6/14/2007

The asylum trap - A shocking example of a benefits system that fails everyone

People are so quick to attack people coming to this country as scroungers sponging of this country's wealth, but today I was given a perfect example of the trap our benefits system puts successful asylum seekers in to.

In Norwich, a small number of African refugees have been placed as part of a government scheme to take families from refugee camps to Britain. This is a good scheme as it keeps families together and works as a disincentive to illegal asylum seekers, showing them that the legitimate way can work.

The problem is that these families have all been advised by the benefits agency that they will be much better off staying on benefits and have been advised that getting a job will make them poorer. The benefits agency haven't done this to be difficult, they are simply stating facts and giving impartial advice.

What a crazy system we have in the country.

I happen to know that at least one of the men has ignored this advice and gone out and found himself a job, completely against the advice he was given, but because he wants to provide for his family and he has not come to this country to scrounge a living.

Isn't it an absolute tragedy that refugees who are potentially beneficial people to our society are brought over to Britain and trapped in a system of benefits that makes them reliant on hand outs and completely disincentivises them from getting a job.

We are told by all the charities seeking long term aid solutions in Africa that simply handing out grain does nothing to make people self reliant. They want the West to give tools, irrigation systems, goats, chickens, indeed anything that allows starving people to work and provide for themselves. Yet our benefits system is everything we are told is wrong. It works on a hand to mouth basis.

What a shame it is that we bring African people who want to work to the UK and then make them dependent on hand outs. Why can't our benefits system,work to allow people, all people, to get in to work without them becoming worse off ?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

The poverty trap, only way to solve it is to reduce benefits so that it is better to be working

Nich Starling said...

Or allow people to come of benefits in phased chunks.

Tristan said...

You're right, it is absurd and inhumane.

The benefits system is ridiculous.
We should reduce and simplify benefits and at the same time reduce taxation on the poor.
Oh, and reduce food prices by scrapping the CAP and create more cheap housing by loosening building regulations.

Give incentives to work. Most people (especially immigrants) don't like to scrounge, but when they struggle to make a living whilst working what can they do?

Pages