The Tories And The TUC Are Both Hypocrites Over Unpaid Work

Posted on February 14, 2014 by | 146 Comments

Interns-workers-and-the-minimum-wage1The breath-taking hypocrisy of both the Tory Party and the TUC was laid bare this week after an astonishing document emerged which advises Tory Party MPs on how to dodge minimum wage legislation by renaming interns as ‘volunteers’.

The leaflet, which was published on the Graduate Fog website, provides legal advice on minimum wage legislation along with a template letter that can be used to fob off any enquiries to MPs about their use of unpaid interns.  This shoddy attempt to dodge the rules on paying workers comes in the same week that David Cameron announced in Parliament that his Government was naming and shaming firms which don’t pay minimum wage.

It is not just the Tory Party who are shameless hypocrites when it comes to unpaid work however.  The TUC have been quick to criticise this document, with a press release claiming they are ‘disappointed that MPs are being advised on how to get round the minimum wage’.

Yet late last year the very same TUC were involved in the Week of Workfare, a DWP funded celebration of unpaid Work Experience.  The TUC have also backed a Quality Standard award for work experience – even going as far as supporting a document which called for companies which use unpaid workers to be paid by the tax payer.  This is despite the TUC claiming to be opposed to workfare, which is what the Government’s Work Experience scheme is.  As pointed out by @boycottworkfare, last year’s vote at the TUC Conference to campaign against workfare seems to have been completely ignored.

It appears that the TUC leadership think unpaid work for largely middle class graduates wanting to work for the Tory Party is disappointing – but workfare for the poor is just fine.  You might even question whose side they are on, because at the moment it doesn’t look much like it’s ours.

Follow me on twitter @johnnyvoid

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146 responses to “The Tories And The TUC Are Both Hypocrites Over Unpaid Work”

  1. franklin percival | February 14, 2014 at 2:29 pm | Reply

    Does all strike me as a bit “Hoist the ladder Jack, I’m inboard”. We won’t improve the world, or our lot, by slefishness.

  2. bobchewie | February 14, 2014 at 2:43 pm | Reply

    @Johnny Void ..does this fit the slogan
    ” making work pay ” ?
    Btw did you see my post on previous blog
    The new DWP business plan transparency
    Initiative ?
    You look at the info published and its just utter utter bollocks
    81% customer satisfaction with DWP and all those lots of ppl the work program has ” helped ” back to work
    Go take a look mate ..what total bullshit

    • overburdenddonkey | February 14, 2014 at 6:52 pm | Reply

      chewie
      what does “making work pay” mean?

      • bobchewie | February 14, 2014 at 7:29 pm | Reply

        @donkey it means whatever they want it to mean.
        In their case suggesting that its better to be paid for having a job ( don’t laugh ) rather than receiving ” handouts ”

        But seen from another angle making sure you are paid ( hopefully fairly ) for working in a job
        But since DWP have no control over employers paying even fairly then that phrase becomes nonsensical

        • overburdenddonkey | February 14, 2014 at 7:42 pm | Reply

          chewie
          yes, it is complete nonsense, it is un-knowable, indefinable…it appears to make sense, until one tries to make sense of it, in the real world…palindromic…

        • Humpty Dumpty of the DWP | February 15, 2014 at 7:31 am | Reply

          When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less. 🙂

      • Woolly sock | February 19, 2014 at 4:01 pm | Reply

        Alway$ hidden meaning$ and agenda$ with thi$ lot, $hould be “making PAID work pay” to be of any use to us all.

  3. bobchewie | February 14, 2014 at 2:51 pm | Reply

    Here is a statistic to conjure : cayman islands tax haven. Cayman islands residents = 60,000 . in one building alone there. Over 18,000 businesses are registered . as Obama said ” thats one big building then” or….

  4. Rob | February 14, 2014 at 3:20 pm | Reply

    Those stats can be fixed. Many people at jobcentres don’t have the confidence to criticise in case they lose benefits. The outspoken are a minority while the majority keep quiet and say nothing controversial to avoid any hassle. They probably agree with the people who speak out but are like the people who peer through a curtain to see wrongdoing but never get involved. in case they come a cropper.

