REFORM OF UNIVERSAL CREDIT TOO FAR

SUMMARY - Its almost uncountable the numbers of DWP Secr since CONservative are in power and everyone of them is as bad if not worse as the one before.

Update Nov., 2018 - Amber Rudd replaced Ester McVey as DWP Secr - no improvement. Universal Credit still in a mess and people losing their benefits and live; by either starvation or suicide. 

David Gauke was replaced by Ester McVey who seems to be even worse. She won a Bedroom Tax court case against a couple whose wife is seriously disabled. The court expenses are paid by taxpayers

David Gauke worked for a finance company which helps tax avoiding. Nice guy. May knows how to pick them.

Update 6 Oct., 2017 -- Damien Green was replaced  by David Gauke who decided to roll out the Universal Credit despite objection from a number of MPs.

The objection is mainly that payments are withheld for six weeks. How on earth do those fatcats think already down trodden people manage. 

Ah, said wise May, there is a phone line to ask for earlier payment  but it cost 55p per minute. Under pressure from Labour May promised to drop the 55p per minute fee but accordingly, so far it did not happened.

Again, wise May, how will people pay for it and most of the elderly or very old people would not know about it.

All this before we even find out how much we lost and it bound to be a loss for us and a massive gain for May and her money-thirsty
Zombies.

The Winter Fuel Payment had been cut by £100 even after an announcement that 40,000 people died of hyperthermia, last winter, and the energy prices increased by 10 or 15 per cent.  It scarce you to think what will be the outcome of this winter. But they could find the money to print an eight-page leaflet for all sorts of advice. The leaflet was printed with NHS and the cost must have come out of NHS not DWP or heaven forbid from May's handbag.

The Welfare Secretary is now Damian  Green. It is doubtful there will be improvement because he is praising Ian Duncan Smith for his excellent work.

The Resolution Foundation said: "Universal Credit has been taken too far from its original purpose and veered off track because of the cost cutting."

It was announced at a time when the Government announced a further cut.

The new Welfare secretary Stephen Crabb said: "The payment was transforming welfare and getting people into work faster." The problem is that people in work are so low paid; they are starving or cant afford the rent and get homeless. Do Tories have brains apart for their own advantage.

The statement is such a humbug when 3 million unemployed less all the various methods of bringing the figure down with such as Zero-hour-contracts and so forth.

Last month, March, the unemployment has even risen by 61,000. A month where unemployment usually falls because of building sites and outside jobs starting again.

In view of those facts how can Mr Crabb make a statement like that? Surely he knows the full situation.

The original plan was for Universal Credit to replace six benefits - Job seeking Allowances and Employment and Support Allowances with a single payment.

After a long delay and costing an enormous amount of money it is gradually introduced across the UK and is now available to new job seeker in every Job Centre.

It is hoped that the reform be finalised by 2021.

Although the Resolution Foundation had supported the original plan but said now "which have been driven by the government's desire to secure further saving in the Welfare budget....have taken it too far from its original purpose.

"Unless it is reversed Universal Credit risks being reduced to little more than a very complicated vehicle for cutting the benefits bill."

Surely, the fact was obvious to the public from the start and the one and only purpose for the reform.

Welfare ex-secretary Ian Duncan Smith belied his own resignation statement. He went, literally, hopping mad when Chancellor George Osborne announced the £12billion Welfare cut but when Mr Osborne reversed some of the Welfare cut in March budget Mr Smith resigned stating to pressure of "salami slice" welfare.

The government said more than 450,000 people have made the claim for Universal Credit and more than 9,500 new claims every week. This is not a success story but purely due to pressure from the government.

Mr Crabb said: "Universal Credit is transforming Welfare and is central to our vision for our society where people of all background can earn a decent wage and provide for their families, where claimants moving into work faster and earning more then under the old system."

Has it ever occurred to Mr Crabb why people are on unemployment benefit because there are no jobs to be had?

Again, surely it is in their vision but it will bring families down to greater hardship.

The only way to create employment is to stop austerity which would bring back demands for goods to buy and increase manufacturing. At the moment manufacturers are rapidly reducing staff or going bankrupt all together

UK had 6 years of it and it brought nothing but highest debts for 8 years and highest deficit for 67 years despite of austerity and cut backs. Not a success story and if the Government wants to ride the country into inflation it is on the right road.

