Two programmes investigating the WCA will be shown on the same day,
Monday, July 30:
Dispatches. 8pm, Channel 4
“Using undercover filming, reporter Jackie Long investigates the shocking processes used to assess whether sickness and disability benefit claimants should be declared fit for work.”
AND
Disabled or faking it? 8.30pm, BBC2
“Panorama investigates the government’s plans to end the so-called ‘sick note culture’ and their attempts to get millions of people off disability benefits and into work. In Britain’s modern welfare state, millions are being paid to private companies to assess sick and disabled claimants but is the system working? Or are new tests wrongly victimising those who deserve support the most?”
Thanks, will watch both. Let’s hope they really highlight what a disgrace these tests are… and about time we saw something about it! Apart from an occasional newspaper article it seems to have been ignored.
I really hope that the powers that be have the intelligence to sit down and filter people with various illnesses like MS and concentrate on the fakers…they surely have to realise the varying nature of MS and how it can change from one day to the next…Hopefully all this will be positive for PWMS.
Fingers crossed that they do a good job and don’t sugar the pill that ATOS are filteredwordsx100000000000 and the governments are filteredwordsx100000000000000 for encouraging them!
MS is a progressive illness… That for any DWP dumbos means it gets worse as time goes on… I have been in the support group for ESA since December 2009… Those clever clogs who work for the DWP… have sent me another ESA50 to fill out… I am sitting here day after day awaiting their results… Unfortunately I can no longer write now so my wife had to fill it out… I just wanted to put… see previous form…
Personally I do not know any ‘fakers’ on ESA or Invalidity… Why would I… The same as I do not know any single mothers with 8 kids… The Tories along with the press have attempted… and suceeded quite well in brainwashing the gullible public that every Invalidity/ESA claimant are really lazy swines with very little wrong with them. I would like them to spend an evening with myself when I am suffering trigeminal neuralgia. They can see for themselves a 41 year old man screaming out in pain… unable to sleep… eat… or talk… and that is AFTER I have necked more morphine than I am supposed to. Or when I am stumbling about crashing into everything in my modest flat. To me if you have a diagnosis of MS you are basically wasted. I know we have the ‘I have nothing wrong with me’ types… who to be honest do more harm than good for our cause.
The MS Society have been very weak on the whole subject of benefits. Maybe they will react when MS’ers start to die through starvation. Dramatic. I do not think so. I will let you into a secret. If all the taxes owed to HM Govt were collected properly, it would cover the welfare bill twice over each year. Get educated kids.
Will be interesting to see which agenda these 2 programmes follow. I’m sure it’s just pure coincedence that the right wing press (Sun, Express and Mail) are all running stories today about people being on sickness benefits for 10+ years, and reporting that many are getting the benefits for being obese or for suffering headaches or acne.
Both seriously questioned if Atos assessments were fit for purpose. Thank God both of these programmes were on… highlighted just how awful the system is.
Terrifying for those of us having to go through it!
It seems the Tory plan is working and many are opting for suicide rather than being left without income. To call this Government and their Atossers evil doesn’t quite do it justice.
There is an Early Day Motion that highlights the vile policy.
I saw the channel 4 one which was very well done but very upseting to watch. Those doctors should be ashamed working for ATOS, ’ following the guidelines ’ is no excuse and reminds me of ’ only following orders '. Which reminds me of the Nazi’s T4 program, which started rather like this, and I am not one for hysterical outbursts.
Vince Cable criticised the Labour government for introducing the WCA, yet has been strangely quiet since the LibDems joined the government. I hope every single LibDem MP loses their seat in the next election, what they are doing is unforgiveable.
I wonder what the Society are doing about it. This government makes me sick.And afraid.
Yes Sparkledust, it was distressing to watch… I was swearing at the telly and at one point crying… that sad sad story of the man who had heart desease and was deemed ‘fit for work’, then appealed, won the appeal, and then got called in for ANOTHER assessment! And then he had a heart attack and died.
It’s absolutely appalling!
I’m also terrified as I haven’t been called in yet. And yes… even more terrified because I thought that IF you got into the ‘support group’ that would be it… all the stress over. But now I realise that they keep calling you back for assessments!!!
I’m so angry that they are getting away with it!!
Both Dispatches and Panorama were trending on Twitter last night. All tweets were from people appalled by what they had seen in the programmes! That at least was heartening.
[/quote] I agree with everything you have said sparkledust. There were a few of us watching it & we were all swearing at the TV really loudly. I hope we didn’t upset the neihbours (lol). Iv’e also got my assesement soon & this has also made me worried. SYLVIA