The Silly Season

I rather like politics. And we are living in interesting times. Cuts. Austerity. Misery. Crisis. We have a coalition government which is making savage cuts. And this is the season when the announcements come. The Political Party Conference season is coming to an end.

3 conferences; 3 grand collective egos; 3 different takes (or are they so differen). It is the silly season! The real question is how different would it be if the coalition hadn't happened? I guess each party like to blame the others for the cuts. What is clear is, whichever party was in power they would be doing exactly the same thing!

I seem to lie in socio-economic group that receive no benefits at all. I'm not married so I don't get a tax break. I have no children so the loss of child benefit means nothing to me. I'm not old enough to get a free bus pass or a winter fuel payment. I have disability but not one that warrants any financial assistance from the much derided DWP. I think the only thing I get is 25% off the council tax as I live alone.

But it is the disability part that most interests me and impacts on the lives of so many of my friends. I got lucky, I got out and off benefits. But many of my friends didn't. Political parties all talk about protecting the vulnerable and disabled. But who decides who is disabled?

The reality on the ground  is that disability is very clear but very arbitrary. In terms is the DDA many conditions are cover. They merely have to last at least a year and be judged prior to treatment. What that means for me is a) do I have a condition that will or has lasted a year? and b) should that be judged before treatment? The answer to both of those is yes. I've lived with my illness for 20 years, and I have an effective treatment which keeps me well. So I have a disability. That is accepted without hesitation by my employer and I'm treated accordingly.

But what would happen is I applied for DLA for my disability? I would be told to sod off as I'm too well. Therein lie the paradox. Am I or am I not disabled?

I have a voice, many of my friends don't. The judgement of their illnesses is both random and arbitrary. They have needs but who will protect the vulnerable if they don't meet someone else's criteria? These are the people I fear for not me. At least not at the moment.

Scary times ahead.

I Heard a Voice.