Labour Party has more sense and promised to stop austerity

RUTHLESS TORIES CUT PENSIONERS BENEFITS Update 19 May, 2017

Update 19 May, 2017 --
Tory's manifesto includes cancel the Winter Fuel payment to rich pensioners and a "means-test" to poor pensioners. One way to cut the poor again!

Oh are they not great? To cut the pensioners’  little extras which gives them the extra comfort while the Tories swimming in millions of pounds and crab more.

UK's pension is on the 24th place out of 35 countries. Yet it is the seventh richest country.

They plan to cut the Winter Fuel Allowances, Free Bus Pass which only allows using  during off=peak periods, the Christmas bonus and any other benefits. All these benefits were given by Labour therefore remember it at the next General Election.

Mr Wild of Tax Allowances stated at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester to make now further cut to pensioner’s benefits. He reasoned the pensioners would not be around by 2020 or forgot whose party it was. In other words they Tories will not lose votes.  Mr Wild a research director with no doubt a fat salary and most probably a big bonus

The record shows that 40,000 people died last winter, despite the winter fuel allowances, pensioners had still not enough to heat their homes properly since the energy suppliers’ tariff was increased by 10 percent every winter since the Tories are in power. Many families had also to make the choice between buying food or heating their homes.  All these facts the Tories just ignore and marching about full of arrogance, congratulating each other how great they are.

Mr Fox who should have been expelled from Parliament after it was discovered that he took his friend, who had nothing to go with Parliament,  to every meeting and they had endless luxurious foreign trips. Nobody knows about the background of his friend apart his name and Mr For was the head of the Ministry of Defence which surely demand security. After a long battle he resigned on public demand but is still a Tory backbencher.

Mr Fox had the thick nerve to demand cuts of pensioners' benefits and welfare.

He said: “we can never go back to that historic high levels of public spending seen in recent years and the government public spending cuts must be for keeps.”

How can anybody be so characterless and take the last penny from pensioners. People who went through the worst hardship this country seen and then they get treated like that.

“This is the time to fix the roof.” Yes, but on the Tories

“We have a broke opposition. We have just won a general election and we need now to take the tough decisions we believe are right.”

A broken opposition? Is the man beyond belief? Oh the peacock feather must have stood in full glory and he must have tapped himself on his shoulder.

Hopefully Mr Corbyn makes him eats his words.

Mr Fox added further: “We are borrowing for the next generation to spend today. That is otherwise known as a Bonzi scheme. It’s what we are operating as a national financial policy. If you continue to overspend there will be a day reckoned.” They done it during the last five years despite austerity which was a con anyway. Now this he said it to the right people all sitting there but use in the wrong content.

How about cutting the Ministry of Defence expenses which wastes tens of thousand of pounds by ordering the wrong parts or useless equipments or cutting back on Trident.

PM David Cameron waste £717,000 on entertaining celebrities and Tory donors while Tony Blair used £390,000.

MPs’ salary increase by 10 per cent to £70,000 plus exuberant expenses

Mr Pickles’ incredible high expenses of £536,000 for luxurious limos plus £76,000 for tea and biscuits and many other claimed expenses by MPs and Lords

The 95 advisers for PM David Cameron with high salaries costing approx £4million.

NHS around 50 chief executive’s salaries of over £500,000

There is an almost endless list which could be quoted where the Tories waste money but it is on their site, not the general public, and therefore it is not mentioned

He even had the audacity to say that older people would understand the need for cuts.

All in all it is typical Tories again and in full swing.

CALLOUS CHANCELLOR PLANS TO CUT PENSIONERS BENEFITS

UK's Pensions are on the 24th place of a list of 35 countries and by now even further down after all those cuts. 

The Pension was again cut with Pension Credit being included with pension payment but the actual State Pension was reduced by at least £20pw - in other words, the Pension Credit introduced by Labour in cases of proven hardship, vanished. 

Old Thatcher must jumping for joy how well her gang is doing.

George Osborne in his last Budget put a cut of £16bln of Welfare and £12bln of Council fund on already starving and struggling people but the real damage was done when newly 'elected' May implemented it the following April. She didn't have to do it.

George Osborne cut pension, paid by the people, in a country being the fifth richest in the world.

REFERRED TO IT IN HIS BUDGET AS PENSION REFORM. 

Head of the Department of Work and Pensions tried to "reform" already the benefits for two years and made a mess of it. It costs the taxpayer £800million and the cut-back cost many families their home and disabled people their benefits.  Over 1,000 disabled people died or committed suicide because of it. Yet he and his staff received a £44million bonus. Now he "reforms" the pensions. 
  
