Deaths From Benefit Cuts

[jazzy_dave]

Disgusting IMHO -

More Than 4,000 Died Within Six Weeks Of Being Deemed 'Fit For Work', Reveal Government

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/08/27/benefits-death-claimants-welfare-ids_n_8047424.html

What is your opinion?

Comments

[idahoswede.livejournal.com]

Not surprising to me. I live with a dear man (61 years old) who is suffering constant and often crippling pain from a work injury (3 crushed disks in his spine and he shattered one heel and broke the other foot) and he has to make his way to the neighbouring town every week to go through assessment for work purposes. Currently they have him in a 10 week course to learn English (he was born in the East End so perhaps they don't consider that English enough), they are not dealing with his serious dyslexia and ignoring the fact that he worked as a builder since he was 15 years old and has no other skills.

[lisa-thecat.livejournal.com]

This is horrifying. This should not happen in a civilised country. The great losses from the budget are not with the poor people.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

You and I plainly had the same thought first thing.

There are just no words............

[kabuldur.livejournal.com]

Kicking the poor and vulnerable people is not the way to go. Apart from creating lots of misery, it actually does society harm. Oh, I forgot, there is no such thing as society...

[redatt.livejournal.com]

How DWP has confused everyone by releasing the right data for the wrong question on benefits deaths. (https://storify.com/bengoldacre/how-dwp-has-confused-everyone-by-releasing-the-rig):

Brilliantly, though, the DWP did release mortality rates (the type of figure we need) for lots of other classes of claimants, with lots of explanatory notes, and tables of data, essentially a PDF and an excel spreadsheet full of red herrings. This was a stroke of evil genius, because it confused lots of people. Since then, journalists, politicians, commentators, and bloggers, have been desperately trying to work out death rates for people found fit for work.

But you cannot find this in the data that has been released.
I repeat: the data that people want is not publicly available. Anyone making claims about death rates for people found "fit for work" is wrong, and displaying their ignorance. Those rates might be terrible, they might be fine. Nobody knows. But DWP could probably tell us, if someone asked them carefully and precisely for the death rates. Not the numbers. The rates. As I explain below.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

A freedom of information act request should be enough to solve this.

The Fritz Saukel lookalike adding further lies and disinformation to the already large existing heap is unlikely to fool anyone for very long.

I'm not joking! The likeness really is uncanny!

[davesmusictank.livejournal.com]

OMG!! This is so uncanny and creepy in equal measure.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Isn't it though?

Saukel was Hitler's Minister of Work........

[old-cutter-john.livejournal.com]

Opinion? It's what the government were aiming for. I suppose they count it a success, though they might not brag openly in public.

[malterre.livejournal.com]

So terribly sad. Some of the people making the assessments must be lacking common sense and a heart

[thespian15.livejournal.com]

That is more then disgusting.
That is homocidal. :o
Those officials should be in prison. :o
Hugs, Jon

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

This is disgusting and horrifying. This is NOT how you treat anyone...why do we live in a world that keeps making the same horrible mistakes at the expense of the worst off...EVERY. DAMNED. TIME??!?!