Good evening, Dear Readers! How are you? It is always wonderful to see you! I hope that you are keeping well! Stay focused and strong. Maintain an unwavering resolve! I am going to continue to fight the good fight! Earlier on, I had a rather interesting conversation with a Universal Credit Service Centre operative... SENSE & SENSIBILITIES Yes, I had to give the Universal Credit Service Centre a call to see if I could learn as to what the heck is happening with my Mandatory Reconsideration Notices for the systematic and consecutive sanctions for November & December 2016. Someone calling his or herself a "decision maker" is certainly taking his or her sweet time in coming to a conclusion as to whether the sanctions are justified or not. Again, I know that the sanctions are based on horseshit and it could very well be why I am being made to wait... Perhaps some "legal experts" are trying to find a way to either make the sanctions stick or to justify them. Whatever the case may be, I am ready! I was pleasantly surprised in speaking with this Service Centre operative as she was very sympathetic to my situation. Most of the time I have been unfortunate to have come into contact with complete and utter assholes who clearly do not give a shit. One of the things that I put to her was this, "If a decision (on a Mandatory Reconsideration Notice) has not been made in what can be considered as a reasonable period of time then the sanction should automatically become null and void." Think about it... They say it can take up to 28 days to make a decision and I don't see what it is they are pontificating about that it should go beyond 28 days. So, beyond a 28-day period, the sanction or sanctions should be nullified by default. It is not acceptable to make the claimant wait indefinitely when he or she is experiencing the fallout of a sanction. Let me tell you something right now... If you get sanctioned for 28 days it is practically game over! There is no money to pay the bills; the most important bills are the Gas, Electric and Broadband. These are the basic elements that will allow for the claimant looking for work online to be prolific in search and application. The Service Centre operative was in agreement. Apparently, she will make a note of my suggestion and share it with these mysterious nefarious decision makers. Another thing that I should have advocated was that if a sanction or a series of sanctions were proven to be imposed unfairly, in error, knowingly false, and/or without due justification then there should be a fine to pay. The fine should be for x4 the amount of Welfare Assistance sanctioned plus any fees to the claimant such as banking fees i.e. unpaid direct debits, late payment fees, payments to debt collectors and so on. It is only fair. Look, the reason why we have a Welfare System is because there are times when people require some assistance to maintain their welfare - their well-being. Sure, I do understand that some people have abused the Welfare System but, then again, how many politicians have made false expenses - let alone false election campaign promises? It's swings and roundabouts! In any event, I do not see the point in robbing the vulnerable of their Welfare Assistance. It is the most stupidest idea by a modern government in a so-called modern country that is said to be an influence upon the world. That's just plain nuts! Oh, if the claimant who has been unduly sanctioned has incurred County Court Judgements they should be expunged by the DWP/Universal Credit institution(s). A CCJ on your record could stop you from getting certain jobs. I am surprised that my former work coax and current work coach didn't suggest working on security. Gosh! I wish someone at my JCP would suggest that I work on security... Nothing extravagant... It's one of those jobs where I wear a uniform and find myself sitting in front of a monitor or two. Cosy! Or like what you see in the supermarkets... Anyway, if someone at my JCP were to push me into the Security Industry I would sue for damages as my Credit Score must be shot to hell by now! A poor Credit Score can affect a few jobs such as security! Let me tell you a quick story.... One day I found myself at the supermarket ATM - a row of 3; a security person stood to my left and was checking his account.... MONEY!!! My goodness!!! This guy earned a fairly decent wage!!! As tempting as it is to get into security, I know that I wouldn't stand a chance - not with my Credit Score today! And it is because some freaking assholes deciding that I could do without the most part of £500 and for no justifiable reason! If I weren't looking for work maybe I could understand... But I have been actively seeking work and I do not understand these sanctions at all! I even said to the Service Centre operative, "How's taking away my ability to pay the bills helping me to look for work???" Even though she's not paid to answer