Voices: ‘The welfare state needs tough love’: Readers split over who should pay for Britain’s benefits bill

‘The welfare state needs tough love’: Readers split over who should pay for Britain’s benefits bill Our community agrees Britain's finances need fixing, but reject the idea that welfare and pensions – including the state pension – are the fair place to find the savings - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Our community has pushed back against the idea that Britain’s huge welfare bill can be fixed simply by making life harder for claimants. Writing for The Independent, James Kirkup argued that Andy Burnham, if he becomes prime minister, will have to find a way to cut spending on welfare and pensions without doing lasting political or economic damage. He set out a “compassionate cuts” agenda: narrow who qualifies for support, help people into work, and have an honest “national conversation” about what the welfare state is really for, as well as scrapping the pensions triple lock. But many readers argued Labour’s next leader won't achieve anything unless he first tackles insecure jobs, an overstretched NHS and the housing crisis. While several agreed with Kirkup’s diagnosis, they did not support his prescription and most rejected the idea that welfare and pensions are the right place to find savings. Several readers said the rise in people signed off sick, especially with mental health conditions, reflects real problems: low pay, job insecurity, and workplaces that treat staff as disposable. They argued this isn’t a culture of claiming benefits for its own sake. There was also strong resistance to treating pensions as just another benefit to trim. Many readers insisted the state pension is a right they’ve already paid for through decades of work, not a handout. Here’s what you had to say: Give benefits as vouchers, not cash Perhaps another way of encouraging people back into work could be to stop giving them money? Get a free fractional share worth up to £100. Capital at risk. Terms and conditions apply. ADVERTISEMENT Get a free fractional share worth up to £100. Capital at risk. Terms and conditions apply. ADVERTISEMENT Vouchers could be given for shopping – no alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, holidays, cosmetics or designer clothes could be bought then. Also, rent paid directly to landlords? Some people have chosen a life of avoiding work Our main problem is that we have a significant number of people who, for whatever spurious reason, have chosen a life of avoiding work, and this is now their preferred lifestyle. I have to wonder, as a former business owner, who would hire someone like this who has no self-motivation or ambition? Ironically, legal immigrants are at the opposite end of the enthusiasm spectrum. Young people are giving up on ambition Young people today are waking up to the futility of the ‘rat race’ – they can give their lives to their work, and what do they end up with? Back pain, crippling stress. And to be thrown out when the next inevitable round of layoffs comes. Companies will never give back anywhere near the amount of effort put in. Ambition is low, because all a promotion will give is maybe an extra £5 a month, and double the work. If employers paid the value of labour and gave a damn about their employees, and provided anything to their staff beyond minimum wage, maybe we’d see some enthusiasm and ambition – but this is where we are. Work can be therapeutic if the support is right The rise of mental health is real and likely due to the pressures of modern living. It’s not that it wasn’t a problem in the past – it’s that we recognise it with greater sensitivity nowadays. A good example is PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). In the past we were expected to grin and bear it. One possible redeeming feature may be that work can be therapeutic. It can take one’s mind off our problems instead of sitting and brooding. Work can also help to (re)build self-esteem, knowing we are spending our time usefully and constructively. Not a single answer to all cases, but worth bearing in mind when formulating policy. Stress from insecure jobs is real and debilitating The problem is that stress and the conditions they give rise to are more often than not real and debilitating, and not just from the sufferer’s point of view but the employer’s, who expects a certain level of functioning from their staff no matter what. The fact that these illnesses are themselves generated by either the possibly dysfunctional work environment, the insecurity of jobs, or the consequent effect that has on relationships – added to the stress of wages often not covering the basics of rent, food and utilities in a context of insecure tenancies – all have to be taken into consideration. The idea of work as positive, therapeutic and stabilising is fine in theory but often falls down in a society that looks at worker–employer relationships in a narrow, business-orientated way. Scrapping the triple lock would cost Labour the next election Lose the triple lock on pensions? That would be a good way for Labour to lose the next election. UK state pensions are already lower than pensions elsewhere, and a single person living on it can be said to be living in poverty. Pensioners make up a substantial proportion of the UK electorate and won’t easily forgive such a crime. If pensions can’t be increased, then something must be done to reduce pensioners’ living costs. There are options there. It's too easy to get signed off with depression Mental health issues may be real, but it is too easy to get a diagnosis. I have a painful medical condition; I was told by a therapist that I should be depressed (despite the NHS questionnaire saying I wasn’t), and that I should go to the doctor, get antidepressants and take time off work. I believe many people have found that undertaking simple tasks helps the boredom of depression. Prescribe exercise and light work rather than antidepressants. Force employers to treat disabled workers properly Long-term disabled here. What keeps me out of work is a combination of employers discriminating against me, horrible work conditions when I am employed, underpayment, and having to battle my employers to get any consideration for my struggles. My last job, I was isolated and humiliated in order to force me to quit. The one before that, I was verbally abused for struggling with pain. I wasn’t even paid properly for the one before that – they let me go in a voicemail after I had to take a day off due to my chronic migraines. Until you force employers to care for, and pay, their employees properly, you will not beat this problem. Only with constant and vigilant oversight of the employment sector can you kindly tackle this. Stress and depression are symptoms of the late-stage capitalism in which we live; in order to tackle it, you need to tackle the whole system at its core. This is about inequality, not benefit claimants The conversation needs to be holistic; people aren’t units that simply malfunction. The NHS has to provide better mental and physical care. Psychological care has been cut to the bone, and some people are waiting years for routine operations such as knee or hip surgery, which keeps them out of work. Poor transport traps people in poverty Social disadvantage, poverty and deprivation always go hand in hand with places that are inaccessible. It seems so obvious, and a report by John Prescott (Making the Connections, ODPM) laid it out bare. One way to take people off benefits is to build a transport network that creates new opportunities for communities that are economically and socially disadvantaged because they are inaccessible to the rest of the economy, due to poor transport connections. Pensions are a right, not a benefit Pensions are not benefits, they are delayed remuneration for work done during one’s working life. I paid hugely for my pension. I do not accept it’s a benefit – it’s a right I have paid for. Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity. Want to share your views? Simply click ‘log in’ or ‘register’ in the top right corner to sign in or sign up. Once registered, you can comment on the day’s top stories for a chance to have your opinions showcased Want your voice to stand out? Independent Premium subscribers enjoy priority for featured comments. Subscribe here Make sure you adhere to our community guidelines, which can be found here. For a full guide on how to comment, click here Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments