The world according to James Purnell
James Purnell looks like he would be comfortable at a pop concert according to the Times. He is also a right wing Bliarite.
In Purnell’s view the poor are to blame for their predicament…the only failure of capitalism is the benefits system that has been drafted onto it. Instead he wants to give people “the incentive to do the right thing instead of giving them the incentive to be dishonest”. This speaks more of Mr Purnell than anything about the benefits system.
In fact the Secretary of State repeats the old one that Incapacity Benefit goes up the longer that you are on it.
This is only true for the first year. It only rises with inflation after that, as do all benefits. The current top rate is £84.50 a week: although you get a massive cash injection of £17.75 a week if you become too ill to work before your 35th birthday. There is no incentive to stay on it year after year.
People on Incapacity Benefit live in grinding poverty. This compares with the £158 a week that research from the Joseph Rowntree Federation suggests that a single adult needs to maintain a basic standard of living.
Apparently Purnell is being tipped as a future PM. His plans for the public sector seem to revolve around complete privatisation of all services with the hope that the feather-bedded private companies make a fortune.
A kick down kiss up kinda guy.
If only Purnell were forced to get by on say, the minimum wage or unemployment or disability benefits - I don’t think he’d be a right-wing Bliarite in these circumstances. Fortunately for New Labour, Purnell’s living it up at our expense…
Comment by Charlie Marks — 6 July, 2008 @ 10:04 pm
Indeed Charlie.
Comment by Louise — 6 July, 2008 @ 10:12 pm
Privatisation progress report. Pathways to Work a ‘partnership’ with kenspeckle krooks Reed International has just extended its grasping hands to Suffolk: look out those on Incapacity Benefit round here.
One point Louise: you forgot to mention that Holy Willie Brown told the workless and the poor yesterday to be prudent with their spending on food and not to throw away so much. To shop around. As if we don’t bleeding do that already! Just look at the short-of-a-bobs flocking round the market stall that flogs cheap near-sell-by-date stuff this morning.
Even the telly couldn’t fail to mention that shifty sponger Brown then went on to scarf a multi-course banquet.
Comment by Andrew Coates — 8 July, 2008 @ 11:16 am
new labour was a long term creation of the british intelligence services to ensure the labour party would be made safe for british capitalism when it eventually returned to power! Long term MI6 man peter mandleson was key to the project while other state ‘assets’ were quietly inserted into the party in the early 80s (david shayler has gone on record as saying blair was an agent of MI5) The Scum that is Parnell proved his loyalty to his paymasters in the mid 90s when he was part of the cabal that promoted the revolting witch hunt of socialist liz davies! I cant for the life of me understand why anyone with even the faintest socialist instincts would still be wasting their lives in an organisation that is owned lock stock and barrel by the secret state!
Comment by leigh — 8 July, 2008 @ 6:36 pm
Louise, why are you just about the only one who is blogging about the destruction of welfare, does this say something about the the left at this moment in time
Comment by John R — 9 July, 2008 @ 12:18 am
John, because infighting is more fun.
There’s an elephant in the room wrt “back to work” schemes which slimy gits like Purnell try vainly to ignore…the employer.
In reality, no one wants to employ disabled people, people who haven’t worked for 15 years, junkies, the illiterate or barely literate, the people the Jobcentre puts up for jobs….I’ve done stints on both sides of the counter and the reality is that bosses don’t want people like that. They want clean cut, well scrubbed young graduates for even the most entry level jobs and with the market how it is, they can get’em.
Of course there are other jobs where bosses are less fussy, but the problem with that is they’re also far less fussy about giving one a decent wage and acceptable terms and conditions. Purnell ought to be made to live like the rest of us have had to and drag himself to endless job interviews for places who don’t want you cause you’ve been six months off sick or because there are ten candidates interviewing for the same job and you’re the one the DWP sent…
Comment by Rusu — 11 July, 2008 @ 1:28 pm