I'm actually looking forward to a week where there are no funerals to be conducted. As much as I enjoy them immensely and regard them as one of the best bits of the ministerial role, this last month has effectively seen a funeral for every working day; many of those I did the service for being people I knew.
Today though has been a day where bread and wine were to the fore and I managed to fit in an early Communion service at St Francis' before heading off out to enjoy visiting friends. It's odd, but after all these years it still doesn't feel like work when I'm out visiting - and I hope it never does get to feel like that. The evening saw me engaged with cadets, always a joy.
It's been a day when the benefits system of our land has been to the fore as well as I have been exposed to the challenges faced by others as they find benefits stopped, suspended and changed. The problem is that the mechanisms in place are inadequate and unable to manage to stop one benefit and start the other so that the outcome is something consistent and contiguous: And that means pain and fear and frustration for the claimant as they deal with the situation before them.
Some struggle so much that they become frozen in time, like a rabbit in the headlights, and this is not helped by the often low quality provision before them!
Lord, help us to stand with the marginalised and the poor, the disposed and the damaged people before us. You call us to act in their behalf and to make things work for them in terms of equity and justice. Mobilise your church we pray.
I thank You for the work of foodbanks and the charities with offer friendship, counsel and support - strengthen the arms of those who work with them and the consciences of those who might give aid to support them.
Showing posts with label benefits. Show all posts
Showing posts with label benefits. Show all posts
Friday, 31 March 2017
Wednesday, 25 May 2016
The United Kingdom and the EU - Foreigners and Benefits
The conversations under this heading were quite passionate and often vitriolic. Sadly, if I am honest, almost every one of them made reference to those from Eastern Europe in a way that took me back to my childhood in North London - except then the target for the vitriol was 'the blacks'! Funny how short a distance our nation has come over the past fifty years.
LEAVE
EU migrants to the UK are taking £££££ in terms of benefits and they are being housed ahead of births nationals. They're taking our jobs and pushing up the house pricesThey come to get free NHS and take jobs from the native population of this island. Leaving the EU would save us spending almost a billion pounds (the Daily Mail actually reported it to be £886,000,000 at the end of February 2016) - and this, "Staggering welfare bill ... meant unemployed EU migrants received £886 million in Housing Benefit, Jobseeker’s Allowance and sickness pay in 2013-14. A fresh influx of Romanian and Bulgarian migrants means the figures are now likely to be even higher. Philip Davies, a Conservative MP said: ‘It’s amazing we’ve got some figures at last, but one has to question how reliable they are. They certainly won’t be underestimates. It’s quite clear that immigration has gone up recently so the figures must be well over a billion pounds now, even by the Government’s own estimates."
The Mail went on to add: "The 43-page dossier, 'The Best Of Both Worlds' claims that about four in ten recent arrivals from the EU are in households that get benefits. It says EU migrants received £2.5 billion of benefits for workers on low incomes, made up of Housing Benefit and Working Tax Credits, ten per cent of the total UK bill."
Worse still, EU migrants with children in their home countries claim a further £27,000,000 (34,000 claims for UK child benefit for children residing in EU states.
The figures speak for themselves - if we left the EU we could stop sending benefits and this could be used to transform the NHS. Obviously leaving is a 'no-brainer'
STAY
Those EU immigrants to the Uk are actually a blessing rather than a curse - the reason for this position being taken is that, generally speaking, they're young and working and that means they pay more into our economy in terms of spending and taxation than they will ever take from it. You see the reality, contrary to popular belief, is that British citizens are more like to claim, and depend on, benefits than any of the EU immigrants.
An interesting reality is that the baby-boomers are ageing fast and it is to the immigrant population that we are increasingly looking to fill the gap they are leaving - and it's not just low-skilled manual labour jobs they're doing, there are a number of professionally qualified folk joining us, and that makes them extremely valuable to this country at home and in exports too.
