Magpies
As I, like all other MPs, have witnessed, people who are out of work and on benefit often lose the capacity and confidence to work. On one level, you feel sorry for them, as they can be dispirited and sadly de-humanised, and with that comes introspection and depression. You ache for them to recover their sense of self-worth. Of course there are others who simply abuse the system. There is allegedly anecdotal evidence that GPs, perhaps pestered by somebody, succumbing to assisting in getting that individual on to long term benefit, simply to get rid of them.
James Purnell’s announcement is therefore welcome, however belated. There are indeed many gaps to be filled – how people would lose their benefits, would there be an appeal process, what is the timing involved? It is a huge task, fraught with difficulty, but at least the political mood has changed to make this possible.
This Government has become intellectually bankrupt, bereft of inspiration and so obviously exhausted. It is therefore unsurprising that much of this has been lifted from the Conservatives, who are bursting with ideas.
The Government have collectively become magpies, but like that particular bird, will remain unloved whatever they do.