This looks important: any advice, pls?

--- On Tue, 25/8/09, Lynn Jones <jones_m_lynn@...> wrote:


From: Lynn Jones <jones_m_lynn@...>
Subject: [psychosisspirituality] FW: Save DLA and AA: time to have your say
To: psychosisspirituality@yahoogroups.com
Date: Tuesday, 25 August, 2009, 1:14 PM


 



More information.

Lynn

From: Benefits and Work [mailto:campaign@benefitsan dwork.co. uk]
Sent: 25 August 2009 09:19
To: jones_m_lynn@ hotmail.com
Subject: Save DLA and AA: time to have your say

Dear Lynn,

This week we're asking you to take the argument to the government by posting
your opinions on their official green paper website. By doing this you will
be contributing to the consultation process and your views - according to
the government - will be taken into account when they begin work on drawing
up the white paper due out next year.

We think it's vital that you do contribute because, otherwise, you'll be
leaving it to others to speak on your behalf and they may not say quite what
you want to say or with quite the passion that you might want to say it.

We also think it's important that the green paper website reflects what sick
and disabled claimants actually do think, rather than what anyone else would
like to claim you think.

There are lots of places on the Big Care Debate website where you can have
your say. All comments are moderated, so if you say anything especially rude
or potentially defamatory it's unlikely to be published

We suggest you either use the Executive Summary page here:

http://careandsuppo rt.direct. gov.uk/greenpape r/execsum/
<http://click. icptrack. com/icp/relay. php?r=12551608& msgid=222810& act=YR7F&
c=
144836&admin= 0&destination= http%3A%2F% 2Fcareandsupport .direct.gov.
uk%2Fgreen
paper%2Fexecsum% 2F>

or the Having Your say page here:

http://careandsuppo rt.direct. gov.uk/greenpape r/execsum/ having-your- say/
<http://click. icptrack. com/icp/relay. php?r=12551608& msgid=222810& act=YR7F&
c=
144836&admin= 0&destination= http%3A%2F% 2Fcareandsupport .direct.gov.
uk%2Fgreen
paper%2Fexecsum% 2Fhaving- your-say% 2F>

You are asked to give your name and email address. Your name will be
published on the site but your email address won't. If you want more details
about the confidentiality policy for this consultation you can find them on
the Having your say page, under the sub-heading 'Confidentiality of
information' .

As usual, we're not going to tell people what to write. There are lots of
contributions from claimants on the green paper website already, so you can
see what others have written. You may also be able to copy and paste things
you've written to your MP or disability organisations into the feedback box,
if appropriate.

The issue we've been campaigning about is the proposal to hand disability
benefits over to local authorities. But there are lots of other issues in
the green paper you may also wish to comment on. For example, there is the
fact that the government have ruled out using taxes to pay for care (Option
5 of the funding options) before the 'Big debate' has even begun. Lots of
people think general taxation is the right way to pay for care and that it's
wrong to take this option off the table before people have even been
consulted.

THE CAMPAIGN SO FAR
A huge amount has been achieved in an astonishingly short space of time.

Information about the threat to disability benefits has been published on
many hundreds of websites, forums and blogs.

Over 21,000 people have signed up to the campaign.

All the major disability charities, and the vast majority of the smaller
ones are now very aware of this issue. This, for example, comes from the
Arthritis Care website:

"A large number of people with arthritis have expressed concern to us about
Government proposals to remove Attendance Allowance (AA) benefits, as part
of a wider review of social care services.

Both AA and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) offer nationally-set,
non-means tested benefits which are often vitally important to help keep
people with arthritis active, independent and in work wherever possible.

Arthritis Care is opposed to any attempts to remove or subsume such benefits
into mainstream social care services."

The full statement is available here:

http://www.arthriti scare.org. uk/campaigns/ currentissues/ socialcarereform
<http://click. icptrack. com/icp/relay. php?r=12551608& msgid=222810& act=YR7F&
c=
144836&admin= 0&destination= http%3A%2F% 2Fwww.arthritisc are.org.uk%
2Fcampaigns
%2Fcurrentissues% 2Fsocialcarerefo rm>

There's also unlikely to be an MP in the UK who hasn't heard from
constituents about this issue. Replies have begun trickling in from them
already. For example, labour MP David Drew has emailed a constituent to say:

"Like you I have serious misgivings about interfering with DLA and
Attendance
Allowance and particularly the introduction of means testing."

Remember, if you're not a member of Benefits and Work and so can't post on
our forum, you can post replies from MP or anyone else at the newly
established welfare watch website at:

http://welfarewatch .myfineforum. org/index. php
<http://click. icptrack. com/icp/relay. php?r=12551608& msgid=222810& act=YR7F&
c=
144836&admin= 0&destination= http%3A%2F% 2Fwelfarewatch. myfineforum.
org%2Findex
php>

So . . . disability organisations informed . . . MPs quizzed . . . if we can
now get a thousand or more responses on the green paper website, then all
the major avenues for consultation will have been covered.

There are other things happening too.

In Cornwall today, for example, there's a public petition signing going on
at Lemon Quay in Truro from 12.00 - 3.30pm. The event is being covered by
Radio Cornwall. More details of this and other possible petition signing
days from:

http://www.politica lcripple. com/d/
<http://click. icptrack. com/icp/relay. php?r=12551608& msgid=222810& act=YR7F&
c=
144836&admin= 0&destination= http%3A%2F% 2Fwww.politicalc ripple.com% 2Fd%2F>

We've also no doubt that someone will get a petition put on the No 10
website as soon as it opens for business on 7 September.

And we've heard from people who came across the campaign from letters and
articles in their local paper, so there's no doubt that it's worth the
effort of contacting your local media. Well done to everyone who's managed
to get coverage so far, do keep it up.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
For the present, we won't be sending out any more emails asking you to do
things simply because you've achieved in a few weeks more than we expected
to achieve in months. But we do think it's vital that disability charities
actually seek members views and actively campaign on this issue. So keep the
pressure up and let us know if you think they're not being proactive enough.

We'll do our best to keep you informed by email of any developments between
now and November 13th, when the consultation ends. We'll then delete this
mailing list - we won't hold on to your details. But you'll still be very
welcome to sign up to our free monthly newsletter if you haven't already, so
that you can keep yourself informed about what's happening.

Meanwhile, please do visit the green paper website and let them hear, loud
and clear, what you think.

Good luck,

Steve Donnison

Please feel free to forward or publish this email.

Benefits and Work Publishing Ltd
Company registration No. 5962666

(c) 2009 Steve Donnison. All rights reserved.

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