1949 benefits programme on C4 now..who is watching?

[Allthingspretty]

anyone?

[StephenFrySaidSo]

me too for the like button.

[StephenFrySaidSo]

for goby's post- not just in general io mean.

[eineschlampa]

Oh and the usual you have no empathy BS. I have empathy but only with people who generally can't help themselves or who have always worked but find themselves in trouble and not with the workshy scroungers.

[GobbySadcase]

Oh so you have empathy with most of the posters here who are carers for disabled children, then?

Thought not.

[JakeBullet]

Not everyone claiming benefits are saints......but neither are those who work. Why would it be any different?

I worked for 30 years in a community job for the NHS before being on benefits, I have seen more poverty than can be imagined, children without beds to sleep in, houses so cold in winter because the key meter has run out and Mum cannot afford to put any more money on until her money come in, social housing (and private) with damp and mold growing up the walls.

I am not a "loony left" for having some concern about these people....and everyone should have concern because poor health in childhood leads to poor health in adulthood and costs society far more.

The way we tackle these issues is always up for debate but generally it isn't by decreasing the amount of money people have.

I am fortunate, I had 30 years of well paid work, I have all the basics for living life and I can cook. Many have not had my good fortune...and thing is, while I worked and paid tax it never once occurred to me to look down upon people and snottily think my taxes kept them.

[StephenFrySaidSo]

there is a difference between saying someone is a saint and saying they are legitimately entitled to their benefits. some people really seem to struggle to accept that there genuinely are people who are not defrauding the system. it's as if the words benefit recipient are automatically translated to 'theif'

[JakeBullet]

Yes Stephen, I wonder why that would be.....oh of course, all the propaganda TELLING people that benefit claimants are scroungers and thieves.

It is awful for genuine claimants who have no choice BUT to claim.

[StephenFrySaidSo]

spot on jake

[AcrylicPlexiglass]

I think the interesting thing about this 3rd programme is that it really gives the lie to the idea that being out of work is anything to do with attitude or laziness and shows that the main problem is that there are not enough jobs to go round in many areas. Yes, some people seem to have more positive attitudes than others (and yes, this could be propaganda/engineered for more interesting TV) but at the end of the day NONE of the people this week left the experience with an actual proper ongoing job. Neither help nor harshness enabled them to move off the unemployment register, despite all of them in the end clearly demonstrating that they are employable and wanted to work.

[alemci]

I think that applies to Michael who had a good work ethic and the chap in episode 1 who was in a wheelchair but not so much with Ashley or Vanessa

[StephenFrySaidSo]

it looks like Monday was the last episode- i was hoping for more than that tbh.

[AcrylicPlexiglass]

Good attitude counts for f all if there are no jobs, is what I'm trying to say, alemci. And it seemed very clear to me that there were no jobs for these people. All of them did well on the work experience yet none were offered a job. Having an exceptionally diligent attitude hasn't helped Michael to get a job in years. Ashley and Vanessa did not get jobs either, even though both of them appeared to change their approach and move towards wanting to work during the process, to some extent. Changing people's attitudes will not get them into work, is my conclusion.

[alemci]

yes it is quite depressing tying it in with Jamie Oliver being critical of our school leavers. it seems you have to work 48 hours in his restaurant, no happy medium

I still think grandmother came across as counter productive and a bad role model.

[JakeBullet]

48hrs on a zero hours contract from what I can gather.