This week it was revealed that Chancellor Rachel Reeves is planning to make major cuts to benefits in her spring budget, with over £6 billion of welfare savings in the pipeline. These “will see far tougher tests imposed for a key disability benefit, some payments frozen in 2026, and major changes to the way Universal Credit is calculated”, according to one report.
Clearly the benefits system is a complete mess and one of many things bleeding Britain dry, with the UK forecast to spend £319.1 billion on the social security system in 2024-25. There’s no doubt that it needs a radical rethink and slimming down. But I wonder if Reeves could have picked on easier targets to make savings. Benefit cuts are controversial, and come with a real risk of harming vulnerable people, unfairly punished on behalf of others abusing the system. In short, why not go for some brazenly ridiculous things first (which I will show you in this article)?
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Pet hate – the use of the word envision when strictly envisage is more appropriate.
Yes, envision is all about imagination…in other words, something plucked from the air without real research.
Even worse is ‘reimagining’ and don’t get me started on all the idiots who want to ‘reach out’ and those who use ‘can I get’ instead of the correct ‘please may I have’.
The days of teaching correct grammar are
long gone sadly. It wasn’t too long ago I read that a university in the north east wasn’t too concerned about it in student applications. Apparently, correct grammar was ‘elitist’.
Not just applications but the actual coursework too. Go into any uni and notice-boards are crammed with interpreter services – which translates as people being paid to write coursework for students from overseas. If they don’t have the English skills these students should not be accessing courses delivered in English and provided by British unis.
Correct grammar allows the precise expression of complex ideas. Lack of verbal clarity impedes communication and allows muddy thinking.
Universities really should care, but it’s clear they’re all corrupted by nonsense.
Would you want a surgeon to use a spoon instead of a scalpel?
Pet hate 2 – spending money on topics like this when farmers are being pilloried over the cost of just one of these ridiculous projects. These are keeping frankly useless academics employed when blaming the farmers for NHS funding shortages.
Excellent summary of the ‘youth’ (our current uniparty governments) mispending our hard earned taxes on rubbish. Many of these fundings seem to have been going on for years. WTF or should that be WEF?
Self-perpetuating PhDs on the back of much of this ‘research’. Oh, but if you cancel this funding my PhD student won’t be able to continue with his/her/its work. Laughable, if it wasn’t for our money being wasted on these projects.
Self-generated madness.
An abuse of the word ‘doctor’.
The tinkling and sounding of cymbals (and symbols) signifying nothing.
Usual story – hold accountable Education, Education, Education.
Talking about education – recent news about Ofsted:
https://schoolsweek.co.uk/sir-hamid-patel-appointed-interim-ofsted-chair/
He will serve as interim chair of the Ofsted board for up to five months, until a new chair is appointed.
Woman of indigenous ethnicity replaced by turbaned Knight of the Realm. Watch this space for the permanent appointment.
Another institution marched in to?
Most probably. Easy transition from interim to permanent.
An actual ‘chair’ would be preferable
Ah, there is always money for these causes.
Just like there is money to put up migrants in hotels but no money for pensioners to heat their homes.
Just like there is always money to wage wars but not to fill in potholes.
Yep. You’re right.
Two Tier Never Here Kier can’t swan around saving Ukraine and Europe if he just fills in potholes and recall that when asked he preferred Fascist Central Davos as opposed to Westminster.
Possibly they reckon the people on welfare will always vote Labour regardless so they can afford to piss them off, whereas the wokesters might go to Illiberal Undemocrats or Fake Greens or whatever.
In the ‘revised’ world of Labour benefits claimants are undeserving. The Browns, Gays, and Trans are deserving.
Strange how Labour have morphed into conservatism, but political parties do this over time.
Excellent research, Charlotte Gill. I’m extremely concerned at the way our nation is undermined by such quangos. And we are forced to fund them via shady grants donated to them by our governments. We can’t afford to do this. There seems to be no sense of restraint or objectivity given to these bodies. I bet if any from the uni-party are reading this clearly written article, rather than react with outrage at the expose, they will bristle and regard critics of these donations as their enemies – to be quashed or discarded. The rot runs very deep. Starmer says he will tackle this but that remains to be seen.
“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
A great article – thank you Charlotte.
OT – but is it just me, or does Rachel Reeve have an incredibly unpleasant voice? I can’t listen to her.
Yess sh an absolutely hideous voice talks nothing but bollocks (and sorry) a face made for radio.
Not just you Katy-C. I can’t stand her voice.
She has always been after the disabled. During the time when Miliband was leader she talked about knocking them into shape. The difficulty now is that their number has grown hugely since 2021 and these are serious disabilities. You wouldn’t want such people in the workplace. And many of those who aren’t classed as disabled are just dragging themselves into work and doing a crap job andhoping that they feel better at some indeterminate point in the future.. Any redemptive change starts with acknowledgment of reality. Our society is now a disability based culture. Very difficult to manage on a financial level. The future promises even greater levels of sickness and disability. Withdrawal of benefits will mean in a lot of cases the need for residential care and that costs a lot more.
Fear not, Kim Leadbeater’s euthanasia programme / assisted
murderdying bill is being hatched as we speak. They just need to minimise any legal safeguards before giving it the go ahead. TPTB will be rubbing their hands with glee at the thought of all the benefit monies saved.I started a petition on the 11th of February. ‘Establish an independent Department of Government Efficiency’.
I got the required 5 signatures, but now it is in the system to get final approval….
Still waiting…..
Labour isn’t going to defund the Leftwing Establishment.
Well done, Charlotte. You are doing great work. I bitterly resent the way taxpayer money is being abused.
If we were the richest country in the world I wouldn’t fund these projects.
I like to think of these spends in terms of my “taxpayer years”. I am furious that the awful Hate not Hope is being given five years worth of my income tax
The instability and destruction of Britain and other Western countries will not end until this abuse of tax revenue funding fake charities, non profits and NGOs ends. People are being manipulated by propaganda funded by essentially their own taxes they pay. So essentially they are funding the destruction of their own lives.