MSE News: 'I'm on benefits but I'm no scrounger'

wanna-be-mortgage-free_2

Dear Ross

I was so touched by the candid account of your life and that of your family. While you may not be able to change everyone's view of those who claim benefits - you have changed mine.

After reading your article a few things occurred to me. You are a fantastic writer and very inspirational. So perhaps there is some mileage in a self employed career as an author / life coach / motivational speaker?

I wish you and your family all the very best and truly believe that the courage you have shown in raising your head above the parapet will pay off dividends.

May the coming months and years be fulfilling and successful for you and your family.

TeeferTiger

I'm on ESA, still on the assessment period awaiting the appeal tribunal. I'd LOVE to work, I miss working! I've always been very independent and enjoy having my own money and knowing it's mine and I've earned it. I'd never choose to be on benefits. I'd especially never choose to be in constant pain every day either!

However the DWP seem to think I'm claiming ESA for sh*ts n giggles. I had an assessment with ATOS for Royal Mail (my employer at the time) and the Dr there TOLD ME I wasn't fit for work. I didn't have to say anything! 2 days later, I had an assessment with ATOS for the DWP as part of the ESA they'd started to pay me as my sick pay was coming to an end. They deemed me fit for work. If I was fit for work, I'd have been at work, wouldn't I?! lol Unfortunately, my job didn't involve just sitting in a chair, putting a pen in my pocket and hanging my coat up.

I've been applying for jobs, I'm not sure I'd be able to do them if I got them, but I've been applying anyway. However, with many "able bodied" people applying for the same jobs- even with the supposed protection of the Equality Act 2010- who would an employer rather take on?

And I'm not just sitting at home watching Jeremy Kyle either (I don't have a TV anyway!), I'm trying to attend college and I try to do voluntary work.

Unfortunately, while there are people (like my neighbour) who say they can't work for one reason or another, and yet can do cleaning work for the local shop in return for cigarettes, there's still going to be a stigma for the genuine ones amongst us.

davholla

I feel so sorry for the poster. However no one says that all benefit claimants are scroungers.

The attack is on pro single mums who (and I am speaking from personal experience) get much nicer housing that workers can afford (in this case me when I was on a reasonable wage and a pro single mum relative).

Not on people who are genuinely ill. I hope that he recovers in the future.

antdon

There have been many good points made in this tread....

But, I would suggest that most working people would not describe disabled people as scroungers.....

However. Able bodied people, claiming benefits for extremely long periods are another issue....

There is also the fact that there are currently 2.7 Million people currently unemployed and nowhere near that number of jobs available....

So the question should not be about bashing the claimants. It should be about how we get all the unemployed working.

The reality is without government funding job creation the figures will not change in the foreseeable future.....

Itismehonest

As far as I can see this thread isn't about the pounds & pence of individual claims? It's about attitudes, isn't it?
If anyone believes that all benefit claimants are scroungers then I think they need to get out & look around in the real world.

The benefit system is there to support those who find themselves in real need, many of whom should/could only be claiming on a temporary basis.
Nobody knows when they themselves may become a claimant through illness, injury, redundancy etc.

Sadly because there are those who cheat or work the system - coupled with an increasing attitude of 'entitlement' - people who really deserve to be helped are tarred with the same brush as those who don't.

Badger_Lady

I'm more worried in that article about the blatant and unfair discrimination in the jobs market. It strikes me from what's written that the chap is perfectly capable of working, but that he's being unfairly buffered from jobs. And that is illegal, so that's the route he should be following.

I have a friend with severe cerebral palsy - she can't weight bear and goes everywhere in an electric wheelchair. Her limbs are difficult to control and she can only speak sometimes and with great difficulty. But she holds down a full-time office job and has an adapted van that she drives herself around in. She has an active work and social life as much as me or anyone else I know.

So don't tell me a man with a lumpy wrist is less capable of working than someone like that... my only concession in his favour is that he may have met much less scrupulous employers.