    • bobchewie | February 14, 2014 at 3:31 pm | Reply

      @Rob. The blurb says the transparency intiative is to ” hold those departments to account “.
      What’s the point if what they publish is total crap ? Unless the DWP has a death wish and really wants to be ripped apart

  5. bobchewie | February 14, 2014 at 3:27 pm | Reply

    Richard Rogers and YMCA unveil £30k flatpack homes for homeless people

    http://gu.com/p/3mhfx

    FLAT PACK HOMES FOR HOMELESS.
    What the actual fuck ????

  6. Annos | February 14, 2014 at 3:29 pm | Reply

    “The general strike, although overwhelmingly supported, had a relatively slight impact within Glasgow. This was as a result of the Trades Union Congress’ decision not to call out workers in the engineering and shipbuilding trades until 12 May 1926, the day the general strike was called off. The main impact of the strike on Glasgow was disruption to transport and the loss of the daily press.”

    http://gdl.cdlr.strath.ac.uk/redclyde/redcly156.htm

    The TUC has been in the hip pocket of the right wing since it’s birth!.

    Definition off….The TUC is….Waste of space.

  7. Raining | February 14, 2014 at 3:43 pm | Reply

    TUC are in it right up to their necks as well as the Labour party. The whole lot of them together with the Tories. Whenever i see a Labour MP on TV trying outdo Tory policies on welfare i feel like running at the wall and banging my head against it several hundred times. The whole farce stinks.

    • jed goodright | February 14, 2014 at 8:38 pm | Reply

      you wouldn’t believe it from the messianic comments made by most labour party bloggers around – the labour party are going to make everything okay after the election …. tralala – they truly are as frightening as the tories – it’s got to the point where any comments not in agreeance with the blogger are removed now labour party stasi in action

      • Raining | February 14, 2014 at 9:28 pm | Reply

        All in it for what they personally can get out of it and it would make you puke to listen to them. When i hear that Rachel Reeves on crowing about how they’re gonna crack down on people on benefits and get tough with them, basically trying to out Tory the Tories, it makes me want to vomit. If all Labour ahem! “New Labour” i mean has to offer is a set of proposals on how to hammer the unemployed you have to ask yourself why are the New Labour party still in existence? They have abandoned or ignored every core principle the old party stood for.

        • shirleynott | February 15, 2014 at 9:34 am | Reply

          Is it somehow related to the people who voted TB in, in ’97 and experienced a certain euphoria – even while others around them were experiencing a sense of dread … they are still willing things to “get better”. How many of them (still, even now!) can’t bear to admit how wrong they were/are – how badly they were taken in? It is embarassing at the very least and can easily be seen as traumatic & hard to admit.

          Hence: “It’s still the same Labour party – underneath! They just sound a bit different & we have to remind them what their members really want…”

          I can just about see how certain voters – diehard Labour all their lives (perhaps now finding themselves relatively comfortably off and unaware of just how much others around them might be struggling – due to living in some sort of bubble & who perhaps don’t follow politics too closely these days) blindly continuing to state “I would never vote Conservative and will always be a Labour wo/man” – but only just. It’s far harder to fathom the thought processes/actual beliefs of others who stick like glue to the notion that things will be better if only (notso) red ed & Ms ‘Duncan Smith’-Reeves were voted in. At which time the signal will magically be given & they will revert to (pure) socialist principles, renationalise industry, scrap H2o (or whatever it is), invest in the NationalHealthService, rebuild the dismantled welfare state, reverse the work programme/sanctioning of claimants & … then we will wake up.

          • jed goodright | February 15, 2014 at 11:32 am | Reply

            you make fine points – all you have to do is look at the labour party front bench and …… WORRY – all the same old faces spouting the same old nonsense – they’ve even cajoled the newies like Rachel Reeves to be ‘equally intimidating’ in her comments. But there are people (so called labour supporters) who put their faith in this lot irrespective. Check out many of the labour bloggers to find strict adherence to ‘labour is best’ – they will not countenance alternate views and yet claim they are labour party supporters. I’ve been effectively banned from several labour party sites presumably because I’m not right wing enough – they are a shower of shit. One was on here recently espousing his values and when challenged just upped sticks and left claiming people don’t know what they’re talking about – that he was right and he was sick of people being negative. The fact remains that the labour party have done nothing to command the RESPECT of the people!!!

            As far as I have ever know (go back a long time) the right has always dominated the labour party – has always bullied and lied and connived – always on the basis that labour were never electable unless they were closet tories. Put your hand up if you want Miliband to be PM in the detestable parliamentary system we have in thuis country?

