One line in 92 page DWP 'consultation paper' proposes imposing 'mandatory' activity on all ESA claimants

(How about that for a lack of transparency?) 

by Dude Swheatie of Kwug — aka Alan Wheatley of the Green Party of England & Wales and London Green Left

(The below is based on a submission just now by the author to the Green Left Discuss e-list)

Disability News Service reports:

http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/ministers-set-to-force-work-related-activity-on-everyone-in-esa-support-group/#comments

The Department for Work and Pensions is considering forcing all sick and disabled people on out-of-work disability benefits to take part in “mandatory” activity, its new green paper has revealed.

The suggestion of compulsory activity is revealed in a single line of the 92-page work, health and disability green paper, published this week....

This Green Paper 'consultation' closes at 11:45pm on 17 February 2017. The next Green Party of England & Wales Conference is not scheduled till March-April 2017.

Meanwhile, what is mental health charity Mind doing in bed with DWP?

http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/mind-boss-lies-to-protesters-over-dwp-contracts/

And what have coroners said about claimant deaths?

http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/?s=coroners+claimant+deaths

In 2008 it was largely Green Left members (Anne Gray and me) that brought about a GPEW alternative to Labour's 'No-one written off' Green Paper. https://cse.google.com/cse?q=writing+off+workfare&ajaxSearch_submit.x=0&ajaxSearch_submit.y=0&cx=014602880548773237108%3Abfmqbz3c1w4&ie=UTF-8#gsc.tab=0&gsc.q=writing%20off%20workfare&gsc.page=1

I propose that we at least republish those materials that were sat upon by national news media at the time. (Though I doubt that I would be able to contribute fresh this time around for health reasons, our 2008 publication is rich in background and can serve as 'we told you so' background to what has passed since.) Perhaps there could even be scope for 'Progressive Allaince' responses?

Alan Wheatley

PS:

"The [2008] consultation asks 29 questions, none of which are addressed to the impact of growing global recession and diminishing global resources upon employment. [Neither did they address anything about rewarding claimants.]" — https://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/workfare-is-not-the-answer.html

"In September [2016], a book by disabled researcher Mo Stewart detailed the influence of the US insurance giant Unum over successive UK governments, and how it had undermined the social security system in order to boost the market for its own income protection policies." — http://www.disabilitynewsservice.com/ministers-set-to-force-work-related-activity-on-everyone-in-esa-support-group/

See also

https://scottishunemployedworkers.net/2016/06/22/psycho-coercion-and-workfare-fighting-back/

https://scottishunemployedworkers.net/2016/10/29/suwn-response-to-the-consultation-on-social-security-in-scotland/
http://www.reform.uk/event/a-welfare-state-that-works-for-all/

Boycott Workfare Welfare Action Gathering Manchester, Sat 9 July 2016: the programme

Further Details at http://www.boycottworkfare.org/?p=6628

Saturday 9 July, 11am to 5pm at the Mechanics Institute, Manchester M1 6DD

Welfare Action Gathering, Saturday 9^th July: Workshop Programme

The aim is for the workshops to be more or less participant led, but with facilitators to support and help focus discussions. They also aim to be not just reactive, but also look ahead to changes that will be happening in the not so distant future.

10:30 onwards	Refreshments Available – John Tocher Room
11:00 – 11:30	Greetings and meetings. Hopefully a non-cringy getting to know / catching-up with each other, welcome session. Charlotte and Liam.
11:30 – 12:45	John Tocher Room	Mary Quaile Room
	Universal Credit: How will the landscape of welfare change under Universal Credit? What will it mean for claimants and welfare activists? What are the opportunities for fighting back? Where should this fight-back focus its energies?	Strategies in Welfare Activism: Which strategies have been successful and effective? What makes them useful? Scottish Unemployed Workers’ Network (SUWN)
12:45 – 13:30	Lunch
13:30 – 14:30	Fighting the misuse of psychology in workfare and welfare: A workshop with Mental Health Resistance Network.	One Death is One Death Too Many: Campaigning to stop deaths caused by sanctions. Maggie and Gill.
14:30 – 15:30	The future of workfare and welfare in England: Youth Obligation and mandatory workfare; Universal Credit's workfare conditions; New powers for local/regional workfare'; 10 pilot work and health programme schemes. Frank.	Create your own discussion group. Is there something that was missing today that you wanted to explore? Is there something that you want to talk more about?
15:30 – 15:45	Tea Break
15:45 – 16:30	Consolidation: Bringing it back together to share, reflect, and hopefully make some sense of it all. John Tocher Room.
16:30 onwards	To the pub...

Benefits & Work Publishing: Why Claimants Died Plus The Cover Up That May See IDS On Trial

Why Claimants Died Plus The Cover Up That May See IDS On Trial

Dear Reader,

The DWP finally released very heavily redacted versions of the 49 peer reviews into claimant deaths last week.

In fact, some of the documents have been so heavily redacted that there is literally nothing left other than headings and standard text. Every word of substance, including details of lessons learned and recommendations for the future has been redacted.

Yet, the documents still reveal a great deal.

Most of the reports appear to be about claimants being forced off incapacity benefit (IB) and onto employment and support allowance (ESA).

In at least six of the 29 reports that contain any detail, there was a failure to even identify claimants as vulnerable, let alone offer them additional support...

More at http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/3510-18may-2016-update

Dude Swheatie of Kwug adds regarding what the above reveals of DWP corporate culture, I am reminded of staff trade union posters that the DWP tried to ban

1. See the posters the government tried to ban - PCS

   www.pcs.org.uk/en/news_and_events/pcs_comment/pcs...Cached

   Managers in government call centres have been taking down union posters that expose the brutal way workers are told to treat people on benefits.