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Will benefits policies decide your vote?

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Category: Latest news

With another election in full swing and the parties yet to publish their manifestos, we want to know whether their policies on benefits would be enough to swing your vote?

Would you vote for a party largely based on what they plan to do with benefits?

Or would benefits be low down your list of priorities?

If benefits are important for your vote, which issues are the most important to you?

Is universal credit your biggest concern?

Or getting rid of the work capability assessment?

Doing away with private sector PIP assessments?

Dismantling the DWP?

Let us know below the line but, please, we don’t want to open a Brexit battleground. All comments are moderated.

Comments  

+1 #60 Colette Quinn 2019-11-27 22:57
It has to be Labour because they're the only party who will do what needs to be done in the UK.

Trump tried low taxes in America and found out they didn't work so he has borrowed and spent $2 trillion to make the economy work in America.

The Conservatives with their austerity just put off what needed paying and now it'll cost the UK and all of us even more.

My family and I will be voting Labour.
+2 #59 nobby66 2019-11-26 10:03
It's got to be Labour for me.There is no alternative for anyone who has to rely on any type of benefit to survive in this world and who values the NHS. After 9 years of austerity driven downright cruelty and abuse of the sick and disabled the tories have nothing to offer but an awful Brexit and the promise of continued misery for ordinary folk. Vote tory if you want to carry on working till your 75.
+2 #58 Asbo 2019-11-21 14:53
Quoting Elizabeth:
Labour's focus seems to be fairer but I'm not sure I trust them with economy so even if they want to support people I worry that the money won't be there.


I only trust Labour on the economy. I'm afraid the Tories have made a success of slow drip-drip propaganda about Labour and the economy for the last nine years. It was a GLOBAL crash. OK, Gordon Brown didn't do enough to curtail PFI and the banks shouldn't have been bailed out, but how quickly people forget that Brown was known as the Iron Chancellor before then and how prudent he was!!

Do you seriously trust the Tories with our economy? They have increased our debt by trillions!

Labour on the other hand will spend to invest and to reap reward. It's not just about monetary value it's about investing in people and their needs and aspirations and starting with a level playing field as much as possible.
+3 #57 BuddhaNature 2019-11-21 12:44
The Labour Party published their 2019 Manifesto today. You can get a PDF copy here: Labour Party Manifesto 2019

There is a section in the manifesto specifically dealing with Social Security. On a quick read through the following would be a summary of the main points on Social Security (though many other points are made):

* Replace DWP with Department of Social Security

* UC will be scrapped though this will take same time as setting up a new system will take time. However, the new system will start to be developed immediately.

* From day one we will stop moving people onto UC.

* End the five-week wait for getting a first payment a temporary but immediate system will be put in place to manage this until full system can be put in place.

* Will immediately suspend the Tories vicious sanction regime.

*Will end the Tories 'digital only' approach to applying for social security.

* Will scrap the bedroom tax and increase Local Housing Allowance.

* Will stop Work Capability and PIP Assessments.

* Increase ESA by £30 per week for the work-related activity group.

* Raise the basic rate of support for children with disabilities to the level of Child Tax Credits.

