The Create Goodness Cap: To A Greater Extent Than Media Driving Policy

Yesterday I talked nigh how the media, together with the correct fly tabloid press inward particular, plays a major run inward determining non solely authorities policy on immigration together with the EU, but also determining the policy of the Labour opposition (on austerity, immigration together with the EU). Yesterday also saw the introduction of a reduced exercise goodness cap inward the UK, which is some other number where both authorities together with opposition policy has its origins inward the tabloid press.

The exercise goodness cap imposes a maximum figure y'all tin sack have inward benefits (where benefits include kid benefit). The previous cap hitting unopen to 20,000 households, mainly those alongside large numbers of children or paying really high London rents. (This together with subsequent figures come upwardly from here.) The novel lower cap volition hitting nearly 90,000, together with its impact volition live on felt throughout the country. Those already capped volition lose a farther £3,000 per twelvemonth (in London) or £6,000 per twelvemonth (elsewhere). The authorities expects those households newly affected past times the cap to lose an average of £2,000 a year.

The source of this cap come upwardly from countless stories similar this inward the tabloid newspapers. Such stories, which are hardly ever contextualised inward damage of how typical they mightiness be, understandably annoy many people. As a result, the policy of a exercise goodness cap has proved really popular. The authorities formalised motivation for the master copy cap alongside the sentiment that no i on benefits should have to a greater extent than than they could past times working. But every bit Declan Gaffney explained inward this superb post:

“people are non by together with large meliorate off on benefits than working: that’s the upshot of having a minimum wage to which levels of in-work back upwardly (tax credits together with housing benefit) are calibrated. As long every bit somebody is working sixteen hours a calendar week at the legal minimum hourly wage, they are meliorate off inward work. So the regulation that Earth approves – the i they are inward fact blessing when they laissez passer their back upwardly to the cap- is already built into the social safety system. But every bit Earth is non by together with large familiar alongside the workings of the organisation (why should they be?), they are non necessarily aware of this.”

However the cap was quantified past times comparing all the income of those out of piece of work alongside simply some of the income of those inward work.

“So kid benefit, kid revenue enhancement credit together with housing exercise goodness are included on i side of the comparing (out of work) together with excluded on the other (working). You tin sack demonstrate anything if you’re prepared to rig the comparing inward this way, together with that is exactly what the authorities has been doing.”

It is hard to imagine whatever other motivation beside garnering popularity or appeasing the press for why the authorities introduced the exercise goodness cap. The master copy cap raised relatively small-scale amounts, but had a large negative impact on already piteous children. The evidence suggests that solely a really small-scale per centum of those hitting past times the cap were encouraged to respect piece of work or move. But such was the popularity of the cap, that both the LibDems together with Labour accepted it ‘in principle’. Gaffney’s post contains this really revealing quote from the LibDem Lord Kirkwood

“I desire to arrive clear that I am implacably opposed to a household exercise goodness cap inward principle. People's eyes glaze over when I endeavour to explicate my primary reasons. I tried it inward Grand Committee together with past times the halt people looked at me every bit though I was possessed..... What I should actually similar to exercise alongside Clause 94 is vote against the whole thing. However, my noble friend Lord German linguistic communication together with i or ii others took me into a night room, sat me downwards together with said, "That wouldn't live on sensible because the keen British world know the foursquare root of adjacent to cipher at all nigh the especial of the technicalities". He has persuaded me that I should mitigate Clause 94, together with I am prepared to exercise that.”

The exercise goodness cap is also an representative of where an opposition tactic of ‘accepting inward principle’ but tinkering at the edges simply becomes failed appeasement. Gaffney ends past times saying: “there are costs attached to this strategy, inward damage of the character of political struggle together with to a greater extent than by together with large inward the endorsement it gives to a large untruth nigh the social safety organisation together with those who are relying on it.” His post was written nigh the initial cap inward 2012, together with yesterday’s intensification of the policy suggests he was absolutely right. (Contrast alongside the sleeping accommodation tax, which Labour did oppose.) [1]

In 1966, Ken Loach made the television set play Cathy Come Home nigh homelessness. In a small-scale agency it shocked the nation, past times making many people aware of something that was otherwise unreported. Today what nosotros have on television set is Benefit Street. Ken Loach of late made the film I, Daniel Blake nigh the victims of the government’s exercise goodness organisation which has helped exercise the huge expansion of nutrient banks. But if the cinema was shown on TV today, I dubiousness whether it would lead keep the same impact every bit Cathy Come Home. The sentiment that most exercise goodness claimants are inward some feel mistaken remains embedded inward Earth consciousness, together with the belief is supported past times the same media that initially helped exercise it. It is another politicised truth: a falsehood that politicians together with the political media pretend is true.

 [1] The danger of conceding the regulation tin sack also live on illustrated past times austerity. Once y'all convey that the deficit is a employment that requires an immediate solution, in that place are no limits on how much austerity y'all have, every bit world credit volition e'er leave of absence to those to endeavour together with solve the deficit employment quickly.