Monday 3 February 2014

The hate campaign

It makes you wonder why Richard Desmond hates the poor so much.  But perhaps the owner of the Express and Channel 5 doesn't hate, or indeed feel anything except the lure of money for himself.
Yesterday the Express added a new word to the lexicon of far-right poor-bashing - "ghettos".  A ludicrously skewed story reckoned to have "uncovered the nation's Benefit Ghettos".  It draws on data for which it gives no source to show that an area of Blackburn has 71.9% of the working age population claiming benefits.  The rest of the story is what you'd expect, except for the fact that they do quote Jack Straw MP to the effect that there are a lot of hostels in the area, distorting the figures.  But who cares about the facts?  Who cares about the working poor who are so badly paid that they have to claim benefits?  No, these are "ghettos".  And I'm sure Desmond understands the significance of that word.
It's all in preparation for another Desmond venture, a programme on Channel 5 tonight advertised in today's Express.  It claims to be based on a YouGov poll showing that "two-thirds of Britons believe the system of state handouts needs an overhaul".  Now, I seem to remember taking part in that poll, and I realised that there was an agenda behind it.  I must have been among the 45% who thought that benefits claimants were portrayed unfairly.  However, it's an excuse for Channel 5 to put on a "debate" featuring - wait for it - "White Dee" from Benefits Street, Katie Hopkins and Edwina Currie.  Ken Livingstone is also in the line-up.  No, of course I won't be watching.


19 comments:

  1. I also note that the Express are running a story that 1/5 of benefit claimants have criminal records, which is about the same as the whole population. Presumably, they're either ignorant of the whole population statistic, or decided to omit it as it doesn't fit with their line. Either seems plausible.

    It appears they got their info from this, which is actually a useful and solid bit of research from DWP: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/276077/experimental-statistics.pdf

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    1. Yes, I saw the "criminal record" story, and though I didn't look it up I assumed that, as you say, it was another of those contextless distortions.

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  2. For pornographer Desmond's Ch5 to host a 'debate' about benefits is one of the most ridiculous things I'll hear about this year. And 2014 is still young!

    Desmond owns the Daily Express and the even worse Daily Star. These two fourth rate rags along with CH5 have played their part in demonising jobseekers and benefits in general. To even think they could act as impartial honest brokers is laughable. It's rather akin to asking a serial bigamist and adulterer to give tips on achieving a happy marriage!

    So no. Like Historian, I'll not be watching. Especially when the likes of professional rent-a- gobs Currie and Hopkins (just what it is she does again?) are appearing. Their role, esp. that of Hopkins is to be a troll and an agitator, purely their to raise the viewers blood pressure.

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  3. The Independent has a piece on the poll - http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/what-britain-thinks-about-benefits-9104534.html
    As it points out, £1.2bn was overpaid due to fraud last year, but £1.3bn was underpaid to those entitled to it. The Express didn't mention that.

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  4. IDS et al have a pathological hatred of the unemployed, sick & disabled and (most of) the media were complicit in the skivers' rhetoric until they went too far.
    The DWP & their disability denial factory ATOS were finding terminally ill and the most chronically sick "fit" for work.
    Cases like David Coupe, that was found "fit" for work and died when on ESA appeal
    see: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/video-dennis-skinner-takes-david-2460802
    and Sheila Holt was was driven to a coma when found "fit" for work
    see: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/sheila-holt-woman-told-find-3048449
    and these are not isolated cases: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/brendanoneill2/100168469/this-exploitation-of-suicidal-people-is-a-new-low-for-campaigners-against-welfare-reform/
    Also there's the cruel sanctions inflicted on people to keep the DWP bill down, proof of sanctions for bonuses were exposed almost daily
    see: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/mar/25/jobcentre-newsletter-sanctions-targets
    Mick Philpott became their poster child for families on benefits and Benefit's street is barely out of the news (even though its been carefully manipulated by the producers).
    Headlines like 'a million found fit for work' were always in the headlines, what it didn't say was how successful appeals were, that much so, that a failed ESA claimant (from Oct 2013) now has to starve if he/she wants to appeal!

    In conclusion, if IDS' skiver rhetoric were against a race or religion, there'd be an uproar! But, since it's just the poor and disabled who cares? Workhouses will be coming to your town soon.

