Ted's assessment is perfectly reasonable, but notice that it is in essence a restatement in less euphemistic language of IDS's points.
An even less euphemistic version is that the "reforms" have the aim, and would have the effect, of driving down UK workers' standards, at the bottom of the labour market at least, to those currently obtaining in the central European "new accession" states.
Julian
> -----Original Message-----
> From: email list for Radical Statistics [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> On Behalf Of Ted Harding
> Sent: 11 November 2010 18:07
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: [RADSTATS] "Benefits reform"
>
> Greetings All.
>
> The details of the planned reforms to benefits, and in
> particular the "sanctions" to be applied to people who
> do not take jobs which are available, remain obscure.
>
> I read: 'There will be tougher penalties for people
> fit to work but unwilling to do so. A sliding scale
> of sanctions will see those refusing work on three
> occasions having their benefits taken away for three
> months.'
> ( http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11728546 )
>
> It has struck me that, by imposing penalties when
> work is available but is not taken up, without any
> apparent restraints on what work is offered, and how,
> opens the door for employers to offer demanding work
> at minimal wages, taking advantage of the sanctions
> that would be imposed on those who turn it down.
>
> In other words, opening the door to a "gangmaster"
> society (with, perhaps, the Government being Chief
> Gangmaster).
>
> I also read (same URL):
> '"In prosperous times this dependency culture
> would be unsustainable but today it's a national
> crisis," said Mr Duncan Smith.
>
> He said 70% of the four million new jobs created
> during one of the longest economic booms in
> history had gone to foreign workers, while 4.5
> million British people continued a life on benefits.
>
> "Businesses had to bring people in from overseas
> because our welfare system did not encourage or
> even assist people to take those jobs," said
> the minister.'
>
> I think this is probably a mis-representation of the
> reasons why businesses "brought in" people from overseas.
> Surely one of the main reasons is two-fold:
>
> a) Many people from impoverished communites in countries
> newly admitted to the EU sought to come to the UK
> where jobs were avialble;
> b) They were willing to work for a pittance (by UK standards),
> and live in poor conditions, in order to be able to send
> money home.
>
> And employers were thus able to employ them at much less than
> it would cost to employ UK nationals. And the gangmasters
> nicely organised it all.
>
> The above is probably a partially-informed opinion, and I
> would be obliged for any better-informed comment.
>
> Ted.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> E-Mail: (Ted Harding) <[log in to unmask]>
> Fax-to-email: +44 (0)870 094 0861
> Date: 11-Nov-10 Time: 18:06:28
> ------------------------------ XFMail ------------------------------
>
> ******************************************************
> Please note that if you press the 'Reply' button your
> message will go only to the sender of this message.
> If you want to reply to the whole list, use your mailer's
> 'Reply-to-All' button to send your message automatically
> to [log in to unmask]
> Disclaimer: The messages sent to this list are the views of the sender and
> cannot be assumed to be representative of the range of views held by
> subscribers to the Radical Statistics Group. To find out more about
> Radical Statistics and its aims and activities and read current and past
> issues of our newsletter you are invited to visit our web site
> www.radstats.org.uk.
> *******************************************************
>
> This email has been scanned for all viruses by the MessageLabs Email
> Security System.
This email has been scanned for all viruses by the MessageLabs Email
Security System.
******************************************************
Please note that if you press the 'Reply' button your
message will go only to the sender of this message.
If you want to reply to the whole list, use your mailer's
'Reply-to-All' button to send your message automatically
to [log in to unmask]
Disclaimer: The messages sent to this list are the views of the sender and cannot be assumed to be representative of the range of views held by subscribers to the Radical Statistics Group. To find out more about Radical Statistics and its aims and activities and read current and past issues of our newsletter you are invited to visit our web site www.radstats.org.uk.
*******************************************************
|