As for clawing back the 1 billion we give to EU migrants (and their kids) and using it to spend on the NHS such that it is 'transformed' - the only answer I can give is to point to the planned expenditure for 2015/16 (£116.574billion) and ask the question about the difference reducing the bill by 0.86% of the overall spend would really do. This is not the transformational influence those supporting 'Leave EU' are portraying it as, is it?
It is a bit of a shock (well I was shocked) to find that the HMRC (the Taxman) defines migrant non-UK families as as family, “where at least one adult is a migrant when issued with a national insurance number”. So any couple where one partner is a British national and the other from the EU becomes part of the 'EU Scrounger' statistics' ! Suddenly the arguments against the EU seem a little less complex - perhaps we need to ban Brits from marrying foreign types as it is not only weakening the pedigree British strain (apologies for Dutch descent on my part) and confuses the benefits picture!
To give a sense of feel for this, the figures from the Office for National Statistics, show around are 1.1 million 'mixed EU/British' couples - that's more than 7% of all couples un the UK at the moment/
So - not as clear a picture as one might thing (yet again)
LEAVE
EU migrants to the UK are taking £££££ in terms of benefits and they are being housed ahead of births nationals. They're taking our jobs and pushing up the house pricesThey come to get free NHS and take jobs from the native population of this island. Leaving the EU would save us spending almost a billion pounds (the Daily Mail actually reported it to be £886,000,000 at the end of February 2016) - and this, "Staggering welfare bill ... meant unemployed EU migrants received £886 million in Housing Benefit, Jobseeker’s Allowance and sickness pay in 2013-14. A fresh influx of Romanian and Bulgarian migrants means the figures are now likely to be even higher. Philip Davies, a Conservative MP said: ‘It’s amazing we’ve got some figures at last, but one has to question how reliable they are. They certainly won’t be underestimates. It’s quite clear that immigration has gone up recently so the figures must be well over a billion pounds now, even by the Government’s own estimates."
The Mail went on to add: "The 43-page dossier, 'The Best Of Both Worlds' claims that about four in ten recent arrivals from the EU are in households that get benefits. It says EU migrants received £2.5 billion of benefits for workers on low incomes, made up of Housing Benefit and Working Tax Credits, ten per cent of the total UK bill."
Worse still, EU migrants with children in their home countries claim a further £27,000,000 (34,000 claims for UK child benefit for children residing in EU states.
The figures speak for themselves - if we left the EU we could stop sending benefits and this could be used to transform the NHS. Obviously leaving is a 'no-brainer'
STAY
Those EU immigrants to the Uk are actually a blessing rather than a curse - the reason for this position being taken is that, generally speaking, they're young and working and that means they pay more into our economy in terms of spending and taxation than they will ever take from it. You see the reality, contrary to popular belief, is that British citizens are more like to claim, and depend on, benefits than any of the EU immigrants.
An interesting reality is that the baby-boomers are ageing fast and it is to the immigrant population that we are increasingly looking to fill the gap they are leaving - and it's not just low-skilled manual labour jobs they're doing, there are a number of professionally qualified folk joining us, and that makes them extremely valuable to this country at home and in exports too.
As for clawing back the 1 billion we give to EU migrants (and their kids) and using it to spend on the NHS such that it is 'transformed' - the only answer I can give is to point to the planned expenditure for 2015/16 (£116.574billion) and ask the question about the difference reducing the bill by 0.86% of the overall spend would really do. This is not the transformational influence those supporting 'Leave EU' are portraying it as, is it?
It is a bit of a shock (well I was shocked) to find that the HMRC (the Taxman) defines migrant non-UK families as as family, “where at least one adult is a migrant when issued with a national insurance number”. So any couple where one partner is a British national and the other from the EU becomes part of the 'EU Scrounger' statistics' ! Suddenly the arguments against the EU seem a little less complex - perhaps we need to ban Brits from marrying foreign types as it is not only weakening the pedigree British strain (apologies for Dutch descent on my part) and confuses the benefits picture!
