Grumpyhatlady and Chums

So UKIP have done better in the polls than twitter lefties had hoped. Are we really surprised?

For the past 6 months and more especially in the past 6 weeks, UKIP and their leader Nigel Farage have been the media darlings of the UK. We’ve seen him dancing with…. *shock horror* foreigners! He’s been on BBC Question Time more often than Dimblebot himself and everyone seems to want a piece of him and his xenophobic policies. Even bad publicity surrounding his nazi supporting candidates (pretending to be plants apparently) doesn’t seem to have done them any harm. Indeed it is likely to have gained some BNP supporters who are looking for a party with a less publicly toxic image, even although UKIP claim BNP members are barred.

As has been proven time and time again, the inhabitants of Britain get their political information from the biased mass media. With the Daily Mail being Britain’s most popular newspaper, this does not give us much hope of impartiality with the news the British public are subjected to. So are we really surprised when a party as potentially dangerous as UKIP do better in the English council polls than the Lib Dems or Tories?

Actually, if I’m honest, YES. Yes I am surprised, and saddened. I had hoped that the British public could see through the type of buffoonery and charm that does Boris Johnson no harm at all. It seems this was beyond the mentality of thousands of English voters. I say English because Scotland was not voting yesterday and Wales seems to have avoided similar results. I’ll be curious to see how they do when it’s the turn of the Scots to go to the polls.

I’m saddened because people are so easily fooled into blaming everyone else for the problems of their home country. For many, UKIP are merely an anti-European party. They have won many votes of alleged rational human beings with their promises of getting the UK out of the European Union, without considering the benefits being part of this union has had on the UK. They can blame Europe for all the problems of the UK economy but given the global nature of the economic collapse, I think they’re being somewhat short-sighted. This EU element, of itself does not bother me, UKIP will never get enough votes in Parliament alone, to be able to effect such a policy alone (however in combination with the Conservatives this could be a worry). So those voting UKIP into local council positions based on their European policies have been duped as to the power they can have at a local level.

What does bother me are the growingly accepted UKIP xenophobic attitudes and policies. In the Channel 4 video (linked above) Farage is shown giving the hard sell to Bulgarians of the benefits of life in the UK, and they’re still not interested in coming here. Even in the face of this blatant evidence to the contrary, he still believes millions of Bulgarians and Romanians will descend on Britain taking all 400,000 available jobs from our 2.6million unemployed Brits and stealing all our benefits and homes. Even his facts on this are wrong as it shows he doesn’t understand how the benefits and housing system works in Europe, but don’t let that get in the way of a good lie.

The UKIP are getting more support now because despite all the ‘on-the-face-of-it’ niceties, the British are on the whole, a xenophobic nation. We are racist, self-serving, egocentric and self-important. We still believe we have an important platform on the global political stage. We are stuck in a centuries old colonial mindset. we see ourselves as a bigger player than we actually are. It’s actually quite pathetic. We were big players, we damaged millions of lives and ruled 1/4 of all the land on the earth. For all but the wealthiest of Brits imperialism wasn’t a time of glory and indeed it is now considered by many a time of shame. We are responsible for the state we are in now, by our actions of the past. We are responsible for this false belief in our higher socio-political status based on our destructive actions of the past.

In reality Britain is a tiny wee island, full of tiny minded people. We fear the outside world. It’s a typical island mindset that does not fit with our perceived global political position. When one person dares to speak up about their racism and fear of others or outsiders, it gives the usually silent Smiths and Joneses the opportunity to air their fears too. To believe that UKIP are fooling the population into voting for them is naive. UKIP have just given the many racist fools of the UK, stuck in a historic colonial mindset, a voice they have been too scared to allow be heard. I’m all for freedom of expression but when you fear expressing your racist thoughts you have to consider why that may be.

To me all this suggests our education of the masses on equality has failed. There are hundreds of thousands, likely millions who do not conform to the xenophobic beliefs of UKIP, but as we repeatedly witness, fear sells better than future potential and no one dares stand out from the crowd. People are so scared of losing their material possessions and their perceived public position that they will not let change occur or speak out. They would rather have more of the same bad old ways than take a chance on radical change for the future in case they lose their telly and broadband. Look where that kind of thinking has got us. It has got us radical and damaging changes to state and health that no one in a position of power has confronted because we’ve been led to believe it’s in our best interest. Damaging change by those who believe in a colonial existence, those who believe their historic wealth gives them the power and right to dictate to those who do not have the same aristocratic background. They’re keeping their friends safe, wealthy and healthy while we little people get to suffer, and y’know it’s all in our best interests.

And like the fools we are we swallow it. Inequality grows alongside the fear of the foreigner. We won’t consider what immigrants can put into society or the benefits of multiculturalism or even the benefits to our economy, oh no, we shall fear them, hate them and drive them from “our lands”. We shall accuse them of stealing our women, our jobs, our houses and our money. Hell they probably eat our pets and pee on our roses. We won’t stop to consider what we could be doing wrong, merely what the “foreigners” are doing to us. It’s never our fault. Oh no! Never.

So instead of looking to a new fairer future for all, we are reverting to ancient beliefs of racism, fear of foreigners, blaming others for our own faults and taking the perceived easy route to try to solve the problems of our society. Problems caused by everyone but us. We never seem to learn from history. It’s not invoking Godwin’s Law to make a direct and realistic correlation with a situation resembling that of the rise of fascism in 1930s Germany. We may like to convince ourselves we are not gullible enough to find ourselves in a situation akin to that of Nazi Germany in the 30s, but is that really true? Back then the changes were subtle. Enemies were hiding in every nook and cranny. People didn’t trust their own family let alone their neighbours. It was a slow development that went generally unchallenged and it started with mild xenophobia. We all know what it descended into. All it takes is one charismatic person to reach a position of perceived authority to get the ball rolling. In steps buffoon Farage.

