Eat In, Tories Out 1: Work Focused Interview

So I just had my latest Work Focused Interview (WFI). To be fair it was benign. It was the same guy I spoke to last time, the guy with PTSD (I infer) who served as a paramedic who has since, unfortunately, become institutionalised by the system he's delivering. I don't say that to be nasty; he means well. But that just makes his good-hearted ignorance of the system all the more dangerous.

That said, nothing coercive took place. Apparently they are contacting people just to make sure they are OK and that if they need help they can contact their local Jobcentre. As if! But that's the tragedy fo it all. I'm sure there are many good people or well meaning people at least within the system. However, it's the system that's the problem; it taints their efforts turning them into enemies not allies. They can't be trusted, and that's sad.

I asked him about the state of Work Capability Assessments. They are still going ahead, only not in person. The assessment centres are shut (apparently - though I'd put nothing past these people) so it's being conducted over the telephone. In some respects this is more beneficial: at least you are spared the trauma of visiting these places. However there are going to be many conditions for which distance will be an impediment. This foolishly assumes their goal is to conduct a proper assessment in the first place and we all know that doesn't happen.

I waited two years for my appointment. This is because, having presented with eye sight issues, I was told (upon sitting down in the centre with an assessor!) that a specific type of assessor had to see me. They didn't say what qualifications they required, other than "doctor". One assumes they meant a trained optician of some kind. For insurance reasons, presumably. 

How will that happen telephonically? How will I know that person is qualified? Of course how do I know the person that I finally saw were themselves appropriately qualified? I could have asked (I didn't, what was the point). At the very least I could have asked them who they were and have a face to go with the name. Over the phone I could be talking with the cleaner or the sandwich lady! You probably won't get very far querying it either. 

I guess we can only hope that, in this period, they are giving people the benefit of the doubt, but I'd say you'd have to be naive to really believe that. What else can we do though? Arguing the toss will just bring a halt to the interview, probably with a frazzled assessor, and the likelihood of your claim being closed with prejudice. But i have no idea how any kind of meaningful optical examination can be conducted over the phone; no one's eyesight is that good.

So here we are uncertainty reigns as usual. Today is the first day of the government's godawful "eat out to help out" scheme. This could only come from the mind of someone like Dominic Cummings. It's asinine and ignorant. It doesn't even cover a full meal either; half off up to a tenner. You're still paying something. But the idea is predicated on taking you out of your safe zone and into a social environment, with others. No matter how socially distant. That is antithetical to the curtailment of a virus, no matter how well intended (it isn't, it's just there to benefit Tory hospitality industry donors). Shovelling tax payer money into the pockets of people like Tim Martin. Don't mistake this for a boon. It's not. The whole thing is cynical. While it's unlikely you'll come away with corona you are more likely to do so than if you had eaten a meal at home. 

Finally the DWP secretary, Theresa Whoever (who is she?) has ruled out giving a commensurate increase to legacy benefit claimants after the DWP gave an extra few quid to Universal Credit claimants. There's no doubt that this was only given to assuage the deluge of new "customers" (hate.that.word) they knew would be claiming following the shutdown. So that at least tells me they know UC isn't fit for purpose. It's purely cynical. Like everything the Tories do.