To give a sense of feel for this, the figures from the Office for National Statistics, show around are 1.1 million 'mixed EU/British' couples - that's more than 7% of all couples un the UK at the moment/
So - not as clear a picture as one might thing (yet again)
Thursday, 12 December 2013
What is 'Engagement' in a Christian World?
Engagement is one of those 'in' words at the moment and like 'impact' it's not only overused but wrongly used too! The problem is that they, and so many other buzzwords and trite statements means that many of the Christian in missional settings especially that I encounter end up communicating using what one of the clergy I know calls 'testiculations'*!
Recently, whilst I had reason to watch three video interviews relating to missional church and Fresh Expressions: They were peppered with the word 'engagement' and many other buzzwords and yet they communicated nothing and this got me thinking about the words we use and what we think they mean and what they really mean.
The reality is that 'engagement' is more than just talking to people or getting them to agree to come, sign-up or wear a badge and in a church setting there is much that we need to think about. Here's a starter on this issue and what it means for us in the wonderful world of church:
To 'engage' someone is to draw them into something (a conversation, cause, campaign and the like) and win them over such that they become part. For me this is best found in the Psalm One path to taking up wrong company in that first the person stops, then sit and finally, comfortable with the company, behaviour and values, they are at ease and recline.
One of the things that 'engagement' demands is the Benefits element - and this isn't all about them. It's about the thing you have before them having some form of validity and meaning and this often manifests as desirable when it serves others and/or gives meaning to their own life and society. Too often we try to engage people over Church with the 'get out of hell free' card and the problem is that what we are really bringing into the awareness of others is the second element to be considered:
Belonging - the realisation that you not only agree, and have some affinity, with the group but also fit into it. Finding that you have a place and that place is pleasing is a large part of the 'being engaged with' thing. After all, belonging is (so I've read) 90% of the whole relationship thing and even when you're at odds with the group, feeling you belong can overcome and cover a multitude of conflicts and heal them too.
Being like them - is a tough part because some of the things that 'Church' values are different from that which the world likes and worse still, there is an expectation that you will become more like the bloke they follow as you get further into the group. This can be a real problem when you realise that you, and they, all have:
Baggage - that needs to be dealt with and this is usually stuff that makes life interesting (in the negative sense) at times. The problem is that we pack our bags with loads of stuff that we have found difficult to have in the open and so this is a place where rather than be drawn in, people are likely to be finding themselves repelled. A potential for weakening bonds and even being set free into the world and away from the Church setting if this is not picked up and dealt with sensitively.
Being listened to - I remember a person who was always wanting to be listened to and yet, when they were, they not only had nothing to say but were aggrieved that they were 'being put on the the spot' and invited to put their point of view. Eventually I realised that they merely wanted a voice rather than to say something and the problem was solved. But most of us want to feel that we have a valid voice and are taken seriously and respected. One of the best ways to bring people into the group is to make them aware that they have a voice from early on - after all the only stupid questions are those which are left unasked and the only stupid points of view are the ones that we are not willing to dialogue over. Two-way, fully engaged traffic from the very beginning is the route to engagement and relationship.
Engagement is not a buzzword to thrown in to conversations but is a multi-faceted reality that we, as Church, are called to make a reality. It stops, takes time, gets to know, enthuses, encourages, enlivens and enriches. How are you engaging with others?
ps. I hope you notice that I've managed to keep it in proper preaching style with all the points beginning with the letter 'B' - not sure what preaching class lecturer would make of it though ;-)
Recently, whilst I had reason to watch three video interviews relating to missional church and Fresh Expressions: They were peppered with the word 'engagement' and many other buzzwords and yet they communicated nothing and this got me thinking about the words we use and what we think they mean and what they really mean.
The reality is that 'engagement' is more than just talking to people or getting them to agree to come, sign-up or wear a badge and in a church setting there is much that we need to think about. Here's a starter on this issue and what it means for us in the wonderful world of church:
To 'engage' someone is to draw them into something (a conversation, cause, campaign and the like) and win them over such that they become part. For me this is best found in the Psalm One path to taking up wrong company in that first the person stops, then sit and finally, comfortable with the company, behaviour and values, they are at ease and recline.
