You should send this to that Iain Duncan Smith
to help inform his current plans to reform the benefit system.
(square go, Fri 28 May 2010, 14:47, 2 replies)

IDS seems pretty clued up
I don't think he needs to be told any of that.

Of course, whether his reasonable ideas actually have a decent implementation remains to be seen..
(EssY, Fri 28 May 2010, 14:51, closed)

I've got quite a lot of hope in that area
IDS is working really hard on it and he's got some great stuff
( Amberl was stripey and dominated Europe, Fri 28 May 2010, 15:01, closed)

no problems with benefits system reform, PROVIDED THAT...
When anyone who is employed becomes unemployed, they get full benefits immediately AND active help to get a new job i.e. the dole office people* spend less time trying to distinguish genuine job seekers from scumsuckers and more time trying to help people find jobs

*Or, more likely, the private recruitment consultancies that it'll all be PFI'd out to at vastly inflated expense.

I've been unemployed more times in my life than I'm proud of - every time because of redundancy, and every time I've spent the hours of a full time job, and more, looking for a full time job.

We don't need to throw the baby of supporting genuine job seekers out with the bathwater of cutting off the support of the pondlife that taint the whole benefits system for everyone else.
( shinyshinyscalp less a man, more a way of life, Fri 28 May 2010, 17:37, closed)