            • overburdenddonkey | February 15, 2014 at 12:26 pm | Reply

              jed
              they all only have interest in protecting and enhancing their personal portfolios….nothing more nothing less…

          • Raining | February 15, 2014 at 1:49 pm | Reply

            LOL!!! Ms “Duncan-Smith” Reeves! Thanks for that Shirley that’s the best chuckle i’ve had in ages reading blogs. The title fits so well for Reeves with her latest announcements. Great points you make and all true.

      • guy fawkes | February 18, 2014 at 10:27 am | Reply

        Jed

        Labour are cocky because they know it is a two horse race, if we could all agree on an alternative and vote for them we may put a dent in their votes, but that would surely be re-electing the tories again whose voters are pretty loyal. The working class no longer have a party worth voting for which means an end to democracy for them and being ruled over by either the corrupt middle or upper class

  8. GEOFF REYNOLDS | February 14, 2014 at 3:55 pm | Reply

    THE TUC OR “TEAM USELESS CUNT”, AS IT IS BETTER KNOWN, HAVE BEEN IN HIDING FOR YEARS………….

    DON’T ROCK THE BOAT IS THEIR BEST KNOWN STRATEGY….

    HOW MANY MEMBERS HAVE THE COMBINED UNIONS WHO MAKE UP THE TUC, ACTUALLY GOT?

    THE COMBINED VOICE OF IT’S MEMBERSHIP SHOULD BE ROCKING WESTMINSTER!
    INSTEAD IT AGREES WITH MOST OF THE SHIT THROWN, WHILST WEARING TWO HATS.

    FOR FUCKS SAKE! WAKE UP……………………….

    THE FRENCH CAN BRING THE COUNTRY TO A HALT IF FUEL GOES UP A COUPLE OF CENTS……………..

  9. owen meharry | February 14, 2014 at 4:49 pm | Reply

    Ye see the weather just now well I have seen these Fuckers Members out campaigning in that, fighting for their right in that but then the Leaders ( ha fuckin leaders) do this. Come on the membership bout time to sink their Gravy Boat

  10. dognamedblue | February 14, 2014 at 5:36 pm | Reply

    (being dyslexic I have difficulty in recollection but…)
    wasn’t the head of the TUC one of the directors at the bank of england?

  11. Another Fine Mess | February 14, 2014 at 6:03 pm | Reply

    Slightly O.T. – don’t laugh.
    “West Dunbartonshire council’s ‘£40,000’ solution to disability access complaint leaves neighbours and Lally family dumbstruck”
    http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/feb/13/ten-level-wheelchair-ramps-shocks-clydebank-family

  12. GEOFF REYNOLDS | February 14, 2014 at 6:48 pm | Reply

    Dear Ms Ong,

    Thank you for your Freedom of Information request received on 29 July 2013. You asked:-

    Can an award that was made at a tribunal hearing that was attended by one or maybe two professional GP’s, be taken away by a DWP decision maker who has no medical background?

    Why would an award be retracted if the claimants condition had not altered or got worse?

    How many claimants have had their “lifetime or Indefinite awards” taken from them, having attended the controversial ESA examination?

    There are no “lifetime or Indefinite awards” with respect to ESA. When ESA is awarded following a Work Capability Assessment (WCA), a re-referral date is set. Departmental ESA Guidance gives further information as to how this date is set:
    47. The next WCA referral date is calculated from the date the last assessment was undertaken by the Medical Services HCP. It will be based on medical advice provided on the MSRS outcome report or ESA85A in cases referred clerically. When deciding on a re-referral date the DM should also take the following into account :
    · The type of Limited Capability for Work (LCW)
    · Whether the LCW is likely to change for better or worse
    · Whether the Tribunal has suggested a re-referral date
    · Factors the Tribunal took into account in reaching their decision
    · The original prognosis
    · Any comments by the medical adviser
    · Whether any surgery is likely that may offer a significant improvement.
    · The date given will be between a minimum of three months and a maximum of three years in the future. When the date has been entered in JA674694, JSAPS will automatically bring forward the prognosis date by 2 months. As a result, the manual workaround previously covered in guidance is no longer required.
    · If the Medical Services advice on the WCA outcome report indicates the “longer term” this should be set within 2 years.
    When deciding ongoing entitlement to ESA, the Decision Maker’s consideration of available evidence replicates the approach employed following the previous WCA. As health conditions and their affect on functional capability can change, a Decision Maker could replace the existing decision with a new decision based on the new evidence provided.

