New Year’s Honour or Horror?

Dear LPG,

So Iain Duncan Smith has been knighted by Boris Johnson in the New Year’s honours list.
What does it matter and does that affect the more mature residents of Lewisham?

Well to fully appreciate the importance of this honour being bestowed we need to scroll back to 2012 and Prime Minister David Cameron’s promise that his party were going to “Fix Broken Britain.”
Ian Duncan Smith was appointed the Secretary of State for Works and Pensions from 2010 until 2016.   So it was he who oversaw the Bedroom Tax (part of the Conservative Party 2012 Welfare Reform Act). It was meant to cut the housing bill and free up housing. However, it resulted in increased mental health and people with disability were worse affected.

Then followed Universal Credit. A single social security payment replaced 6 other benefits.  It was intended by the government to simplify support for low income workers and incentivise work.
By cutting benefits they intended to keep taxes down by reducing costs to taxpayers.  Unfortunately, one of the results of this policy decision was the exponential growth of poverty, food banks and increased levels of homelessness.  Ironically Iain Duncan Smith resigned resisting further cuts to disability benefits. Are we to believe that suddenly he developed a conscience? Hardly!

High level cuts to youth services and juvenile services unsurprisingly resulted in increased poverty.
Austerity Is fuelling violent crime amongst the most vulnerable young people in society.

Next in the Government’s crosshairs are older people.

The over 60’s are seen to be the most financially advantaged in society at the same time when young people can’t afford to buy homes. Older people are seen as a drain on society.
Evidence? The free TV license for over 75’s being axed.
Next in the crosshairs for cuts are local authority subsidised bus passes and Social Care.

So to return to my initial question. What does this newly bestowed honour for Iain Duncan Smith signal for older people in Lewisham?

Well if the 2012 Welfare Reform Act is anything to go by and I hope I’m wrong, I think it means that 2020 is going to be a very tough year indeed!


PN, Internet Land