiest in reply to Kirby]

Sorry Kirby , I don't think I mentioned benefit fraud and there is a section of society who are better off living on benefits than they would be in a job. That was who I

meant and

I truly don't want to upset anyone, so please accept my apologies and I promise I will try never to let myself get into this situation again.

Many apologies

Foggy x

[Kirby in reply to Fibrofoggiest]

Apology accepted. It's just I campaign every day to try to counter these myths and have tons of articles which I'm more than happy to send you. I've been campaigning for over three years and it saddens me to hear people still coming out with these myths which gives the government ammunition to clobber all of us even more. I don't know of any people who are better off on benefits because the rates of benefits are so low and people in low incomes are awarded housing benefit which somehow gets missed out in all the government rhetoric. Besides, there are 5 people chasing every job ergo bot enough jobs to go round! I don't know who is undeserving. I read a lot about people who fit the stereotypes and who are wheeled out for TV programmes to fit the government ideology. Someone may causally look at you or me or anyone with an invisible illness and think we are undeserving if we don't all look sick. It is a dangerous assumption to make but of course the government have encouraged these divide and rule tactics to distract us from the iniquity of what they're doing and to carry out their vicious attack on the poor, the sick and the disabled. People are always pointing the finger at 'someone they know down the road who gets this, that and the other'. But none of us know someone else's personal circumstances because they are nobody else's business as much as the government would like it to be. And yes, New Labour brought in Atos who are linked to UNUM who are disability deniers and have been banned in the States but they are behind the welfare reform which began with New Labour much to their shame.

K x

[soozie]

Hi there,I get ess contribution based money for my fibro,it also depends on how the fibro effects you aswell x xx

[soozie]

Sorry esa x

[Hidden]

Just who are 'all sorts of other undeserving people?' Either stipulate just exactly who are the 'people' to whom you refer or refrain from generalisations.

[Fibrofoggiest in reply to Hidden]

I apologise, I didn't mean to offend, please accept my profuse apologies

May I point you to my answer to Kirby .

Foggy x