"The Lords have told government to ditch plans that would leave people struggling financially if they became sick or disabled. Now 38 Degrees members can help make sure MPs listen." Kathy Peach, Head of Campaigns & Social Change, Scope
Dear [supporter],
In the next few days we could help stop some of the worst cuts to support for sick and disabled people. The House of Lords voted to stop some of the most unfair cuts - including support being ended after only a year for some people recovering from very serious illnesses, like cancer. [1]
The government is threatening to reverse these decisions and bring the cuts back. [2] But they can only do that if they can persuade enough MPs to do what the government tells them. If we work together, we can push our MPs to stand up for what's right and defend sick and disabled people.
Right now, many MPs could be on the verge of doing the right thing. A final, people-powered push from thousands of 38 Degrees members could convince them to back the Lords’ changes to the bill.
Click here to send an email to your MP - it only takes 2 minutes:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/stop-cuts-to-support
All over the country, disabled people and their families are anxiously waiting to see what will happen. The decision could be the difference between a decent life and serious poverty. Becoming sick or disabled could happen to any of us. Now, we’ve got a chance to stop MPs making a tough package of cuts even worse.
Send an email to your MP - ask them to make sure they back the Lords’ changes:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/stop-cuts-to-support
Time and again, 38 Degrees members have taken action to stand up for what’s fair. We’ve challenged the government when they’ve turned a blind eye to tax dodgers. We made it clear that we won’t put up with NHS plans that mean people who pay more get better care. And we’ve been telling MPs to protect Legal Aid for people challenging decisions about their benefits.
Even with the changes the Lords have made, there are big worries about what these plans mean for disabled people. But if MPs don’t back the Lords’ changes, it could end up being even worse. Our voices will be joining hundreds of other groups, including Scope and Sense, who want MPs to protect these improvements. [3]
Together, we can persuade MPs to vote the right way on cuts to support for sick and disabled people:
https://secure.38degrees.org.uk/stop-cuts-to-support
Thanks for being involved,
Hannah, Cian, Becky, Johnny, David, Marie and the 38 Degrees team
NOTES
[1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9009079/Boost-for-cancer-patients-as-reforms-that-would-cut-support-defeated.html
http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2012/01/welfare-disabled-government
[2] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16523649
[3] Read more about some of the other groups campaigning here:
http://thehardesthit.wordpress.com/
http://www.scope.org.uk/
http://www.sense.org.uk/
http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.com/2012/01/i-support-spartacus-report.html
A cynical person might speculate that they're only jumping on board now that disabled people have made headlines with the Spartacus Report and they're hoping to dash in and claim a victory. But whatever their motivation it's great to have them on board, and here's hoping it will result in them offering more support for disability issues in the future. So please support this campaign so they realise that, actually, disability issues are a popular choice for them to engage in.
And wouldn't it have been nice if they'd also suggested that their members take action by signing Pat's Petition? Ah well, mustn't grumble. As you say, great to see them looking at disability issues.
ReplyDeleteI wish my MP would listen to me but she is a Cameronite and she says 'if you are truly disabled you have nothing to worry about' Tracey Crouch = useless no brain
ReplyDeleteCrouch should theoretically be one of the smarter of the new intake - background as a software engineer. I guess this is conclusive proof Conservatism rots your brain....
ReplyDeleteOne comment that I've made at the 38 Degrees site, but which bears repeating, is the apparent obliviousness of their press release to the work of disabled people themselves. It's all Scope this and Sense that, no mention of the individual disabled people who actually got out there and convinced the Lords to vote against at least parts of the WRB. I've already reminded them 'Nothing for us, without us', but we may need to be proactive about keeping them on an appropriate track.
I didn't get the email. I can only assume that in an opiate induced state I told 38 degrees to fuck off for their momentous lack of support and their juvenile and irreversable cock up last time.
ReplyDeleteSoftware engineers think in binary... deserving and undeserving ;)