such a question she did say that she'll make a note of my comments and pass them on to the appropriate channel. It freaks me out that no MP - they Tory, Labour, LibDem, Green, etc have clocked how stupid the action of sanctioning Welfare Assistance is. I think that Jeremy Corbyn (Labour leader) and Mhairi Black (SNP) have challenged the government on this. Every other MP appears to think that the government stance on this issue is justified. Honestly, as much as I understand the frustrations of the working man/woman; the shake-up measures that politicians want to maintain and the apathy of those who want better working conditions, it is clear that sanctioning the Welfare Assistance of the vulnerable to make them even more vulnerable is NOT JUSTIFIABLE! NO! IT JUST ISN'T! Sure, the Benefits System needs a shake-up but let's call it what it really is, Welfare Assistance. When you go to work and get a good wage for your time then it is a benefit. If you work and put in long hours and you have to claim some kind of Welfare Assistance then I have to ask, "Why aren't you getting adequate pay for the hours that you put in?" And... "If you have to claim some sort of Welfare Assistance such as Housing, then would you refer to that assistance as a 'Benefit?'" I don't see how having to claim Welfare Assistance because your job pays you in peanuts as a "Benefit". The word "Benefits" to describe "Welfare Assistance" gives the wrong impression straight off the bat! The media loves to wind up working people with these stories of people "Benefiting" from Welfare Assistance payouts for things like private housing, child care and so on. The truth is that a majority of us who happen to require Welfare Assistance want to get a decent paying job as soon as it is possible. Londoners face the highest housing rent prices in the UK! Honestly, if you think that I am living the life of Riley on £79 a week you really must be as thick as horseshit! I can't say that I have a life - certainly not the kind of life that I had envisaged. I haven't been on holiday in over 6 years; I hardly have any money to spend on clothing - let alone certain labels; I don't go out to the movies (not that there is anything decent playing in cinemas today) and so on. No! No! No! I am not blaming anyone for the state that I am in. Since returning to this country from Holland, Amsterdam, in 2001, I tried to hit the ground running. I tried to arrive with a job to go to. I had it in mind that my work experience would have done it for me. The reason why I left the UK was to get a career as a Graphic & Multimedia Designer. I really had it in mind that this experience would have stood me in good stead upon my return. I have had bouts of employment and unemployment. Trust me, I am not content to sit there twiddling my thumbs doing nothing. I have always tried to get a good job or tried an idea for a business. And in this recent bout of unemployment, I have experienced for a whole year some idiot work coax getting in my way. Rather than to work with me this Tricky Vicky, as I call her, decided to get in my way. I know that the work coach/coax isn't a careers advisor but the last thing they should be doing is to sabotage the efforts of the clientele to find work. That's one year of my life gone that I can't get back! One whole year of playing some kind of idiot game with my former work coax; I would tell her what I am doing and why (to find work) and she'd counter with something so idiotic that if I shot her in the head at point-blank range I'd still miss her brain. ONE A MORE POSITIVE NOTE Again, I am very happy with my new work coach; we seem to be getting along well. I do love that she speaks crystal clearly and that she can think. She listens too! Gosh! The woman who I spoke to in the Service Centre said that she is going to help to speed things up! But I have heard that before... Still, I know that I have won already. It is just a matter of time before my victory is acknowledged. I am looking to inflict maximum legal damage for the pile of shit that was heaped on me. I am also looking to keep my word that I will be in a job by April this year. My work coach seems to realise that it is all down to me; I am extremely motivated and that the best way to help me is to let me get on with it. I want a career, not a job. There is a difference. With a career I expect longevity. When you make do in a job you either quit, get fired or get made redundant. I expect to be respected for taking the time to find a career when I could have taken a crap job with low pay and still claim some kind of Welfare Assistance top up. Some people just do not understand that it is my right as a Human Being to determine my own vocation and ultimately my life. I will fight tooth and nail to maintain that right. I will not bow to foolishness - especially wayward unintelligent work coaxes - and neither should you! Thanks for reading!