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What Do We Owe to Each Other? Welfare, Conditionality and
the Left
Published on 09 October, 2012
By Stuart White
Barely a week passes these days in the UK without a new story
and controversy over the Coalition governments changes and
cuts to welfare. One controversial feature is what policy wonks
call conditionality: making eligibility conditional on some
prescribed activity (usually) related to work. Most controversial isworkfare: requirements that benefit recipients work full-time
while receiving benefits rather than a wage. Many have compared
workfare, in this sense, to slavery.
Those of us on the left know we oppose workfare in this sense.
But this is only one kind of conditionality. What about
conditionality more generally?
The left and conditionality
At the Conservative party conference in 2010, speaking as the
new Prime Minister, David Cameronexplainedthe supposed
philosophy behind his governments welfare changes: If you
cannot really work, we will look after you. But if you can work,
but refuse to work, we will not let you live off the hard work of
others.
Stated as a general principle, many thinkers of the left would
emphatically agree with this.
Take the case of the Spanish anarchist, Isaac Puente.PuentesLibertarian Communismwas published in 1932. It was
adopted as the platform of the anarcho-syndicalist trade union,
the CNT, in 1936, just prior to the outbreak of the Spanish Civil
War.
Puente says that libertarian communism will bring into common
ownership everything that goes to make up the wealth of
society and at the same time make it a common
obligationthat each contribute toproduction according to their
Dictionary
wonk /w:k/nounpluralwonks
[count] US, informal + sometimes
disapproving: a person who
knows a lot about the details of
a particular field (such as
politics) and often talks a lot
about that subject
the policy wonks in the government
workfare/wkfe/noun
[noncount] : a program in which
people must do work in order
to receive money from the
government for food, housing,
medical costs, etc.
live off[phrasal verb]live off (something or someone): to
use (someone or something)
as a source of the money or
other things you need to live
He has been living offhis
inheritance. He has been living offhis
girlfriend. [=his girlfriend has been
supporting him financially] farmers
who live offthe land
outbreak/atbrek/noun
pluraloutbreaks[count] : a sudden start or
increase of fighting or disease
a cholera outbreakoften
+ of an outbreak ofviolence/war They
are preparing for an outbreak ofthe virus.
http://www.nextleft.org/2010/10/revolutionary-nature-of-his-doctrine.htmlhttp://www.nextleft.org/2010/10/revolutionary-nature-of-his-doctrine.htmlhttp://www.nextleft.org/2010/10/revolutionary-nature-of-his-doctrine.htmlhttp://www.anarchyisorder.org/CD%234/Lay-outed%20texts/PDF-versions/Puente,%20Isaac%20-%20Libertarian%20Communism.pdfhttp://www.anarchyisorder.org/CD%234/Lay-outed%20texts/PDF-versions/Puente,%20Isaac%20-%20Libertarian%20Communism.pdfhttp://www.anarchyisorder.org/CD%234/Lay-outed%20texts/PDF-versions/Puente,%20Isaac%20-%20Libertarian%20Communism.pdfhttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/outbreakhttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/wonkhttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/outbreakhttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/wonkhttp://www.anarchyisorder.org/CD%234/Lay-outed%20texts/PDF-versions/Puente,%20Isaac%20-%20Libertarian%20Communism.pdfhttp://www.nextleft.org/2010/10/revolutionary-nature-of-his-doctrine.htmlhttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/outbreakhttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/wonk -
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aside fromchiefly US
1: not including
(something) : with the
exception of (something)
Aside from [=apart from, except for] a
few pieces of bread, the food is
gone. The movie has been praised by
most people, aside from a few critics who
have called its happy ending trite and
predictable.
2: in addition to
(something) :BESIDES
Aside from being well written, the book is
also beautifully illustrated
strip /strp/verbstrips;stripped;stripping
5 [+ obj] : to take (something)
away from someone in a
forceful way
+ of They strippedthe slaves oftheir
dignity.often + away Their rights
were stripped away.often used
as (be) stripped The pageant
winner was stripped ofher crown/title after
the scandal. [=she was forced to give up her
crown/title after the scandal]
deem /di:m/verbdeems;deemed;deeming[+ obj] formal: to think of
(someone or something) in a
particular way
The building was deemed[=considered,
judged] unsafe after the fire.
