Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to press ahead with savage welfare cuts, describing the current system as “unsustainable, indefensible and unfair”.

I've always felt that Keir Starmer would follow this route. I do not consider this a 'proper' Labour government. They are penalising the poor, the farmers and now those unfit for work yet the rich, as usual, go unscathed. I live in terror of benefits to my autistic son being cut. He is autistic, but physically fit and his unfitness for work may not be obvious, immediately. I foresee him having a cut in what he receives and then being sent from job to job, which he will lose, hate everything, become increasingly disturbed, and start the process again. He's 27 and I'm 74. It's one of the reasons I still work full time. The number of people who will be made anxious (and who may, conveniently, take advantage of assisted suicide, dare I say, because of this) is, in my view, considerable. The number of people who actually receive benefits when they should not is probably fairly small. People will be hounded, frightened and penalised for being ill. The amount of money saved will be negligible, in terms of what goes on, for instance, foreign aid, where the money is often siphoned off by unscrupulous governments for their own needs. Hands off the disabled, I say. It is 'British' to be generous, and to care for the weak. Find funds elsewhere.

StoneofDestiny

As a country we are still bringing in overseas workers to fill jobs in our NHS and Care Homes. We even bring in workers from overseas to do agricultural work. Why? Because we have people refusing to do those crop picking jobs because it's easier to claim benefits.

When I've needed the NHS (and if I ever need care) I would far rather have somebody from overseas with the necessary skills and motivation than somebody from the UK who has been bullied into doing the job because his/her benefits have been stopped. I'm not persuaded that their motivation would be very high.

nightowl

We bring in workers from overseas because they are willing to work for low wages, this keeps wages low and not at a level where people can pay their rent or buy a house and have a family. It’s not fair to demonise people born here who have no skills and no bargaining power.

I'm a bit baffled here. If people genuinely have no skills, how can they do the jobs we need foreign workers to do? I don't want to pay for (either directly or indirectly through taxation) an unskilled person to do a skilled job - especially if it involves providing some service to me personally.

Unskilled people are hardly being demonised.

Sorry to say this but you are wrong, Thatcher did destroy it, she wanted to change the way the working classes voted, she bulldozed the East End as well for the same reason. She wanted everyone voting Tory.

The system may be bad, but it's businesses that employ people not the Government and I don't think most businesses want the the Disabled.

We bring in workers from overseas because they are willing to work for low wages, this keeps wages low and not at a level where people can pay their rent or buy a house and have a family. It’s not fair to demonise people born here who have no skills and no bargaining power.

As a country we are still bringing in overseas workers to fill jobs in our NHS and Care Homes. We even bring in workers from overseas to do agricultural work. Why? Because we have people refusing to do those crop picking jobs because it's easier to claim benefits.

Those who can work, should work. It's not about targeting those with significant disabilities, it's about targeting those who make excuses not to do any work or who find it more beneficial to live on benefits rather than work for their money. The increasing numbers of people claiming stress or depression as a reason to stay at home is insupportable. Yes, these are real ailments, but those at work with stress and depression cannot be expected to effectively pay for the upkeep of those who remain at home with 'stress and depression'. It's too easy to do that.

I’m in what was a cotton mill, engineering, manufacturing town. No mills and no large scale manufacturing or engineering sadly. Demands change, our mills were kept going by the Pakistani people invited to work in them when my parents generation thought better of it
We import from China because folk want cheap fashion
We’ve failed to train our young folks in building trades etc

There is little work available in some areas, and few workers available locally to fill posts in ( for example) agriculture. Not everyone can uproot to go where the work is.
Other jobs need people with experience, who are not fragile physically or mentally.

A distant relative has long term mental health problems, but she is highly intelligent, and thanks to her CPN has eventually made huge progress. She is the sort of person who needs specialist support to find suitable employment, with appropriate modifications to ease her in, after many years on benefits. She has qualifications but very little experience and has not been in work for over 15 years now. She does not need some tick box exercise by a poorly trained DWP worker with no understanding of her health condition who abandons her or, worse, sanctions her when it all goes pear-shaped in an unsuitable job.
There are no easy answers.

I sent the morning with a friend who isnt generally political but due to her job in touch with families where youngsters are failing to get work and asked her" what does she think would help".
She said community schemes for unemployed where there is a mixture of "Carrot and stick" - ie support, but benefits at risk if well people dont turn up.

