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spikeysoul

Right sorry to butt in - however here is the first email form the benefits and work campaign. Thought it may be useful to put it up here too

Persuading disability charities to speak out against the threat to disability benefits is absolutely crucial. Unless leading agencies like Mind, Arthritis Care and the MS Society are prepared to openly oppose these proposals it will be very difficult to halt them. The government will be able to argue that they consulted with 'stakeholder' organisations and they supported the green paper.
So whether charities are swayed by the strength of your arguments or alarmed by the prospect of losing members who feel abandoned by them, it's vital that they commit themselves to defending AA and DLA. So far only RNIB has been courageous enough to risk the wrath of six secretaries of state rather than desert its members.
So what we're going to suggest you do today is to get in touch with a local or national disability organisation, preferably one that deals with a condition that affects you or someone you care for.
Even if all you can manage is a quick email saying:
'What are you doing about the green paper plans to abolish some disability benefits?'
that will be enough to make them realise people are aware of, and concerned about, the issue.
But if you feel able to write in more detail, below are some of the points you may want to make. We haven't written a standard letter or email for people to copy because we think that they may quickly be dismissed as just a sort of spam.

1 Explain very briefly that you are concerned about the proposals in the Shaping the Future of Care Together green paper to integrate some disability benefits into a new funding stream for a National Care Service
2 Explain why DLA care component or AA is important to you.
3 Point out that it's vital that their organisation work with other disability charities to fight with you on this issue, because the government will find it hard to ignore a wide coalition of disability organisations.
4 Point out that RNIB have put a statement on their website saying they will oppose the scrapping of AA and other disability benefits and that if such a reputable organisation is prepared to do this then there's no reason why every disability organisation can't do the same.
5 You might want to explain that at the moment the campaign against abolishing disability benefits is being led by a private sector company and that you think this is highly inappropriate, it ought to be a coalition of charities leading the way.
6 You may also want to suggest that if charities look the other way as their members are deprived of a vital part of their income then it may result in charities getting a great deal less support, fewer members and fewer donations in the future.
7 Most important of all: ask for a reply. And if you don't get one, keep going back until you do. And when you do, send us a copy and we'll publish at least some of them. Or if you're a Benefits and Work member, post the reply in the forum here:
www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/forum?func=showcat&catid=13
If you'd like to contact more than one charity, then members of the Disability Benefits Consortium are worth considering. This is a coalition of charities which "aims to lobby and campaign on welfare benefits as they relate to disabled people." Clearly they are the people who should be running this campaign, rather than Benefits and Work.
You can find the email contact details for all these organisations on this page:
www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/forum?func=view&catid=13&id=10362
Another possibility is the members of the green paper stakeholder panel. There's a list of the members here, though we haven't had time to research email addresses - volunteers to do so would be very welcome:
www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/forum?func=view&catid=13&id=10356

If you want to be getting on with other things rather than waiting for next weeks' email, then there's a few suggestions here:
www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/disability-living-allowance-(dla)/dla-aa-cuts/take-action
Thank you again for signing up to the No More Benefits Cuts campaign. At the time of writing you are one of an astonishing 13,815 people who have done so in less than a week.
You can read more about what's been happening, from RNIB's statement to details of a local campaign in deepest Cornwall, on this page:
Many thanks also to everyone who's been in touch. I do apologise if we haven't replied to your email or returned your call - there have been many more than we could cope with. But we do very much appreciate hearing what people have been doing.
Please feel free to forward or publish this email.
Good luck,
Steve Donnison

So there you go - if anyone can manage it that's week one's task.

cosmic-dust

spikeysoul wrote: »

We haven't written a standard letter or email for people to copy because we think that they may quickly be dismissed as just a sort of spam.

7 Most important of all: ask for a reply. And if you don't get one, keep going back until you do. And when you do, send us a copy and we'll publish at least some of them. Or if you're a Benefits and Work member, post the reply in the forum here:

So if we are honest here they are asking you to spam on their behalf :rolleyes:

septemberblues

cosmic-dust wrote: »

So if we are honest here they are asking you to spam on their behalf :rolleyes:

How is trying to get a reply called spam? What they are saying is - if you don't get a reply, keep on until you do!

What's wrong with that?

For once disabled people and older people have a chance to make their voice heard, yay!

