|
Disabled harassed
by Irish Government in welfare fraud cover up
| Exclusive
to Mad-as-Hell.Com, by Abigail Pope |
The Irish
Department of Social, Community and Family
Affairs is targeting the sick and disabled in
what appears to be an attempt to show that they
are tackling the embarrasing major welfare fraud,
which they say doesn't really exist.
Many of those who are receiving disability
payments are being called up for examination by
the department's doctors (details of
qualifications and experience of whom have been
refused to us despite a request under the Freedom
of Information Act). The examination will
consist of a 10 minute physical examination with
questions, which will result in many being
refused benefit payments without any
valid medical reason; thus adding
to the government's detected fraud claims.
One disabled man who was refused payment after
such an examination was denied even unemployment
payments, due to the fact that he refused to sign
a declaration the he was 'capable, available and
seeking work'. It took him six years to get the
decision reversed, his disability payments
returned and his name cleared. His claim is once
more under review.
When interviewed by us, he said, "If they
really are interested in stopping fraud, why were
the complaints made by my wife about local fraud
ignored?" "And why did my Member of
Parliament express the opinion that the dept
considered me a troublemaker for making such
complaints, and was retaliating by discriminating
against me over my claim for benefit?"
It should be remembered
that similar to unemployment payments, disability
payments are pretty much subsistance payments,
which no-one in their right minds would choose to
live on exclusivly. Therefore, yet again, those
who will suffer the most, will be those genuine
claiments who are soley dependent on their
benefit. It is they who will have to go through
the lenghthy appeals system; supposedly
independent, but staffed by ex Dept. of Social
Welfare staff. To avail of a weekly income, they
will have a choice; sign on the dole personally
(in rural areas, this consists of a possible long
walk to the local Garda station once a month), or
personally walk to their local Community Welfare
clinic to receive the 'Supplementary Welfare
allowance, the lowest of all Irish welfare
payments. (Apart from that given to asylum
seekers that is)
Those who were defrauding
the system, by working while in receipt of their
disability payments, will not have to walk
anywhere. They will be taking a few minutes off
work, while they drive.
Donegal sends
aid to New York
As the rest of Ireland and much of the
rest of the world sends aid to the
victims of the terrorist attack on the
US, a Donegal
village has gone one step further; by
sending members of its community far and
wide, from house to house; collecting
money to send its band to New York, for
next year's St. Patrick's Day parade. |
 |
|
Racism in the Deep South
The little
girl pictured left, is on her way to
school, through a violent protest in
Belfast, Northern Ireland, a land of
inbred hate and violence. However,
what hasn't had as much coverage, is the
more civilized brand of racism we have
down south, in the Republic.
In Menlough, County Galway, parents have
withdrawn their children from school,
refusing to have them educated alongside
the children of other families different
to themselves; children of the
'travelling community'.
Time perhaps for a reminder for those who
compare what is happening in Belfast to
what happened in the deep south of the
USA all those years ago, that in
Ireland's deep south, the minorities
still fight for desegregation, while in
the North, parents of both 'communities'
force their children to remain segregated
in their respective church schools.
This month, Ireland has taken yet another
great step towards unity, as Amnesty
International described the Republic's
racism as "staggering".
|
No shit Sherlock!
After the news that foot and
mouth is beginning to spread
again in the UK, a spokesman for the
Irish Agriculture Ministry has said that
"there was evidence that
disinfectant mats were not being
maintained" in Ireland.
This is what Mad-as-Hell.Com has been
saying since the height of the epidemic.
Full details in our previous editions.
'Unemployment'
reaches new low in Donegal
Despite the national labour
shortage, Donegal still has the
highest unemployment in Ireland.
This has been highlighted by the fact
that hotels have been forced to use
workers as young as 13, along with
foreign immigrants from places as diverse
as The Congo and South America.
What the
duck...?
A man has been fined £50 for a
litter offence in Donegal Town.
His crime? He was feeding the ducks by
the quay side, when the local litter
warden approached him and told him he was
littering the area and he would have to
fine him.
|
80% of Donegal farmers
earn less than £80 a week
Poverty appears to be rife in
Donegal, with the news that a survey has
shown that 80% of farming
households have an income of less than
£80 per week. Luckily for them, they can
survive by receiving means tested
unemployment payments.
One such 'unemployed' Donegal farmer has
just extended his farm, by paying
£200,000 for his neighbour's land.
 The Babe does it again
Donegal's Junior
Minister, Mary 'The Babe' Coughlan, has
put her foot in it again, by
making a public outburst concerning
Ireland's heavy drinking habits.
