Our straight talking Lancashire lass takes a sideways look at the daily news.
Welfare reforms = money for old rope
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Today Parliament will clash over Welfare Reforms that will see benefits capped at £26,000 every year. That’s the equivalent to £35,000 before tax. That’s a helluva lot of money.
This comes as public sector workers face payment freezes until 2020.
Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith is desperate for the House of Lords to pass his deeply unpopular reform bill. Lord Paddy Ashdown, former Lib Dem leader and total James Bond character believes that the proposed system will push millions into poverty and the changes to child benefit will affect children badly. As president of UNICEF I can see where he’s coming from.
I’ve got mixed feelings about this. North East Lancashire is an area that, despite its rural beauty, has always had big pockets of deep social deprivation. But it is an area of great innovation too – it’s the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution (something which I’m very proud of!).
But every day I see hoards of people – entire families – milling around the town centre. They sit around on the benches, eating fast food, smoking and chatting - then they will migrate to the pubs in the evening. Or they’ll buy cheap booze and stay at home. Of course this is a generalisation, but I don’t think it’s too far off the mark.
Yet I don’t look at these people and see layabouts. I see waste. Wasted resources and wasted potential. Because these people are actively encouraged to stay on benefits – they receive more money in handouts than my annual income. It’s unfair on me as a tax payer, and it’s unfair on them because they are conditioned to rely on handouts and as such will never lead meaningful lives.
The benefits culture is a trap, and the generous handouts are an incentive for people to live idle lives. Believe me, there are many, many people who know how to screw the system and get as much money as possible.
The welfare system should only be there to help people who really need it. I don’t know what the future holds for me, but I’d like to think that if I was unfortunate enough to be struck with illness, or work runs dry, that I could rely on the state to see me through until I was back on my feet.
But never in a million years would I ever consider benefits as a lifestyle choice. And for that reason I believe these reforms make sense.
Now if the government could invest the same energy in developing education and opportunity the world would be a better place!
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