Going through Debt and the effects it has on you mental health.

Debt an it's effect on your mental health

 

This is a blog I have thought about doing for some time now, but have been to afraid to do it as I thought the response I would get is that it is your own fault you done wrong now you have to pay for it and as you read you will understand what I mean by this.

 

14 years ago I pleaded guilty of benefit fraud, stupid I know but it happened, I served 3 months in prison for this and as they say you do the crime, you do the time, and in my case this happened, you then have to pay the money back, not a problem and I was, in fact when I found employment I was paying it back at an amount I could afford (I'm not going to go into how much at this stage but I there was an agreement in place).

 

I worked for nearly 10 years for the same firm until the summer of 2013 when due to a mental illness and being bullied I was dismissed from my job and became unemployed, even though I was claiming Jobseeker Allowance, the agreement I had was still in place with no problem what so ever with it that was until May 2015 when the agreement I had was scrapped.

 

This is where my problems started and this government, well lets put it this way are screwing who ever they can the rob the poor to pay the rich so to speak.

 

From the time I lost my job up until May 2015 nearly 2 years I was receiving £73.10 per week, £292.40 per month, plus my housing benefit of £300 per month, by the time I had paid all my bills and other out going in was left with about £1.75 per day to live on. 

 

So to my shock and horror in April 2015 I received a letter from DWP stating they were going to be taking £29.60 per week from my JSA a sum total of £118.40 per month (I know some people reading this will say well serves you right you defrauded the government) well to them let me say this before I go any further, I had an agreement in place was paying the money back at a rate I could afford, never missed a payment and was always on time with the payments). This left me with about £2.10 to live on per week, I tell you this you try and live on £2.10 per week and tell me your opinions and how you cope with it.

 

So I went to the CAB and was advised to do a mandatory reconsideration stating financial hardship and is it possible to reduce the repayment rate, this I did, then I received a reply stating the following "Due to a ministerial announcement on 3rd November 2014 stated the department would no longer reduce deduction's rates of recovery of overpayment and Financial Hardship was not an adequate reason for reducing the deductions" I guess this Minister is Mr Iain Duncan-Smith the man who pays £30 for a breakfast and then says people can live on £3 per day (What a knob, Sorry but he is), This is the same Minister who is reducing some sick benefits by £30 per week really and this country put these idiots in charge of our country.

 

I was sent a speech that The then Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude gave at a Dobs Conference on Debt, in it he stated the following:-

 

"There are people who genuinely cannot pay and need our support - and what they don't need if different arms of government chasing them, we need to be chasing the won't payers and not the can't payers who can pay a bit"

 

My question to this Tory Government is what happened to this idea, why was it not taken on board.

 

What I will point out at this moment is this "I HAVE NO RIGHT TO APPEAL THIS DECISION MADE" so this means that the government have got you over a barrel and you basically have no rights in this country, well that's what I thought so I made a complaint to the European Courts For Human Rights, article 22 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights act 1948 states everyone has the right to affordable housing, medicine, education, child care and "ENOUGH MONEY TO LIVE ON", AND medical help if we are ill. My complaint was unsuccessful, so thus this means that this government can basically do what every the hell they like and get away with it.

The effect this is now having on my mental health is very profound and I have some days where I feel what the hell am I on this earth for as I have bills coming in and have no money to pay them and the pressure is getting more and more profound, so much so it has come to the point I don't sleep at night and have no energy, I go some days where I don't have anything to eat which is no good for you state of mind or your body, (THERE WILL BE MANY PEOPLE WHO ARE READING THIS AND SAY WELL YOU ONLY HAVE YOURSELF TO BLAME), to them I say this yes I realise what you are saying and understand where you are coming from, but and this is a big but I have done my time and now 14 years later I am still paying for it, is this right who knows but it there is one thing I am is a fighter and I don't give in.

To Mr Iain Duncan-Smith in his £1500 suits who cheers in Parliament take a good long hard look at yourself and tell us the people of the country the real figures of the people who have gone on and taken their own lives because of "YOUR" policies, that I have no doubt will send this country at some point in the future anarchy.

I will leave you with this.

"Failure isn't about falling down, failure is staying down"

POWER TO THE PEOPLE