Oh Boy! I feel a lrant coming on. As someone from a relatively poor working class background I despise the benefits system and always have. It is, and always has been, a means of disciplining the working class; the poor laws, the workhouse, the theory of less eligibility and the undeserving poor, the household means test of the 1930's, and,, means testing in general.
As both a past claimant, and adviser I have fought the mean spiritedness, increasing co-ercion and general indifference within the system and of some (a minority to be fair)of those who administer it.
Prior to the coming into force of The Social Security Act 1988 when most appeals were about discretionary single payments and long term extra needs additions, the (usually working class) appellant had to present before a tribunal as humble, compliant and grateful in order to stand a good chance of success. Attitude, generally, got you nowhere.
Ironically, it was the Tories who put the system on a tighter legislative footing, introducing entitlement based premia into subsistence benefits, which was previously riddled with discretion.
Of course there were losers but at least if you were legally entitled, attitude did not matter. Under Labour complexity has been re-introduced back into the system but with increasing unfairness; no right of appeal against tax credit overpayments, the anti-test case rule, the re-integration of administration and adjudication functions(previously mentioned by JJ), the tightening of the civil legal aid budget, pressure on,and stigmatisation of, ICB claimants (languishing indeed!), work focused interviews for the world and its dog, etc. I could go on.
Finally, Tax Credits and its predecessors (and you dont want to get me started on this one). A means to subsidise employers who dont pay decent wages in the first place but squeeze every last drop of profit from the workforce before outsourcing their jobs to third world ununionised sweatshops and then pay themselves fat bonuses.
Andrew, you make a great point about increasing crime rates among young women. Had not thought about that before.
Aaaarh! Thats better! I needed that. I feel better now, and relax!
Regards everyone Paul.
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