The Mail v Atos

Malcolm Armsteen · **Posted:** Tue May 01, 2012 5:36 pm

An amazing article taking the part of those on sickness benefit against the unspeakably callous Atos assessment system.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/artic ... -work.html

But the comments, oh the comments...

Quote:

Ridiculous. Stop moaning about it, get a letter from your professors at Guy's and appeal. That's what most people would do rather than running to a national newspaper. OK, it will take some work, but what else do you have to do all day? - Berty, Oxford, 30/4/2012 17:15

To a man with rodent ulcers on his legs and life-threatening blood clots who was told he was fit for work...

Quote:

Why cant he work in a call centre or something similar? May not be what he wants to do but he can work where he is sat down in a warm office Get off your backside and stop playing for the sympathy vote!!!!!
- monkeyboy, Sheffield

Quote:

Over half the people I sign off for long term work, CAN GO TO WORK! Maybe not in a heavy manual job, but yes they can pick up a phone, yes they can do all sorts of jobs. Its just that they don't WANT TO. Thats the benefit culture this country has created and the reason why I left the country for Australia. And if I stated the obvious to the patients in questions, well I would be getting complaint after complaint, therefore most GPs just sign people off, as its the easiest thing to do, most GP's won't admit it. Personally I don't think your GP should be involved in anyway shape or form in signing you off. It should be an independent, who would have no connection with you which would mean there is no obligation to give the patient what he wants for fear of reprisal. The country is being ruined by lazy, council house, multiple children with different fathers, feckless chavs-and most people know it.
- GP in Australia, Berkshire

Though these are among the worst rated.

2nd best-rated:

Quote:

Poor man, those legs look terrible. I don't mind my taxes supporting him while he travels to London, and that must be an expense for which I doubt he gets any help if he is like the lady I worked with. I would rather he was off work and put his energy into recovering from this awful situation. He has obviously worked hard in the past and I think this is why we pay our NI - to get help when we need it. Hope you can get the support you need James and make a speedy recovery.
- maggie, uk

I wonder if the Mail is trolling its own readership here.

Giant f*cking Sudoku · **Posted:** Wed May 02, 2012 1:46 am

Ah, good call, I was just about to link this. Rare voice from the other side on there today! :shock:

Will the comments all be yanked? The whole piece maybe even when Dacre gets up!?

It's a big concern, very real out there. Plenty of dedicated Third and Public sector workers trying to combat some of these insanely callous Atos verdicts, a company with more shutters coming down than the MoD if you try and seek transparency. Even the Guardian isn't really picking up on it though. GPs making political decisions, Legal Aid scaled back to prevent appeals, the hyper stress and suicide attempts of the mentally ill shoe-horned through all this, it's a big story for sure. But hey, Jubilee coming up, let's all pump that narrative instead :roll:

Guess LizII passed her entitlement to benefits claim long ago :!:

Paul · **Posted:** Wed May 02, 2012 9:52 pm

That's plain mean testing: Meningitis victim who lost both legs to virus is asked 'How far can you walk?' in DWP benefits quiz

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1tmMH8i9L

next week, tetraplegic passed fit to work as bin man.

Fozzy · **Posted:** Wed May 02, 2012 10:07 pm

Quote:

Last week a DWP employee rang the couple with a series of questions. They also rang Jayne’s mother Joan Clerkin and asked her the same questions.
Mrs Clerkin said: ‘It is absolutely disgusting. The questions they were asking were just unbelievable. After a while, I told them I would not answer any more of their awful questions.
‘You have more chance of getting an audience with the Pope than getting anywhere with Disability Living Allowance.’

I'm confused. The Mail told me that most people on DLA are workshy fraudsters who are conning the system, that it's far too easy to do so, and that if only we could get these conmen off benefits the country's financial problems would be solved overnight. Now they're telling me that actually it's really difficult to get DLA and that the DWP is acting oppressively in double checking on people's claimed disability. Could that nice Mr Dacre explain how both propositions can possibly be true?

Giant f*cking Sudoku · **Posted:** Wed May 02, 2012 10:22 pm

Maybe one of Dacre's staff, or a loved one, has had to sign off work being so clinically depressed at working in, or living with, such unpleasant surroundings. Or are Mail people not allowed to fall ill?

What's next in this new 180 narrative, Atos officers to dig up their suicide victims, and ask them if they're actually dead? Maybe if the French get a new government... this real outrage will cease.

The Mail v Atos

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