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A Latent Existence

Illness, disability, welfare, and politics

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Latentexistence is a thirty-something who is married, has two cats, lives in a broken body and is stuck in bed a lot. He likes messing around on computers, gaming, and ranting about politics in written form. Latentexistence also occasionally writes for The Pod Delusion and Where's The Benefit? Read More…

zpool examples

ZFS and Ubuntu Home Server howto

May 21, 2013 Leave a Comment

A while ago I bought myself a HP Microserver - a cheap, low power box which has four 3.5" drive bays and an optical drive bay. I bought it to run as a home server which would back up all my data as well as serve up video, music and photos around the house. I had decided before buying that I wanted to store my data using the ZFS filesystem since ZFS was the only filesystem at the time which offered guaranteed data integrity. (It still is the only filesystem of release quality which offers this, although BTRFS is catching up.) I have become almost obsessed with ZFS because of the overwhelming benefits it offers but I won't go into them here. Instead I recommend watching this talk by the creators of ZFS (Part 1, part 2, part 3) or read … [Read More...]

Whistleblower says Atos Work Capability Assessments are unfair

May 16, 2013 Leave a Comment

A doctor who worked for Atos carrying out Work Capability Assessments has resigned and has told the BBC that the assessments are unfair. He says that pressure was put on Atos staff to change the outcome of the reports. But Dr Wood has criticised some of the tests which he says contain "dubious concepts and shaky reasoning". He claims assessors are told that if a claimant can walk from the kitchen to the sitting room, it proves they can walk 200m (650ft); and if a person can dress themselves once during the day that is proof they have enough concentration and motivation to hold down a job. He insists these rules are not published in handbooks and guides, instead they are simply spoken about in training sessions. Dr Wood, who was … [Read More...]

Trabasack Wheelchair Tray

DECT phone handset

I hate telephones

May 14, 2013 5 Comments

I have always had a problem with talking on the phone, long before I ever encountered depression or anxiety as long term problems. People who know me might find that funny because I used to sell mobile phones for a living and I have had a smartphone … [Read More...]

Riot police

Water cannon, CS gas bullets – government intimidating the public

May 13, 2013 Leave a Comment

In the last few days there have been a number of news stories about how the police intend to respond to riots this summer. It seems that the Home Office and the Metropolitan Police are suddenly convinced that there are going to be riots, and they … [Read More...]

If it’s not a bedroom tax then it’s not a spare room subsidy policy either

May 12, 2013 7 Comments

This is a clip from the Six O'Clock News on Radio 4 today. It is about a woman who killed herself and left a note blaming the government cuts to her housing benefit. I suppose I should be grateful that the BBC are reporting this story at all, … [Read More...]

Steven Sumpter on Sky News

PIP Judicial Review given the go ahead

May 4, 2013 4 Comments

The court gave the go ahead on Friday the 3rd of May for the legal challenge against PIP to proceed to a full judicial review. This decision represents a big step in the process as it means that a judge has heard from both my own lawyers and the … [Read More...]

Me in my wheelchair

Cough, cough

April 26, 2013 1 Comment

It's been a couple of weeks since my last blog post. That's because reality decided to reassert itself in my life and I've been reminded quite forcibly that I am, in fact, ill. I never seem to notice when my health has been good until afterwards … [Read More...]

justice - lawyersites

Why I am suing the government

April 9, 2013 13 Comments

I receive Disability Living Allowance. DLA provides help for people who are disabled to live a normal life on a more equal footing. DLA provides two components, care and mobility, that pay for carers, cars, wheelchairs, but also taxi fares, … [Read More...]

Steven Sumpter on Sky News

Replacement of disability living allowance headline news for hours

April 8, 2013 8 Comments

The replacement of DLA with PIP was the main story all morning until cruelly kicked from the headlines before the evening news. Here are some collected clips and links. Steven Sumpter on Sky News - Video (Main headline all … [Read More...]

justice - lawyersites

Announcement: legal action against the DWP over the #PIP consultation

April 8, 2013 11 Comments

I am one of three people asking for a Judicial Review over the consultation for Personal Independence Payments. The request for a judicial review is on the basis that the Department for Work and Pensions did not conduct a proper consultation for … [Read More...]

Vile product of MP's expenses

Vile Product of MP’s Expenses

April 5, 2013 3 Comments

George Osborne was seen yesterday getting into his Chauffeur-driven 32mpg luxury Land Rover Discovery 4, paid for by taxpayer's money, in a parking space reserved for those with genuine need. The feckless chancellor had stopped for lunch at … [Read More...]

What do people spend DLA on? #DLAsurvey

April 4, 2013 Leave a Comment

Peter Oborne attacked Disability Living Allowance in The Telegraph today, saying "On Monday, the disability living allowance – for so long a charter for deceit and recipe for state-sponsored idleness – will be replaced by a far more humane and … [Read More...]

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@latentexistence

  • It's getting light and the cats are demanding breakfast when I've not even slept yet. about 30 mins ago
  • I suspect those cultural values include human rights, freedom of thought and association. about 3 hours ago
  • "The group would focus on practical measures rather than getting bogged down in theoretical debates about Britishness and cultural values." about 3 hours ago
  • PM launches anti-terror task force - London Evening Standard - http://t.co/WMS5cT9EdA about 3 hours ago
  • Capping GP visits. That's the end of healthcare for all. Too sick? You're fucked. about 4 hours ago

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