Wednesday: Statement on Benefits

Hi everyone, the speech on welfare has just ended, done by Alison McGovern. Very little detail was given, I'm afraid we're not much further forward. They say they'll publish proposed changes in a "green paper" in the spring.

Just one main thrust appeared to me to stand out, that 18-21 year-olds should be given employment, education or training (with threat of sanctions), which makes sense if you're that age and fit to work. I'm old enough to remember coming onto the job market when Thatcher smashed the country up, being left on the scrap-heap at a young age (because of "lack of experience") is no joke (I escaped by going back to uni - but they had grants in those days).

I'm afraid however they'll try and force those having mental health problems like anxiety / autism to move into jobs which will be beyond anything they can cope with. There was lots of talk about "supporting" people into work, but we all know what that means. I doubt whether many employers will have the patience and capacity to adjust working conditions to support those having difficulties, maybe I'm being too cynical but speaking from years of experience… You just have to look at how they've viewed the disabled in the past, just how many have been rejected during interviews compared with the fit, which they expect to work like stink nowadays (just look at Aldi).

Lots of talk about the "good" being in a job does for you (even though pensioners don't seem to suffer!) and "huge numbers" of long-term sick and disabled "wanting desperately" to return to work. Fine for those who can but if we're too sick / disabled, what then? Old Corbyn made a couple of attempts to pin her down: questions on whether correct benefits advice would be more readily available and whether they'd upgrade universal credit et al in line with recommendations, or whether they'd keep to the welfare cap - McGovern avoided giving answers to both questions.

Incidentally, it was the Tories, Osborne in fact, who introduced this cap, back in 2014. There was NONE under Blair, which Labour MPs were harping back to during the debate.

Also lots of talk about giving people "quality jobs that pay well". Another pipe dream I'm afraid, not everyone can do a highly skilled job, and there will always be lots of donkey-work around on low pay. What they should be doing is make big efforts to reduce the disparity of income between those poorly paid and the highest earners. But nope, this is the cheap alternative where they wave a carrot in front of your nose with a fantasy promise while most likely forcing you to do a **** job.

AND while I'm about it, what they really should be doing is have a wealth tax for the super-rich. That way they could give everyone who is too sick / disabled to work dignity while they receive treatment, rather than the abject poverty we are subjected to now. I'm afraid their extreme reluctance to even contemplate this shows where their real sentiments lie.

I'm sorry nightcity (if you were referring to me) I didn't mean it that way, maybe I should have said "having social difficulties"? I'm very familiar with autism, my brother has the same condition, I'm well-aware of the sorts difficulties you're likely to encounter. Have a good evening x

Go on to parliament tv website. Search put today s date and scroll down, Alison mcgovern will come . She's saying about getting people into work, still watching