    As there is no provision for “lifetime or Indefinite awards”, there is no data available as to how many have been removed.
    If you have any queries about this letter please contact me quoting the reference number above.
    Yours sincerely,

    DWP Central FoI Team

    • bobchewie | February 14, 2014 at 7:45 pm | Reply

      81% customer satisfaction with DWP ?

      Oh please …can we send an FOI request on that Geoff and get them to back it up ?

      • bobchewie | February 14, 2014 at 7:49 pm | Reply

        Btw 38 degrees had collected £100,000 in donations for flood stricken communities

        And you Dave are doing what ?
        Assisting those in need who vote for you…38 degrees money and aid is going to areas regardless of voting intention ..Cornwall Wales Norfolk.

        • GEOFF REYNOLDS | February 14, 2014 at 8:06 pm | Reply

          FLOATING VOTERS BOB?

        • GORDON KEANE | February 15, 2014 at 11:21 am | Reply

          I was sent that e-mail asking money.
          I sent back a rather harsh rebuke!
          They can go shove it. Where is the money collections for all thse evicted due to the bedroom tax, or the benefit sanctions, or those under 35 hit with the new “No bedroom to yourself rule” which we don’t hear enough about by the way.
          Also….lets face it, most of these ppl hit by these floods are in tory areas . They now wonder why it takes so long for council staff to turn up. Maybe if come election time, these folks have sense to vote for others, I may give them a bit of sympathy

  14. beastrabban | February 14, 2014 at 8:05 pm | Reply

    Reblogged this on Beastrabban’s Weblog.

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  16. bobchewie | February 14, 2014 at 9:27 pm | Reply

    http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/feb/14/lib-dems-party-donor-choudhrie-undesirable

    LIB DEMS DONOR WAS ARMS DEALER
    and UKIP bod a kidnapper

    Is there ANY credible party left to vote for ?

    • something survived... | February 15, 2014 at 4:23 am | Reply

      Surely that’s highly offensive to vampire squid, comparing them to bankers.

      If anyone tells you off for referring to IDS as a genocidal, insane, heartless bastard and mass murderer; look puzzled. Say you were trying to be polite.
      Say it was a euphemism. Say you were trying not to tell lies. Say ‘no I just told you his best side’.

  19. MY name is [my] name. ab initio | February 15, 2014 at 1:20 am | Reply

    The legal system is pseudo law and can be made to be anything they want. They can make fictions. This becomes that. That is, this.
    This is pseudo law. NOT REAL LAW.
    Law, is that which is laid down, set, Fixed: ESTABLISHED

    • overburdenddonkey | February 15, 2014 at 4:30 pm | Reply

      my name etc
      are you saying that people should insist on their human rights to vitals?

      • MY name is [my] name. ab initio | February 15, 2014 at 9:17 pm | Reply

        obd

        The distinguishing elements that define an Organized Pseudo LAW Form a system of RULE OF LAW and even a system of purely rule by force are the elements of Heresy, Falsity, Fallacy, Treachery, Lunacy and Incompetency.

        : Heresy as the first key element distinguishing an Organized Pseudo Law FORM is defined by the general repudiation of the history of law, its fundamental and ancient principles and precepts by theory or ACTION such as clean hands doctrine, GOOD FAITH, OATH of office, REMEDY at law, FIDUCIARY obligation and due process; and

        : Falsity as the second key element distinguishing an Organized Pseudo Law FORM is defined as the artificial and wholly fraudulent creation of false history, claims, provenance, meanings, reasons and arguments through the doctrines replacing those ancient principles and precepts of law rejected through heresy; and

        : Fallacy as the third key element distinguishing an Organized Pseudo Law FORM is defined as the method by which such false doctrines of law and logic are argued by ceasing to follow formal and classical logic and rhetoric and instead permitting the ACCEPTANCE of absurdity, ad hominem and other forms of logical fallacy as evidence, facts in law and law itself; and

        : Treachery as the fourth key element distinguishing an Organized Pseudo Law FORM is defined as the deliberate and calculated usurpation of the original framework and LAWS of original bodies politic, estates and nations and replacing such bodies with lesser private entities, falsely claiming to be the original entity when such bodies operate and function for private gain against the will and BENEFIT of the people at large; and

