Who voted for this
Interviews with people dealing with housing problems and welfare cuts. Dislike for those who let it all happen.
Kate Belgrave
Journalist and blogger
Contact:
kate@katebelgrave.com
Homepage photos courtesy of Latoya, the mother of the little boy with autism in the first episode.
Who voted for this
How the government and the DWP made PIP policy on the fly
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In this episode, I talk to renowned benefits journalist Chaminda Jayanetti.
We talk about this Labour government's attempt to make cuts to the personal independence payment disability support benefit last year.
In particular, we talk about the fact that the government didn't realise who the cuts would hit.
Government happily imagined that the people affected would be people with mental health and autism conditions - you know, the so-called snowflakes that politics loves to hate.
Actually, it was people with conditions like inflammatory arthritis and serious heart compromise who were in the firing line.
On the back of that circus, minister for social security and disability Stephen Timms is conducting a nationwide consultation on the future of PIP as we speak. Wonder if he'll come up with anything sensible.
We also talk about the mediafying and gentrification of mental health. Media luvvie-chat about mental health doesn't really reflect the reality of the sort of mental health problems you need to claim PIP.
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