The benefit death figures

It has come into the news more and more recently that the government here in the UK should reveal the figures that they have, which are to do with how many people have died within a certain time period after their benefits have been stopped. It is a complex topic to approach, so i'll try to explain things as best I can on here.

Ian Duncan Smith is the leader of the Department of Work and Pensions or DWP for short. This government department is currently the one in legal battles, trying to avoid releasing the figures, since their was an outcry after the last figures released a number of years ago, revealed 1,300 people had died after having had their benefits stopped.

Within the DWP theres many different types of benefits and many different types of stoppages of benefits, so here's some below.

The DWP manage a brand called the "Job centre plus", these deal mainly with the un-employed, here's how their benefits can be stopped.

3 length types of benefit stoppages.

4 week, 13 weeks or 26 weeks (upto 3 years).

These are done on a scale, but will not only have an impact on the persons physical income, but the DWP will inform whoever they can that you are not entitled to any other form of benefit including housing benefit. This means when you are placed into a sanction period, you will have no income and your rent will not be covered. Meaning, the landlord will still want to be paid, but how, when you have no income, is a question the DWP refuse to answer.

You can have your benefits stopped via the Job centre if you don't receive your post, as I know personally. Other reasons have included attending a funeral, attending a job interview and looking for too many jobs.

The DWP also over-see's the DLA, which is what disabled people claim as they are not fit for work, or need extra funds to help them live day to day with extra costs for care etc.

DLA has been stopped for people claiming it as most claimants of this benefit will be able to tell you of the ATOS fit for work interview. ATOS was a French company the british government hired to find if people were genuine in their claim for this benefit and to see if any could actually be working. They were told to be tough and their actions have themselves caused deaths.

The amount of deaths caused by this colaberation has never been revealed, I personally feel its because it is a high figure. The press over time have revealed some of these deaths, but not all. For example, an ex-nurse with slipped disc's in her spine, was declaired fit for work, even though her movement is painful and I would presume her doctor would have ordered rest.

The stoppage of this DLA benefit isn't in a set time period. I have heard of cases where people have been told they will need to attend a meeting and until the meeting has been conducted, they will not receive their benefit, then been placed on a waiting list, sometimes waiting over a year. I have heard too many cases of people being declaired fit for work, and dying as a result, either by their benefit being stopped, or other means, as their life becomes un-liveable.

There's also been "errors" on both sides too, DLA and the job centre plus have, from time to time, had to apologise as a wrong decision was made, although in most cases, this decision comes too late as the person has already died.

The appeals process is a joke, i'm not even going to get started on that, just take it from me, it's pathetic.

The end result is that yes, the public are not going to be happy. The benefit system is their to support people during difficult times and yet, the people running it are literally killing people, so we, the public, want to know how many.

This is why I URGE you to CLICK HERE and sign the petition and call for the government to make these figures public. We have been promised for years that we will have a see-through style government and this is yet another example of how things are being hidden from us, not for our own good, but for them to hide the ugly truth.

Kay Burley

Recently I did a video about an accident which took place at Alton Towers theme park, UK.

At the time this is being written, the main cause of the accident has still not been announced to the public, as the health and safety executive of the UK steps in to conduct their own investigations. It is during this time however that Merlin Entertainments, who operate Alton Towers resort, put forward Nick Varney as their company front-man. He has been the one to go and under-take the television interviews and radio interviews since the day of the incident itself, and to be fair, he had been doing a good job, I say had, because that was until he met... Kay Burley.

Kay Burley is a "news reporter" for Sky "News", a channel well known in the UK for it's over-reaction to almost everything, which fit's in well with the rest of the Sky brand.

Sky as a brand, is owned mostly by 21st century fox... were have you heard of them before?

Indeed, we have all seen them titles behind many of our much loved programmes and films. 21st century fox is owned and ran by who then????

That's right, not for long, but the owner of the company is Rupert Murdoch. A rather wealthy, vile piece of scum, given his actions and the way he has set up his companies to run under his dictatorship.

For example, one of the brands he owns is fox news....

Racist much?

So as you can see, Fox news is a little... messed up. Not a surprise then when you learn that Sky "News" here in the UK is stirring up trouble.

It's round, to do with Alton Towers, involved a rather rude Kay Burley....

Now here, as you can see, Nick is trying to explain what he can about the incident, while apologising that it happened, adding that another layer of safety is being put onto the rides, for example, where they might have been able to send a train every 10 seconds, they may now wait until 15 seconds... or something like that. However, that doesn't seem to be enough for Kay, oh no, she only seems to be happy if you're left bleeding after on of their interviews.

So does it come as a surprise that she was, the way she was, with Nick Varney? ... No, it shouldn't.