Well, a long slow deterioration as goods became more cheap from abroad, and British from outsourcing work to cheap l
Labour countries. You are right Iam that industries like construction that we have could be fostered better: long term the government is due to produce its major strategy in June, but there is a lot of pressure to act on some areas sooner than that and probably strategies on Life Sciences (where we are strong in research but could be stronger) will come sooner.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/feb/12/labour-postpones-long-awaited-industrial-strategy

Our manufacturing industries weren’t deliberately run down. I fear what was deliberate, or more likely neglected, was setting up proper youth training schemes for eg building trades

No politician would "deliberately destroy manufacturing" - they wouldn't be so daft, ILove Cheese They might concentrate resources on some other sector that they thought (rightly or wrongly) was going to bring in more to the economy, but they wouldn't look at manufaturing and say to themselves "We must actively destroy this!!!".

Deliberate destruction?

The deliberate destruction of manufacturing in this country must have contributed to so many young people not being in employment or training.

Wyllow3

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Barleyfields

I couldn’t agree more with all you have said Baggs. Even the most mundane job should be something you take pride in and do to the best of your ability. A lot of us feel that about housework, for which we don’t get paid.

First thing Starmer has said that I have agreed with - I hope something is actually done about the people who can work but won’t.

I have great hopes about this.
Well said Starmer. Now - you have a huge majority, let’s see the drive to do it. 🤞

Having a huge majority will get laws through, but makes no difference to the nitty gritty of making changes.

To make better, fairer, checking up assessments depends on having enough adequate, and sometimes adequately trained staff - which we don't have.

This is why I suggest caution in expectations. Not that the end goal isnt vital, but not at some magical speed.

The biggest mistake would be speedy implementation I think, because otherwise people who genuinely need help will be denied it. I’d like to see a careful implementation which sets up support services, including for those with mental health conditions, then starts picking off the low lying fruit before the people with long term conditions.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Barleyfields

I couldn’t agree more with all you have said Baggs. Even the most mundane job should be something you take pride in and do to the best of your ability. A lot of us feel that about housework, for which we don’t get paid.

First thing Starmer has said that I have agreed with - I hope something is actually done about the people who can work but won’t.

I have great hopes about this.
Well said Starmer. Now - you have a huge majority, let’s see the drive to do it. 🤞

Having a huge majority will get laws through, but makes no difference to the nitty gritty of making changes.

To make better, fairer, checking up assessments depends on having enough adequate, and sometimes adequately trained staff - which we don't have.

This is why I suggest caution in expectations. Not that the end goal isnt vital, but not at some magical speed.

Many assessments are done over the phone. That allows some welfare scammers to game the system. Starmer should ensure there is adequate staffing to make all assessments in person including home visits where necessary.

Look after your own first I think. No point in throwing money at a lost cause.

As long as both are helped thats fine by me.

Its absolutely fine to have initiatives etc aimed at a particular sex, it's really important in fact. Women for example tend to out earn men in their twenties, the 'gender pay gap' hits later.

There are definitely charities doing the same for women *Wyllow3". I remember Dawn French raising awareness of them some years ago.

I only mentioned Suited and Booted as my husband donated his work clothes to them when he retired.

I looked this up on the Charity Commission:

Our objects are targeted at assisting men and youths, who are out of work, are in temporary or insecure work, have recently been discharged from the armed services or released from prison, or are otherwise classed by statute as being vulnerable, to find employment ...

Suited & Booted provides those referred to us by public agencies with suitable (donated) interview clothing, interview training and general mentoring.

This is made possible by Suited & Booted receiving donations of appropriate ‘office’ clothing and shoes, and by working with various City firms. Suited & Booted makes no charge for any of its services.

Our aim is to help our clients to achieve success by transforming their appearance and by boosting their morale and self-confidence. Volunteers help clients to select and be fitted with appropriate clothing from our stock of donated suits, shirts, ties, cufflinks and shoes, in preparation for their interview. As it is not always possible to fit clients entirely from donated stock, and as our clients need help for an interview which will usually take place immediately after their fitting, we aim in such cases, to purchase the necessary item of clothing at low cost on behalf of the client. It is our aim, however, to keep such purchases to a minimum.

tinyurl.com/y495tc7d

Not a criticism of you Churchview but was rather shocked.