It is normal practice in this society that when a dreadful cruelty happens, our babbling brook of bullshit, the mainstream media, spew out a few articles about it, and then it is dropped, no longer “news”. The dreadful cruelty, in all probability continues, but is now no longer worth reporting, it's yesterday's news. One of the things that fall into that category is benefit sanctions. It was “news”, a new chattering issue, but as the viciousness of this legislation grinds on, it becomes normal and boring to the chattering classes. Not only is the cruelty of this vindictive legislation still there, its effects are multiplying.
Over 1 million people on JSA have been sanctioned. These are people living on the barest of income, people who are scraping an existence, in all probability not eating properly, not heating their home, unable to feed their kids properly, and then that meagre income is stopped for a minimum of one month, it could be up to three years. Those punished in this way could be sick, disabled, single parents with kids over 5 years old.
Without a shadow of doubt, this vindictive punishing of the poor and vulnerable has caused widespread deprivation and misery, has ripped families apart, left pregnant women without food. Has seen those with mental health problems deteriorate and has created an increase in suicides. Has pushed families to food-banks and in cases forced them into begging. We can get a measure of the type of society we tolerate when we consciously reduce people to begging, sleeping in the streets or attempting suicide as a cruel and degrading punishment for being poor.
This vile and cruel punishing of the poor and vulnerable is implemented on the flimsiest and most irrational pretext. Misery and deprivation are handed out on a whim, devoid of any humanity. We cannot tolerate this vicious, vindictive punishing of our own people. Over one third of the homeless on JSA have been sanctioned, among the young homeless, it jumps to over 50%. To be homeless in this society is a cruel bare existence, to deprive them of any income, is nothing less than condemning them to ill health and an early death.
Our millionaire Bullingdon Boys, the Cameron cabal, idling away their evenings checking their shares and off-shore accounts, have no conception of what it is in this society, to face life with nothing. Nobody, least of all that bunch of pampered parasites, has the right to inflict that destitution and misery on anyone. Even that sanitised old boys club, the Parliament’s Work and Pensions Select Committee said, there was evidence that the sanctions caused more problems than they solved, and that the Government had not yet provided evidence that the system was not "purely punitive". The committee said the Government needed to provide more evidence to support its hard-line approach, as the committee’s chair warned that financial hardship caused by the sanctions could lead families being unable to eat.
From the Guardian: The following anonymised list is typical of sanctions reported by food bank clients to the Trussell trust charity:More inhumane, vindictive, irrational, whimsical reasons used to sink people into destitution, HERE:
- Man who missed appointment due to being at hospital with his partner, who had just had a stillborn child.
- Man sanctioned for missing an appointment at the jobcentre on the day of his brother’s unexpected death. He had tried to phone Jobcentre Plus to explain, but could not get through and left a message which was consequently not relayed to the appropriate person.
- Man who carried out 60 job searches but missed one which matched his profile.
- Man had an appointment at the jobcentre on the Tuesday, was taken to hospital with a suspected heart attack that day, missed the appointment and was sanctioned for nine weeks.
- Man who secured employment and was due to start in three weeks. He was sanctioned in the interim period because JCP told him he was still duty bound to send his CV to other companies.
- Young couple who had not received any letters regarding an appointment that was thus subsequently missed. Their address at the Department for Work and Pensions was wrongly recorded. They were left with no money for over a month.
- One case where the claimant’s wife went into premature labour and had to go to hospital. This caused the claimant to miss an appointment. No leeway given.
- One man sanctioned for attending a job interview instead of Jobcentre Plus – he got the job so did not pursue grievance against the JCP.
- Man who requested permission to attend the funeral of his best friend; permission declined; sanctioned when he went anyway.
- A diabetic sanctioned and unable to buy food was sent to hospital by GP as a consequence.
Its a bit late I know, but great article. I see from the lack of responses that most people do not understand what they are in, nor do many care. Thank you sir.
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