We might like to think we’re different from those nasty Nazi’s but are we really? Are we allowing the media to fool us into fearing the foreigner, when in reality the enemy is within? Is the average Brit really jaded enough to believe that a few thousands Eastern Europeans are doing more damage to our economy than the huge division between our homegrown rich and poor? Can those who are already relying on social security to survive (e.g. low paid on tax credits) really differentiate their brand of poverty from those in different but equally as difficult financial situations (e.g. the disabled)? It seems so. Can ‘ordinary’ people not see the damage being done to the state upon which so many rely, both waged and unwaged, while those wealthy and in power making the changes, profit from it all? And yet we blame thousands of hypothetical foreigners who have already said they’re not interested in coming to this sham of a country. We blame the disabled for faking it, who in reality have no alternative to the existence we allow them. We blame Europe, we blame the left, we blame a government out of power for 3 years. We blame everyone but ourselves and our own stupidity. We didn’t educate ourselves properly at the last election and apathy will drive even fewer to educate themselves properly at the next. Do I think things could get worse in the future? Hell yes!

And now we are finding saviours in ignorance and lies. We as a society are politicising on a wing and a christian only prayer. We find hope in a party on the fringes on right-wing extremism with smiley faces and a pint of ale in hand. Good ole British traditional blokes down t’pub. Someone we know and can rely on. Apparently. Our saviours. Apparently.

We have, aided by the media we pay to indoctrinate us, given a platform to a large swathe of people who honestly believe they are superior to anyone with a different cultural or religious background or skin colour. We have given a platform to those who decide a people’s worth not on what they can give to society but what stereotypes are popular at the time. And in our apathy we have not only allowed this, but celebrated and encouraged it, and it can only get worse.

As Douglas Adams once said, “nothing travels faster than light, with the possible exception of bad news, which follows its own rules” – coupled with Winston Churchill’s, “The British nation is unique in this respect: they are the only people who like to be told how bad things are, who like to be told the worst.” We get a picture of the British nation past and present. We are destined to continue to try to destroy our society. We thrive on the bad news. We want bad news and we want something to moan about. I sincerely hope Britain is happy with UKIP gaining more of a voice locally, it will certainly give us something to moan about when society is completely destroyed when they get a national role and by then it could be too late to stop the demise of decency. That charismatic strange little man and his minions will keep those who think different to them in fear and silence while they do their worst to create a more ‘pure’ society, a more self-serving one. Problem is, where does it end? Who decides purity?

This is the video of Esther Mcvey on Channel4 News discussing DLA to PIP.

McVey seems somewhat flustered, unable to articulate clearly her point, unaware of the realities of the policy she promotes, obsessed with asking Krishnan Guru Murthy to “hang on a sec” and generally talking rubbish.

Much of the online outrage at her talking rubbish, was at her statement on how the government perceive themselves to be treating disabled people “generously”.

But this isn’t the bit that concerns me, neither does her claim of governmental generosity (although if she’s expecting any kind of thanks or praise she can think again)

No! A small throwaway sentence at 3 minutes 14 seconds in, reveals the truth behind the governments disability assessment processes. DIAGNOSIS.

Yup, that’s right the Minister for Disabled People, Esther McVey actually says on prime time national television (3m 14s in if you want to double check) “If we can actually diagnose individuals through their historic data and their medical data…” Think about that for a moment. Think about the sheer arrogance of that statement.

If WE can ACTUALLY DIAGNOSE INDIVIDUALS through their historic data AND their medical data…

Now what set of well trained professionals do we expect to have the knowledge, skills and experience to be able to undertake such an important, life saving task as diagnosis? Who are “we” that do the diagnosing?

Prior to that statement McVey is discussing face to face ATOS assessments and for those with degenerative conditions, paper only assessments. So could “we” be the ATOS IT system or the DWP decision maker? Are they now responsible for diagnosing conditions? Are we now to send all our medical data to a civil servant for diagnosis? What training will this person have in identifying conditions and appropriate treatments or supports?

There are times I experience exacerbation with the medical professionals I see, where I wonder if an average bloke on the street wouldn’t do as good a job, but would I put my life and future in their hands? Would I hell!

I can imagine any official response to McVey’s statement being along the lines of ‘slip of the tongue’, ‘wrong choice of words under pressure’ but this is a professional woman, employed in her ministerial role to be able to clearly and confidently articulate the governments position and to be able to do so under pressure. With this in mind her choice of words regarding “diagnosis” is telling. I’d place bets on the use of diagnosis being a commonly used term in government corridors and meetings. Through the week McVey had already outraged others by talk of “healing” people and now these ministers and MPs, these jumped up civil servants, pen pushers and office workers, actually believe they are responsible for diagnosing people who ALREADY HAVE MEDICAL DIAGNOSES.

Diagnosis and cure by the government with their policies? HALLELUJAH! Praise the House of Lords! It’s a miracle.

You don’t get DLA based on just filling out a form. You need to provide contact details for ALL the professionals involved in your treatment and care. Your GP, your consultants, any nurses, care workers, support workers, social workers… If you can plan in advance and send in their reports with your application, it makes the process somewhat easier but decision makers are still meant to confirm the accuracy of the reports themselves. Decision makers are not there to diagnose a condition and I doubt their abilities to treat or heal conditions either.