Ian Duncan Smith, it was reported, was up for fraud in 2008 because he claimed tax and expenses for his wife supposed to be working for a company. The company did not exists and he would have been in court but the expenses scandal broke and he somehow was "forgotten". Now he is the head of the Department of Work and Pensions throwing his weight about, ruthless.

UPDATE:  13 March 2015 -- A Chancellor who had been swimming in money since he was born and is now a multi-millionaire; but thinking of cutting the little few benefits pensioners enjoy such as winter fuel allowances, free bus passes and TV licences.

A Chancellor who tried to dodge to pay the full railway fares in spite of being able to write it off on expenses. According to the report it was not the first time he tried. Or is he so callous and dodge to pay the full fare and still write it off on expenses. It would not be a surprise.

A Chancellor who sends a taxi miles away to have his beefburgers bought at a special place and it would not be a surprise if that all goes down on expenses in other words being paid by the taxpayers.


Callous, ruthless is not even enough to describe this Coalition’s plans to cut pensioners' winter fuel allowances and Free Bus passes.  It is not surprising after they cut benefits of disabled people.  This government is beyond any humanity. Not only did they do nothing when their friends increased the energy prices by 10 per cent last winter and 31,000people died of hypothermia. They never objected or stopped another price rise of 10 per cent before this winter.  The great Prime Minister only comment to put on another sweater which was an insult to the intelligence of the public as if they are not able to think of it themselves. Besides, if your room is not heated properly no matter how many clothing you put on eventually the cold seeps through but, of course, Mr Cameron would have no idea about that.  First of all he does not pay for his gas and electricity and neither do his ministers therefore he has no need to turn the heaters down.

It is also a great insult to the pensioners because they gave their all in every way during the last war and now when they should be treated respectfully by the state; the country deserts them.  Well, done Messrs Cameron and Osborne, you can be proud of yourselves. Again they would not know what it feels like to live on the poverty line.  Mr Cameron is not only a multi-millionaire but will get a £500,000 pension as an ex-Prime Minister which again should be cut as austerity measures.  There is Tony Blair, John Major, and William Hague all having highly paid jobs and receive each £500,000 pension because they were PMs. It was said Mr Gordon Brown does not accept his £500,000 pension.

Already £1.500.000 saved.

How can Mr Osborne be so cold blooded and go, especially, to the Midlands where there is such poverty that by now even the food banks having to cut down their food parcels because there are too many needing food; telling them there will be more austerity. It is beyond any belief that a human is capable of such a heartless behaviour.

Since George Osborne and David Cameron are so eager to reduce the deficit why did they agree to 100 new Lords, mostly Tories and LibDem,  which cost £44million extra a year?  It was nothing but promoting their chums to be Lords, never mind austerity there.  The country has now almost 800 Lords and the chamber had to be reconstructed to house them all. Cost over £1million.  Surely 300 would be able to decide whether to pass a new ruling or law.  Now there would be a very drastic saving but you never hear a word about it from Osborne and Cameron. Teh food and drinks bill alone adds up to £7Million.

The same situation is with David Cameron to have 97 spin doctors who cost the taxpayers £4million. Labour had 68 but we do not hear anysthing about that, do we, Mr Cameron, and they cost £1.6million. Now, there is another saving and far bigger then from the old pensioners bus pass.  Realistically to cut the free bus pass is no saving at all because they only can use it in between rush hours, which means, filling empty seats.  Please use you calculators properly, Mr Osborne.

It will give extra fares when the pensioners have really to go somewhere but with their financially pressure they will use buses very, very sparingly and mostly stuck at home or walk. Has this government not done enough already to its people?

The EU statistic showed that UK has 2,714 bankers’ fat cats and Germany 212. These are only bankers and there are surely just as many in the industry and commerce. Most of them have an off-shore account avoiding paying tax. Mr Cameron forever talks about getting tough of tax avoiders. There would be a bonanza if David Cameron closes these tax havens in his own British Islands  How about Mr Osborne to go next doors and collect all the taxes which Mr Cameron gets back from the tax havens?

Yes, that is the result of this government and in spite of pressuring ordinary people into poverty which had not been seen since the war Chancellor George Osborne still carries on with austerity but not for them.

The other side of the coin is that after four years in power and preaching austerity cutting down on any benefit there was; the government has still a great deficit and borrows money it can not afford to pay the interest on. Apart from driving people into the ground with austerity which did nothing to reduce the deficit and as for the economy improving, it is nothing but a lie.

