Correct!

Im with Darrell re: the public sector

Although a lot of public sector in Hull are now having to live in the real world

I have being off work before for what the doc described on the sick note as stress when i was going through a divorce, he signed me off for 2 weeks, the difference with me was i went back to docs after a week cos i felt ok and he signed me back on. My point was that too many people nowadays take advantage of our employment laws, docs should be lot tougher on who they sign off and for how long and employers particularaly public sector need to be a lot stricter on how long they pay people for.
On a side issue there where 1.3million people in this country claiming incapacity benefit (stress related illness' are included in these figures) when the government brought in the new tests,
ONLY 7% were found to be incapable of any work
17% were able to do some sort of work given the correct support
39% were deemed to be fit for work and were moved onto jobseeker's allowance
36% dropped out of the application process
1% of applications were still in progress

36% Dropped out the process all together because they new they would not pass! What does that tell you??

That you've taken a figure, put your own agenda to it and reported it as a fact.

I agree to a point,

although, if you thought you deserved it, why would you drop the claim?

Quote: Bal "That you've taken a figure, put your own agenda to it and reported it as a fact.'" Sorry, i should have said what i sumise from that figure (which is a published fact) is that 36% of people dropped out because they new they had no hope of passing the test and hence being found fit for work. www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14280849 But hey if your happy with hundreds of thousands claiming benefits they are not entitled too while our taxes continue to rise to pay for them then good luck to you.

Quote: Bal "That you've taken a figure, put your own agenda to it and reported it as a fact.'" Sorry, i should have said what i sumise from that figure (which is a published fact) is that 36% of people dropped out because they new they had no hope of passing the test and hence being found fit for work. www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14280849 But hey if your happy with hundreds of thousands claiming benefits they are not entitled too while our taxes continue to rise to pay for them then good luck to you.

Because the new claim form is complex, confusing, and intimidating for a start - this according to assessment from MPs as well as various disabled groups. Then there are the people who find the idea of being tested for a condition their doctor has already diagnosed them with and they have had for years humiliating.

Tens of thousands of people don't apply for benefits that they're entitled to every single year for a wide variety of reasons.

The vast majority of sickness/disability claimants [ibelieve[/i that they deserve it.

I think we are confusing two different things here, and at the risk of enraging at least one of the mods, I will explain.

genuine mental illness is a massive issue, and very many people suffer it through no fault of their own, it appears to me (and many, many others) that Gleeson's issues are, by and large, self inflicted from decisions he made, Wigan got rid because they could see he wasn't capabale of remaining a comitted RL player, when it was rumoured we would sign him many Wigan fans (and fans of other clubs) warned us about him, and yet we still signed him, that is what most people find irritiating, the same was as we signed Long ahwn Saints only offered him a year, and they were proven right too. We have also done the same with Radford and Horne, signing players on sentiment and not hard nosed (and possibly unappetable) business logic.

As I have said before, I hope he is getting all the support he needs, but if he is "well" enough to go to the rugby and out on the beer then he is "well" enough to be attending the club training sessions, doing work in schools and the wider community.

I think we signed those players out of desparation, not sentiment

You've managed to completely misunderstand me.

I wasn't necessarily arguing against your point, only that your last statement was you taking a figure, and then adding your assumption and reporting it as a fact. Which is a nonsense way of having a debate - we might as well all just go buy a copy of the Daily Mail.

FWIW, I wholly agree both with the need for the benefits system, and for those who need to be helped, been helped, and I also agree that we should have robust systems in place to make sure the system is not been abused.

I believe that there are people that are abusing the system; certainly, I also believe there are many people out there who just assume that anybody that is on benefits is work-shy. Martin Gleeson's case is the perfect example, there have been some ridiculous statements made on here made completely without fact.

Sorry, sent this thread on a bit of a tangent, i do agree that those who genuinly need help get it but there has being such a huge rise in people claiming incapacity benefit in the last 15-20 years that something needed to be done, take this as an example, my old next door neighbour was on incapacity benefit, car , rent everything payed for, the only thing wrong with her was that she was clinicly obese! now i am sorry but anyone who claims because they cannot stop shoving pies into their mouth should not be eligible. it is a problem effecting the whole of the Western world, people are getting fatter, lazier and more workshy and the system has helped them do this, its gotta stop.

That may be the case (although we have absolutely no evidence either way), but that wouldn't make his illness any less real. If you were a business person and you made a wrong/foolish decision (or several) that lead to the demise of your business you might become depressed about the matter. If you contributed to the break down of your marriage you could quite rightly say that it was, at least partly, self inflicted. It's still perfectly possible to become depressed about it.

The same goes for physical injuries. If you're rock climbing and break your back, you would still deserve the same consideration as a person who had broken their back any other way, wouldn't you?



This is, of course, rubbish. There is a massive difference between relaxing with friends and being at work. Depression manifests itself in a variety of different ways and it's simply ridiculous to suggest that sufferers should either stay at home all day or get themselves back to work.

in your opinion, which is fine, I don't share it, if you were signed off sick and then seen at the cinema with friends, I'd imagine your emploter would have words.