So what exactly are the government planning? We already know what they think of the NHS. We know that in time, treatment and diagnosis will only be for those who can afford it. We know that people unable to work through sickness or disability are already labelled “work shy scroungers” and that society has cruelly turned on them in an attempt to cover their own backs.

Is this the first publicly admitted sign of a government led two tier health system? Those who “strive” get doctors and medical diagnoses at a price but those who cannot get an ATOS/DWP penpusher diagnosis? I know, I know all a bit woooooOOOOh conspiracy theory but what else are we to think when a government minister is on national news saying THEY will diagnose?

Isn’t it politically convenient when the anti-policy campaigning kicks in 2days before the policy takes national effect? Isn’t it conveniently profitable when media outrage at unfair governmental policies only appears in the media two days before the policy takes effect?

It’s not as if these policies haven’t been on the cards for quite some time. It’s not as if grassroots campaigners and those aware of how it would affect them personally haven’t been battling to be heard on the matter for the past three years.

The front pages today presented as shocking news, unbeknownst to the British public, is only “new” news because the British media conveniently ignored it until a time it would create better headlines and sales figures. And yet again we fall for their profitable rhetoric as being supportive of our position. We are fools.

The political groups such as Labour Left had three years to develop mass campaigns and protests against these heinous policies designed to keep the poor in poverty, and yet they wait until the most politically opportune moment for them to protest, days before the policies take effect. Great for ratings and gathering support but it was too little too late.

This is not a game. This should not be about political point scoring or market share of news consumers. These are people’s lives.

If the media with their revealing headlines, or political groups with loud enough voices had truly cared about the implications of these policies they would have been campaigning against them with the same aggression from the start. The hypocrisy is sadly believable.

Why do we let them away with it? Why do we fall for it every time? It’s too little too late. The media and political groups know it, but it benefits them and their cause. They create high profile campaigns that give them the air of indignation the public are so desperate to see from institutions. ‘Oh look they’re taking action’ but IT’S TOO LITTLE TOO LATE!

It’s easy to complain about something when nothing can be done about it, and it doesn’t do your public profile much harm either. But who has the balls to complain when these policies are bring pushed through parliament by those deemed in a position to represent the needs of the people? It’s not the media and its not fringe political groups. They must have been trimming their toenails those days/weeks/months/years that the policies were being discussed.

It was too little too late.

Have you heard the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf?

It a story of a young shepherd who when bored cried, “wolf”, the villagers came to his defence and there was no wolf. He did this again and again, each time the villagers came to help him and there was no wolf. The villagers became weary of his behaviour. The final time he cries wolf, no one comes to help but this time there really is a wolf. The story ends with the line “Nobody believes a liar, even when he’s telling the truth”

This post is not about a shepherd, it’s about bullies.

This post is not about those who are true victims or survivors of bullying.

This post is about those who are not victims of bullying but claim to be.

Now before anyone starts to do the ‘funky internet freak out flaming dance’, let me finish…

Bullying is a horrific experience for anyone, and anyone can fall victim to it. It can be a very subjective experience and it’s important not to ignore someone’s experiences or perceptions or feelings because they do not fit with your own.

There are not many people who would claim to be the victims of bullies when they are not. Indeed those who do are a strange, rare breed. Why bother? Regardless, every claim of bullying really must be taken seriously and to the best of our ability, investigated. However, looking back at the story of the boy who cried wolf, there is a danger that when someone perpetually and falsely claims they are bullied, there will come a point when they eventually are and that no one will believe them anymore.

The nasty bitch in me, the bullying survivor says, “hell mend ye”, the victim in me, wouldn’t wish it on anyone.

From my voyeuristic foray into internet drama, my understanding is that when someone perpetually and highly vocally draws attention to the fact they are being cyber bullied and the communications are all publicly available to see, it is often (but not always) in fact the reverse, they are the one doing the bullying: a very subtle form of bullying. So subtle it’s difficult to detect at first, second  or third glance. It’s all a game. It’s a game of manipulation.

It’s a common tactic of any bully online or off – get the sympathy of the masses, no one will ever believe that you are not the victim but instead the perpetrator. It’s a clever manipulation of people, of language, of situations, of the vulnerable. It’s a clever manipulation of the sympathy of the masses, it plays on their kindness, it plays on their need to protect others from the vile bullying of nasty, spiteful, unintelligent, lonely… oh you name it… I’m sure you can think of all the stereotypes of nasty bullies we know and hate.

The reality is, bullies are rarely that blatantly nasty. They are charming, popular, helpful, likeable, they help you, they’re nice to you…you name it, they don’t fit the usual stereotypes. You can’t tell or point them out just by looking at them. Yet detection is a lot easier when their behaviour is public and traceable online.

The horrible truth is that there really are people who cry “bullying” when they are not truly being bullied. They are in fact the real bully. They are smart and they are subtle. There is a real danger in their behaviour. It’s obvious there is some kind of issue needing addressed when someone needs to partake in such practices, but it’s not likely to be requiring support as the victim of a bullying campaign.

My really worry, the real danger, is that it trivialises the experiences of those who really have been bullied online and off. The real victims. It reduces the reality of true bullying to a drama, where the actors confuse the positions of bully and victim. This makes me worry that when someone who truly is being bullied cries for help, no one will come, they will only hear “wolf”. No one will believe them, and this is potentially so damaging for them, and all of us. Bullying victims rarely feel listened to, we should all be angry when people pretend to be victims, it makes it harder for those who really need the help, to be heard. The voices of those who shout loudest always drown out those who need to be heard the most.

