The Hardest Hit Christmas Card Campaign

11/22/2011 11:34:00 am BenefitScroungingScum 3 Comments

Dear All

The Welfare Reform Bill is making its way through the final stages in
Parliament. The next month provides us with our last real opportunity as
a sector to influence the bill and we need to make our next action BIG
and LOUD. 
 

A giant Christmas card has been organised by the Hardest Hit campaign
group (DBC (Disability Benefits Consortium). The famous cartoonist and
illustrator, Gerald Scarfe, is illustrating the card. We have 2 weeks
(deadline 6 December) to gather 10,000 signatures before the card is
presented to the Government in early December. Please cascade this
action out to all volunteer campaigners, members forum representatives
and local societies. We are asking each contact we have to gather 10
signatures each to help us reach our target of 10,000 signatures by the
beginning of December.

The action is timed for WRB reaching Report Stage in the House of Lords
and aims to increase political pressure on the Government by
demonstrating mass concern over how disabled people will be affected by
proposals within the Welfare Reform Bill, particularly the time-limit on
ESA and PIP proposals. 

We look forward to seeing the signatures flooding in and will stay in
touch to report on progress. Text of the action follows:

"Dear David Cameron and Nick Clegg,

While we don't expect gifts this Christmas, we do want our basic rights
protected and the support to enable us to live independently and with
dignity.
Please make the New Year something disabled people can look forward to
by:
*Not bringing in an arbitrary time-limit on Employment and Support
Allowance for those who've paid into the system and still need support.
*Making sure that those who rely on Disability Living Allowance continue
to receive the financial support they need through Personal Independence
Payment"

This is the link to the online action:
http://www.e-activist.com/ea-action/widget?widgetId=752 
 

Please do ask each of your contacts to promote this action to ten of
their friends/ contacts each. Those signing the card can also leave a
short comment if they wish in the card. 
 
 

3 comments:

MRadclyffe said...

I'm happy with my DLA, save it needs big city weighting and an annual inflation + % inctease. I don't want PIP or Univerdal Credits. Do I still sign?

Achelois said...

Hello Madclyffe. I signed but put in the comment box about not wanting PIP as I think the cost of implementation will be astronomical plus the cost of subsequent appeals. I hope that was the right thing to do. I feel so helpless doing nothing. I understand your dilemma but I think it is possibly unrealistic? to expect the Government not to go ahead with Universal Credits, perhaps if we are lucky we will maintain DLA but my honest feeling is we won't. Sigh

coffeecup said...

"Not bringing in an arbitrary time-limit on Employment and Support Allowance for those who’ve paid into the system and still need support."

What does this mean?

I want to sign this. I've had a face to face assessment today and have found the whole experience traumatic to say the least. I don't want to go through this again in a hurry! Reassessing long term conditions is savage and a waste of money IMO. Are they planning to limit the time you can claim ESA? What happens then when you still haven't found a miracle cure?

Confused!