from the guardian

Work for a pittance - or else

Plans to force the long-term unemployed to take minimum wage jobs or lose benefits are unethical

Judith Williamson
Friday April 26, 2002
The Guardian

Last week's budget confirmed the signif-icance of the NHS, both for government policy and in the political imagination of the nation. The chancellor's speech invoked a health service "freely accessible to all", which could "give British people the greater security they need", and his ethical triumph was the commitment to maintain this principle of universal entitlement, while improving the service.
Less attention has been paid to budget policy impacting on a different area of the welfare state, one that inspires none of the affection of the NHS but is equally crucial to people's security. Under the proposed StepUP scheme, to be piloted in six regions, people not in work within six months of passing through the New Deal programme will be given jobs with local employers at the minimum wage, subsidised by the government. Failure to accept will result in loss of benefits. These measures are to be backed up by compulsory work preparation classes where, again, failure to attend will mean withdrawal of benefit
abstract for article see  http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,3604,690834,00.html

J,accuse

With Europe increasingly looking like a return to the 1930,s, New Labour turn the screws on the unemployed even more. While there have been sanctions against those who for whatever reason do not not work, there have also been options such as the voluntary aided sector or education. Now, New Labour are offering only one option, a minimun wage with a local employer or lose all benefit. In a capitalist world ,money is life, so taking away benefit is a transgression of human rights,but where is Liberty, where are the anti-capitalists? . So, there we have it, work camps will be next, don't believe me, they were in the UK in the New Forest in the 1930,s. Again, i ask the question where are the demos against New deal, where are the actions against the coming cuts in disability benefits?. It,s cool to (quite rightly) demonstrate against the occupation of palestine or of corporate power, but not on issues that affect the indigenous poor of this country. The left/anarchists, tho not all have, (simon jones campaign, A/F) have always been aloof from bread and butter struggles in this country, when was the last time activists demonstrated against job seekers allowance, not as sexy as peasant uprisings in Mexico. I know there should be no hirarchy of suffering and that a life in Africa is as important as one here and much more difficult, but ignoring these issues will have consequences as plp in France have found:plp on estates ands poorer areas are slowly becoming politicised and they are not drifting to us but to the far right.