People only have so much tolerance for bullshit. Slowly but surely people come to realise, one by one if necessary, that they are being manipulated. Lied to. Taken advantage of. But what of the real victim of bullying? When everyone is sick of hearing “I’m the victim” from a bully, what chances has a real victim of bullying got of being heard?

True bullying isn’t surrounded by drama. True victims don’t seek attention. Rarely do those who are truly bullied identify as victims. Rarely to do they scream it from the rooftops. Rarely do victims make calls to arms among their friends.  Rarely will a victim partake in the very behaviour they claim to be making them so very miserable. I struggle to see this behaviour as speaking out  or standing up to bullies, it’s drama, pure and simple. I worry that high-profile dramas detract from the reality of being bullied. The dramas mask the real bullying.

I worry that when “Nobody believes a liar, even when he’s telling the truth”, those who have never lied will never be believed. Victims of bullying need to be given a voice but not one that drowns out everyone else.

BBC News just had a feature saying the Joseph Rowntree Foundation undertook their annual survey into minimum income standards derived from the minimum acceptable living standards in the UK. The findings, taken from research among the general public, say that a family of four must earn £37,000 before tax to meet the minimum income standards. A single parent with one child (and childcare costs) would need to earn almost £24,000 to meet the minimum standard, while a single person with no children must earn £16,400.

1 in 4, or 17 million people living in Britain today, do not meet this standard

What bothers me about this study is, that it is the general public determine what the minimum income standard is to be considered acceptable. That the costs that go towards devising this perceived standard are for the things people are deemed to be unable to participate appropriately in society without. The necessities. This is the very same general public who believe benefits recipients are receiving far too much from the state, and are living extremely comfortable if not luxurious lifestyles thanks to the great british taxpayer. Yet a family of four surviving on benefits will most likely not be seeing £37,000 a year and if they are, guaranteed the vast majority of that will go to Landlords in the way of Housing Benefit.

With restrictions on the income of families existing on benefits to be set at a maximum total of £26,ooo per year, including housing costs, it appears the country is contradicting itself. When the scarily influential Daily Mail is saying that families on benefits of considerably less than £37k a year are living in luxury, yet society believes we need far more to live to a basic acceptable standard, what does that say about a society who accepts and celebrates in reducing the quality of life for people on benefits?

When the minimum income standard is based on things that are considered essentials, what of those who cannot meet this standard? In a family with 2 children, the parents must earn an average of £18,500 each which is only just below the national average. This means the multitudes of families surviving on minimum wage jobs (£11,065 per year at 35 hrs a week) or zero hours contracts (no guaranteed hours a week) will be nowhere near meeting the minimum acceptable standards for living in the UK in 2012, even with tax credit top ups and child benefit.

Studies like this are interesting and important to gauge public perceptions of acceptability and income, but it is important to highlight the inequality in Britain and the growing gap between those who have acceptable living standards and those who do not. I’m not just talking about the gap between the very rich and the very poor but the gaping chasm between minimum acceptable standards according to the general public and the minimum amount the government say people existing on benefits need to live on.

The Minimum Income Standards as decided upon by the general public are far more than millions of people surviving on benefits can even hope for.

How is it right that one man gets a £20,000,000-30,000,000 golden farewell for being at least partly responsible for the latest banking scandal and my family of 3 have to live on only £100 a week before bills and food? The reasons behind why we have to live on such a small amount at the moment are personal and complex but we’re not eligible for benefits and we can’t find work. Anywhere.

On twitter people were stating what £20m-£30m could do for their workplaces. People claiming it would fund their project or department for X amount of years. I decided to work out how long my family could live, on our current income, if we had £30m to draw from.

Turns out we could survive for 5769.2 years.

YES! FIVE THOUSAND, SEVEN HUNDRED AND SIXTY NINE YEARS TWO AND A HALF MONTHS

Or it could support 5769 families on £100 a week, for one year

If he is unfortunate enough to only get £20m, that meager amount would keep my family on our current weekly income for 3846.2 years or keep THREE THOUSAND. EIGHT HUNDRED AND FORTY SIX families on £100 a week, for one year.

And this is only his golden farewell. It doesn’t take into account his previous bonuses, his salary and his shares.

How is it fair that one man, responsible for what most people are calling FRAUD and everyone is calling immoral business practice, can be given such a handsome payoff, when there are families forced to live on £100 a week?

We were so greedy in the good times we didn’t care what the bankers were doing as long as we could get easy access to money and the material possessions it buys. Well aren’t we all suffering for it now. Welcome to Capitalism – Hell Mend Us!

I was going to blog about this myself but one of the people involved asked to do so instead. This is her account of trying to claim ESA for her sick partner. I was present during both phone calls made and was disgusted with the result. I have not been so angry in a very long time. This guest post is written by my real life friend and Dragon Dictate, spell check by WordPress and me. Names changed.

EDITED TO ADD: we have no idea if what Thomas’s partner was told by the DWP call centre is actually correct and haven’t been able to speak with anyone yet to have the situation clarified. If you can clarify please do so in comments at bottom of page. Can do so anonymously. Will update when we know more.

Our Joint Claim for Employment Support Allowance.

My partner, Thomas, recently became severely ill with a relapse of Bipolar Disorder. He had been getting more and more hyper and one day he woke up and was psychotic. I had never seen him like that before and was shocked at how quickly he changed. He couldn’t move for fear of everything real and imaginary. He was diagnosed Bipolar over a decade ago but hadn’t been too ill with it until recently. He was unable to work and lost his job and it was suggested by Citizens Advice that he applied for Employment and Support Allowance to tide him over until he was well enough to return to work. I, myself, am in receipt of Incapacity Benefit and Disability Living allowance for degenerative illnesses and disability.