On reading some of the comments that have been made in this thread I have to say that I am amazed by the number of people that say they aren't sure how they will vote. Some even say they don't trust the Labour Party. My god, this is unbelievable. You can guarantee that you can trust the Tories a damnable sight less -- and the kicking they will give you will be beyond belief, it's what Tories do folks, they enjoy it. For people in England and Wales, when considering Social Security issues, voting Labour is the only choice that makes sense.
+1 #56 Elizabeth 2019-11-20 22:02
Boris claimed today that he will reduce income tax, along with investment in the NHS, policing, education, transport... Although the Tories seem happy to make the most of cheap borrowing rates I can't see how the figures are going to add up so I really fear that sick and disabled people will be taking further cuts. Labour's focus seems to be fairer but I'm not sure I trust them with economy so even if they want to support people I worry that the money won't be there. My view of the lib dems has really dropped with the new leader and the 'scrap Brexit whatever" is really making people angry.
If a large proportion of people in the country feel that there is no party which they trust and represents their views can we call this a democracy?
+2 #55 Joules 2019-11-20 14:14
Well, as a life-long Labour voter living in a Tory stronghold my vote's wasted anyway. Some years ago a wise person once said ''What's the point of voting, the government will only get in" How true.To be honest you could barely get a fag paper between the lot of 'em now. You certainly can't believe a word any of them say & NONE of them are trustworthy. As for 'us', the disabled, we will never be treated like anything other than something unsavoury on the bottom of a shoe until the DWP + it's financially incentivised Private Sector partners are, before being dismantled, held fully accountable for the lying manipulative intimidation tactics they use to make our lives almost unbearable. How many people have actually taken their own lives because of them.That a Coroner has once cited the DWP as the sole reason a 42yr old man took his own life would have been headline news if that were, for example, a teacher. How many seriously sick people have died before the elongated & corrupt process of trying to process MRs, Appeals et al have been completed. It's CRIMINAL & if any other sector of the population were treated remotely like we are there would be a total outcry. We are low-hanging fruit to all of them & until one of them sticks their head above the parapet to say the DWP will be held directly accountable for every single wrong doing to every single one of us then they are, by omission, overtly condoning our hounding. So,Yes, it'll be a Labour vote but I don't believe any party actually Cares about what we are put through,irrespe ctive of any tweaks they may be promising to the benefit system.How could they sleep at night if they did........?
+3 #54 Lynn M 2019-11-19 13:27
Yes I'm hoping Labour have a more compassionate view about disabled people trying to claim benefits without the humiliationg experience and Unbearable stress and anxiety or causes them.
I'm sorry to say i believe the Conservative party will get back in because people are so split
-4 #53 satmanbasil 2019-11-18 23:15
I voted to leave the EU in 2016 I have never been a fan of the policy of laws being passed down to the uk from Europe.
As much as I have labours benefits changes in mind like all parties they can promise the earth to the voters but can change things if voted in power or will say ho hum if not.
As the tory party are the only one on a Brexit ticket and the Brexit party not having a candidate in our area I will vote tory as I feel this is more important to the uk than benefits which I hear will have the cap lifted next year
Cannot vote lib dems remain party and as for labour well who know what way the wind blows with them .. understanding they will negotiate a new deal prob keeping in the customs union without a say ! or vote on any changes then they want to put it to another vote and on top of that they prob will vote down there own deal and remain wtf !!!!!!!
Labour right now are a party who seek policy decisions from social media if they think they can get a few hundred votes by adopting a policy they will follow it regardless
+5 #52 Sara Bartholomew 2019-11-17 19:11
As important a issue Brexit is for me a full on remainer ,equally important is the benefits issue and the scrapping of WCA and pip assessments. I will therefore be voting Labour in spite of voting Lib Dem for the past 10 years plus. The fact that Jo Swinson supported all the welfare cuts has finished the Lib Dem’s for me
+5 #51 hundi 2019-11-14 15:13
At the moment it looks like it has to be Labour. Even though they may have let us down in the past I could never vote Tory ever and I have no trust in Lib Dems ( been checking voting records re benefits cuts). We are hardly spoiled for choice.
I worry about UC not for myself but for those who come after me.
#50 Colette Quinn 2019-11-14 13:05
I'm no fan of Trump however Trump found out that low taxes don't work in the USA. Trump has borrowed and spent $2 trillion of government funds because of very low interest rates. This is why the USA economy is working and not because of tax cuts. The UK need to do the same and borrow huge amounts at low interest rates to make our economy work and grow. The Conservative Party's austerity policies didn't work. All they did was put off paying what was needed until later. This has meant paying more for these in the long run. The Brexit Party are the same as the Conservative Party and want low taxes which don't work for the economy as Trump found out for himself in the USA.
+3 #49 Asbo 2019-11-14 12:16
Quote:
Corbyn is as nasty as the Tories, he might promise things but basically there are no decent people in the party anymore. .
Where is your evidence for such nonsense? He won a peace prize but you won't read that in the Daily Mail or Express or all the Right Wing bottom fodder. Sorry but you have fallen for the nasty propaganda which is the Tories intention
+5 #48 alison michelle ryan 2019-11-14 11:12
Im going to be voting labour definitely the disabled people are getting a far rough deal its like we are punished for having a disability . Im waiting on a mandatory re con after going to a re assessment in july . what a joke that was , what does what time i get up or how i move my legs has got anything to do with my epilepsy no joke thats what i got asked i suppose the fact that i loose control of my arms sporadically doesnt seem to count .Another thing a dont understand is why last year i had limited work capability for work after no change in my condition i havent now .Its time to go back to the old system which i reckon would be cheaper than having to put this shambles of a system when it cocks which is more often than not. After my jsa clam in 2014 after being made redundant money got paid into my account in around 10-14 days , 5 weeks now just bin the whole system for one that works as this clearly doesnt
+5 #47 SusieQ 2019-11-14 09:37
Im voting Labour its that simple as I want the Tories out. Even if you dont like Corbyn vote for what they are offering us and of course your interests.
-4 #46 willandable 2019-11-14 09:26
Brexit for me has thrown me into a dilemma, we had a referendum that asked us if we wanted to leave the EU the result was leave but political parties have decided we are not going to honor the vote,so if they are not going to honor the will of the people how can we trust them i have never voted for the tories and never will i simply do not trust any party they all lie and the promises that they are all spouting (seems there is money galore now its an election) i fear for our NHS if Boris is elected
So i simply cannot bring myself at the moment to vote for any of the main parties.
+5 #45 Loveandhope 2019-11-14 08:22
It's simply, If you want to live vote Labour!

23.10.19
Labour attempted to end Tory's privatisation of
the NHS and protect it from being sold off
after Brexit. The proposal fell by 310 votes to 282.
Not a single Tory or Liberal Democrat
MP voted to protect the NHS. Utterly shameful!
If you have pre-existing medical conditions you
struggle to get insurance!
+5 #44 Loveandhope 2019-11-14 08:04
It's simply if you want to live
VOTE LABOUR!
+2 #43 MARGARET 2019-11-13 23:25
Benefits are of great concern to all of us on this site. Politicians, however, are notorious for lying, so my vote won't be swayed by any promises about the benefit system. I'm still waiting for the promised abolition of the bedroom tax .
-3 #42 David 2019-11-13 22:50
What a party promise at election time is just willie waving, it's how the civil servants interpret & implement such things , then the hurdle of having contractors like ATOS & Capita who feel they are honour bound ( or contract bound ? ) to reduce the number of claimants under all circumstances for the most ridiculous & spiteful reasons.
I trust Labour as much as I trust the Conservatives , Lib Dems and any other yorping political party .

Having had the Labour experience here in South Wales for 15 years … I don't really want it any more it's hurting us in too many areas .

I feel /think that the proposed Brexit candidates might be a very welcome breath of fresh air in to UK politics as they seem to come from sound back grounds and are not monied professional blinkered politicians .
-3 #41 suz 2019-11-13 21:56
I will be voting Brexit Party as politics needs a huge overhaul, I could not vote Tory as they have ruined so many lives with their assessments and benefit systems, Labour have no idea what they are doing and Corbyn is as nasty as the Tories, he might promise things but basically there are no decent people in the party anymore. There needs to be a radical change for the better.

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