One of the things that 'engagement' demands is the Benefits element - and this isn't all about them. It's about the thing you have before them having some form of validity and meaning and this often manifests as desirable when it serves others and/or gives meaning to their own life and society. Too often we try to engage people over Church with the 'get out of hell free' card and the problem is that what we are really bringing into the awareness of others is the second element to be considered:
Belonging - the realisation that you not only agree, and have some affinity, with the group but also fit into it. Finding that you have a place and that place is pleasing is a large part of the 'being engaged with' thing. After all, belonging is (so I've read) 90% of the whole relationship thing and even when you're at odds with the group, feeling you belong can overcome and cover a multitude of conflicts and heal them too.
Being like them - is a tough part because some of the things that 'Church' values are different from that which the world likes and worse still, there is an expectation that you will become more like the bloke they follow as you get further into the group. This can be a real problem when you realise that you, and they, all have:
Baggage - that needs to be dealt with and this is usually stuff that makes life interesting (in the negative sense) at times. The problem is that we pack our bags with loads of stuff that we have found difficult to have in the open and so this is a place where rather than be drawn in, people are likely to be finding themselves repelled. A potential for weakening bonds and even being set free into the world and away from the Church setting if this is not picked up and dealt with sensitively.
Being listened to - I remember a person who was always wanting to be listened to and yet, when they were, they not only had nothing to say but were aggrieved that they were 'being put on the the spot' and invited to put their point of view. Eventually I realised that they merely wanted a voice rather than to say something and the problem was solved. But most of us want to feel that we have a valid voice and are taken seriously and respected. One of the best ways to bring people into the group is to make them aware that they have a voice from early on - after all the only stupid questions are those which are left unasked and the only stupid points of view are the ones that we are not willing to dialogue over. Two-way, fully engaged traffic from the very beginning is the route to engagement and relationship.
Engagement is not a buzzword to thrown in to conversations but is a multi-faceted reality that we, as Church, are called to make a reality. It stops, takes time, gets to know, enthuses, encourages, enlivens and enriches. How are you engaging with others?
ps. I hope you notice that I've managed to keep it in proper preaching style with all the points beginning with the letter 'B' - not sure what preaching class lecturer would make of it though ;-)
*What me dear old Dad used to call 'talking cobblers!'
Thursday, 5 September 2013
Welfare State and the impotent
I'm currently struggling with (that means 'for') someone who having been hospitalised for over six week now finds themselves in the situation where benefits have ceased and every day means that they are clocking up debt because certain things will not be paid.
Now this is not (as some kind and cheery soul implied) 'another one of the long-term scroungers' but an honest person who through a combination of things (none of them of their own making) find themselves in a position where work is never really going to be an option. The biggest area of concern probably resides in the 'spare room' tax area and this is the last coin in the paper boat of life that sinks it!
Today I have been hearing about the 'two year' rule, that piece of thinking that is designed to give people who have been out of the workplace for two years or more some experience, getting them to do 'community service'. The first problem is that for most 'community service' is what is doled out (excuse the unintended pun) to those who have fallen foul of the law; for community service is a punishment. Thus it would seem that the answer to the question: 'What's in a name?' has to be (as ever) lots!
I will have to admit that I'm confused by the 'No to work' position as it appeared weak and unfocussed but I am also confused by the, 'They should be sent out to sweep the streets for nothing or pick up leave,' brigade - for it sounds good but what of those who are employed to clean streets and manage our parklands, wouldn't that merely make them unemployed too?
The quick, or vote-winning, response is rarely either and, according to the National Audit Office (NAO), the new 'Universal Credit' does no one any credit and costs the taxpayer dearly. Whilst I applaud the harmonising of information systems such that there is but one, as a former IT person I can see this is a route fraught with difficulties and one that is destined to be what my Mum used to refer to as a 'lazy man's load' (meaning you work hard to ensure that there's little to do at some stage - problem is the easy part is rarely ever reached).
