Budget and Benefits

By: A.C.

How many of us actually viewed the Chancellor’s speech last week?

Only the political journalists and politicians I would think, with the rest of us cherry–picking items that might affect us, as we completed our crosswords or did the ironing.

I tend to get annoyed at the ill-disciplined shouting, and the 1950’s boarding school refectory bun-fight style of Yah–Boo politics, which although we can plainly see that the Commons is filled with adults, they all seem to undergo a metamorphosis as they sit down, and revert to plooky wee boys in short–trousers trading fairly nasty insults.

Unfortunately this is what passes as our National Seat of Government.

However, the Budget 2015 arrived and went with a very dark promise of yet more cuts and austerity to come, which will impact on welfare and benefits for the disabled.

The detail of that proposed £12Billion cut in Welfare and £25 Billion overall has not yet been filled out for anyone to critically examine.

In January of this year Osborne said:

“That’s how to reduce the deficit without even faster cuts to government departments, or big tax rises on people. So when you see people on the telly who say that welfare can’t be cut any more – or, even worse, promising they will reverse the changes we’ve already made and increase housing benefit – ask yourself this: what public services would they would cut instead? What taxes they would put up in their place? Or would they borrow and spend more, and risk our country’s economic stability again? This is what I mean when I say Britain has a choice. The truth is there are no easy options here, and if we are to fix our country’s problems, and not leave our debts to our children to pay off, then cutting the welfare bill further is the kind of decision we need to make.”

It is well known that Ian Duncan Smith committed his Department to slashing benefits and welfare budget last year.

There is, however, apparently some dissension by Ian Duncan Smith that his Department has to bear yet more cuts to welfare.

How Osborne’s tax give-aways will be paid for is another matter.

Labour have already signed up to this austerity and the projected £25 billion, £12 billion of which Osborne wants to cut in Welfare will not be changed should they gain power.

Ed Balls said he would not reverse any of the measures in Wednesday’s “pretty empty” Budget in an interview with the BBC.

Disability Rights UK have laid out what the Budget means to the disabled.

However against this they also published a timetable of the legislative changes to the Welfare System until the year 2028.

Comment from the Scottish Voluntary Sector can be found here.

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