Power to the (old & disabled) people

purplecatlover

rethink (in response to emails) are looking for examples of how the scrapping of these benefits would affect you, including what you spend the money on and how having it benefits. details here

http://www.rethink.org/how_we_can_help/campaigning_for_change/opening_doors/social_care_consulta.html?shortcut=socialcare

spikeysoul

cosmic-dust wrote: »

So if we are honest here they are asking you to spam on their behalf :rolleyes:

I do not understand how disabled people taking responsibility for their own lives and becoming involved in a govenment consultation would result in spam.

What are some peoples problems with us trying to get involved in this process that could dramaticalluy change our lives? We need the stakeholder charities/organisations to know how we feel and to take us seriously, a lot of us are members of at least one. Without the clout these people can bring we are shouting into the wind - sending an email making them aware of our concerns and asking what they are going to do about them as people who claim to represent us is part of this process.

A lot of people don't have a clue (I'm one of them) about how to do this effectivly or what to put in an email - this is a rough guide to expressing yourself, not a generated piece of garbage to clogg up an in box. The idea is to get an answer and highlight the problem - to make action take place not to be dismissed easily because it's a load of nonsense - spam would be the absolute worst thing to happen for this cause - it would undermine it. Why would we (or B and W) want that?

Why some peoples apparent vested interest in us keeping quiet and being apathetic? Surely this is better than us winging after the fact - when there is nothing that we can do, and complaining our organistions didn't rally for us - becaasue they didn't even know we wanted them to!

KxMx

I think it's terrible. Without my Nan& Grandad getting AA for him then i'd be very worried about them financially.

seven-day-weekend

alwaysonthego wrote: »

This is what DLA/AA was supposed to pay for!

It was just when I mentioned it in another discussion, one or two people implied that my sister had claimed it under false pretences as it wasn't intended to pay for someone to walk your dog or do your garden and housework, but just for help with personal care. Also I mentioned she could still drive her car, they said she shouldn't get AA if ahe can drive, regardless of the fact that she can't walk far without being in agony.

I knew my sister would have told no lies to get it, if anything she would minimise her condition rather than exaggerate it, but was just being extra careful on this discussion and explaining beforehand why I felt she was justified to spend her money in this way.

But thanks for confirming what I believed to be true!

alwaysonthego_2

seven-day-weekend wrote: »

It was just when I mentioned it in another discussion, one or two people implied that my sister had claimed it under false pretences as it wasn't intended to pay for someone to walk your dog or do your garden and housework, but just for help with personal care. Also I mentioned she could still drive her car, they said she shouldn't get AA if ahe can drive, regardless of the fact that she can't walk far without being in agony.

I knew my sister would have told no lies to get it, if anything she would minimise her condition rather than exaggerate it, but was just being extra careful on this discussion and explaining beforehand why I felt she was justified to spend her money in this way.

But thanks for confirming what I believed to be true!

Take no notice, AA is to pay for things such as a carer, cleaner, gardener that can take care of your sister's duties that she can no longer do and would put her at risk from injury if she tried. Care needs are not just personal care but preventing her house from being an hazard (cleaner, gardener).

Having a car does not affect the AA claim as people can drive but not have as much mobilty (though AA is nothing to do with mobilty but only care needs) but they are still independent. What about the DLA mobilty care scheme I wonder what they would say about that?!

Give us a link to the discussion and I will tell them what for!

seven-day-weekend

alwaysonthego wrote: »

Take no notice, AA is to pay for things such as a carer, cleaner, gardener that can take care of your sister's duties that she can no longer do and would put her at risk from injury if she tried. Care needs are not just personal care but preventing her house from being an hazard (cleaner, gardener).

Having a car does not affect the AA claim as people can drive but not have as much mobilty (though AA is nothing to do with mobilty but only care needs) but they are still independent. What about the DLA mobilty care scheme I wonder what they would say about that?!

Give us a link to the discussion and I will tell them what for!

It's an old discussion and least said, soonest mended, I think!

cit_k

I dont mind what the government do, as long as a law is passed that ALL MP's, Lords, Baronesses, etc etc have to use the same services they voted on, and are not allowed to go private.

They should have to use the NHS, have to exist of a STATE pension, live of benefits if ill, etc etc - if they are not prepared to do that, then they should not vote on the issue, and have no say in it.

If there is a issue that will affect, or possibly effect pretty much everyone in the nation (as in the case of benefits, as anyone can become ill, or injured, any one can become unemployed etc) then it should be put to public vote, not decided by people who will never use any of the services, and who, quite frankly appear to be completely deluded, out of touch, and probably crazier than some of the worst claimaints.