Employment Therapy

In the afternoon, I attend a meeting of a local community group, which aims to help the disadvantaged through 'dance, theatre and music.' When I arrive at the venue, a friendly receptionist shows me to a room where about 16 people are sitting in a circle, in front of a blackboard on which is written 'Therapy Group.' Seeing this, I think for one awful moment that we will all have to sit and talk about our emotions, but luckily I am only required to talk about the benefits of going into employment. I am introduced by a woman with a very posh voice, who proceeds to talk down to all of us (I don't know if the group members feel patronised, but I certainly do) and who actually says: 'Isn't it nice for us to have Annette here?'

Trying not to laugh, I give my usual talk about what the job centre can do to help as many as possible to obtain employment, and then invite questions. I am, as always, beseiged by questions about individual benefit problems. One man insists that the job centre owes him some money from six years ago, and actually pulls from his pocket records of every single payment he has ever had. Gasping, I point out that the only way I can answer these queries is for the person to come into the job centre, so I can look up their records on the computer. I advise him when to come into the office (on a day that I won't be there, I'm determined not to get stuck with that one) and pretend not to hear when he starts complaining about how the CAB haven't helped him at all, and neither have the law centre, and he's tried several times to see his MP, but she never seems to be available, (very sensible of her).

The next few questions are of the 'why does my friend/brother/neighbour get more benefit money than I do?' variety, so I refer them to the previous answer. Then someone wants to know if you can still get housing benefit when you are in full time employment, and on being informed that you can if you are earning a low wage, asks me if I can get him a job as a sound engineer. I inform him that a great many young people wish to work in that field, and invite him to tell the group how he thinks he would go about it, and what qualifications he would need. He looks at me with the gormless open-mouthed stare, he hasn't thought about it at all, he just likes the sound of the job. Did he get no careers advice at school, I ask him? This seems to annoy him, and he gets up and walks out, slamming the door loudly. The posh-voiced woman apologises to me, saying that Duwayne (at least I think that's the name although I might have got it wrong) has always been difficult.

What is wrong with Duwayne and a great many more is that they expect to be spoon fed. This is partly the fault of the benefit system, and the industry that has grown up around it, because we do spoon feed people, and have done for a long time. Why would anyone bother to do anything for themselves when they can sit back and have it done for them? What is needed is a complete overhaul of the benefit system, so that there would not be a choice between work and claiming, and no one would be in the ridiculous situation where they would be better off if they did not work. Frank Field MP was given this job, and was told to 'think the unthinkable,' and when he did, he was sacked.