Could this idea save the so-called ‘welfare’ reforms?
I’ve had a thought – and it moves me to ask: could this idea save the so-called ‘welfare’ reforms?
It came to me after watching last Thursday’s (March 20, 2025) edition of the BBC’s Question Time, in which most of the panellists seemed desperate to avoid addressing the elephant in the room – the fact that the Labour government’s planned changes to the benefit system won’t work.
The reason they won’t work is that the plan is to push people off sickness and disability benefits and into jobs – but there are no jobs to push them into.
I have devised an answer, and you can learn what it is in the video clip below. I look forward to your comments:
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Benefit actually helps disabled people to stay in jobs, they tell us.
The kinds of jobs done by migrants are casual, not unionised, zero hour contracts and very low paid. They exist because they get help in an extended family set up for housing and food and clothing.
Work is stressful even if not manual. People with stress injury, anxiety and clinical depression would be worse off in a job environment.
Benefit contributes to the economy the same as work, as it employs staff in DWP / Jobcentres, and the claimants spend 100 per cent of their benefit, which means they pay more tax than the well off, because most tax comes from money spent and bills paid from stealth taxes like VAT on your energy bills, excise duties including on computer stuff, and buying from local shops who then use the profit to pay their invoices.
My policies would make benefit back to being admin minimal as in the past, ending the staff in Jobcentres, Sanction decision makers, and constant re-assessments. Bringing back Life Awards for disability / chronic sick benefits from the original diagnosing doctor. People on benefit are not a cost but spread money around the economy in a useful cycle.
Seeking executive founders please, to start new From Infants to Over 50s political party, with fully people written election manifesto for council and national elections.
Example of benefits policies on page:
https://www.over50sparty.org.uk/benefits
If Government had started training programmes, and subsidised Medical degrees years ago sick people would not have to wait so long for treatment now and would be in a better position to take up employment. In the area where we live ( and so do you ) there is only one job my grandson can apply for. And I have to wait 4 weeks to consult a GP. I think your ideas are good.
Thanks for the endorsement – and I think everybody here knows how bad the waiting times for seeing a GP are. I made an appointment in January, attended it in February, had to have tests done and am still awaiting the results.
I know someome who has never had a job, and lives on ESA and disability benefits. She is intelligent and well- educated, to post grad level, but has heart problems, autism and OCD. She would like to work and has done voluntary work. She is also a talented writer who has been published in anthologies, but never made money from it.
She has been on at least three courses to teach her how to get a job. (She told me what I had done wrong in my CV).
However my incorrectly laid out CV showed details of actual work history. A matter of greater importance to potential employers than whether it used the DWP recommended layout.
At one of the few interviews she ever got , she was asked if she had ever had a problem with another person and how she had dealt with it. She simply couldn’t answer because as she put it “I didnt know what they meant”. Needless to say, she didnt get the job.
In the right environment, with understanding colleagues, she would be capable of doing a very high level job, but the employer would need to not only see her potential despite her interview technique but alsoaccommodate her limitations as well as use her abilities.
Any role which involves dealing with people is potentially problematic.
Maybe the DWP should look at working with employers to create safe working evironments that can accommodate people’s disabilities, instead of trying to motivate disabled people to do things they can’t.
You make excellent points – especially about trying to make people do the impossible.
it doesn’t matter whot if how we have allowed our governments to cut up our welfare system so that the outside cowboys are running the show under government rules they laid down for said companies all savings are now rushed of shore so they control the monies with back handers to the boys jobs offered under pretence of just signing a book monthly and so on. it’s become a Brian Rix our glorious government of the day now this but sadly blame the people on benefits but when you look oh dear alot are working on pays that don’t pay a living wage so governments are at fault not those on benefits