It could have been much worse…

Like many affected by the continued programme of benefit cuts, I was dreading the Queens Speech. The irony of the pomp and circumstance surrounding this event was not lost on me either. Whilst people struggle to feed themselves, the wealth in that one session alone is beyond eye-watering. Simon Duffy (of the Centre for Welfare Reform) described the government, pre-election, as the worst in 75 years. Not many activists at the hard end of some quite horrific policies would disagree with that.  The Queen’s Speech doesn’t sway my own view in any way which would make me disagree with his analysis. For a start, let’s look at the Troubled Families Bill. What on earth is a “troubled family” anyway?  And let’s look at the requirement for: ”... public bodies to provide information to the Secretary of State” in relation to troubled families. Ironically, the kind of families I think the Bill refers to are those who are struggling to live and survive directly as a result of the tax and benefit cuts to be driven by the Full Employment and Benefits Bill. In an ideal world, I would love the affected public bodies to report back starting with this sentence: “So Secretary of State, the reason we have 'troubled families' lies with your own policy making...”.

This is policy making driven dangerously by ideology and created by Ministers who seem to have no real understanding of how people live their lives on a daily basis.

It doesn’t really improve as you progress through the Speech and the notes which accompany it. This is policy making driven dangerously by ideology and created by Ministers who seem to have no real understanding of how people live their lives on a daily basis. A liberal  peppering of words such as such as “aspiration” and phrases like “protecting the disadvantaged”  only creates a veneer of compassion. Creating a more cohesive society – a key Government goal within the Queen’s Speech - cannot be achieved by isolating people further nor by delivering cuts which tip families over the line between poverty and outright destitution. Nebulous phrases such as “tackling extremism” don’t help communities to become more connected. Legislating for full employment is in itself not a bad idea – but in this age of in work poverty, employment for many is not secure nor is it likely to help you achieve financial security. To top that off, the very benefits which the working poor rely on are further eroded and capped. Young people are also demonised at a time when they should be looking towards the future with excitement and hope. This Queen’s Speech could have been much worse – we have been spared, for now, from further damaging attacks on the human rights legal framework. But it’s not good, and it doesn’t bode well for the next five years. Hoping for more to come from the Scotland Bill might seem to be fruitless but right now, it’s what many in poverty see as the only way forward. Many in the third sector share those hopes.