Being in an estate church / urban priority area I see many who are struggling more than they used to. Some are in debt because benefits that were payed directly to the right body are now paid to the claimant who has to pass them on - and some are poor at managing their finances to the extent that they don't have it to pass on because of other needs (food, children's clothing and the like). These are not the people the Daily Fascist and other rags would have us believe spend it all on booze, fags and drugs but are merely decent and honest people who for a multitude of reasons (circumstance, education, health and folly) are struggling. Jobs are difficult to come by and skill sets are changing (would you like to make that a large?) and we are struggling to maintain our welfare state and the health service, education and so many other areas we (especially the middle class we) assume are doing the job.
So a plea:
Please find out what's happening where you live and make sure that you and those you know are engaged and understanding the realities, the needs and the excesses that are occurring across the board. I don't care about party politics but I do care that people are afforded the respect and the support that is right and properly theirs through our social, health and welfare system.
Please look to see how you can become engaged in supporting those who have needs through drop-ins, FoodBank, mental health care, old age clubs and the like.
Where you see a need - meet it.
Where you see a wrong - right it.
Where you see poor practice and wrong policies - campaign and act against them.
And pray - for prayer is effective and vitally important
And as you do, remember that prayer without works is impotent and not what, or who, we are called to be.
Now this is not (as some kind and cheery soul implied) 'another one of the long-term scroungers' but an honest person who through a combination of things (none of them of their own making) find themselves in a position where work is never really going to be an option. The biggest area of concern probably resides in the 'spare room' tax area and this is the last coin in the paper boat of life that sinks it!
Today I have been hearing about the 'two year' rule, that piece of thinking that is designed to give people who have been out of the workplace for two years or more some experience, getting them to do 'community service'. The first problem is that for most 'community service' is what is doled out (excuse the unintended pun) to those who have fallen foul of the law; for community service is a punishment. Thus it would seem that the answer to the question: 'What's in a name?' has to be (as ever) lots!
I will have to admit that I'm confused by the 'No to work' position as it appeared weak and unfocussed but I am also confused by the, 'They should be sent out to sweep the streets for nothing or pick up leave,' brigade - for it sounds good but what of those who are employed to clean streets and manage our parklands, wouldn't that merely make them unemployed too?
The quick, or vote-winning, response is rarely either and, according to the National Audit Office (NAO), the new 'Universal Credit' does no one any credit and costs the taxpayer dearly. Whilst I applaud the harmonising of information systems such that there is but one, as a former IT person I can see this is a route fraught with difficulties and one that is destined to be what my Mum used to refer to as a 'lazy man's load' (meaning you work hard to ensure that there's little to do at some stage - problem is the easy part is rarely ever reached).
Being in an estate church / urban priority area I see many who are struggling more than they used to. Some are in debt because benefits that were payed directly to the right body are now paid to the claimant who has to pass them on - and some are poor at managing their finances to the extent that they don't have it to pass on because of other needs (food, children's clothing and the like). These are not the people the Daily Fascist and other rags would have us believe spend it all on booze, fags and drugs but are merely decent and honest people who for a multitude of reasons (circumstance, education, health and folly) are struggling. Jobs are difficult to come by and skill sets are changing (would you like to make that a large?) and we are struggling to maintain our welfare state and the health service, education and so many other areas we (especially the middle class we) assume are doing the job.
So a plea:
Please find out what's happening where you live and make sure that you and those you know are engaged and understanding the realities, the needs and the excesses that are occurring across the board. I don't care about party politics but I do care that people are afforded the respect and the support that is right and properly theirs through our social, health and welfare system.
Please look to see how you can become engaged in supporting those who have needs through drop-ins, FoodBank, mental health care, old age clubs and the like.
Where you see a need - meet it.
Where you see a wrong - right it.
Where you see poor practice and wrong policies - campaign and act against them.
And pray - for prayer is effective and vitally important
And as you do, remember that prayer without works is impotent and not what, or who, we are called to be.
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