THE HULME TUNE

If you remember in my video blog I told you about a letter I received from Manchester City Council Tax office threatening me with a visit from the bailiffs - if I didn’t pay them £100 within 10 days before they take my bed & settee, fridge & cooker, toilet roll & light bulbs away.

If they take my toilet roll, I can always use their last DEMAND. Is it any wonder crime is on the increase when poor people are victimised by harsh penalties, by something that should be illegal, which they cannot afford to pay?

Well, they sent me another letter to pay £20 or they’ll take my bed or cooker away within 7 days. What a horrible regime like thing to do - to try to force disabled people to beg, steal or get into serious debt to pay for local council over-spending!

If we sent charity AID to Africa for the poor and then, on its way, the Government stopped it and said, “We’ll now take a percentage back as shipping taxes.” - we’d be outraged, protesting outside Downing Street, and sending pettitions in the 1000’s. But, those of us on Incap suffer this injustice every week from this Government - all because it’s not called Income Support.

What? A person getting the same amount of Income Support can be entitled to 100% Council Tax Benefit but Incap claimants have to pay a percentage.

“NO!” You cry, “Surely not here in a rich nation?”

Yep! Taking a poor man’s bed from him to pay council tax, when he cannot afford it on benefits. How sad! Are we a proud nation now?

I told the Council Tax Unit that I can only afford to pay £5 a month, so they hit me with a DEMAND for £20 to be PAID WITHIN 7 DAYS or BAILIFFS will take my bed or cooker.

There are mentally disabled human beings and those who have come out of hospital that claim Incap, who probably find it very difficult to cope with DEMANDS for some portion of their benefit.

Maybe we can set up an fund to help our poor unfortunate Manchester City Council Tax Unit to run its service without taking back (legally) off its own poor - I’m sure you, the generous public, would help this good cause and MCCTU would stop taking AID back off the poor.

Yes! Any Benefit is really charitable AID to the poor of this country - human rights and all that!

The answer on the NHS is - OPERATION!

Yes, what a shock but its true. Last year I developed tooth ache and after that discovered, after calling into a NHS Drop-In Centre, I have a hernia. My own NHS dentist, 175 Royce Road, stopped treating NHS patients. My doctor booked me online for my hernia.

To cut a long blog short… I’m going into hospital next week for an operation for an umbilical hernia and I’ve still not found a NHS dentist for my tooth ache. It only needs filling, my tooth that is - the other needs stitching.

Maybe if I slip the surgeon a fiver he can pull my tooth out at the same time. If so, would he give me a lipo-suck for a tenner and the face of Brad Pitt for £20? Worth a try!

I’m still waiting for Tony Lloyd MP, Labour, to get back to me about this mental dental issue.

Did i see a Polish doctor on the BBC 6 O’clock News this week? The Government pays this GP to fly over from Poland, very tired (Is that safe? Is that legal?) every weekend, and drives him around Aberdeen doing out-of-hours visits. Carbon footprints and more tax-payers money.

Hang on! If it this was the same as NHS dentists it would be a case of.. “Sorry, you’re not feeling well but we can only treat you if you’re at the point of needing a transplant - call back then and we’ll see if we can fit you in… 2 weeks to live.? We only got an appointment in 16 days.. morning or afternoon… you’re at the undertakers that morning.. ok, 2 o’clock in the afternoon for you OK?”

Why don’t they fly a bunch of dentists over from Poland as well, and have mobile dentists going around Manchester doing NHS treatment which everybody has already paid for? Tony Lloyd’s assistant suggested that we’d be taking Polish dentists away from them… but they take their GP’s without batting an eye-lid.