“I don’t buy into the idea that being on benefits is a lifestyle choice,” says one claimant. “I’d much prefer to be in my old £38k job, with a life of hope ahead of me, instead of worrying about how to make half a loaf of bread an onion and half a bottle of ketchup […]
I wrote a New Statesman column a couple of weeks ago, titled ‘Immoral or incompetent? With the DWP, it’s no longer a choice.’ It summed up what I’d been thinking for a while; the sheer scale of damaging, cut-inspired ‘reforms’ and the depth of carelessness that was accompanying it. As if confirmation, one week later […]
The WOW petition read: “We call for a cumulative impact assessment of welfare reform, and a new deal for sick and disabled people based on their needs, abilities and ambitions.” Some 100,000 signatures later, the government has been forced to listen. This morning, the House of Commons will have a full debate on what the “reforms” have done to […]
Fewer than one in six people who apply for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) have had their claim decided, DWP figures revealed this month. Meanwhile, almost two out of three people who apply for PIP are receiving nothing at all unless they are terminally ill. They’re the first figures to be released since the PIP’s rollout began to replace Disability […]
It was last year that the Telegraph declared sex-selective abortion was available “on demand” in the UK. I spoke on some BBC radio shows at the time – feeling a bit like the unhinged feminist arguing for radical things like ‘evidence’ before a panic and continual ‘full reproductive rights’. The Independent’s ‘Lost Girls’ campaign – in which the […]
2012 brought us some wonderfully offensive male attempts to control women’s bodies . With a late entry, Tim Montgomerie ensured 2013 was no different. Hurrah to Tim! There were many highlights to the column – from ignoring all scientific fact to advocating legally requiring pregnant women to look at pictures of foetuses before they are allowed to […]
Christmas would be nothing without its traditions. The stocking on your bed, the Quality Streets in your stomach … your local police force’s tips on how not to get yourself raped. “It’s Christmas, ladies! Here’s a reminder how not to get raped!” Every year sees anti-rape campaigns and, without fail, every year sees anti-rape campaigns that show […]
