Today’s Britain: where the poor are forced to steal or beg from food banks – Guardian

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What would you do to keep your baby from starving? Perhaps the same as Lucy Hill. At the start of October, the 35-year-old mother from Kidderminster was broke. After missing an interview at the jobcentre, her disability benefits had been stopped – which left her, her partner and her toddler of 18 months without anything to live on. So she went to the local Spar and stole a chicken and some soap powder.

Aditya Chakrabortty. Guardian 27 October 2014

 

 

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2 thoughts on “Today’s Britain: where the poor are forced to steal or beg from food banks – Guardian”

  1. From an ethical and practical point of view, a government can tilt policy on the poor toward either employment or subsidy, but whichever choice it makes, this is a fundamental option controlling other policy. A government is not wrong to prefer a tilt toward employment, provided that it also takes the textbook macroeconomic steps to facilitate employment. For conservatives, however, such consistency requires them to choose between their incompatible values of hard work and very hard money. Unable to make the choice, they cut benefits to promote work, but also cut budgets amid a great recession which undermines work. The poor feel the contradiction most sharply– they are given no money, and they can earn no money. But societies also suffer as wholes from this indecision. According to the textbooks used in every university, this suffering is unnecessary.

  2. I think there are 3 elements to the current government policy.

    1. There is a real terms reduction in the level of benefits. This is justified by the reduction in wage levels. In addition to these overall cuts, the expenses to be met out of benefits are increased by changes in housing and council tac benefits.

    2. Disability is being redefined to reduce those qualifying for benefits. In the midst of this many are loosing out due to delays in the reassessment process.

    3. Sanctions are being applied in a harsh and arbitrary way People are loosing their benefits for things beyond their control. They can appeal but in the mean time they have nothing to live on. Sanctions have been part of the system for a long time but are being applied in a new way by the Conservatives.

    Dave

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