Sponsored by
Letter: The victims of an unequal society
MAY I thank D Birch for drawing attention to the effect the North/South divide has on benefit capping and how this is being exploited by the Tories for political and ideological reasons rather than economic.
Click here to register and have your say on the news stories and issues that matter to you
The actual saving of this policy (estimated at £290m) is negligible and may not be realised when the social cost of homelessness and child poverty are taken into account, and many times less than we give away in foreign aid and to the EU.
The concentration of wealth in the South has given the Tories the sensationalised headlines they need to inflame the anger of workers in the North receiving lower wages than the £26,000 benefit cap.
But what is not emphasised is why this level of benefit is needed in the first place. It is because of high rents, inflated property values and inequality of wealth in the South.
Therefore it is not benefits we should be capping. It is rents, salaries and wealth. If this was done, benefits would come down automatically.
Workers in the North, jealous of benefit claimants in the South, should take consolation from the fact that high-rent southern houses are no better, and probably worse, than those in the North costing far less.
It should also be understood that, in any case, benefits end up in the pockets of landlords and benefit recipients have no additional disposable income and are no better off. It is disposable income that is the key.
Public anger should be directed at landlords, the Tories and capitalists. Not benefit claimants, who are the victims of an unequal society.
MALCOLM NAYLOR, Otley
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Leeds
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
Comments
There are 3 comments to this article
Page 1 of 1
Nigel B
Monday, February 6, 2012 at 10:44 PMMany people earn less than the £26,000 cap, if they where in that same position, then they would be on benefits. I earn around £14,000 - that or £26,000. I would be on benefits for the £26,000. But some of us are responsible and dont have children that we cannot keep.
Brer Fox
Sunday, February 5, 2012 at 08:39 PMStrange how you blame the tories as the present government is actually a coalition,But I guess it is easier to blame the ConservativeLibDem alliance than it is the Labour government who squandered this countrys wealth on PFI scams for their friends and Benefits claimants that would provide the cannon fodder that would vote for such nonentitys such as Balls,Cooper,Millibland and the rest of the oxbridge marxists.If you hadnt noticed Labour were in power for 13 years but they are such a bunch of socialists that the middle and high earners got tax breaks and the low paid workers ended up paying the highest proportion of their wages in taxation in this coountrys entire history.If you want to look at someone to blame do not blame somebody who was ousted 22 years ago but the idiot who was first the chancellor then the unelected Prime Minister.Look to Prudence Brown.That is the one you should be blaming.There was no new social housing built but we could afford to go to war.We could afford to raise the living standards of those who do not work but only by lowering that of those who do.I have no love for the conservatives but I do believe in fairness.And I believe in Justice.Justice will be served if Labour are never again elected to power in my lifetime.
Bramleian
Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 03:26 PMIf there were more jobs wouldn't there be less on benefits? Leeds and other provincial cities are reaping the whirlwind of years where governments, especially the last one, encouraged huge developments of retail centres, office blocks and apartments housing. None of this has helped the ordinary working people of Leeds one little bit. With luck this latest wonder of the shopping world that's nearly finished will be the last for a long time. We need investment to create manufacturing jobs in Leeds so people can get off the benefits merry-go-round.
Page 1 of 1
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.