Fraser Stewart: What my job in a UK job centre told me about today's benefits system

No .... other than how the feck can any government with a honking parliamentary majority never under 120 seats and the money/conditions to shape UK society for the better, after 13-years, hand over so many departmental shit-stacks.
www.mumsnet.com/Talk/politics/2457067-IDS-may-have-been-responsible-for-around-80-deaths-a-month-according-to-todays-news

According to news today, there are a lot of deaths because if IDS. Does the DWP dissmivness of the 80 people who died each month because of benifit cuts indicate anything?

Well your not, and it appears everyone on this board is a critic, even those not in the debate - which funny old world, happens quite a lot on here.

Isitmebut I wouldn't insult the only person who is bothering to read you, if I were you

In other words a young snipperwhaffer full of............theory? Bless.

I'm twelftie. And my dad is better than yours.

squidzin ...may I ask how old are you, like were you a teen upwards filling out a tee shirt in the 1970's?

Mine read "70's and fcuked" - I was also ahead of a fashion trend. lol

????

squidzin ... "the wealthiest exploit people" yada yada yada ... like the shareholders of companies right, mainly held by large pension funds trying to get a return for the masses - that don't have government final salary pensions, paid for by the taxes of those trying to put money by for THEIR old age.

There is no fixed wage differential between those who may chose to piss away their expensive state education behind the bike sheds to those who do extra studies leaving education with £20k+ of debt, or risk their own families home using it to finance a business start that will hire people without those worries - so GET OVER IT.

1970's slogans don't pay the governments bills or provide welfare/benefits/state pensions, it working WITH businesses that does it and bringing in policies of balance, without screwing the investment/job creation pooch.

What "austerity", the cutting of a £153 bil government annual overspend having had an unprecedented spending splurge for 13-years?

No £££££££££££££splurge, no "austerity", simples.

"We need a 10% payrise to deliver this program of austerity"

Sound familiar?

In America (and similarly the UK) over 30 years all of the economic growth and rise in gdp etc that you csn measure has fallen directly into the hands of it's wealthiest top 20% and the income in real terms for the remaining 80% has fallen considerably.

currydemocrats.org/american-pie/

The wealthiest don't make their money from thin air, they take it from the surplus value left from those they exploit to get it.

If I had a budget of £4m a year (aka oil industry) specifically to lobby the government I'm sure I could make an impact too.

A Global union could have this sort if budget, to lobby governments to move legislation closer that which works for the people.

Not talking about paying more tax. It's about confronting a system of exploitation that pays the bare minimum in wages and the absolute maximim in price that people in power can get away with.
The cost of living needs to be overturned and wages need to reflect value.

This requires intervening in the free market with things like regulation and legislation. At present most legislation is lobbied for and created by big business for big business.

Avoidance of responsibility by big budiness and the wealthiest Plutocrats is enabled and practicality encouraged by our pro-capitalist government through fear-mongering and self interest.

A big leftist upsurge is what's needed.

There is enough money flying around between the top 10% of wealthiest tax dodging profiteering financiers to fix all of the worlds problems.

Even if that statement was 100% true, how would that be realised?

What if this top 10% are already paying their share in accordance with the same law that applies to everyone else?

If you want them to pay more, and they feel that is not fair or they just don't want to they can leave this country can't they?

Or retire, and their entrepenueral skills are ended.

Loss of wealth for the "worlds problems" to be fixed, and a dwindling pot with which to fix them. Epic fail.

Unfortunately for you, you live in this bubble where the financiers and capitalist top percentage global tax dodging corpotates tell you exactly what to think and what to say.

We are sick of hearing it.

Yes Labour under Blair was pure evil. A continuation of thatcher capitalist money grabbing bankers paradise. Didn't i already mention the Westminster Oxbridge elitist system?

You can blame labour and the past as much as you like. The Tory solution will not work. It still belongs to Westminster force of evil.

There is enough money flying around between the top 10% of wealthiest tax dodging profiteering financiers to fix all of the worlds problems.

Socialism is rising.

"Thanks for the reply in your typical bamboozlement of selective-memory stats. You've missed my point somewhat, and consequently actually proven my point."

Errrr not really, as apart from your rubbish math, you fail to distinguish between the economy in 1979 Labour handed to the Conservatives, and the one the Conservatives past back, which could not have been more different - even to those who see the 1970's as 'the Golden Years' when Europe dubbed the UK as 'the sick man of Europe', and don't want to know in 1997 the UK was 'balanced' and the fastest growing economy in Europe.

As to the rest of your post, it seems a re-run of an episode of 'Citizen Smith' quoting a Wolfie speech to the Tooting Popular Front, and just about as dated.

It matters not to you that under Labour, with massive parliamentary majorities and a decade to mould society for the better, inequality increased.

It matters not that there is no 'money tree' when every wealth creator/business either leaves the UK or contracts, as in France with their 75% tax rate.

It matter not that a Conservative government looks to lift the poorest to help themselves via a better education and job creation, rather than decide they'd park their citizens on welfare/benefits while bringing in a global workforce to do the new government jobs 'created'.

It matters not to you that under the Conservatives the wealthy are paying far more taxes than under Labour, who gave their rich friends a Capital Gains Tax of a 10% tapered low - why way that, and did Corbyn object?

It matters not Labour (with Corbyn) in power built half the homes on average (per year) than the previous Conservative government as Labour had the tax receipts from the financial bubble boom to spend on ... fat inefficient, unreformed government/themselves, instead.