Anyway, that's not the point... we all know that benefits are there as a safety net to enable people to survive if they hit a rough patch. This guy has hit a rough patch and is getting enough support to enable him and his family to survive. That's good enough and it's certainly not for us to judge him for needing that support. He should just be careful - it starts to get a bit whiny and to suggest that he should have more - I'm sure that's not his intent but it comes across a bit that way. He shouldn't get more. He's getting help for now because his situation is bad. His focus has to be on how to improve his situation or how to cope better with it now.

(personally I flared up at the 'try living on £11,000 a year' statement - yes I could do it quite happily thank you, in fact I've just quit my job to live on my £10,000 savings for a year - it all depends on what your personal basline is for a 'lifestyle')

irishingrid

Does anybody ever ask themselves what people on benefits do with their money? Unless they are real fraudsters, they spend their benefits on utilities, local shops, supermarkets, transport etc..
Something very like the subsidising industries. As long as they are spending it in this country I don't have a problem. Keeps those of us with a job, in work.

Badger_Lady

TeeferTiger wrote: »

I'm on ESA, still on the assessment period awaiting the appeal tribunal. I'd LOVE to work, I miss working! I've always been very independent and enjoy having my own money and knowing it's mine and I've earned it. I'd never choose to be on benefits. I'd especially never choose to be in constant pain every day either!

However the DWP seem to think I'm claiming ESA for sh*ts n giggles. I had an assessment with ATOS for Royal Mail (my employer at the time) and the Dr there TOLD ME I wasn't fit for work. I didn't have to say anything! 2 days later, I had an assessment with ATOS for the DWP as part of the ESA they'd started to pay me as my sick pay was coming to an end. They deemed me fit for work. If I was fit for work, I'd have been at work, wouldn't I?! lol Unfortunately, my job didn't involve just sitting in a chair, putting a pen in my pocket and hanging my coat up.

I've been applying for jobs, I'm not sure I'd be able to do them if I got them, but I've been applying anyway. However, with many "able bodied" people applying for the same jobs- even with the supposed protection of the Equality Act 2010- who would an employer rather take on?

And I'm not just sitting at home watching Jeremy Kyle either (I don't have a TV anyway!), I'm trying to attend college and I try to do voluntary work.

Unfortunately, while there are people (like my neighbour) who say they can't work for one reason or another, and yet can do cleaning work for the local shop in return for cigarettes, there's still going to be a stigma for the genuine ones amongst us.

:jBrilliant post - yes this is exactly my experience (second-hand - I have several disabled friends who were reluctantly made to leave their jobs). Having a rule saying 'you mustn't discriminate against disabled job applicants' simply isn't enough is it? And it doesn't ever make commercial sense for employers to follow it. Sadly

Dognobs

I can speak from both sides as I was unemployed for a year and claiming. I WAS SHOCKED AT HOW MUCH HELP YOU GET!!! It is too much! I own my home so I was not reciving HB and only had a small amout of CTB paid. OK my wife is working in a ok job HOWEVER we have never lived above our means we made adjustments and have no debts and we lived fine. I also have ASD (I was only getting JSA) so finding a job was harder for me. But I work out that we are about £50 a week better off with me working but It is PRIDE and GOOD FOR YOU TO GET UP IN THE MORNING AND DO SOMETHING! Why people get upset is you see ALOT of people on ESA / DLA for stress, depression, anxiety, drugs/drink problems, chronic fatigue syndrome, Bad back etc driving around in a brand new disabilty car and leading a normal life when challanged they just say I was having a good day. Or a single parent walking around with UGG boots owns 50" tv and a iPhone getting a brand new build council house and grants for furnish it. Yes there will be the few that struggle but it won't be many. BENIFITS ARE A LIFELINE NOT A LIFESTYLE. Lets get rid of the greedy and help the real needy!

Paul_Herring

Cerisa wrote: »

[...] Or a child on dialysis.

Erm - are we reading the same article? The one I read said she had 'only one kidney', not 'no functional kidneys.' And nowhere did it mention dialysis.