In praise of Iain Duncan Smith's Welfare Reforms

I'm not saying it is easy to find a job, but migrants from the EU seem to find work. I have had many jobs over the years, unskilled and skilled some I hated some I liked. I think there are jobs out there but people don't want them, don't like the hours, not a good enough job (in their opinion) for them, not worth their while getting more on benefits. I understand single people and couples without children could find it hard to manage on benefits, but if they have children there is plenty of help.

The trouble is after 13 years of Labour in power, handing money out left right and centre and getting the country into debt, it's a shock to some who have been on benefits for years to realise they might have to get off their bums and get a job and support themselves and their kids.

For years people have been told that they are perfectly entitled to claim as much money in benefits as possible and to live virtually wherever they can or choose. Suddenly it's all going to change and many lives will be thrown into despair and chaos. Yes, it's only right that those who can work, should. However, the government are now demanding that people get jobs or else lose their benefits..... Sounds fair enough but where are all these jobs?? Do they not know how many people are unemployed and even our graduates can't obtain work so who on earth is going to want to employ those who have no desire to work? Whist I agree that the benefit system does need a radical shake up please do not forget that those affected by the benefit cap are real people who may suddenly lose their homes, friends, family, support network, schools and security. They are going to need some support and for so many of them they will endure mental health problems because of these changes. It's easy to blame the poor for all the woes of this country but let's also point the finger at endless governments who have allowed such high levels of migration to the Uk which has made us, as a nation, desperately short of housing, school places and jobs. Why are the rich getting away with every exploitation under the sun at the same time as the poor are being treated as scapegoats? Please do not like this very wealthy, highly privileged government turn us against each other. Yes, let's have change but let's look after the people who are forced into this change, many will be terrified of the thought of working after many years of being paid to do nothing and they need help during this period of transition. It's not the best time to bring in this drastic measure whist we are in the midst of a dire recession.

IDS has had a compassion bypass. The effects of his ideological reforms have been harmful to thousands of people in need of welfare support. Jack Monroe is on Loose Women at 12.30 today, to talk about the rise of food banks for families (not all unemployed, but working and needing support) who are seeking help to feed their children.

Obviously I have sympathy with genuine claimants.

I recently moved nearer to my children and grandchildren, but I still have over one hours drive to see them because I could not afford to buy where they lived. So no I have no sympathy for these families, why should tax payers have to pay excessive rents for people living on benefits in places they can only dream of living themselves.

And that has been the problem ever since the 60s, when working class areas were demolished and people moved to tower blacks, away from their communities. When I was growing up, in almost central Nottingham, it was happening all around us.

To have so little choice in life, and to be deprived of your support system when you need it most, must be horrendous.

My husband worked in London for six months, commuting daily from Peterborough, because of redundancy on the horizon. We moved to Hampshire for an easier commute, and were laughed at when we told estate agents what we could afford. But it was sort of our choice. We were not driven off one day and given the keys for somewhere we had never even seen before, then had to agree to the move because we were going to be left on the streets overnight as happened in the programme.
One of the things that people on here must agree with is that families without much money or work need the support of friends and family to help them get on in life. These people were moved away from friends and family, away from all support networks that they had built up over years.

Well I was forced to move there very much against my will due to work, then forced away due to DH's redundancy after I had become really settled there. No choice, it was either work somewhere else or claim benefits I suppose.
C'est la vie

Another issue is surely the rents which are far too high?

I haven't seen any TV as have been very busy, but may be able to catch up soon. Can't access the link re the tax but will look tomorrow.

Did you watch the programme, rosequartz?
I presume you chose to move out of London, you were not forced out having lived there for 23 years as was the case for some of these families.
I've lived in lots of different places in this country, and have had to move because of fear of redundancy. But I most definitely have sympathy for these families. They were all evicted because the government decided it no longer wished to pay as much rent as it had done. I think it's immoral, whatever you think.

DD1 was 11 when we moved from London to an area none of us knew and where we knew no-one. She had hysterics and was very upset but it never occurred to us to 'leave her behind'.
She now lives abroad but the place we moved to will always be 'home' to her and London is a distant memory. So I cannot summon up any sympathy for the 12 year old who is now separated from her mother.

Benefits should be available for anyone who needs them and the system needs to be tightened up to avoid tragic occurrences like the one about the mentally ill young man.

No-one should receive benefits because that is how they choose to live and no-one has a right to live in a certain area.
I could not afford to move back to London again even if I wanted to.

Sorry, what's ridiculous? Asking people to sign up to the fair tax mark?
Don't you want companies to pay their fair share of tax?
If they did, IDS would not have to hound those already in poverty and make them move out of London or away from their wider families and friends.