Labour's recent record under socialist Brown's economic stewardship shows that it no more represents the interests of the UK indigenous masses, than Westminster fixated Farage/UKIP does - and all they are good for is protesting against the policies to fix their own financial, economic, and social mess.

Hi isit. Thanks for the reply in your typical bamboozlement of selective-memory stats. You've missed my point somewhat, and consequently actually proven my point.

Re-read as my point is, people in Westminster - the establishment - YOU, keep harping on about how austerity (benefit sanctions re OP) is necessary and is the fault of a previous Labour government.

This is untrue in 1000's of ways.

It is the fault of Westminster in it's malleable entirely. It is how Westminster itself (labour tory whoever) is governed by the wealthiest elite top 1% Virgin whoever.

You and your ilk fail to admit the narrative perpetuated by mainstream media, blaming benefit scroungers and immigrants for the problems caused by The Establishment. The capitalists. The Finance industry. The wealthiest.

Exploitation and "Austerity" benefits YOU. YOU LOVE IT.

Just admit it and we can all go home.

PS CORBYN FOR LEADER

ssd ... re your "actually, that's your aim, isn't it"

Far from it, it was an individuals personal opinion and attack on the coalition without any of the facts, so apart from those peddling leftie propaganda who don't want facts/links, I've added to the debate.

If you want Labour good, Tory bad boo hoos, add some facts to enlighten women on Mumsnet, or I'll do it.

squidzin .... no one is "blaming the poor for everything", we are blaming the politicians who in 2000 agreed amongst themselves they wanted more non EU 'diversity', right before the 2004 'swarm' began - as reflected in the immigration numbers earlier - and left the indigenous workers on a benefits scrap heap, but ensuring with the dilution of the workforce and higher benefits, for many work didn't pay, to ease the blow.

Which of those facts above are incorrect?

You say "the budget deficit before the financial crash was no worse than it had been during early 90's conservative rule"

The annual budget deficit under 2010 Labour was £153 bil, the 'Conservative rule' began in 1979, but the National Debt in 1990/1 was £190 bil and after the 1991 recession, in 1996/7 the National Debt was £403 bil.

So please explain if over several years the 'accumulating' budget deficits saw the whole National Debt from 1991 to 1998 go up £213 bil, how on earth was Labours 1-year £153 bil deficit/overspend smaller?

The point was by 2001/2 the Conservative had budgeted for a balanced UK budget, and Labour not content with the tax receipt proceeds windfall of the bank financial bubble they helped create, also started borrowing £30 bil a year IN STEAD of starting to pay off the National Debt that increased from 1991 DUE TO THAT RECESSION - leaving nothing to ease the UK's pain after their 2008/9 great recession, losing 7% of GDP/output, which I believe was more than during the Great Depression 80-years earlier.

The fact is, Labour built a high tax, high benefit, high debt economy that was going to collapse on the first major recession, and it did, and they knew what had to be done but knowing the trade unions funding their 2010 election campaign, wouldn't allow it - they did NOTHING to fix their own mess other than start to put up taxes e.g. National Insurance, a tax on jobs.

Labour go beyond economic incompetence, Corbyn takes them beyond even that.

Notechnologicalbreakdown I have signed already one add.

Hello,
Sorry I was away. I was chasing the Tour de France in my VW Camper. Then came back to find Jeremy Corbyn impromptu speeches were worth chasing do I started following him in my VW Camper...

Anyway,

From an anti-austerity perspective it is always relevant to point out that the benefit sanctions we are seeing, and system of blaming the poor for everything are part of the establishment system to keep things in order so to benefit the top 10-01% of wealthiest.

So one thing to remind people like Isitme and others posting, who harp on about this budget deficit and subsequent austerity being the fault of a labour government, Gordon Brown etc etc is to remind how the budget deficit before the financial crash was no worse than it had been during early 90's conservative rule.

So please do not tell me this is some leftist mantra when facts show the truth.

I never say anything that it not 100% truth, and this sanctioning and punishing of the poor we are witnessing day-to-day is not the fault of Labour or any government, it serves to benefit those with capital, this top 10-01% wealthiest who run our government and our country with no repent or accountability.

Anyway so for the millionth time here is one of many graphs that show a budget deficit no worse than in previous conservative years until the 2008 banking crash. (yes OK nit-pick to your hearts content as to Labour's management of the crash, why were all banks not nationalized I have no Idea but this takes a PHD)

The city need to pay it back. The Highest, Not the lowest earners. This is truth.

For anyone who's interested there is a petition doing the rounds calling for a debate on a vote of no confidence on IDS "For denying the existence of, and refusing to publish data on the deaths of claimants of incapacity benefit and employment and support allowance between November 2011 and May 2014. This is despite the rulings of the Information Commissioner and public pressure resulting in a 200,000 strong petition."

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/104436

I was going to contribute, but having read the whole thread, I think I might just slam my head repeatedly against an unrelenting surface instead.

"“Rachel Reeves vows to cut welfare bill and force long-term jobless to take up work offers or lose state support”

And? I've got no problem with that, obviously taking individual jobseeker requirements into account. There will be very few people who will not work when offered employment, especially in the current climate; however, this needs to be a real job and I don't count apprenticeships in that. What I do not agree with are sanctions and working full time merely for social security entitlement of £72 a week. If the workfare/work programme job is available then it should be paid at minimum wage.

Yes, tired of the anti-Labour rhetoric. They've got a better economic record than the Tories for anyone who cares to google and they introduced all the progressive work-related legislation that we have eg minimum wage, equal pay, health & safety (which has nothing to do with conkers and everything to do with people not losing limbs) etc.

actually, that's your aim, isn't it