Benefits Street: Another victory in the propaganda war on "scroungers"

I am so glad I didn’t watch Benefits Street last night if the twitter furore surrounding it is anything to go by. This constant barrage of negativity about benefit claimants and the portrayal in the media and by some politicians of claimants as “scroungers” appears to be winning the day. Last night’s programme seems to have taken us to an all-time low. People are being pitted against each other by this propaganda, whilst slowly and surely the welfare state is dismantled piece by piece. Anyone who pretends that this is not happening needs to swiftly take their head out of the sand. The ongoing attack is not just focussed on benefits but on the wider welfare state – we’re now facing the prospect of the Tories restricting access to social housing. Soon there will be no safety net for anyone of us unfortunate enough to lose our job etc... There is a disturbing ideology and a very narrow view of the world behind this – it’s certainly not all about austerity and efficient use of public monies.

We don’t accept racist language or verbal attacks on other minority groups. Are we content to sit back and let people on benefits be abused?

After last night, it’s clear that we are moving into territory which is both dangerous and worrying. A language tipping point has been reached – we don’t accept racist language or verbal attacks on other minority groups. Are we content to sit back and let people on benefits be abused? It’s time for those of us who care about what’s happening to this country – to our welfare state – to shout much louder and find space and energy to fight back. We don’t always have the time or resources to be more active on the Westminster front but we desperately need to create a new language and a new philosophy to counter this ongoing negativity and win back lost ground. The third sector has a crucial role in this regard and is already working on a number of campaigning fronts. Perhaps it’s time for us to collectively create our own vision for a welfare state - SCVO had a first stab at this last year. The welfare state is about every one of us. It tells us about the kind of society we live in, the kind of society we want to be. It’s time to set the record straight about the real value of the welfare state.