        : Lunacy as the fifth key element distinguishing an Organized Pseudo Law FORM is defined as the policy of those responsible for treason and control of private entities holding bodies politic to ransom who then envelope themselves by shells of acolytes trained as virtual lunatics to defend the status quo at all cost, by using the arguments of falsity, fallacy and heresy without fully comprehending their programming and the treachery of those they serve; and

        : Incompetency as the sixth key element distinguishing an Organized Pseudo Law FORM is defined as the second line of defense of those responsible for the treachery of usurping the apparatus of their own nations by encasing the acolyte community with a bureaucracy of administration that perpetuates incompetence, but supported and funded by the efficiency and slavery of the people as “wages slaves” and “tax payers”.

        While the evolution of Organized Pseudo Law Form can be traced back to the reign of Henry VIII of England, the first fully formed Organized Pseudo Law Form is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 1801 under the effective control of the Bank of England and the merchant classes, who usurped the power of both the crown and parliament through the manipulation of the wealth and debts of the nation and empire. Most Western nations are now under the constraints of Organized Pseudo Law Forms.

        All Organized Pseudo Law Form by definition are unsustainable due to the growing incompetence and lunacy of the administration and academic classes and the unceasing corruption of the merchant and political classes guilty of treason against the people. Therefore, all Organized Pseudo Law Form devolve to the worst of tyrannical systems before their eventual internal collapse or overthrow.

        • overburdenddonkey | February 15, 2014 at 9:34 pm | Reply

          my name etc
          not very practical solution fanning them with paper, is it…i insist on my human rights to vitals, paper is not good to eat…no further reply is required from yourself….

          • MY name is [my] name. ab initio | February 16, 2014 at 10:26 pm | Reply

            obd
            Didn’t answer your original question, as it did not make sense and hu man
            means the colour of man not the actual original article… man/woman.

            The paper you speak of is knowledge, knowledge that you can use for remedy, but it’s ok, go back to sleep.

            Also do not step on my free will…
            If you didn’t have an emotional response to my posts you would not reply.

  20. Nige | February 15, 2014 at 9:35 am | Reply

    The Catholic church is now attacking the Coalition’s welfare reforms.

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/a-disgrace-catholic-leader-vincent-nichols-attacks-coalitions-welfare-reforms-9129952.html

    As a practising Catholic I wonder what IDS thinks about this?

  21. Landless Peasant | February 15, 2014 at 11:07 am | Reply

    At one time, or perhaps in some circles, the Tories would be described as ‘Cads’ and ‘Bounders’, but I prefer to think of them as utter fucking scum.

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  23. Obi Wan Kenobi | February 15, 2014 at 11:46 am | Reply

    Talking about unpaid work – here’s Mr Simon Cowell:

    Simon Cowell’s company criticised for advertising for unpaid interns.

    Syco employee posts ad on Facebook for ‘keen as mustard new interns’ to be paid expenses only.

    http://www.theguardian.com/media/2014/jan/22/simon-cowell-company-criticised-advertising-unpaid-interns

    • bobchewie | February 15, 2014 at 4:12 pm | Reply

      @Obi Wan I hate Simon Cowell because he bailed convicted paedo jonathan king to the tune of £200,000

      Also he invented that shit boyband who ate fucking crap. The fangirls of that lot are shit thick stupid are nasty creatures
      Too

  24. Annos | February 15, 2014 at 12:11 pm | Reply

    “If you have been waiting for the “global economic crisis” to begin, just open up your eyes and look around.”

    http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-02-14/20-signs-global-economic-crisis-starting-catch-fire

  26. Pingback: The Tories And The TUC Are Both Hypocrites Over Unpaid Work « this 'n that

  27. bobchewie | February 15, 2014 at 6:49 pm | Reply

    Listen, NHS. Stuart Rose isn’t just any retailocrat. This is an M&S retailocrat | Marina Hyde

    http://gu.com/p/3mnv4

    The NHS is ‘ safe ‘ in whose hands ?
    ( see comments about Rose link to private health companies )

  28. bobchewie | February 15, 2014 at 9:57 pm | Reply

    DWP said “Our welfare reforms will transform the lives of some of the poorest families in our communities with universal credit, making three million households better off and lifting hundreds of thousands of children out of poverty”, the spokesman said.

