Many said that they wanted to work but the evidence seemed to be wholly against that.
Do not get me started on 'benefits babies'.
The sense of entitlement was an absurdity.
Naturally, many of these good folk did apparently want work but did not seem to be busting a gut to find any. To those of us who have worked extremely hard for wages, in many cases, much fewer than their benefits for over 40 years - it is an insult. Some of the incomes mentioned were inexplicable.
Amongst all of these were the 100% genuine, of course.
Labour will thwart every scheme to get people into work which has the alternative of benefits being threatened and will not even consider any workfare equivalent. The social damage of this mindset is incalculable.
The work ethic been destroyed by this present system into which we have blindly wandered.
I do not understand why Labour find this acceptable - except that it wins them shedloads of votes amongst people on benefits. That is not the Labour Party my grandad fought for!
Why would Labour not want to give people dignity? Why should working people often have less income than those on benefits?
The problem is beyond my level of intelligence to solve. It cannot be solved without good will from all political parties to search for a just solution. Leftist 'social justice' is NO alternative. It simply cements people into a negative system.
Think what the many hundreds of billions of pounds, effectively wasted down this endless sinkhole, could do to rebuild a better UK for us all.
I state this knowing that as my grandchildren grow up, automation is going to reduce available jobs by horrific amounts. 'Idle hands are the devil's workshop' as the old adage would have it.
To highlight the enormity of the problem, I know someone who recently visited a fair sized factory.
It had two workers - a cleaner and a fork lift truck driver. Everything else came from a room with three or four people working computers.
This is a real mix of social problems which all need resolution.
Sorry - but I have no answers.
