Again, the man shows his absolute, utter PIG IGNORANCE of substance-dependency issues! Complex illnesses that need to be treated by PROFESSIONALS, ethically and compassionately!

Yet again IDS seeks to demonise benefit claimants and divide them into ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’.

The reality is that the great majority of people with substance dependency issues are in work and belong to every social class and profession (ask Alistair Campbell!). How I loathe this evil man! (JJ)

Individuals deemed "anti-social" had to wear the Black Triangle. Many of Black Triangle prisoners were either mentally disabled or mentally ill. The homeless were also included, as were alcoholics, the habitually "work-shy," prostitutes, and others (including draft dodgers and pacifists).

The black triangle was a badge used in Nazi concentration camps to mark prisoners as “asocial” or “arbeitsscheu” (work-shy).

It was later adopted as a lesbian or feminist symbol of pride and solidarity, on the assumption that the Nazis included lesbians in the “asocial” category.

More recently it has been adopted by UK disabled people’s organisations responding to increasing press allegations that disabled benefit recipients are workshy.

The symbol originates from Nazi concentration camps, where every prisoner had to wear one of the Nazi concentration camp badges on their jacket, the color of which categorized them according to “their kind.”

Individuals deemed “anti-social” had to wear the Black Triangle. Many of Black Triangle prisoners were either mentally disabled or mentally ill.

The homeless were also included, as were alcoholics, the habitually “work-shy,” prostitutes, and others (including draft dodgers and pacifists).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_triangle_(badge)


Powered by Guardian.co.ukThis article titled “Jobseekers who reject help for alcohol and drug addiction face benefits cut” was written by Nicholas Watt, chief political correspondent, for The Guardian on Tuesday 22nd May 2012 20.00 Europe/London

 

Unemployed people suspected of suffering from alcoholism or drug addiction will have their benefits cut if they refuse treatment for their condition, the work and pensions secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, will signal on Wednesday.

In a sign of the government’s new benefits regime, which lies at the heart of Duncan Smith’s cost-cutting welfare changes, staff in Jobcentre Plus offices will be encouraged to cut the jobseeker’s allowance of claimants who reject treatment for addiction.

The new rules will come into place next April when the universal credit, which is designed to wrap benefits into one payment, is introduced.

A new claimant contract lies at the heart of the universal credit reforms. Claimants will have to sign a contract in which they agree to look for work in exchange for an undertaking from the government to support them while they do so. Government sources said the contract would allow Jobcentre Plus staff to say that a suspected addict is in breach of their commitments if they refuse help for alcoholism or drug addiction.

Duncan Smith will give a flavour of the new rules when he addresses an event in parliament organised by Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). He will say: “The outdated benefits system fails to get people off drugs and put their lives on track. We have started changing how addicts are supported, but we must go further to actively take on the devastation that drugs and alcohol can cause.

“Under universal credit we want to do more to encourage and support claimants into rehabilitation for addiction and starting them on the road to recovery and eventually work. Getting people into work and encouraging independence is our ultimate goal. Universal credit will put people on a journey towards a sustainable recovery so they are better placed to look for work in future and we will be outlining our plans shortly.”

It is understood that the work and pensions secretary will not make a formal announcement on Wednesday of the powers that will be handed to Jobcentre Plus staff. Duncan Smith wants to use the event to focus on what he regards as the positive work AA does in helping to treat alcoholism.

A government source said: “Iain wants to focus on the brilliant work Alcoholics Anonymous does in changing people’s lives. He really wants to encourage people who have drink problems to go to AA for treatment. It will transform their lives and will help them into work.”

The source said Duncan Smith believes it is right to give jobcentre staff powers to cut benefits if an addict refuses treatment because they can detect signs of trouble.

The source said: “The universal credit will allow staff in Jobcentre Plus offices to say: this person has been unemployed for some time. The staff know if people are addicted to alcohol. They know the people they are dealing with.

“But we want this to be positive and to be about signposting people to superb organisations that can help them. This is about changing their lives. It is very important to support addicts into the workplace.”

But if claimants refuse they will have their benefits docked. “There will be sanctions,” the source said, citing cuts to the jobseeker’s allowance as an example.