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  5. And I say to Myself what a Wonderful world...I am getting more and more scared of the future, It appears that the government is repeating the past.. Or they see it with rose tinted views.. The governments propaganda machine is running, creating people to hate.

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  6. Can someone please tell me how much financial help you got from A4e once a job had been secured? I have finally been offered a full time role and have been told I can get £100 for clothes and a few weeks travel....anyone else had more or less??

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    1. Remember that this is so that A4e can claim to have contributed to you getting a job, and so claim the outcome payment.

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    2. If they claim the outcome payment of what 2k....what should I try to squeeze them for, the problem is I absolutely am in need of help for clothes and travel for the first month....

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    3. You could try haggling! personally I wouldn't tell them(or JCP) anything about my new job, I would justly to get something from them then tell the JCP "my circumstanced have changes such that I no longer wish to claim". However if you want to try to get some financial help use the info you have (employer's details) as a bargaining counter,

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    4. OK, I admit it. In spite of my good intentions I did watch (or half watch) the C5 programme. I feared the worse - a crucifixion of "benefit scroungers". In the event I was pleasantly surprised. Both Currie and the Hopkins person came over as strident harridans, unwilling or unable to participate in a civilised manner. In contrast Ken Livingston. Jack whatshername from the Gruniad (sorry it's late!) and even White Dee were eloquent and convincing.
      My faith in human nature is a little restored,

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    5. The outcome payment, payable after you've been in work for 6 months (or 3, for a minority of WP 'customers') varies between £1k and £3.5k, with most people attracting a payment of £1.2k.

      They're not duty bound to give you any specific amount, and I think you've already identified the best tactic - that helping you will help you to keep the job, and will in turn help them to claim the outcome payment.

      It may also be worth checking with JCP and your local authority (if you're claiming housing benefit / LHA) about any additional financial help they may be able to offer. There used to be a £100 job grant available from JCP, but DWP in their infinite wisdom have binned it.

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    6. And good luck - by the way.

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  7. I watched that "programme" from about 5 minutes in all the way to the end. It was rather amusing, not half as bad as I expected.

    Gissajob, Jack's last name was Monroe. I think her swearing on live tv was probably the highlight of the programme. Then again, after mentioning some incorrect family history, Katie Hopkins rightly deserved being sworn at, it should happen more often as it's quite funny to watch.

    The programme was pretty much as I expected though; people talking about benefits as if it was a three headed monster stealing from the public purse. It was basicly a show for people to air their "facts" and "opinions", it was more funny and amusing, so anyone who missed it didn't miss much.

    People who "dislike" the idea of millions of pounds of public/government money being spent on the "idle" jobless will never have an understanding of what it's like to be on something like JSA if they go from one job to the next without claiming any money from the government. They may as well keep their opinions to themselves because they know NOTHING. The know nothing about how hard it is to "get a job" or what it's like to comply with the Jobcentre's demands of minimum jobs per week and the mental toll that NO REPLY has on a person. Until someone experiences depression for themselves, all they have is a description of what it's like. There's a difference between "knowing" and actually knowing about something.

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    1. Yep! As you say, unless you've fallen from the grace of a well-paid job through mental illness, divorce etc. Only a couple of steps to penury...

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  8. I’ve just watched the Ch5 “Big Benefits Debate” (or whatever it was called) on the Ch5 Iplayer thing. I thought it was chaotic and a complete waste of time.

    As for A4E offering £100 to maria o, how much of that is given to A4E by the ESF, I wonder? I believe that A4E use ESF money in order to reimburse their Work Programme “customers” for “reasonable” travel expenses to A4E’s pointless pep talks etc?


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    1. As far as I'm aware, the ESF component funds IB/IS voluntary participation only, so depending on maria o's circumstances, it may not have any bearing.

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  9. It's not a 'handout' if you have worked paid NI. Or is the State Pension now a handout?

    'Two-thirds of Britons...'. Is that two-thirds of ALL Britons? Crikey, that's a pretty thorough piece of polling.

    '71.9% of the working age population are claiming benefits..'. This could be people IN WORK but claiming tax-credits. Is the Express saying that people IN WORK are scroungers? Wow!





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  10. Jack Monroe tells Edwina Currie some home truths:

    http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/big-benefits-row-live-open-3110750#.UvEVt3nuvIU

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