    “It’s wrong to talk of removing a safety net when we’re spending £94bn a year on working age benefits and the welfare system supports millions of people who are on low incomes or unemployed so they can meet their basic needs.”

    In a statement the Conservative Christian Fellowship (CCF), an organisation of Christians who support the Tory party, called for the Archbishop to explain how much more he would like the government to spend on welfare.

    This was about the catholic priest who criticised welfare reform
    Firstly UC is a waste of money secondly the christian fellowship as ever bang on about money..
    Hmm their religion is money

  29. bobchewie | February 15, 2014 at 10:06 pm | Reply

    “The biggest fringe event at the Conservative Party Conference celebrates what God is doing in Manchester”

    ( from conservative christian fellowship site)

    Perhaps God is doing a bit of shopping

  30. bobchewie | February 15, 2014 at 10:18 pm | Reply

    Our Mission
    We are bridging the gap between the Christian world and Conservatives

    We are Inspiring Christians to go into public life, equipping them when they get there

    We are being ‘salt and light’ in British Politics

      

    Our Values
    We are passionate followers of Jesus Christ

    We are diverse, we’re from different backgrounds and denominations

    We are believers in prayer, the Holy Bible and prayer are foundation to all we do

    We are united in loving God and loving our neighbour

    We are angry about injustice and suffering

    We are committed to high integrity in public life.

    This is from Conservative Christian Fellowship website
    Ie the organisation that criticized the priest who condemned welfare reform

    Can you see anything at odds in their list of aims ?

  31. Fellow JCP Sufferer/Customer | February 16, 2014 at 1:23 am | Reply

    @ bamboozled PS Thank God Universal Credit has not come into force yet, and hopefully it never will, as that is when they are going to make hardship payments into repayable loans if no one stops them which I wish someone would!

  34. bobchewie | February 16, 2014 at 2:07 am | Reply

    The first official statistics for claims of the new disability benefit – Personal Independence Payment (PIP) – show 37% of standard claims have been successful.
    For people with terminal illnesses, however, over 99% of all claims have been approved.
    Ministers say the new benefit which includes a face-to-face assessment and regular reviews – something missing from the old system of Disability Living Allowance – will lead to more accurate awards.
    DWP has received around 30,000 claims per month on average for PIP.
    Minister of State for Disabled People, Mike Penning, said:
    Disability Living Allowance is an outdated benefit introduced over 20 years ago. It was very much a product of its time, with the majority of claimants getting indefinite awards without systematic checks to see if their situations have changed – whether improved or deteriorated.
    Personal Independence Payment has been designed to better reflect today’s understanding of disability – particularly to update our thinking on mental health and fluctuating conditions.
    We are world-leaders in support for disabled people with the UK’s spending on disability-related benefits a fifth higher than the EU average. Our reforms – as part of our long-term economic plan – will ensure this support is better targeted at those who need it most”

    OH FUCK OFF.. What with delays and rebellions been reported and fuck up and info about DWP googling medical conditions online and disabled and sick being told they are fit for work when they are not and suicides of sick people

    DEPARTMENT of WORK and PENSIONS has DEPARTED from truth and reality !!!

    • furious78 | February 18, 2014 at 5:04 am | Reply

      “Personal Independence Payment has been designed to better reflect today’s understanding of disability – particularly to update our thinking on mental health and fluctuating conditions.” —– And this “updated” thinking has told the DWP the solution is to get them into some crap job, no matter what. They probably hope they’ll die, thus saving the Government a few pounds.

  35. bobchewie | February 16, 2014 at 4:54 am | Reply

    http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/443511/Food-bank-Britain-Thousands-need-charity-handouts-because-of-welfare-system-failings

    The Benefit Sanctions isn’t just the shock
    Its the fact that its the Daily Express reporting it all…overlooking the fact that this newspaper has been publishing screeching headlines about benefit scroungers and claimants getting ” free mansions ”
    They don’t get irony do they ?

    • totallygivenup | February 16, 2014 at 8:27 am | Reply

      bobchewie the frightening thing is the readers reaction to this artical,i hear the words “all the deaths are exagerated” echoeing around ive just posted my feelings about the wite dee situation which like this artical will only make life even worse than it already is…..

