Long term unemployment: four people in their own words. And why the word “vulnerable” needs to go
“One of the reasons I’m posting these transcripts is that in the last week especially, we’ve not heard enough from people who’ve actually experienced long-term unemployment.” Kate Belgrave shares four stories from people who have been unemployed for several years.
Shouldn’t “Policy Exchange” be honest? “Propaganda Exchange” is more accurate
“I’m SICK of half truths and misleading sentences. Sick of cherry picked data that uses random figures to paint false pictures. Sick of assumptions about the labour market and fraud that just aren’t true.” Sue Marsh takes aim at a new report from Policy Exchange.
Chris Huhne, rehabilitated. Too bad for everyone else.
“The appearance of Chris Huhne’s weekly column is now a serious irritation. He is a crook, a liar and a cheat. His greatest talent is blaming others for all of that.” Kate Belgrave shares a few thoughts on the return of Chris Huhne and a few people she has met who’d love to be welcomed into genteel society as well, but never will be.
10 things I want to hear at the Labour Conference
“That time of year is coming when once again I dare to hope that Labour will become I party I can support again. It’s a hope that is pretty forlorn, and has been for many years, but I seem to be unable to stop myself from dreaming of the possibilities.” Paul Bernal sets out 10 things that he hopes to hear at Labour Conference.
Frontline Friday 13th September 2013: Our favourite frontline blogs this week
Here’s our list of ten frontline blogs we’ve particularly liked from the week of 2nd September 2013 – from welfare reform and the real Chris Grayling to outsourcing of public services and teaching in schools.
Hoban meeting update
“So, yesterday, as most of you will know by now, representatives from Spartacus finally got to meet with Mark Hoban to discuss Employment and Support Allowance and Work Capability Assessments after almost a year of trying.” Sue Marsh provides an update on Spartacus’ meeting with Work and Pensions Minister Mark Hoban.
Despite all the propaganda, Britain remains liberal and collectivist
“One lesson for Labour might be that it needs to be more bold and speak above the heads of the media and more directly to people, to enable it to connect with the more liberal and collectivist attitudes that, despite all the propaganda, still dominate amongst the public.” Steve Hilditch argues that Britain remains a liberal and collectivist society.
It’s fraud, Lord Freud.
“You have got to admire the consistency – the last 27 words contain four statistics and four of them are wrong. When speaking about disability benefits Government ministers have consistently abused numbers to make their case – but four inaccuracies within 27 words is surely a record.” Paul Morrison challenges yet more inaccuracies from Lord Freud.
Frontline Friday 30th August 2013: Our favourite frontline blogs this week
Here’s our list of ten frontline blogs we’ve particularly liked from the week of 26th August 2013 - from housing policy and community engagement in health, to the political intentions behind the Government’s Lobbying Bill.
Frontline Friday 23rd August 2013: Our favourite frontline blogs this week
In exam week, here’s our list of the A* frontline blogs that we’ve particularly rated from the week of 23rd August 2013 - from what’s wrong with the Labour Party, to powerful stories about the impact of welfare reform.
Frontline Friday 16th August 2013: Our favourite frontline blogs this week
Here’s our list of ten frontline blogs we’ve particularly liked from the week of 5th August 2013 - from Channel 4′s much criticised Benefits Britain programme, to the outsourcing of public services.
‘Benefits Britain’, a study in enabling hate speech
“Ultimately it is clear that Benefits Britain served to enable an orgy of hate speech against disabled people, and it is difficult to conclude that this was unintended.” David Gillon is concerned that Channel 4’s portrayal of disabled people has legitimatised disablist views.
1 million UK working families now NEED to claim housing benefit
“Over a million jobs in Britain are only affordable because housing benefit is claimed or put another way without housing benefit employers in the UK would struggle to fill 1 million jobs.” Joe Halewood of SPeye looks at the recent dramatic rise in the number of working families who are now claiming housing benefit.
Benefits Britain
“Channel 4, you let us down. You hurt me. It’s your fault if people with invisible disabilities felt like Twitter was rounding on us during and after your programme.” Law Geek is not happy with the way Channel 4 portrayed disabled people in their Benefits Britain programme.
Benefits Britain and the rise of poverty porn
“They used to have a word for media programming used to distort public mood in favour of a political goal by using misrepresented data: propaganda.” Scriptonite argues that we must demand better from the media in how they portray the welfare state.
The human cost
“The future may look bleak for probation and probation staff, but not half as bleak as it does for many of our clients, and we’d do well to remember that.” Jim Brown is concerned about the impact on clients from outsourcing of probation services and welfare reform.
Here is how the UK Govt hid 1 million jobless from official unemployment figures
One of the purported achievements of the Coalition Government’s disastrous economic policy of austerity, has been the unemployment figures. Pundits say that at 7.8% (2.51m) they are nothing to shout about but not the disastrous rates seen in states such as Greece (26.9%) or Spain (26.3%). In reality, the unemployment rate is more than double this in […]
The (invisible) problem of riches
Last week on this blog, Jonathan Bradshaw argued that our ‘benefits system’ wasn’t broken and highlighted how the tax system in the UK did not do anything to help tackle poverty as it failed to redistribute wealth effectively. Whilst the tax system may not directly redistribute wealth, if everyone (including organisations) paid the tax that they were […]
Help me beat the Daily Mail
Victory!!! OK, it took 18 months and a lot of energy from Child Poverty Action Group, not to mention blogs and emails from all of us, but the BBC have ruled that: “The Future State of Welfare with John Humphrys, broadcast in October 2011 breached rules on impartiality and accuracy” just as we argued at the […]
Frontline Friday 2nd August 2013: Our favourite frontline blogs this week
Here’s our list of ten frontline blogs we’ve particularly liked from the week of 29th July 2013, from welfare reform to privatisation of the NHS, probation and the Court Service - and should practitioners write about real cases?