About Me

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I have Fibromyalgia, OA and Depression. I am trying to raise awareness of these and other similar debilitating illnesses. Remember - They may not be able to see our pain, but YOU can feel it...and they can't prove it isnt there !!! YOU are human...YOU have rights...YOU have the right to be heard - TALK - SHOUT - DONT STAY QUIET - LETS MAKE THEM HEAR US !! All the content featured on this site belongs to me and permission for use of any of my photos, images, names or blogposts is required.

Wednesday 28 March 2012

Diary of a Benefit Scrounger: Excellent News!

Diary of a Benefit Scrounger: Excellent News!: The Welfare Reform Bill may now be an Act, but the battle only just began. Following on from the excellent news that Scottish GPs have cal...

Tuesday 27 March 2012

ROYAL FAIL STRIKES AGAIN:



Not only am I fuming over increases to postage taking effect in April (which is going to hit small business, charities and individuals VERY hard), my postman (not our usual one) has just seen fit to hammer on my door and walk away without giving me chance to answer.
When I opened door and called to him on other side of road he pointed at the ground and shrugged and walked off.  A valuable (and breakable) parcel had been shoved under the door mat where anyone else could have subsequently stood on it! 

Had I NOT been home, I would NOT have known it was even there as I dont go in and out of the house via the front door. !!  WHAT AN ARSE HOLE 

Official complaint submitted to RM. and to be fair woman I spoke to was VERY empathetic and sounded genuinely gob smacked at what this guy had done. She has, supposedly, passed it on the the distribution manager, but as this is a first complaint, I wont get a call back about it !   I am assuming it was probably the same tosser who also shoved a rec del letter thru my door, without obtaining my signature, last week.

Prices are to become almost unaffordable from the end of April 2012:

http://www.royalmail.com/prices2012

http://www.royalmail.com/sites/default/files/Royal_Mail_Our_Prices.pdf

1st class letter 60p
2nd class letter 50p

Small parcels under 100g (such as the sort I post for my jewellery):
1st class £2.70   (Currently ONLY £1.58) and Recorded Delivery additional charge going up from 77p to 95p Making a Rec Del 1st class  parcel now £3.65 without my packaging fees.

This means adding more than £1 to the price of my parcel postage and packaging - and will likely affect sales.  Thanks ROYAL FAIL for screwing the little people !

Friday 23 March 2012

BLACK TRIANGLE ANTI-DEFAMATION CAMPAIGN IN DEFENCE OF DISABILITY RIGHTS

BLACK TRIANGLE ANTI-DEFAMATION CAMPAIGN IN DEFENCE OF DISABILITY RIGHTS PRESS RELEASE
John McArdle          

Scotland’s GP’s call for an end to controversial ‘fit for work’ tick-box tests carried out by French IT company ‘with immediate effect’

Scotland’s GP’s have today called to an end to the Government’s controversial computer-based ‘Work Capability Assessments’ carried out by French IT multinational Atos Origin for the DWP with ‘'immediate effect’:

60 Lothian: That this conference, in respect of Work Capability Assessments (WCA) as performed by ATOS Healthcare, believes that:
i. the inadequate computer-based assessments that are used have little regard to the nature or complexity of the needs of long term sick and disabled persons
ii. the WCA should end with immediate effect and be replaced with a rigorous and safe system that does not cause avoidable harm to some of the weakest and most vulnerable in society

The Scottish-based disability rights and advocacy group Black Triangle was instrumental in getting the motion tabled at the Scottish Local Medical Committee’s (SLMC) conference at Clydebank.

Dr. Stephen Carty who works as a GP in the Leith area of Edinburgh and who is an active member of the campaign said:

“I welcome the support of the Scottish LMC conference on this matter.
This sends a ray of hope to some of the weakest and most vulnerable in society.
It also sends a clear message to other representative bodies including the General Medical Council (GMC) of the significant concerns shared by many GPs across the country.”

He said that “In my opinion the current contractual arrangements between the DWP and General Practice are unsustainable. The WCA as performed by ATOS is not an effective or safe method of determining "fitness to work" and this must be addressed.”

He continued: “All doctors are duty bound by the GMC to report any system or process that may be harmful to patients. The WCA is a harmful process. Scottish GPs have spoken: the GMC cannot remain silent on this matter any longer”

John McArdle, a founding member of Black Triangle said:
 
“The scandal of these assessments has gone on far too long. As a grassroots disabled people’s organisation we are over the moon that Scotland’s GP’s have spoken out so clearly and unequivocally in their condemnation. Our GP’s recognise the severe and avoidable damage that is being done to sick and disabled people through this brutal, draconian and profoundly unjust testing regime as they see it every single day. It must be halted now – ‘with immediate effect’.- before any further harm results and whilst the GMC launches a thorough investigation. They can no longer remain silent. They must act. ”

Please Note: We have been given full permission to reproduce this on blogs, twitter etc as much as we want... PLEASE TELL EVERYONE

A Message from Sue Marsh: (@suey2y)
A word to tweeps who like to support on twitter : We'll be using the hashtag #Braveheart so from one hero to another ;) Can you try to use #GPs as much as possible too and also #wrb #saveourNHS #spartacusreport and any other tags you know people use and follow? Not all at once obviously, but I think I'll mainly use #Braveheart #wrb and #GPs . It's a great example of NHS supporting welfare and vice versa, hopefully NHS tweeters will pick it up too.