Thomas made the phone call to apply for ESA using our mobile phone as we do not have a landline. We are waiting to see how much it will have cost us. It took almost an hour to complete the call and when he hung up he broke down in tears. Throughout the call he was holding back tears as they asked him violating and very personal questions about his illness, his work, his income and everything else. Oddly they asked about my illnesses too, and my inability to work and my income. Not once was Thomas told why they needed my information, even when he asked the lady direct. When the application arrived a few days later we both looked over it and a lot of the information was wrong. They also wanted letters of proof from both of us on income matters. I did not understand why they wanted my income proof so we called the ESA line again to ask for advice.

I spoke to the most helpful man I could have hoped to get. He bent the rules quite openly and was honest about a lot of things relating to ESA that I didn’t expect from a member of DWP staff. At first he didn’t understand why they had asked for my information too but eventually he discovered that it was a joint ESA claim. Something we were never informed of at the start of application or by Citizens Advice when they told Thomas to apply.

The DWP man asked what Thomas’s illness was and then said this joint claim was a really bad idea. He told me that someone with Bipolar Disorder wouldn’t pass the Work Capability Assessment so we would both lose our money, regardless of how ill I was. He said we would probably have to wait for an appeal before Thomas would be awarded ESA and that would take about 6 months, and that my illnesses would not be taken into account. After checking with his supervisor he suggested cancelling the claim and adding Thomas to my Incapacity claim as we would be financially safer and better off and that we would not be put through the stressful assessment until I was to be transferred. He then put me through to the Incapacity Benefit people.

The lady working on the Incapacity Benefit line was less than helpful. Her attitude was completely different. She was rude, abrasive and always on the defense. She wouldn’t let me talk or ask my questions and instead got angry at what the man on the ESA line said. While she did apologise for the false information the ESA line gave me, she did so with a sense that somehow I was at fault and was stupid and not them. She told me I could not add Thomas to my claim, that the ESA department had their information all wrong and we would have to apply joint for ESA. She also told me that there was no way the man on the ESA phone line could have known whether Thomas would pass or fail the Assessment. I’ve read the stories, I know who I believe, I know she is technically right but I felt the ESA phone line were being more realistic and honest with me. She also told me we had to put in a joint ESA claim and that we would be better off doing so. I tried to ask her about the make-believe situation where if Thomas failed the Assessment would I lose my money too despite being ill? She would not answer this make-believe situation, instead repeating we don’t know Thomas would fail and giving me confusing information about me still getting Incapacity Benefit credits while claiming ESA. When I asked would I still receive my money? she would not answer and kept giving me information faster and faster making it harder for me to keep track of what she was saying. I told her countless times I was getting confused by all this but it didn’t make her give me information any slower or in clearer words. She also told me that I wouldn’t be on Incapacity for very long anyway as everyone was being transferred to ESA, so why was I worrying?

I’ll explain why I was worrying. The assessment rate for couples on ESA is less than I get claiming Incapacity on my own. If on our joint claim Thomas was found fit for work we would have no income. I’d have lost my incapacity benefit and we couldn’t claim Jobseekers allowance as our respective Doctors would never sign us both off as being fit for work. My conditions are never going to improve and I have been told I will never work again. It has taken me a long time to come to terms with this and the realisation of having no income at all terrifies us. The guilt of not being able to work or support my family is killing me.

The ESA phone line told me if I was the primary claimant with all my conditions we would not have this problem, as I would have no problem with passing the Work Capability Assessment but as I am currently on Incapacity Benefit we have to wait for the system to transfer me. He did say I could cancel my Incapacity claim but that it would take weeks for any new money to come through after reapplying for ESA and that he wouldn’t advise this.

In the end we stopped the ESA claim and haven’t tried to make any other claim. I do not understand how it can be right that a couple both with serious disabilities can in theory be left with no income because one person is deemed fit for work by a computer system. It seems unfair that the most ill out of myself and Thomas could potentially suffer because the person who can appear well occasionally would pass a Work Capability Assessment.

We could not take the risk of losing our entire income based on a dodgy assessment. Combined with the information the people on the dwp phone line gave us, we decided it wasnt worth the risk. We have decided that we will have to survive on my Incapacity Benefit alone as the financial stress of living off a meagre amount is less than the emotional and health related stress of living off nothing.

I’m disappointed that this is how sick people are treated. We have both worked all our lives until we became ill. We have both paid our taxes and contributed to society. When we need the help most, society is failing us. I’m just grateful for our family and friends who are helping us through this difficult time but we cannot rely on them forever.

One of the reasons I decided to study law was the incessant harassment by debt collection agencies for debts I did not have or debts that were at best dubious failings by companies to do their job properly. Most “debts” were companies who had cocked up with cancellation procedures that had in the long run cost me money. I was left out of pocket and having to battle the Debt Collection Agency minefield. The rest of the DCAs to darken my doorstep were looking for a previous owner of my flat who didn’t leave any forwarding address and the door knockers and call centre staff would not believe I was not the person in question.

Out of the two, the latter were more frightening and there were times, steel toe capped boots were placed in my door to stop me closing it on the debt collectors. They wanted proof of who I was, in my home, and were threatening in how they went about it. Being pigheaded, I refused to show them my passport or driving license as I had no debt and was an entirely different person to the one they were after. In the end it was the police who dealt appropriately with the situation. It didn’t stop the phone calls, which continued 8 years for the previous owner.

