This blog post is really going to be about a touchy and sensitive topic. It is something I want to tell you my readers all about & that really grinds my gears.
The welfare system in the UK and why the society in general demonises benefit claimants who are either unemployed, poor, homeless, disabled or genuinely have a health problems.
For 11 years, the Tories under premierships of David Cameron, Theresa May and Boris Johnson have been implementing a disastrous policies that affected terribly bad to benefit claimants.
Benefit cuts, unnecessary & unfair fit to work test (work capability assessment. WCA = Mainly for ESA & UC), benefit sanctions, even benefit cap, etc. All done by the government department. Responsible for welfare & social security affairs. The DWP (Department of Work & Pensions). Austerity. Prior to 2010, it wasn’t always the case. metamute.org google.co.uk
Since 2010, the UK have different Work & Pension Secretaries as they come and go. All Conservative: Ian Duncan Smith (IDS), Stephen Crabb, Damian Green, David Gauke, Esther McVey, Amber Rudd and the current serving Secretary Thérèse Coffey. Seven DWP Secretaries & they don’t have a moral compass when it comes to the needy & benefit claimants.
Furthermore, I have seen the film I, Daniel Blake two times. Directed by filmmaker Ken Loach. The film about how the messed up UK welfare system had treated Daniel Blake like garbage & that he was struggling to find work. youtu.be youtu.be
Well all of that is completely factual. Don’t believe me? Then I suggest you by the end of this blog post, you’ll read information and sources to understand why the British welfare system is totally horrible in terms of treating benefit claimants without dignity and respect.
blogs.lse.ac.uk Time and time again, when the DWP sanctioned benefit claimants, it really damaged his/her self esteem and mental health. It even lead for the person to have anxiety & worse, having suicidal thoughts & committed suicide. DWP would always say that they are “sorry to hear” that benefit claimant who claim a benefit (either DLA = Disability Living Allowance, PIP = personal independence payment = non mean tested benefit or means tested benefits like Employment and Support Allowance, JSA = Jobseekers Allowance, Housing Benefit, Income Support, Universal Credit although UC benefit is rubbish social security benefit & that I believe it should be scrapped. Although understandingly under Covid, it’s not possible at the moment) had passed away, thoughts and prayers. For me, they (DWP) are not sorry. Not sorry genuinely. If they are really sorry then they should start by ending the benefit sanctions completely (which I know they won’t do it cos they keep on sanctioning unfairly to those who are on benefits. It’s never easy, living on the dole). It’s a shame that the DWP made a decision as of July last year 2020 not to extend the temporary pause of benefit sanctions for 6 months despite pausing it in March 2020 because of the Covid pandemic.
They (DWP) should even stop with benefit assessment because very often, benefit assessment like fit to work assessment are conducted by outsourcing private firms (Capita, Atos & Maximus) & that is used to deprive anyone from claiming welfare benefit or ending benefit claim for any of benefit claimants who have been on the benefit for years. This is very common because this is the area where the DWP officials & benefit assessors have really failed to understand properly regarding the situation of the person who is a benefit claimant & circumstance genuinely of why the person cannot work due to his/her disability or health issues. Worse of all, questions from the benefit assessor can be tricky & oddly stupid and inappropriate. For example, “how long you spend in the bathroom & does it really hurt you?”, “Does it hurt you when you are sleeping”, etc.
And then, there is a Jobcentre. The so called “Work coaches” in JobCentre plus should do more than just calls for appointments to meet with benefit claimants regarding his/her progress of finding work. Work coach is not even a Career’s adviser, mentor or trainer. They (work coaches) are just there, following the orders of his/her managers, bosses & supervisors at the JobCentre. I am not saying they are all not helpful. Some of work coach can be helpful and some of them can’t be helpful. It depends. My point is that work coaches & JobCentre aren’t really going to help the person find work, Why? They would rather see a benefit claimant fail to find work so that he/she (benefit claimant) can be sanctioned for any reasons including not attending on the JobCentre (or health assessment centre for appointment about benefit claim) on time or not finding work. That sanctions part is really not necessary. In fact, the sanction regime shouldn’t be used in the first place. This is insanity. Completely insanity.
What sort of society are we? I mean really, what kind of society are we people?
This is the UK for goodness sake. It’s like living in the society when there is no freedom & democracy & that it’s an authoritarian/totalitarian country (for instance, China, Russia, North Korea, etc). We are therefore treating ordinary people who are indeed benefit claimants like a second class citizens and being treated like a destitute. Going through misery and pain. It really needs to stop. The hostile environment (awful & disgusting treatment) from the Department of Work and Pensions & find ways to really help the person to overcome his/her challenges by supporting them, finding a job for him/her if possible unless the person cannot really work genuinely due to his/her circumstance which can be understandable (especially we are in the middle of the pandemic) & not having to proceed with the decision maker stuff of making a decision to do this and that just to awfully treat the person systemically bad. Our society is supposed to be fair and tolerant. Instead, we are not. Calling jobless benefit claimants “scroungers” & getting them off benefit without actual realising that they have a certain kind of disability or health problem (severely) which he/she cannot find work due to circumstances.
When it comes to benefit sanctions, it can even cause a death & that is why I call it. Systemic murder so that is why the DWP does not have morals. They simply do not care. They are heartless & selfish. No wonder they keep losing on tribunal court cases. Hopefully one day in the future, all of that can change. Only if we the British public stop keep on voting for the Tory Party. Food banks & poverty cannot keep on growing if we keep electing the Tories in power which we can turn the tide in next few years by not giving them a vote. Otherwise, keep voting for them & no real change will come. Everything stays the same. No wonder Universal Basic Income (UBI) are the best alternative than Universal Credit (UC).
11 years of austerity measures & there is no sign of stopping it anytime soon.
Here are the sources:
