DRIVERS of fork-lift trucks in a Morrisons warehouse, staff at
the Warburtons factory near Birmingham, and the night crews who
repair the M6 were the heroes of a speech made by the Chancellor,
George Osborne, on Sunday, at a Conservative Party conference that
was dedicated to "hardworking people".
But his words immediately provoked anger from poverty
campaigners, who accused him of perpetuating the myth that poverty
was the result of idleness.
Mr Osborne announced a new policy to address unemployment, Help
to Work, which will mean that "all long-term unemployed people who
are capable of work will be required to do something in return for
their benefits, and to help them find work. . . No one will get
something for nothing." Those who do not comply will lose four
weeks' worth of benefits.
"Today's speech by the Chancellor reinforces the assumption
that, effectively, the only purpose of welfare is to promote hard
work," Niall Cooper, of Church Action on Poverty, said. "More
generally, public debate has become increasingly polarised, leading
to unhealthy and misleading arguments setting so-called 'strivers'
against co-called 'shirkers'. . ."
As Christians, he said, "we must reassert the positive and
enduring role of the welfare state, and reclaim the vision of it
providing a safety net to protect all people from the giant evil of
hunger and destitution."
The chief executive of Child Poverty Action Group, Alison
Garnham, said: "We know already that most of those who are out of
work longest are in parts of the country where the market is not
providing enough jobs."
On Saturday, the Prime Minister announced proposals to offer
married couples on lower incomes tax breaks worth up to £200 per
annum. Up to four million married couples are expected to benefit,
and 15,000 couples in civil partnerships.
The Archbishop of Canterbury said: "We welcome all support for
family life, and we're pleased that this initiative includes both
married couples and those in civil partnerships."
The appeal to "hard-working people" was reiterated by the Prime
Minister in his speech on Wednesday: "The best way out of poverty
is work - and the dignity that brings."
Leader
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