No Comment and we decline an interview on Monday - and a Minister, No less, is dashing in front of a camera the next day!

We did it, we officially launched ourselves on 25 August 2009 in Lemon Quay, Truro, Corwall when Politicalcripple.com came to town.

A determined bunch of protesters gathered to raise awareness of the petition, some disabled people, some carers, and others interested in our campaign, along with Julia Goldsworthy MP.

We generated interest and questions from passers by, who then promised to spread the words for us. 

We obviously got noticed further afield though than just Truro though, already the PoliticalCripple.com campaign is reaching the corridors of Westminster. Our TV coverage on BBC Spotlight included a statement from Phil Hope MP Minister for Care Services. On Monday 24 Aug when the BBC ask for comment the government declined to be interviewed. By the time we were on lemon Quay Mr Hope was getting in front of a camera in London.

 ‘We don’t intend to cut people’s benefits, what we are trying to do is making sure, that the money people get, and people with disabilities, who get cash benefits, really value the money they get, because they can choose what to spend it on, and how to spend it. That’s how we want the new care and support system to be.’

Phil Hope MP, Minister of State for Care Services at the Department of Health - To the BBC at Westminster.

Apparently they don’t intend to cut benefits, and they want us to choose what we spend it on.

Take that at face value, and you may wonder why we are still protesting. Let me explain, they are talking about social care provision, this is not a benefit, nor is it the same thing. State benefits are statutory, if you apply and qualify, you have to be paid, and the money is yours to spend as you wish, no restrictions. Social care is discretionary, you have a right to be assessed, but you don’t have any right to provision, what you get is entirely at the discretion of the LA, who even if they assess you as having needs, don’t have to meet them, they can simply say there is no money. You don’t have the same legal rights to fight any decision that you are not entitled to social care, that you have if a benefit is refused. Benefit decisions can be appealed right up to the new Supreme Court. Unlike disability benefits most social care is means-tested.

If you are given social care provision you can choose to have services provided, or a cash payment instead. However unlike benefits direct payments, soon to be individual budgets, or self directed support, have to be used to meet your assessed care needs. This means they have a much narrower use than DLA/AA officially meant for the extra costs of disability.

This definition means more than care, and could mean any additional cost disabled people face, for example, transport, addition food, heating, energy, clothing, or footwear. It can also be used to purchase additional or alternative care, or equipment, to any provided by the local authority. Officially provided services or equipment tend to be basic and limited, and currently disabled people are able to use DLA/AA to meet a wider range of needs than they get assessed for. Without that we would have less choice and be forced to accept official answers to our needs. In the most basic terms, loss of disability benefits represents a loss in income, income disabled people use to meet basic needs. Many will suffer poverty, and a lower quality of life if these payments are stopped.

Can you afford to lose income? Do you want to lose a legal right, and have it replaced with something that is at the discretion of another person, without full legal recourse? Do you want to have restrictions on how you spend what was your money? If the answer to any of those is no, then we must ask where politicalcripple.com goes from here. That’s simple, we fight on, we have listened to what the minister said, and we can’t take any reassurance from it. They are obviously aware of us, otherwise they wouldn’t be reacting. We now have to use that, and make it count in our favour. Politicalcripple.com wants you to move this forward in your local area, contact the media, arrange events, and make sure you use the public consultation period to your best advantage. Contact us, and we will help you do this. Above all we must make our voices heard. Watch this space for events near you!