How ridiculous!

You can also sign up to the fair tax mark, www.fairtaxmark.net, and ask your MP to sign up to the EDM to get the government to support fair tax, Iam64.
IDS is proud to be British. That in itself would put me off saying I am.

Thanks Flickety B for such a good summary of the events leading to the death of a vulnerable young man. 40% of people found fit for work under the new system, succeed in appeal. Many others are too exhausted, physically and emotionally, to pursue an appeal. Others have mental health problems, or learning difficulties, and give up.
I honestly do not understand why anyone could feel IDS is doing a good job. Yes, benefit fraud is wrong, but as has been said so often on these threads, so is large scale tax evasion. There is an on line petition to get Cafe Nero to pay tax on it's huge profits in the UK.

www.londonspovertyprofile.org.uk/indicators/
To show you where IDS thinks families should be able to live in London.
I know we cannot all afford to live there, but if you force all families out, who will do the work in London?

Sorry, ninny, can't let you or the DM get away with that. I suppose you did not bother to watch the Panorama programme last week, which should still be available on iplayer. It was called Don't Cap My Benefits, and followed families who were moved out of Brent where their support groups were to places like Birmingham and other places where they knew nobody. One man had to pay 3-400 pounds per month to travel to his job. What was ridiculous was that for some of the families it was found out later that they did not have to move because they were in work, but the DWP did not believe them.
One daughter, twelve years old I think, refused to go with her mother. She is now living with other relatives in London and sees her mother once a month.
Is this really acceptable to you? I feel sad for you, and disgusted if anyone thinks this is okay.
www.bbc.com/news/uk-26924411

A young man in Oxfordshire with a severe mental illness was assessed by ATOS as capable of work so his benefits were cut. He was unable to cope with the appeal system. With little or no money he became malnourished and died of starvation a couple of months ago. His malnutrition was blamed on the reduction in his benefits and his incapacity to cope. It was also agreed that given the severity of his mental problems he should never have been assessed as capable of work.

All this reported from the inquest report in our local paper.

At the weekend the Observer reported that there is a back log of 22,000 applications for, PIP, the benefit that has replaced Disabled Living Allowance. A case was quoted of a women dying slowly from cancer whose husband has had to give up work to look for her. Because her PIP has still, after over 6 months, not been processed, they are living in debt and dependent on food banks. Once she gets PIP they will be able to apply for Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit, Carer's allowance and enhanced income support, but because the PIP has yet to be processed they cannot get any of these benefits. This family, with a terminally ill member is racked with worry caused by debt that is the direct result of the DSS failure to process PIP applications.

So Ian Duncan Smith's reforms are working? Yes, they are, they are by slowly but stealthily killing claimants off.

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2604730/Half-caught-benefits-cap-spurred-seek-work Proof that welfare cuts are working. But not happy EU claimants only have to wait 3 months now to claims benefits should be longer.

https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/feb/26/francesca-martinez-comedian-welfare-cuts-disabled-people&sa=U&ei=GmUQU7XQDeT-ygOIr4GgAQ&ved=0CAYQFjAA&client=internal-uds-cse&usg=AFQjCNEtQ7YtIV9DIValNYwNkNRfgtEsNw

It's worth reading this debate on the parliament website, after you've read this link.

www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/jan/22/mps-urge-public-control-privatisation-public-services
Something else worth following if you do not agree that the government should sell off everything to the private sector.

www.theguardian.com/politics/privatisation
Link to the article mentioned above.

The department of work and pensions is now considering privatising the state pension service to save money. You couldn't make it up.
IDS has come out of hiding to announce this.

Yes MamaCaz it should receive more publicity - but I don't suppose it will.

Exactly, Eloethan.

I have heard IDS talking occasionally on Radio 4's Today programme, but it would be misleading to call them interviews as he stuck to precisely what he wanted to say, regardless of the questions put to him -
they were more like Party Political Broadcasts! I remember when the presenter (John Humphreys?) did try to raise the issue of his dodgy interpretation of statistics but IDS just kept repeating "well, I believe it to be so", or words to that effect, so that was that!
It seems highly likely that IDS / his department insist on having editorial control over even these pseudo interviews anyway, just in case IDS accidentally gets drawn into dangerous territory.

This absence of ministers in genuine debates needs a lot more publicity!

Exactly, Margaret. Edwina was the nearest person they could get to the government. They will not debate their own policies.
IDS is in hiding because all his stuff is unravelling before his eyes. All he can do now is misquote statistics.
Does Ninny still think he is putting Britain first?