Scroungers or Unfortunates?

After reading about it, I was keen to watch the BBC1 programme, "We All Pay Your Benefits". From the beginning I was unimpressed by some of the participants in the programme. Liam, with his designer gear & Apple gadgets and his unwillingness to consider any type of work outside his chosen profession (a requirement when I was on the Dole) was not typical of most benefit claimants and only served to reinforce the notion that benefit claimants are scroungers. In my opinion Liam *is* a scrounger, living off the good will of his family. More fool them.

Then you had Luther, who had only worked a total of 4 weeks in the last 22 years and received more in benefits than the average working wage. Where is his incentive to work? Why would he want to get a minimum wage job and have to start paying rent and struggle to feed his kids? When you're better off on benefits than in full-time employment, there is no incentive to find work. You can't blame the man for that, although most people don't have a choice. I'm not saying Luther should get less money, rather that wages need to reflect the cost of living so people don't have to depend on benefits.

I was quite disgusted with Debbie's attitude towards Kelly. I was stunned at the way she harangued the poor woman for buying a chicken! Anyone with any sense knows that buying a whole chicken is more economical than buying fillets, which are far more expensive. There was a programme last year where 2 TV chefs showed people how to cut their food budgets, and buying a whole chicken instead of fillets was one of their money-saving tips. Also, Debbie's attitude that the kids shouldn't need a hot dinner because they'd had a hot lunch at school was staggering. What wasn't clear is whether she believed this should be the case for everyone, or only those in receipt of benefits. Perhaps Debbie thinks those on benefits should subsist on gruel(?)

Chris and Tracey were an example of benefit claimants you don't hear about so often. Chris, who was made redundant a year ago, spends several hours per week trying to find work that pays enough to cover his family's outgoings (which his benefits don't). He was ashamed of his situation, that his family occasionally had to rely on their local foodbank to ensure they could eat. Yes, they have a big house, but they don't own it and were given it when they started to care for Tracey's invalid mother, which I felt was glossed over. They are in their current situation through no fault of their own and are an example of how any average family could end up on JSA because of redundancy, something that is affecting thousands of people in the current economic climate. 

Simon was initially shocked by the size of Chris & Tracey's house, but after spending time with the family his attitude changed and he felt they needed more help. Until you've had to live on benefits and faced the grim realities of struggling to make ends meet it's hard to grasp what it's really like.

It's a long time since I was on benefits and I became very depressed, as I had no money for bus fares to attend job interviews - when I was lucky to get an interview - much less socialize with friends. I became very isolated and was forced to go back into full-time education to improve my prospects of finding a job. Living off a student grant was only slightly better than being on benefits, but it did lead to a job and I've been lucky enough to be in work ever since.

I do worry that might change in the future, however. Since being diagnosed with MS my health has deteriorated to the point where my employment options are more limited. I am, thankfully, very lucky to work for a very supportive and understanding employer and I hope that continues to be the case. The way this government is vilifying the unemployed and disabled in this country fills me with dread for the future. Should my condition worsen to the point where I'm unable to continue working, I don't know what I'll do. I'm single, I have no children and no close family to assist me financially or otherwise. In a country where cancer patients and other people who are dying are being denied benefits, I don't fancy my chances.

I'm curious to see how next week's programme plays out, when the claimants work alongside the workers.