As firms shed workers in their thousands and as banks are handed blank cheques to cover the losses of anonymous investors overseas the government of the Sweated Labour party continues with its mission to force benefit claimants to submit to conditionality.

Q. What is a benefits claimant?

a) a soapdodging scrounger
b) somebody that has made sick by hyper-capitalism and requires compensation from wealthier sections of society is redistributed in their direction

In recent days the BBC has detailed various earth-shattering changes to the benefits system without so much as a murmur from the activist community represented by UK Indymedia. Following last years Freud review prepared by investment banker David Freud, Work Csar James Purnell will present a white paper based on the recommendations of the Gregg review.

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7759905.stm

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7774113.stm

Whilst much that is spouted on welfare reform is either bluster, as a means to satiate the lust among the chattering classes for an end to "handouts", or scare tactics to provoke claimants to work there is a concerted march by both parties to dismantle the welfare state.

The assumptions behind the proposals sound something like this.
"It is bad for society as a whole that people receive state benefits (unless they are bankers)- both for taxpayers and for the recipients themselves. The unemployed are unable to "realize their potential" because they either lack confidence, motivation or are plain lazy. The evidence for this is that people from other countries, for example Poland have been able to find employment in the UK. By going to work and by work we mean any type of work available these sick people will get better. They will progress up the social ladder and society will be improved.

The approach must be a "tough love" approach. For people to have choices they must be forced into a hole. (See Greggs diagram of the Personal Conditionality Regime.)
 http://bleedingheartshow.wordpress.com/2008/12/04/your-life-in-diagrams/


According to Purnell; "If there's work there for people, we believe they should do it and people should not be able to turn down a reasonable offer of a job."

So despite criticisms of the McJob society and its impact on peoples vitality, despite the collapsing formal economy, despite all the hard work and effort undertaken by the unemployed in activities other than paid work, despite the fact that we have been committed as taxpayers for decades to come to pay for the deliberate crimes and unfortunate failures of the bankers and their cohorts the benefits claimant is to be squeezed by the state in the name of his or her improvement.

And while all this is going on what to we do? Well, we "participate" in the Greek revolution or we wave placquards outside the bank complaining about particular investments that we don´t like- ones that we as consumers "feel" bad about.

Fucking get up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!