These companies are vultures who rely on the fear of those in debt to do business. They present the debts in legal looking letters, often in a manner that suggests you are a step away from the high court. Letters appear to come from solicitors, although those you will deal with are merely administrators and not legal professionals. They deliberately plan letter delivery over long weekends and bank holidays, while giving you only seven days from the date of the letter to respond before they threaten court action. All this, regardless of its dubious legal position is designed to intimidate. It is important to remember with this 7 day deadline that for you it is date of receipt of the letter and not date of the letter being sent. A DCA will have to prove you received the letter from them, unless it is signed for recorded or special delivery this is near impossible for them to do. It is always advisable to remind them of this should they ramp up contact 7 days after the letter was printed.

The doorstep collectors above took it to a whole new level.

Of course debt collectors are generally exempt from harassment legislation, and they will rely on this fact when you complain about the five or more phone calls a day, the same number of voicemails and daily bombardment with threatening red letters. They don’t care or even want to know the story of how the alleged debt came to be or indeed that the original creditor (company providing the service) may have been entirely wrong in claiming it was a debt. The creditor/original company have sold on the debt usually to an independent company and from that point on its up to you to prove that it’s them and not you in the wrong.

The “debtor” has very little safeguard if a company decides you owe them money. Without trawling very dry and hard to access legislation and guidelines, it’s difficult to know how to fight these people. If the debt is a real debt, it’s a minefield trying to work out what you really owe and what the DCA has added on for it’s own fees. It’s an unfair practice designed to baffle and confuse ordinary people struggling with finances, especially in times of difficulty, as now. DCAs are profit making companies and have no interest in making things easier for you.

I have been lucky that I have never legitimately been chased by a DCA. It has always been a fault with the original creditor and I have always managed to have the alleged debts cancelled, even if the money the companies had wrongfully taken from me was never returned to me. Of course, DCAs aren’t quite as willing to chase these large corporations for debts on behalf of the little people and after years of trying to get back what is owed, most ordinary people will give up unsuccessfully.

My latest fight with a debt collection agency was ironically around universities fees from my first attempt at studying law. I was at a “new” university undertaking an accelerated LLB degree, which commanded fees of £6000 per year. For a variety of reasons of the universities doing, I was forced to leave. I had been clear about the learning supports, adjustments and information I needed to undertake the course and despite initial reassurances and a statutory duty, when it came time, the university were unwilling to provide me with any of it. I was a cashcow for them and they would say anything to get me through the door, once in it was a different story.

The final straw came when they refused advanced access (pre Christmas holidays) to the next terms timetable, despite knowing well in advance the problems of arranging adequate childcare for babies and my need for this information as soon as possible. It may not seem like much but with waiting lists in excess of 6 months and my daughter not having moved any on multiple lists, not being able to provide specific days and times to nursery meant that none of them could offer us a place. Timetables for term 2 were not released until two days before the start of term, on a Saturday. There is no way I could have sorted out childcare in that time. I had no option but to leave to look after my child.

I heard no more from the university about the fees due and given my letter explaining my reasons, highlighting their statutory failures, naively assumed that was the end of the matter. I was wrong (and yes I know stupid) to believe it was over.

In April 2012, 16 months after leaving university, I received a letter out of the blue from a debt collection agency called Incasso. They wanted almost £3000 but did not say what the debt was for, merely that it was in relation to said new university. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that the university had sold the debt on, without so much as approaching me about paying it first. The letter was aggressive, delivered on a bank holiday weekend and gave me 7 days from the date of the letter to respond with a payment plan or face court action. The first working day back they started calling my partners mobile phone and being rude to both him and me. The lady on the phone felt compelled to say, “I know it’s you because your husband handed the phone to you” when I pointed out I had no husband she replied, “don’t lie to me”. So apparently now I married but noone thought to tell me. Her attitude was appalling and she was on the offensive from the start.

I refused to communicate in any medium other than written posted letter. This ensured I had a paper trail. All responses were sent recorded or special delivery, so I had proof of receipt, all at my own expense. I disputed the debt, quoting legislation and regulatory guidelines they are obliged to follow and requested they returned the debt to the university to allow us to negotiate the situation. They would only communicate via email except for threatening letters. Their communication consisted of “please call us immediately”.

Incasso did not respond to any of my letters and kept sending more threatening letters, each time increasing the debt by considerable sums. Of course I didn’t leave it at that. I contacted the university to request they stop Incasso from chasing the debt until we had discussed and investigated the matter.

I had a huge degree of success from the university. I presume they realised they were in a difficult legal position regarding their treatment of me and their unwillingness to make reasonable adjustments. As a gesture of “goodwill” they erased the debt completely. Far cheaper than have me take them to court under the Equality Act and all the negative publicity that would bring them.

Noone thought to tell Incasso. I have received more threatening letters since the university informed me of their decision to wipe the debt. The debt amount has risen.

I am no longer going to communicate with Incasso. They failed to respond to any of my letters, they failed in performing their duties under the regulations that govern their industry, they are chasing a non-existent debt and long may they continue to do so. I look forward to the letter informing me they are taking me to court and only then shall I provide all the evidence necessary, that I have undertaken all the duties required of me in trying to sort this problem out. This shall cost them money and I don’t care.

Morally I should do the right thing but I am under no legal obligation to do so and given the perpetual harassment of innocent people by the likes of Incasso, I shall let them do what they do best.

When I hear of debt collectors harassing people I get so angry. They rely on people not understanding their rights or the law and they play on people’s fear of the law. They are c**ts.

