Tory benefit proposals: angel or devil in the detail?

The Tories today announced plans for getting people off of long-term benefits and into work. Part of the scheme involves compulsory community for those on benefits for more than two years. Coupled with independent (i.e. private) back-to-work organisations the proposals will tackle ’serial claimants’.

I can envisage this proving popular with taxpayers who have been trained to think of benefit claimants as ’scroungers’ unless proved otherwise. As someone who as unemployed and on job-seeker’s allowance for a little short of a whole year I do have some sympathy with this approach. There is a dignity in work (and Pope John Paul II agreed). Nevertheless, I’d want to hear just as much about a parallel attempt to address the systemic issues that result in some people being on benefits for years.

Similarly, the nature of the contracts with the private ‘back - to - work’ centres will need close scrutiny. We’ve seen enough BBC costume drama to alert us to the iniquities of previous Poor Laws. If shareholders can make a profit out of those on longterm benefits I’d need a lot of convincing.

There’s enough of a critique in the Bible of idleness to make us take it realistically as a problem needing addressing. However, rich people’s exploitation of the poor might just find another avenue under these proposals. Let’s see if there’s a devil or angel in the detail.