I saw a coronavirus banner the other day that said “Check in on your five nearest neighbours”, and I thought about Errol Graham. Eight months before Graham’s body was discovered, his benefits had been stopped after he didn’t attend a fitness for work assessment. In February it was revealed that the National Audit Office had linked at least 69 suicides to the workings of the benefits system, and this number was probably an underestimate. Nonetheless, just about every part of the benefits machine that has ruined so many lives is, inevitably, still in place. In 2018, 43% of us accepted the idea that the “generosity of welfare benefits creates dependence”.

Source: The Guardian March 29, 2020 11:58 UTC