I cannot recommend enough the likes of The Consumer Forums in help navigating the debt collection minefield. They provide fantastic template letters and support when you are at your most panicky and worrying. If you have problems with debt collection agencies chasing for non-existent debts, I suggest you get help from the forums. Even if the debt does exist, I would still recommend getting advice there and speaking with the Citizens Advice Bureau on your rights.

If you’ve ever been ill with some selection of random symptoms that the doctor can’t comprehend, there is a high chance you’ve been told a diagnosis is like “looking for a needle in a haystack” In the past few weeks I’ve had two different consultants say that to me, both for different ends of the body, both symptoms highly likely to be related to one another.

Now it’s not that I don’t appreciate the complexity of diagnosis when it comes to multi-morbidities, believe me, when you are spending every waking moment trying to make sense of your rapidly failing body and you’re not yet 40, you really do appreciate any effort made.

My problem lies in the fact that these doctors only care to treat their related specialism and symptom in isolation and not look at the wider picture. If they’re not looking at the body as a whole, then of course its like looking for a needle in a haystack, one bale at a time.

I recently was linked to this article Patients with multiple Health Problems Overwhelm UK Health System where it is discussed how people with multiple-morbidities, like myself, are overwhelming the NHS. It also highlights how this is now more prevalent in under 65s than previously thought and how specialists are treating the problems individually rather than as a whole. I can understand how this approach costs time and money for the NHS, not to mention unwell people having to make multiple visits to different hospitals and departments for different appointments and tests every month. This will obviously have a knock on effect for the economy through lost work days or sickness benefits.

In my case and that of many others, it would be far more productive if the different departments could work together. It is obvious that the problems are inflammation related. I currently have a diagnosis of sorts of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, although we’re not sure which one and so I have no treatment arranged. This means living in pain and not very far from a toilet. It was purely a fluke that they found out. When I left the colonoscopy I was told it was Irritable Bowel Syndrome and absolutely nothing more was said or done about it for 8 weeks until I happened to come across the biopsy results in an annual asthma checkup appointment.I was essentially told to “learn to live with it”, which is exactly what I’ve been doing for the past 5 years.

I also have terrible, what they call, “reflux” which has no reflux symptoms other than extreme chest pain and inability to swallow as there seems no space for food to pass the esophagus. So I’m left taking medication for that and esophageal spasms, which is problematic to stop whether or not you have reflux. I am waiting for tests on this. The test result appointment with the gastro-intestinal consultant in June, is likely to happen before I actually receive a date for having the tests, but that’s for a whole other blog post. I firmly believe this “reflux” is related to the IBD, usually given the passage of the pain and the ensuing diahorrea. It was never considered as such by any of the 5 GPs I spoke to over the past 18 months and the GI doc is a little confused by it all.

In the past 12 months have had multiple vitamin and mineral deficiencies, including resulting ill effects, despite improvement in diet. I have been told this is not related to the “reflux” or the IBD. I have been taking supplements for this. At least my tongue and throat is no longer ulcerated, raw, swollen and on fire.

I have swellings in my joints that I’ve had for years and was given anti-inflammatory gel to rub on. One GP told me, “you have to decide whether you want to have sore wrists or a bout of asthma” when I questioned taking and anti-inflammatory while asthmatic and knowing that I react to ibuprofen. They never looked into why my wrists would randomly swell and seize up. I often have to wear sexy beige splints which makes wiping an ever dribbling bum quite unpleasant!

4 years ago, I saw a rheumatologist, who told me I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and that I had to exercise more, her attitude when I got a bit despairing was, “what do you expect me to do about it?” I firmly believe you know when a diagnosis is right or wrong and I knew that was wrong. A different rheumatologist told me I a Phase 4 Sleep Disorder, but that it was too new an area of study to do anything with and all they could offer me was sedating antidepressants to tide me over – “oh and to come back in 10 years when something may have changed”. Now the last guy was probably onto something there, and I honestly believe that more time and money should be put into studying sleep disorders as a means of treating systemic conditions. That said, I had no interest in taking antidepressants when not depressed. I had to just learn to “live with it”.

So back to this year. My eyes have been red and painful for years. Again GPs had just told me it was the way I was, my family thought I looked permanently stoned. Turns out I have something called Scleritis which is inflammation in the layers of the eye. It was quite advanced and while I had been led to believe it wasn’t that serious, their emergency “don’t panic” behaviour and subsequent treatment, and the multiple consultants coming in to have a “wee look” suggested perhaps it was a bit worse than I had expected. At least I still have my eyesight. For now. Scleritis is not pleasant at all and I only found out after a freak chance encounter with an optician, to whom I owe a lot, as she inadvertently solved a huge clue in this weird years long health puzzle of mine. I also look über cool wearing sunglasses indoors at night!

I have been getting treatment for the Scleritis since March time when I had to go to the eye A&E and wait forever to be seen. I have been put on steroids which is also helping keep the IBD symptoms at bay thankfully, although have caused me to gain 14lbs in weight (and counting). They are now looking into a condition called Sarcoidosis after anomalous blood test results and an Xray for lung lesions. Now let me tell you when a doctor mentions lung lesions you forget to breathe for a while! The lack of communication with this eye doctor about the possible condition has left me a little confused and no doubt given the other goings on in my crap body, them too. I have no idea what is going to happen with my eyes or any condition causing the problem.

There is a distinct lack of communication between doctors and patients when it comes to all this kind of stuff and it presents a huge problem to people who will obviously be worried about their failing health, while waiting 8 weeks + at a time for tests and results and doing so over and over for different medical departments.

Now here is my personal issue with all this. The problem is obviously inflammatory but there is no one doctor who can deal with the problem as a whole and as such my days are spent arranging and visiting different specialists for what is essentially part of the same problem – my body.