She, while on Sky "News", is owned by Rupert Murdoch, the man who has set up this empire of what appears to be the far right, managing to twist the news, every which way they can.

Look, i'm not going to go on and on about this, but what I will say is don't waste your time with the likes of Fox news and Sky "News", because these are nothing but a corporation, out to make as much money as they can, with no ounce of human dignity being spared here. Kay Burley, yes, is a nasty, vicious cow, who doesn't deserve to be on the air... but Sky doesn't care about that, because she pulls in viewers, who are waiting to see how rude she will be next time, and she doesn't have the conciunse to make herself stop and question what she is doing.

If you would like to though, you can sign a petition to have her removed from the air... but I ask you this, what is the point? If it is not her, then it WILL be somebody else.

The dreaded birthday issue....

June is for some, the middle of the year, for others, it's a time when they can go to the shops and begin to buy some summer style clothes because the weather is starting to turn more summery... why wouldn't you love the month of June?

For me, it's because it's the month of my birthday. For too many years I've had a problem with my birthday and any of my friends can tell you.... I'm a nightmare when it comes to my own birthday. While for others this is a day to be happy and do something you'll remember forever, I'm applying that motto to every day that I live my life. Don't get me wrong, I fully understand that each one is an achievement and i'm more than happy I am able to be breathing on each birthday, I have a problem with how the whole thing is ran, which is why in recent years, my friend Sian has always been the one to organise something, everything from a full on concert and hotel stay-over, to a night out of my choice with people whore are/were in my life at the time.

I think my issues go back to my childhood. It is with a sentence like that I suppose I should climb onto the big red leather couch and begin my session with the shrink, but I feel it is true. My birthday parties from years ago were never really of enjoyment, more just doing things on my birthday, because, well, that's what got done.

It's nothing against the people who tried to run my childhood parties, infact my mother would often go to great expense to throw me the day that I said I wanted, but I only wanted them days because... that's how it happened for everyone else. If I could explain to you here... I was never the popular child in school, from primary level right through until the end of high school... it wasn't fun for me being in school... so you can always imagine my sort of, lack of joy, when over half of my classmates would turn up to my house and enjoy the bouncy castle and cake and have a good time, and I would be sat there thinking about how I wasn't enjoying myself that much and when would I be able to do what I wanted?

Later in life I did get to have a better control over my birthday parties, but in my teen years, I don't remember doing something for every birthday. Don't get me wrong, presents we're always given and i'd get to see the people who were in my life that I loved lots and lots, but I still didn't make a massive fuss about this one special day.

After school years were over my birthdays of course took the change of... involving alcohol. For my 18th I had a party, at my mothers if I remember correctly, for my 21st, i'd arranged 2 nights out... and yeah, around those times I did enjoy my birthdays... but there was still the awkward things which happen on the day... like the terrible singing of "happy birthday".

It is so awkward to stand there and have everyone sing at you. While yes it is designed to make you feel special, I can't help but let me toes curl that little bit more and wonder what i'm expected to do as everybody sings along.

So, this year, we come to what'll be my 27th year alive, and i'm super proud to say, i'm already busy on my birthday, entertaining at a party... for the first time in years i'm too busy to have to go through the awkward stuff like having to have people sing happy birthday to me!

Don't get me wrong, I still love to be given presents, be able to meet up with people who are loved by me and of course, spend time with people I don't get to see all that often... but it's quiet, like any other day, this year... and I've a feeling I could like it.

Bruce? Is that you?

Many people have been shocked over the past few days and weeks, as the picture from vanity fair took the internet by storm...

Now, to most people reading this, you'll know the person in the above image to be trans, or, previously called "Bruce Jenner". The internet has exploded recently, reffering to Caitlyn as Bruce... but there's some problems with this...

Bruce Jenner, as a being, no longer exists. Caitlyn does, Bruce doesn't. We should establish this basic fact.

Caitlyn is transgender, and I believe the procedure isn't complete yet, but will be soon, but there does become a point where it is offensive to call a trans person by a previous name of theirs, if they no longer wish to be known as that person.

For example, it's like a stage name.

Nobody sit's at home and called Rihanna "Robin", we all call her Rihanna, because that's what she wants to be known by, which is fine... but why do so many people have a problem with calling Caitlyn, Caitlyn. People I wouldn't have expected to see hate from, have crawled out from the wood-work, to say some pretty horrible things, while this story has been making news.

This is only going to be a short post, and i'll finish it off by saying this all shows just how much work the trans community has ahead of it, in order to gain equality. The trans community should actually know, they have supporters out there... and we're trying to be as vocal as the hate!