At the time of austerity, according to George Osborne, the MPs receive a 11 per cent pay rise.  This would bring their salaries from £65,000 to £74,000 per year plus expenses which are highly abused. Is this salary increase not outrages when the average worker's wages are frozen or even reduced or even unemployed? Would it not be right to apply austerity there which again would bring in more than the winter fuel allowances or free bus pass?  There are 650 MPs and a 11 per cent would add up to a great sum of money..

It is the sixth richest country and the people are starving and freezing to death this winter.

40,000 died of hypothermia in winter of 2014/15. The highest number for 15 years

BORDER AGENCY IN THE NEWS AGAIN

UPDATE:  29 March 2013 -- At long last the government made plans to replace the Border Agency. Whether it will be an improvement needs to be seen. It took too long to make this decision and too much taxpayers' money had been wasted. The best thing would to return it to a state control.  Surely it must be cheaper and hopefully more efficient.

With all due respect and sympathy most of the private companies taking over from a government department have sooner or later a scandal.

Dr Reid the Home Secretary at that time stated already in 2006 that the Immigration and Nationality Directory which then changed over to the United Kingdom Border Agency was not good enough.

It clearly showed a complete failure. Today after six years it is completely out of control of our borders. The Home Affairs Select Committee found that the UK Border Agency has a case-loads comparatively to the population of Iceland.  This is a more than a shocking situation. It doesn’t even give the basic of competence. To put it into a figure it would be around 300,000 cases still to be dealt with.

Furthermore, the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration stated the UKBA has no idea how many illegal immigrants had gone through the net and entered Britain.

The UKBA have only one choice. To let legal people enter Britain and stop illegal immigrants. Yet it can’t even cope with that. Now comes to the point that when the backlog hasn’t cleared by 31 December it will be forced to damp around 80,000 files. Now if that is not lunacy and no politics at all what is?  They might just as well open the borders and save the money paid to the UKBA.

There are now around 3milion immigrants in the UK admittedly such an influx must be a hard job to deal with but immigration is not going to slow down. It has to be dealt with efficiently and that is only by the UKBA st the moment.  Next year the EU opens its borders of Romania and Bulgaria which has about 29million people altogether. Most of them will come to Britain because the word is out that benefits are easier to get here.

Maybe the UKBA should cut its great numbers of directors and employ more workers.

HUMAN RIGHTS FOR WHOM?

There is too much controversy and contradiction surrounding the Human Rights. First of all who is running this country? Is it the court in Strasbourg or the government, Department of Justice and Home Secretary?

Too often it is explained that because of their Human Rights they can’t be deported.  That is a smoke screen and flat excuse as ever there was. The Italian and Spanish deport them all the time regardless of Human rights. They pay the fine of a few thousand pounds and that is it for them. Why can’t Britain do the same?

According to the Government official statement there are 371,000 foreign nationals in Britain living on benefits. It is assumed that about 5,000 illegal immigrants receiving benefit and it adds up to £42million.

The culprit in this mis-management is the UK Border Agency. Again it was privatised and the mess began. According to the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration it was found there are at least 150,000 illegal immigrants living in Britain. An awful lot of people roaming in the street and nobody knows who they are.

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Apparently the UKBA has only contact 40 per cent of them so far. An even greater idiocy is that the UKBA lets people walk in and when the cases are coming to court the judges let them stay on account of their Human Rights whether they are terrorists, murders or rapists. As mentioned earlier on, other countries just deport them and when it comes to court in Strasbourg they have to pay the fine. It is definitely cheaper than paying out all these benefits, prison or whatsoever. There is no accuse of not deporting them.

A few fine example. Two Somali criminals succeeded to stay in the UK because of the HR. They had on their list robbery, drug dealings, burglary and threaten to kill.

Another one from Lithuania who had a string of sex offence in his country was allowed to stay and raped a 40 year old woman. They still won’t deport him after he served his prison sentence because he is leaning again on HRs.

Six Islamic terrorists could not be deported to Algeria and Theresa May accused the action because they were in great danger.

Same as with Abu Qatada who fights for seven years deportation and hides behind HRs.  It must have cost millions by now with benefits and legal fees for the courts.

The list could go on and on. There is no criticism on decent foreign immigrants coming to this country and does right. It is pointing criminals which never change, coming to this country have audacity to carry on their vile crimes and demand to be supported by taxpayers’ money, instead of being grateful that they have a better life. Not asking but demanding everything they can get hold of.

