A couple of months ago a member of the UK Cabinet spoke of encouraging disabled people into jobs and described it as 'tough love'. This man is, of course, an idiot. Anyone who is disabled, or knows anyone who is disabled or has a brain, knows that being disabled already tough. They don't need tough to be introduced or formalised by the Government, and they don't need Cabinet Ministers suggesting that additional toughness is necessary, much less that it might actually be good. What they need is the love bit, which is sadly lacking from a Government who seems to focus its benefits strategy around establishing that most of its recipients are wastrels and could work if they just tried, what with all the jobs there are.

So benefits aren't easy to come by. Admittedly there isn't much money to go around but David Cameron''s recent announcement that he wasn't going to support a Mansion Tax while on the same day announcing another £16billion in welfare cuts sends out a strong message. There is neither money nor compassion from the Government which is a great shame. Personally, and I may be alone in this, I am glad we are a 'soft touch' on immigrants, I am glad, proud that we support people in need; people come to us from other countries in the hope that we will support them. I am happy to have my taxes spent looking after those most in need, persecuted immigrants, the extremely poor and vulnerable, the bereaved, wounded and traumatised from the armed forces. And the mentally and physically disabled.

When I came up with Fringe Benefits as my typically glib title I didn't think anything much of it. But as it turns out, that's exactly where the benefits are. This week my wife and I visited a YMCA supported advisory service who helped us with a Disability Living Allowance application. She gets DLA, but the friendly chap was amazed and how little she got. He filled in the form for us and told us that he was 90% confident that we would get progress, and that he would accompany us to a tribunal if necessary. I get a counsellor from a local charity called Care for the Carers. Raven and I attend a support group for survivors and their partners which has been run for over 20 years by two women who do the work in their own time because they noticed that there was nothing of the kind in the area.

So that's the fringe. The give support, they give consideration, and, when they have it, they give money in whatever way is possible. Dear Mr Cameron, please pack your bags.

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benjaminpmoore

22.10.12 Front Page

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