Cameron says" We want to hear your views. Please take our survey to have your say" A contemptible exercise in public manipulation.
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A glaringly barefaced example of how
questions can be "loaded", to ensure that only the response
required by the questioner can be given.
Capping benefits to ensure that an out
of work household can claim no more than an average family actually
earns by working sounds attractive, but fails to address the stark
reality that average earnings are being driven down by government
policy, causing many working people to actually claim benefits. The
government are using the decline in average earnings, caused by their
own policies, to cut overall benefit levels. A vicious circle, which
suits government and employers objectives.
Housing benefit payments are
determined, not by those claiming the benefit, but by those setting
the cost of housing. Landlords both in the private and the social
housing sectors have enjoyed a steady source of income from local
authorities paying housing benefit, often directly into the landlords
rent account. In the case of social housing, the vast majority of
such accommodation is provided by Housing Associations which have
seen their incomes grow significantly over recent years.
It is the level of rents being charged
in the rented sector which need to be controlled or capped, not the
level of the housing benefit trying to keep pace with an increasing
problem.
When workers wages and salaries are
increasing by less than 1% per year, and yet inflation is running at
over 3% per annum, (I use the real figure rather than the “doctored”
RPI and CPI figures produced by government statistical departments),
it is obscene to suggest that benefit levels are racing ahead of
workers wages. For as long as earnings are held down by artificially
contrived justification from public sector and private sector
employers, then comparisons are malicious and produced only for
mischievous and divisive purposes.
The “Help to work scheme” has been,
rightly criticised, in many quarters as being nothing more that a
wretched publicity stunt, produced by government to provide cheap or
even free labour to employers and to allow the “unemployed and
claiming benefit” figures to show a month on month fall, albeit
that the reduction is marginal. Not that this would stop various
government “spokespersons” to loudly herald that “our policies
are working and this fall in unemployment is good news for the
country”, on every television or media interview that they are
invited to give. The fact that the “Help to work scheme” is
underpinned by the most draconian and unfair sanctions ever devised
and is administered by what in many cases has been demonstrated to be
an inept and ignorant set of “assessors”, is conveniently
ignored.
In this reprehensible “Survey”
promoted by the Conservatives, it would be possible to respond
“Strongly agree” to most questions asked as each point appeals to
the emotions of the responder. That is the, not very subtle,
reasoning behind the construction of the points. The government could
then claim overwhelming support for their policies to “TO
FIX THE WELFARE SYSTEM “, when in fact the complete opposite
in the case.
A pathetic and contemptible exercise
attempting to influence public responses from a pathetic and
contemptible Conservative government.
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