Pay the fine like the Italians do and deport them, The Italian couldn’t give a damn so why should Britain? To come to this country and abuse it in every way where is the Human Rights for the people in Britain?

UK GOVERNMENT DEMAND CUT PENSIONERS' BENEFITS in 2012

Tory MP Nick Boles is a close friend of David Cameron and aught to be deeply ashamed of himself. Does ‘Shame’ exist in the Conservative party dictionary?  Definitely not.

In a speech held at the Resolution Foundation in London Mr Boles demanded to cut all benefits of Old Age Pensioners. Another one of the Conservative Party who show its real face and forgotten that especially this generation of OAP saved this country from invasion of Hitler and his Nazis. Their men fought bitterly with everything they got and even had not the Nazi Army. At home their families scrimped and scraped under most difficult circumstances. Now these glory boys swimming in tenths of million and haven’t got any idea what life is about want to cut the few privileges this generation receives.

Mr Boles suggested cutting the free bus passes which is only used during day time in other words when the seats are empty any way.

He wants to cut winter fuel payment which the Labour Party introduced to prevent OAP dying of hypothermia. If this is taken away those old people will die again as it happen before. Does Mr Boles have any conscience and his friend Mr Cameron including the Conservative Party?

Furthermore, he wants to stop free TV licence. The TV licence came into force because the BBC did not run any adverts but in the meantime they do have adverts and therefore the TV licence fees should be abolished. ITV does not charge any TV licence fees because they had adverts from a start.  So why the BBC is still allowed to carry on with the TV licence fees? Mr Cameron and his friends do not think and talk about this.

Mr Boles also demand to cut the free eye tests. Since the OAP are hard up as it is they cannot pay for eye tests and therefore bad eye sight will endanger their lives.

The whole plan and idea of Mr Boles is an absolute disgrace.

The Conservative Party, as always when they are elected, shows now their true face. Surely there isn’t one pledge from their election manifesto kept.

The moment they came into power there were cuts in Army, RAF, Navy, Nursing staff and lately 6,000 policemen in a crime ridden country already.

The NHS was already understaffed and they cut further nursing post. It is now so bad that doctors and nurses were forced to strike which didn't happen for 40 years and it proves that they don't have any other alternatives. 

Just as long as their books look right in 10 Downing Street.

Army, RAF and Navy again were already undermanned and lacked of equipments yet they had to fight in Iraq, Afghanistan and were sent into Libya. When they came back they came back they were sacked. Any of these countries had nothing to do with Britain and it caused nothing but hatred and terrorism against Britain while the ‘leaders’ of the government sat back in their cushy armchairs.

The most incredible point of it all is that with all these cuts they had a double-dip recession. But instead of sitting down and looking at the result and realizing it doesn’t work they still plough on.

Mr Boles also demands a £10billion general benefit cuts which again hits the worst off people..  

                         

This is really spiteful but it was the Conservative party previously when they closed all the coal mines, shipyards and privatised every government run industry. The result five million unemployed and all these privatised industries don’t work because their shareholders want the most profit.

How could anyone belief the Conservative Party have changed?

PLANS TO CUT DISABILITY BENEFIT

These plans have been for a long time on the table of the Coalition and it is a disgrace to apply austerity on Disability Benefits.

If anybody deserves financial help are the disabled people. These cuts are not small and they would amount to about £80 to £120 per week. It is the last resort any government could do to save money on the worst off people

.

The Work and Pension Secretary Ian Duncan Smith plans to cut the disability allowance for 500,000 people. This includes also soldiers who fought hard in wars which were illegal and gave their limbs for the country.  This is really the lowest of the government action. They really crossed the line of respectability.

They always shout about austerity yet there is money of £40billion freely given to IMF.  £2.6billion given to a private rail company to stop them going bankrupt. Why would they? The shareholders and top management receive big dividends, salaries and bonuses instead of re-investing. Top earners were given a tax reduction from 50 per cent to 45 per cent and promised further reduction to 40 per cent in the next budget.

Yet, the worst off people like being disabled and pensioners are being treated at their worst.  These people in the present government haven’t got a clue what hardship and reckon with every penny means because they are all multi-millionaires. They are so remote from reality you’d think they live on another planet.

Even after the coalition's great loss of council seats in the last local election they still don’t see it or don’t want to. From a start austerity and improving the economy is impossible. Surely they must know this. They all went to the best of the country schools like Eton, Harrow, Oxford and Cambridge. Don’t they teach them anything there? Their actions certainly don’t show it.