Channel 4 series documents extraordinary experiment that PROVES the welfare state has lost its way

When we first meet Karen, star of a new Channel 4 documentary, she is driving a huge, silver Nissan people-carrier. The 54-year-old grandmother is smartly dressed in fashionable clothes, jewellery and sports an immaculate manicure.

But neither her car nor her clothes are paid for by her wages. Instead, Karen is among the 20 million people claiming benefits in Britain. ... Now, a Channel 4 series, Benefits Britain 1949, explores exactly that question by challenging claimants — including Karen — to live on what they would have received when the welfare state was born.

They’re right, unemployment is demoralising, whether the unemployed realises it or not. After a long period of unemployment and a struggle to find work, I was also developing a bad attitude until my beloved sister started her own business and made me a partner in it.

That said, I’m probably going to take flak for this, but the government and employers need to do their part as well, proving training to the disabled and forcing reasonably sized employers to provide opportunities for people with disabilities. Part of the reason I struggled to find work, especially in a recession, is because I have epilepsy and a specific learning difficulty, which I have to declare when applying or they would have a legitimate reason to fire me once they found out about the difficulties it caused. Needless to say, I suspect once they read about the difficulties, they just threw my application in the bin.
It is no good moaning about people being on disability and taking your hard-earned taxmoney if you do not have policies in place to support these people to find work and find a way around the prejudices of employers.

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