Britain’s benefits system is rated as the meanest in Western world, according to OECD. And yet there’s a misconception in UK that those on benefits live the life of Riley.
Benefit Street and its ilk did untold damage to our society. Yes, there are surely a few people who take the absolute piss, but they’re in such a minority that it barely makes sense talking about them.
The vast majority of those claiming benefits are struggling, and working for a living no less.
Maybe instead of getting upset that someone has found a way to con the system we should be getting upset at employers who pay piss poor wages safe in the knowledge that the government will subsidize their poverty wages with Universal Credit.
Do you have a link spare for this?
This table was in an article discussing benefits including pensions from across Europe. I’ll see if I can locate it. I think the data comes from this calculator: https://www.oecd.org/els/soc/benefits-and-wages/tax-benefit-web-calculator/#d.en.500997
Thanks that’s a very eye opening chart. Given that it says it’s basically a state pension as a percentage of pre tax income chart I wonder if it be different if all forms of social security were plotted rather than just state pension. For example NHS.
It’ll probably still show the UK near the bottom, 😢.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Gordon Brown has urged Jeremy Hunt to act on startling new research into Britain’s threadbare benefits system that showed the poorest families must spend an average of 63p in each pound to meet basic food and energy needs.
The former prime minister said the paper was a “wake-up call” to the chancellor that “reveals the arithmetic of poverty”, and forces the UK to “face up to the fact that it is in the throes of a crisis”.
Brown said the chancellor should use his budget on 6 March to “implement a root and branch reform of the benefits system” in order to stymie further impoverishment of Britain’s poorest children.
The unpublished briefing paper by Prof Donald Hirsch, titled the UK’s Inadequate and Unfair Safety Net, concludes Britain’s benefit system no longer provides the basic amount needed “to function day-to-day and have healthy lives”.
He added that the need to balance competing basic costs – such as clothes, toiletries and transport – meant spending on food and energy by the poorest households was likely to be inadequate, leading to serious health consequences for families.
Donald Hirsch’s important and path-breaking research reveals the arithmetic of poverty, showing just why so many families on benefits can no longer make ends meet.
The original article contains 1,012 words, the summary contains 208 words. Saved 79%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
“Damn right! Good thinking, Brown. Those lazy good for nothing oiks and whackos should get far less. In fact, is there a way to get them to give us money?” - John Q. Tory.
