The Benefits.

I remember, and it wasn't that long ago, having a conversation with my wonderful Mum about work ethics. The pair of us were tired after a long, work-overloaded week and were whinging because we wanted a holiday but could not afford it (despite stupidly long hours!) It was then that we started to discuss the perks of benefit claimants.

Now please don't misunderstand, this is not the majority-rule situation, but there are a minority of people who fall through loopholes in the benefit system and as a result, are able to claim incredible amounts of money, enabling purchases of holidays, cars and other luxuries. It seems unfair that people get this "free" money to do with as they please when we are working constantly and still skint.

It then became apparent throughout the conversation that we were harboring quite a prejudice towards all those on benefits - How unfair!

Recently I've become more aware of the brain-washing prejudice being fed through media and word-of-mouth. Of course there are a small minority of people who are milking the system but for Gods sake, it's not the fault of the system, its the fault of human greed. The ConDem plans to attack social security and "shake-up" the benefit system is terrifying, because like my Mum and I, they are going at it with all the wrong ideas and with so much prejudice.

When you step back and look at the reality of the situation, you will see just how dangerous it would be to "shake-up" our system. Claimants whose lives depend on benefits will find themselves with even less than their current pitiful allowance. That in itself will cause a huge string of tragic circumstances and will surely lead to more than a few horror stories.

We, the British Public, have a social security system in place. And it works. It could be better, it could be improved. But it most certainly should not be slashed and destroyed.

When you read headlines about "lazy" or "work-shy" people, ask yourself about Cameron's work-shy millionaire friends. Who've barely-legally made millions and billions of pounds of your money through tax evading and avoiding.

So Mr Joe Bloggs down the road claims an extra tenner a week because he once fell over a million years ago and can still claim disability benefits. No, he shouldn't be claiming benefits that aren't in place for him. But the Government shouldn't be countering this by taking away those benefits from people who will genuinely see themselves at serious risk without the help. Just because Joe Bloggs was illegally claiming Disability Living Allowance, it doesn't mean that this should be slashed so that Mrs Smith - who has a life-sentence illness - should go hungry, or go without.

British people should be bloody proud of our social security, of the measures that our Governments have put in place so that we are (usually) protected. But there are still cases that slip through the net. There is still so much tragedy in Britain. So much homelessness, poverty, prejudice and ill-treatment of our basic human rights.

So when you get like my Mum and Me, you get angry at working such long hours and having f**k all to show for it, don't blame people on Social Security - they are an example of the fantastic, responsible protection measures that governments have put in place - get angry at the Capitalism for being the evil that took all your money. 

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