I have no idea the cost of seeing a single consultant one time but seeing 3 different doctors in one week and doing this on a monthly basis, or more, must be costing an absolute fortune; not to mention the different tests and treatments they all put me under. Yet not one of these doctors has communicated with the others and they all rely on me to tell them of the findings of the others. I am no specialist (although I am getting there!) so there is no guarantee that what I am telling them is medically accurate.

The notes they send to the GP reveal nothing so they are unable to explain any more to me and indeed I tend to inform them of what is going on to the best of my layman’s ability. Each department is so wrapped up in treating ‘their symptom’ none are looking for the cause or the connection with the other symptoms. It is quite literally a case of not knowing arse from elbow from eye. Treating the symptoms is not finding the cause and in the long run, knowing the cause and heading off in advance of flare up would be more money efficient. They are all duplicating the same blood tests within a week or so of each other, costing money, when they could share the tests and results. It’s supposed to work that way but doesn’t seem to.

Each organ and appendage does not work independently within the body, it is all connected. In complex cases, the body should be looked at and treated as a whole. Other than a random encounter with an NHS homeopath 3 years ago after a CFS diagnosis, not once has any doctor suggested we discuss the multiple problems with any of the other doctors and it would seem the note taking process never leaves much available on the shared access information system, if indeed they are entered in time for the next appointment. The eye hospital hasn’t even put my records online so none of the other doctors can look at what they’re saying or doing. There appears to be a lot of departmental competition and ego stroking/bashing, which is all very well on a so-called professional competitive stage but when it comes to people’s lives, it is entirely inappropriate.

It would seem a simple solution to have a single doctor who dealt with everyone else and relayed the results and treatment options to the patients. I hear of such mythical creatures and the article I mentioned above suggests this would be a far more financially and treatment efficient process. At one point I thought this person was the GP but when you become “too complex” for them they refuse to do anything without the permission of the consultants and you can be waiting forever for them to do anything.

I love the NHS and I am extremely grateful to it. That doesn’t mean there aren’t inefficiencies that need addressed for the benefit of the patients. It seems with all the penny pinching, often the important people in the process, the patients, are being ignored.

Dear Prime Minister David Cameron,

It appears you have a problem with elders of parliament, and your bullying behaviour witnessed by many today on the television means the evidence is there for all to see; for all time. This does not bode well for the company.

If I may just point out to you The Citizens Advice guide to Age Discrimination at Work where you will find some handy hints on how not to be breaking the law, written in very plain English, so you should understand it.

If I could firstly, just lead you towards this paragraph

your employer isn’t allowed to bully or harass you because of your age. They must also stop other colleagues, and in some cases clients or customers of the business, from doing this. For example, they must stop other people if they make offensive jokes about your age in the workplace

Now I know there are small technicalities around you not being Dennis Skinner’s employer and while you may not be fighting for the same team, you are most definitely colleagues working in the same or similar roles and in the same building for the same company (that’s us, the UK population, in case you didn’t know) and you have, on more than one occasion made offensive “jokes” about his age, in the workplace.

As the head of the government you should be setting a positive example to other MPs and indeed the entire country’s workforce. Instead you have shamed yourself and the UK, with your hysterical, bullying and downright impertinent responses to an elderly MP trying to do his job. In most cultures, elders are revered and respected, in Britain, the head of government bullies and puts down the elders. Complete lack of respect, class or manners. I do hope your mother kept the receipt for that expensive Eton education, it wasn’t fit for purpose.

As you don’t seem to pick on the age of (m)any other MPs, I’m assuming this behaviour towards Dennis Skinner is a targeted campaign of bullying and harassment, and I feel it important to highlight another paragraph from the CAB site:

your employer isn’t allowed to treat you worse than other colleagues at work because of your age, or the age they think you are, unless they have a very good reason

Small matter of not being the employer aside, you have absolutely no reason to treat Dennis Skinner worse because of his age. And with this in mind, it goes further:

your employer isn’t allowed to force you to retire or dismiss you just because you’ve reached a certain age, unless they’ve got a very good reason. If they do, you can ask a tribunal to decide whether you have been unfairly dismissed, and whether you have been discriminated against because of your age

Suggesting someone should “take his pension” and then say that you “advise him to do so”, after being asked a pertinent question during an official parliamentary debate, is in my laypersons mind akin to pushing retirement and discrimination. It is definitely workplace bullying and according to the Equality Act 2010 is against the law. I should also point out there is a health and safety at work issue, should your continued bullying behaviour cause the recipient stress or mental ill health.

You may be the Prime Minister but you are not above the law. Some legislations may be suspended by the privilege of parliament but I’m not entirely sure whether or not this does (or even should) extend to workplace legislation or equality legislation. You, just as any other worker in the UK should be held accountable for your behaviour while at work and to be caught on camera being so blatantly arrogant and disrespectful to a colleague, does not please your employer.

David Cameron, in my capacity as one of your employers, I am dismissing you with immediate effect from your role as Prime Minister, due to your demeritorious behaviour and for bringing shame upon the company that is the UK.

I am also dismissing your party (including the LibDem turncoats) from their role in government for general incompetence, inability to perform the duties expected of them to an acceptable standard and for causing huge offense to our customers, who also happen to be your employers.

With the above in mind, you better’ hope Mr Skinner doesn’t see fit to take you to court over your illegal behaviours. God knows I’d be happy to put a few quid in the litigation fund to see that happen.

Absolutely no love whatsoever,

Grumpyhatlady and Chums