The Observer's myth busting article on social security yields rewards to those willing to give it the attention it deserves.
It's George Osborne's claim this ast week that large families are encouraged by a 'welfare culture'. But that's a lie. Here's the data:
As the Observer says:
To quote the Economist: "Though most of them seem to end up in newspapers, in 2011 there were just 130 families in the country with 10 children claiming at least one out-of-work benefit. Only 8% of benefit claimants have three or more children. What evidence there is suggests that, on average, unemployed people have similar numbers of children to employed people ... it is not clear at all that benefits are a significant incentive to have children."
The amazing fact is that those claiming benefits are just like those not claiming benefits. So alike that on important issues you really an't tell them apart.
The Tories would like us to think they're a breed apart. But they're not. They're us. They're literally just a part of all of us.
And we need to say that very loud, and very clear.
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Obviously the myth of enormous families of the unemployed is exactly that – a myth. But we do have an obligation to understand people’s readiness to believe this rubbish.
Most middle income families (particularly those in the south of England) are struggling with stagnant wages, spiraling food, fuel and transport costs and some of the most un-affordable housing in the world.
If we can invest to make everyone’s lot better (a 1930’s style new towns programme for the southeast and some serious rail and power infrastructure would be my preference) we might see a bit more sympathy for those at the bottom of the pile.
Agreed
The irony is that those who suck up the propaganda – the “information” itself is most certainly not based on any rational or reliable evidence – poured over them in torrents of misinformation by the government and a largely irresponsible press can’t see that they’re next in the firing line. Someone will have to pay for the 1% to maintain their wealth and it’ll be them.
To quote NewsThump:
http://newsthump.com/2013/04/06/george-osborne-a-vile-product-of-parental-handouts-claim-welfare-supporters/
And:
http://newsthump.com/2013/04/04/daily-mail-apologises-for-missing-link-between-inherited-wealth-and-murdering-people/
What is more disturbing is the psychology behind this. Scapegoating is a terrible business (literally!). I am now in a culture where I feel I can’t mention I’m on Housing benefit unless I’m reasonably sure where my interlocutor is coming from. Osborne’s use of the phrase ‘those that get up in the morning’ was obviously produced by some oik of a strategist (I doubt he had the ‘nous’ to think it up himself)to whip up the disgruntled. I’m afraid the Government is ‘winning’ on this one as mass psychology likes the lazy explanations. It is ironic that those on benefit are now the focus of a culture of envy from low paid workers who are out of the housing market for good. Their revenge is to destroy social housing and harry the disabled. Good old Blighty!
This puts things in perspective but the 8% figure quoted must mean 8% of all claimants as there are just over a million households with one or two children and over two hundred thousand with three or more.
if we add the total number of children above four I made it 420,000. Above three to about 725,000.
This means there a large number of children living in comparative (depending on circumstances such as one parent in work) or a breadline poverty. I know from my teaching days that a minority may think it is a ‘norm’ and get into that cycle of deprivation but most won’t. I am also sure that many are disadvantaged by poverty. I grew up in a one parent, poor family in the 50s but was able to become a professional because the state enabled opportunities such as grants for college and the Open University (in which I was a student in its first year of opening).
Investment is the way ahead, not constricting of opportunity.