<font style="font-family: arial,sans-serif;" size="4"><span class="sg"><pre cols="72">Sheffield Welfare Action Network Action<br><br>Sheffield/Nationwide Protest against the Incapacity<br><br>Saturday 4 February, 1.00pm<br>
<br>Town Hall, Sheffield<br><br>Bring homemade placards, etc<br><br>there wll be speakers and some music, etc...<br><br>And<br><br><br>Call for simultaneous peaceful protests across the UK,<br><br>The Gov't has finally announced what its plans are for
<br>incapacity benefit and claimants and in SWAN's view,<br>it is very very draconian and unpleasant. The changes<br>are the biggest in welfare for over sixty years(see<br>below), we are calling on all decent and caring<br>
people, claimants, campaigners, activists, faith<br>groups, churches, individuals to support our call and<br>peacefully protest in your locality<br><br><br>It's going to get even tougher<br><br>There is to be an even tougher and brutal regime for
<br>most on incapacity benefit (IB) (it is extremely<br>difficult to claim IB now.) Benefits will be cut by<br>over 25.00 and will only rise when a claimant looks<br>for work, there will be even more stringent medical<br>
assessments and tougher requirements to seek work or<br>lose benefit. Employment advisers will be placed in<br>G.P's surgeries to 'spy' on the sick. Swan is already<br>hearing from a number of disabled people who are<br>terrified of these changes, they are saying that the
<br>'disability benefits'regime is almost unbearable now',<br>and how can it be worse!<br><br>>From the Guardian<br><br>''New claimants will face a tougher entry route and<br>more demanding tests on the benefit, renamed the
<br>employment and support allowance.<br><br><br><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,1694168,00.html">http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,1694168,00.html
</a><br><br><br>Responses to the reforms<br><br>Already reactions are coming in: Macmillan Cancer<br>Relief feared "workfare-style compulsion" for sick and<br>disabled people, saying 'it had already had to<br>intervene to stop chemotherapy patients and those with
<br>a terminal diagnosis being called to work interviews'.<br>Of course, people should have help when and if they<br>are ready to go back to work, but what about the<br>Employer, are they ready for this? SWAN will also ask
<br>why are the reforms 'target led' with the aim of<br>getting one million back into work? If the reforms are<br>so good , why does there have to be sanctions and<br>co-ercion? This approach will mean many many thousands
<br>of the most vulnerable in our society who simply<br>cannot work will face such co-ercion and harrassment.<br>Further, where are all these jobs going to come from?<br>unemployment is now rising and employers themselves
<br>admit they discriminate against people with<br>disabilities. The figures the Govt gives are<br>disengenous as well, fraud in IB is neglible (around<br>2% according to the DWP) and a large number of people<br>who could claim (for example those with terminal
<br>illness) do not even know they are eligible! Having<br>work advisers in G.P surgeries will put added pressure<br>on sick people and one can argue it will compromise<br>the GP/patients relationship and is an infringement of
<br>civil liberties.<br><br>SWAN will campaign vigorously against these reforms<br>and calls on all allies, friends, etc to do the same.<br>Finally, those who would call diasabled people:<br>scroungers, 'leadswingers, etc, realise that 'these
<br>people' are not others, different, from outer<br>space,they are us and one day, certainly as you age,<br>it could be you.<br><br>Resources:<br><br>excellent balanced summary of the changes here.<br><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/benefits/unspun/36_employment_support_allowance.htm">
http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/benefits/unspun/36_employment_support_allowance.htm</a><br><br>Disability Alliance, challenging the myths,<br> <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.disabilityalliance.org/ibfact.doc">
http://www.disabilityalliance.org/ibfact.doc</a><br><br>Sheffield Welfare Action Network<br><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.swansheffield.org.uk/">http://www.swansheffield.org.uk</a><br>email <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:swansheffield@yahoo.co.uk">
swansheffield@yahoo.co.uk</a><br>join the discusssion! send an email to <br><a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:sheffieldwelfare-subscribe@yahoogroups.com">sheffieldwelfare-subscribe@yahoogroups.com</a><br><br>
<a href="http://incurable-hippie.blogspot.com/2006/01/information-release-sheffield-welfare.html">http://incurable-hippie.blogspot.com/2006/01/information-release-sheffield-welfare.html</a><br><br> <br><br>====<br>'Smoking has been found to be a leading cause of statistics'
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