Ministers believe that one indicator Jobcentre Plus staff can use to see whether a claimant is an addict is the amount of times they apply for a crisis loan. “If you are applying for that up to 10 times a year then that is a sign of a chaotic life,” one source said.

Analysis by the Department of Work and Pensions shows that almost 40,000 people claim incapacity benefit with alcoholism declared as their “primary diagnosis”. Of these, 13,500 have been claiming for a decade or more.

There are about 160,000 “dependent drinkers” in England who receive one or more of the main benefits. There are 1m violent crimes a year that are related to alcoholism and 1.2m admissions to hospitals a year related to alcoholism.

Universal credit is the most important element of Duncan Smith’s welfare reforms, developed during his years in opposition through his Centre for Social Justice, which is designed to achieve his central goal of encouraging people into work. It will integrate tax credits and out-of-work benefits into one payment, with the aim of smoothing the transition to work.

Labour has given the universal credit a cautious welcome, though it has taken issue with the scale of benefit cuts. Lord Low of Dalston, the vice-president of the Royal National Institute of Blind People who sits as a crossbencher, told peers this year: “Though it has some very sensible and progressive things at its core, in the shape of the universal credit, nevertheless it goes too far to most people’s consciences in the way in which it takes vital support away from some of the most needy in our society.”

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010

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9 thoughts on “

  1. pedro says:

    Aa is not an effective intervention for many people, they advocate abstinence which can be dangerous for many people.. They are also not supposed to be involved with politics and are not a enforced treatment facility.. They say that a person must want to be sober for themselves.. Not all alcoholics will be able to be sober and some can benefit from controlled drinking.. The ” First drink mantra ” spouted by Aa has no real scientific basis and many studies have disproved this.. The Scottish Govt has also given a definition that alcoholism treatment doesn’t have to include abstinence to be successful.. Although for many abstinence is the only option it is far more complex than that in reality.. Aa has no room for controlled drinking and will make people feel isolated if they only want to control their drinking.. There is also the GOD aspect of this and that is unacceptable to coerce people into a belief system with the threat of benefits being taken away.. I am very concerned about this.. By the way I am a recovering alcoholic with 8 yrs sobriety and I attend AA..

  2. David Edwards says:

    was beginning to feel sorry for IDS but it’s all his choice so I won’t.
    1. Jobcentre staff are NOT qualified to diagnose anything
    2. AA is not an agency to which referral can be made – in fact there is no such single entity as AA as it is just the blanket term applied to the consciences of individual meetings throughout the world.
    Am still wondering the sources of IDS’s information: Are his civil servants really that useless or do they set out to undermine him with malice aforethought?

  3. Rogr says:

    And how long before they are “diagnosing” the state of mental health and cutting benefits if you don’t agree to undergo elrector-shock therapy to “cure” that as well? I would give it a matter of weeks. Claimants are now not just workshy drunks and junkies they must be insane not to be in work! God bless this man because nobody else will.

  4. jeffrey davies says:

    Labour has given the universal credit a cautious welcome, its they who started this off it makes my mad that they shake thier heads at this .they made atos and now ids beats us with it untill we either under ground or out side tescos with our tin cup as no one is safe with him benefits where for the sick not to help shore up the banks and the rich with the savings jeff3

  5. Ali says:

    Will this include people who become addicted to procrided medication? What about people who doctors say that they can not give up addictive meds( mental health meds eta)? Will the job centre staff be medical trained? There are a lot more question to be asked of this horrible and evil government. The way they are treating 90% of people in this country, the most vulnerable taking the worse treatment of all is just not right and they should be taken to the court of human right for crimes against humanaty! Please try to forgive bad spelling, I’m dislecxie.

  6. Jetta Lofft says:

    Substance dependence, commonly called drug addiction, is a compulsive need to use drugs in order to function normally. When such substances are unobtainable, the user suffers from withdrawal. A drug user may not be aware that their behavior is out of control and causing problems for themselves and others. ;*^:

    My current internet page
    http://www.calaguas.orgdc Jetta Lofft

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