"The Welfare Reform and Work Bill, which received its second reading in Parliament last night, is not only an attack on social security, but on our democratic system", said Jonathan Bartley, Green Party Work and Pensions Spokesperson. "It will create a permanent system of social insecurity and uncertainty for millions – and will even enable the government to further reduce the cap on benefits without consulting Parliament.
"And it is based on a lie. Chancellor George Osborne claims ‘progressives’ should support his plans (1), but he has distorted the facts and misrepresented not just the cost of welfare but William Beveridge’s legacy. It is ‘Hunger Games’ politics, which has divided society against itself, based on a falsehood that one group is not as worthy as another.
"Progressives do not support punishing those who are the victims of circumstances beyond their control, they cannot support the entrenchment of inequality, and they will not strip from society the values of fairness and compassion, which not only protect people, but help them to help others.
"Instead, the progressives Osborne hopes to convince, must stand firm. Like Caroline Lucas, Green MP for Brighton Pavilion, did in Parliament last night, we must fight the false narrative, and defend a society with a conscience, a society which understands that everyone benefits from a strong safety net, and a society which knows our most vulnerable people can thrive with support, not punishment."
Notes
1) http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jul/19/george-osborne-progressive-reform-welfare-benefits-system