The Least, the Last and the Lost should include the long-term unemployed
I was recently recommended Mez McConnell’s latest book, The Least, The Last and The Lost (I think that’s the right order!). Church Action...
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- Dec 20, 2020
- 6 min
The Myth of the Undeserving Poor
I recently finished reading The Myth of the Undeserving Poor: a Christian response to poverty in Britain today by Martin Charlesworth and...
- Oct 25, 2020
- 3 min
Is Philanthropy Christian?
I have been thinking recently about what Christian lending and borrowing would look like if we tried to incorporate Biblical principles,...
- Sep 27, 2020
- 5 min
Why I'm opposed to UBI
I am opposed to the idea of a Universal Basic Income on economic grounds – I don’t think that the sorts of money needed to lift those...
- May 25, 2019
- 3 min
(satirical) UBI critique – when the robots take over
UBI imagines a world in which all jobs are carried out by robots. The increased use of robots in work is assumed to mean that we can...
- May 25, 2019
- 2 min
(satirical) UBI critique – what happens when no-one needs charity or earnings?
Let us imagine that a UBI is paid that is at the minimum income standard (MIS). The MIS is enough money for social participation and...
- Jan 8, 2019
- 20 min
Consequences of cuts 2010-2018
I wanted to find data on the consequences of Conservative cuts since 2010, in the hope that I might remember some of them to use in...
- Jan 27, 2018
- 3 min
Not another job miracle: the mirage of full employment
Another quarter-year, another labour market release. Cue the DWP praising itself for record numbers of people in work, and record rates...
- Jun 28, 2016
- 2 min
Democratic Process
Whether rightly or wrongly, the government gave the people the choice whether to stay in the EU or leave. Cameron said that he would...
- Dec 21, 2013
- 3 min
Government vs Reality – the big society
Dear government, Let’s stop talking about what you think happens in theory and start talking about what is happening in reality. In...
- Oct 12, 2013
- 2 min
Ministers don’t get it. Policy should be based on reality, not on misinformation
Ah Bah. I am sick of hearing about what politicians think, or about what they think the public thinks, or about what the public thinks....
- Oct 3, 2013
- 3 min
The Contributory Principle
There is a debate continuing around the social security system on whether those who have paid in more should get back more when they need...
- Aug 19, 2013
- 2 min
Conflicting Policies
Just as nature takes millions of years to regain diversity after a mass extinction, so neighbourhoods take years, even decades, to build...
- Jul 8, 2013
- 3 min
Something for nothing cultures
I’m getting sick of this ‘something for nothing’ attitude that MPs seem to have regarding social security. They complain about giving...
- Jun 24, 2013
- 5 min
Beveridge Principles
When Sir William Beveridge wrote his report on social insurance he identified five giant evils: squalor, ignorance, want, idleness and...
- Jun 6, 2013
- 3 min
A week of poverty statistics
It seems to be a week of poverty. Median income is below its level in 2009-10. Work isn’t a route out of poverty. Being in full-time work...
- May 17, 2013
- 3 min
The reality of benefit cuts is shocking
When I first started on disability research, I just saw the numbers. I saw that 40% of ESA claimants told they are fit to work then...
- May 14, 2013
- 4 min
Shoukld disabled people be euthanased?
Disabled children should be euthanased, according to Cllr Colin Brewer. According to Baroness Warnock, disabled adults should be...
- Dec 12, 2012
- 2 min
Benefits and the Budget
George Osborne has decided that benefits will be up-rated at 1% for the next three years. Previously, they would have been uprated in...
- Oct 7, 2012
- 3 min
David Cameron: How we can make life better for disabled people
This is a speech made by David Cameron in 2009. “If you or someone you love suffers from a disability, life is going to be hard a lot of...