  37. totallygivenup | February 16, 2014 at 8:21 am | Reply

    sorry if this is slightly off subject but ide like your thoughts please,white dee has fast become a “celeb” i knew this would happen,she will make a lot of money and from the first episode it was obvious both channel 4 and dee herself had this planned my fear is that a very serious issue an issue which is killing people daily is going to made into “celeb fun” dee is on the sick and has a criminal past,many blue rinse brigade will say and think “there told you so,there all ok” as it stands this lady has hundreds of thousands of “followers” and signs autographs instead of fighting fot the plight of us geniunly suffering because of this goverment and its nazi style policies,i would like to know if you have any views on this

  38. Landless Peasant | February 16, 2014 at 2:32 pm | Reply

    The Labour Party are also hypocrites for persistently failing to answer my pertinent questions about ending State Terrorism (i.e. Benefit sanctions), and paying the correct legal amount of State Benefits as defined by the Council of Europe. It seems they don’t want to know, so I’ll be voting Green.

  39. Raining | February 16, 2014 at 3:24 pm | Reply

    For anyone in any doubt of the idiocy of “Ms Duncan-Smith Reeves” (Thanks Shirley) and the Labour party’s approach to benefits and jobs here’s the full transcript of the statement she made linked at the bottom here.

    She’s talking about all these jobs that are going to be created in small firms supposedly. This is all pie in the sky stuff. How can you create a vacancy in a small firm if they don’t exist? This is just moronic stuff!

    Now on to the next part; She says that people unemployed will take a skills test and take training to improve their skills. But almost all these jobs are going to be minimum wage scuzzer jobs that anyone can do as they’ll be unskilled anyway. Why would going on a course to learn to write an email help anyone in doing a bottom of the rung job that requires no skills anyway? That’s why people doing jobs like that are treated like s–t and given crap wages, simply for the reason that the job requires no skills or training. I mean what planet are these idiots on? What’s wrong with them?

    Oh! i know it all sounds grand and official being made in a big speech and all that but it just doesn’t hold up to proper and in depth scrutiny by anyone with half a brain cell.

    Like the bit where she says “there will be sanctions.” Oh how Tory the Labour party are striving to be.

    http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/2014/01/rachel-reevess-speech-social-security-full-text

  40. Lucy | February 16, 2014 at 3:48 pm | Reply

    If John Bird gets his way, all the homeless will be sectioned and locked up in secure MH wards.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-436807/Big-Issue-founder-says-lock-homeless.html

    He thinks that his one size fits all approach will work. It won’t. One size never fits all, but always fits everyone badly.

    • bobchewie | February 16, 2014 at 5:50 pm | Reply

      @Lucy great idea NOT put ppl into mental homes with the growth of privateers taking over the running of such places with them cutting staff to ” save money ”
      where I live this has happened already we have had death here which could have been prevented had staff not been cut

  43. bobchewie | February 16, 2014 at 5:43 pm | Reply

    http://www.turn2us.org.uk/information__resources/benefits/social_fund/funeral_payments.aspx

    IRONY ABOUNDS. GETTING HELP FROM SOCIAL FUND ( which is being scrapped ) TO
    HELP PAY FOR FUNERALS THAT DWP MAY
    HAVE CAUSED DEATH

  44. bobchewie | February 16, 2014 at 5:57 pm | Reply

    https://welfaretales.wordpress.com/tag/dwp

    PIP ASSESSMENT DELAYS. Yet DWP using transparency initiative claims PIP payments
    is all hunky dory ..( see my post on PIP from DWP ),

  46. Rob | February 16, 2014 at 6:53 pm | Reply

    I know in the old days if you had above the 6k amount then they took off £1a week housing benefit for every £250 above the 6k. That is means that you would have to make 20% on your savings to cover the loss in housing benefit so clearly you end up worse off. If they really wanted to check on your I guess they have the power to do a financial check on a person and find out if any accounts crop up for a certain name and address that have not be mentioned.
    When it comes to people knocking your door without warning maybe it’s best never to answer your door and hope they leave a card. If all your friends let you know by phone or text that they are coming your wouldn’t have to answer to them.

  47. Ron | February 20, 2014 at 9:09 pm | Reply

    Hazel blaires has decided to give up her seat after making fortunes and banking it.

  48. Dry January | November 12, 2014 at 1:08 pm | Reply

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