Apparently un-noticed by
her, and un-noticed
by the media, a
major night club, just down the road from
Ms. Coughlan's home, openly advertised a
'celebration' disco for the night of the
15th of August, the day Ireland's Leaving
Certificate students
received their results. Leaving cert
students are generally under 18, the
legal age for drinking in Ireland.
Unrelated to the above,
Mad-as-Hell.Com is offering a prize of 5
euros to the first person to point us to
a photo of Ms Coughlan with her mouth
closed.
 It's
that man again!
Fianna Fail councillor and
convicted drunk driver, Sean McEniff,
is considering taking legal action
against Irish weather forecasters for
continuly forcasting rain for Donegal,
which he says is damaging trade in the
seaside town of Bundoran, most of which
he owns.
The Mad-as-Hell.Com annual staff outing
this year was held in Bundoran. The
forecast that day was for light winds,
with an occasional light shower. It
rained heavy all day, with a strong wind.
Mad-as-Hell.com is now considering takng
legal action against the forecasters.
|
Brazilians
involved in Donegal mass slaughter
Mad-as-Hell.Com has learned that
45 Brazilian legal immigrants are
being employed by a Donegal meat firm.
Sources have said that they are on an
Irish Government, year long, all expenses
paid contract.
Foreigners taking desparatly needed jobs
in an area of mass unemployment? Or
further evidence of a welfare fraud cover
up?
And
let that be a lesson to you
The Irish Minister for Education,
Dr Michael Woods has described the offer
of £27 an hour to teachers for
supervision duties as good, and said that
most people would consider it to be a
fair offer.
The teacher's union however have refused
the offer for supervising breaks etc.,
which previously, they were un-paid
(extra).
Last year, teachers striking for this
payment seriously disrupted Irish
schools, resulting in many pupils having
to return to school for an extra year.
Appologies, not quite correct. That
should read: 'resulting in many pupils
from financialy less well off families,'
as those from better off families
employed striking teachers to give
private tuition on the days of the
strikes.
A 'fair offer'? £27 an hour for standing
around in a playground or dining room?
Even farmers on the dole in Donegal don't
earn that much, and they work hard.
|
Donegal's unemployed
gripped by fear
The news
that arrests for drunk driving in Donegal
are well above the country's average, at
65% up on this time last year,
has horrified the local unemployed. A
spokesperson for the Donegal branch of
the Unemployed Drunk Drivers Association
(UDDA) has voiced the concern that the
Gardai (the Irish police farce) might
target the unemployed, in an attempt to
reduce the level of drink driving. The
spokesperson went on to say, "We're
seriously concerned that the gardai might
start refusing to certify our members as
unemployed, in order to reduce their
income and force them out of the pubs.
It's grossly unfair on our lower paid
members who rely on their dole for beer
money."
However, it's not all bad news, as the
gardai have warned motorists not to drink
and drive during the August bank holiday
weekend, because they'll be breathalizing
round the clock, targeting motorcyclists
and young drivers. This is good news for
UDDA members, as most do not fall into
the above catagories.
Thanks to The Donegal Doleman for this
article
|
You can make a
difference
In view of the failure of the British and
Irish governments to bring the Omagh bombers to
justice, the victims have launced a civil case
against the alleged perpatrators. You can make a
difference in Ireland by showing your support in
the fight against terrorism, by donating to the
legal fund, which needs to raise £1,000,000.
Unbelievably, the fund is well sort of target.
Ponder this for a moment; should the British
government pull out of their plans to fund the
memorial to Diana, Queen of Tarts, how long do
you think it would take for the public to raise
the £3,000,000?
Donations can be sent to: Royal Bank of
Scotland, Fleet Street Branch, London, EC4.
Sort code: 16-00-11
Account number: 100 84 990
Account name: Omagh Victims Legal Trust
Also, donations can be made by credit card by
calling 0870 907 2000 or by cheque to the legal
firm handling the case, made out to the Omagh
Victims Legal Trust c/o H2O, 5 John Street,
London WC1N 2HH.
|
| Latest
Irish news |
| |
| Mad-As-Hell.Com |
Editor: Howard Beale
©
2001 mad-as-hell.com |
| Latest
weather |
[*] -
Censored in case of any misunderstanding
At present, for all functions to work,
please use Internet Explorer
Mad-As-Hell.Com is under major
re-construction. We hope to have the site
finished soon. If you have any
information that that you think we'd be
interested in, please let us know. Please
bear in mind that because of the strict
Irish libel laws, anything published on
this site must be verifiable.
At present, for all functions to work,
please use Internet Explorer
Mad-As-Hell.Com is under major
re-construction. We hope to have the site
finished soon. If you have any
information that that you think we'd be
interested in, please let us know. Please
bear in mind that because of the strict
Irish libel laws, anything published on
this site must be verifiable.
|
At present, for all functions to work,
please use Internet Explorer
|
|