We deemed[=believed,thought] it wise to
wait. Do whatever you deem (to be)
necessary. The principal will take
whatever action she deems appropriate in
this case.
energies and talents with the resulting output distributed
according to need (p.28).
Puente clarifies what is involved in making contribution to
production a common obligation. In rural areas: Whosoever
refuses to work for the community (aside from the children, thesick, and the old) will be stripped of their other rights: to
deliberate *in the local council+ and to consume (p.43).
Meanwhile, in the towns, unions will issue each worker with a
producers pass-book. The pass-book will include details about
consumption needs (for instance, size of family) but the number
of days and hours worked will also be noted in these pass-books.
The pass-book entitles the worker to goods and services. The
only persons exempted from this requirement will be children,
the aged, and the infirm (p.44).
This sounds like quite a strong form of conditionality for those
deemed capable of working. Turn up to the local store to get
some food without the requisite stamps in your producers pass-
book and you could get turned away or limited in what you may
take home. Shirk work in the countryside and you will lose your
rights to consume and to participate in communal decision-
making.
Puentes position is not that unusual amongst theorists of the left.
Rosa Luxemburgstatedin 1918 that: Only somebody who
performs some useful work for the public at largecan be entitled
to receive from society the means for satisfying his needs, a rule
from which small children, the aged and sick are exempted.
Going further back, to the Diggers of the English Civil War, we find
Gerrard Winstanley rebuking those, able to work, who share in
the fruits of work without labouring. Those who do this should
first be reproved; then, if they persist, whipped; and, finally,
delivered into the task-masters hand (See Chapter 6 of
theLaw of Freedom, in particular Winstanleys proposed law
number 17.)
So, to be true to itself, should the left just warmly embrace
conditionality and support the Coalition governments policies on
this matter?
No.
It is certainly the case that many thinkers of the left affirm a basic
principle ofreciprocity. If you share in the fruits of your fellow
citizens labours, and you are able to work yourself, then you
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should reciprocate the efforts of fellow citizens with efforts of
your own. It is wrong to free-ride on the efforts of others. This is
a widely shared moral precept. Sam Bowles and Herbert Gintis
argue that ademand for reciprocityof this kind (though
combined with what they term basic needs generosity) is hard-
wired into us as social beings.
However, a great deal depends on exactly how we elaborate this
principle of reciprocity. There are at least four key points around
which left and right approaches to reciprocity - and hence
conditionality - differ. Ill try to summarise these points and then
consider what they imply for a better, fairer politics of welfare.
Reciprocity applies to the economic system as a whole - not just
welfare
Whenever David Cameron makes a speech in which he attacks
the way welfare benefits allegedly enable people to get
something for nothing, one reaction on the left is to say
something like: Who is this person with millions of pounds of
inherited wealth to lecture anybody about something for
nothing?
This gets to the first point. It is not reasonable to frame
reciprocity failure something for nothing - as confined to the
welfare system (if, indeed, it is a problem in the present welfaresystem). We need to think of reciprocity and reciprocity-failure in
relation to the economy as a whole. (Laurie Penny makes a similar
point about the rhetoric of entitlement in herresponseto David
Camerons June speech on welfare.)
There are plenty of ways quite legal and respectable ways - one
can get something for nothing in a capitalist economy. You can, if
you have the right kind of luck, live off inherited wealth. You can
enjoy capital gains on property that appreciates in value without
you lifting a finger. You can be paid a salary well in excess of thevalue of what you actually contribute to production.
The Edwardian Liberal,Leonard T. Hobhouse, put the basic point
particularly well:
The moralist...is concerned lest we should insist too much on
rights and too little on duties....The only doubt is whether the
stern disciplinarians who insist on self-support fully realise the
revolutionary nature of their doctrine. If a system is wrong which
maintains an idle man in bare necessaries, a system is much more
wrong which maintains an idle man in great superfluity, and any
shirk /k/verbshirks;shirked;shirking: to avoid doing something that
you are supposed to do [+
obj] He's too conscientious to shirkhis
duty/responsibility. [no obj] Henever shirkedfrom doing his duty. They
did their duty withoutshirking or
complaining.
shirkernoun,pluralshirkers [count]
She's no shirker.
rebuke /rbju:k/verbrebukes;rebuked;rebuking
[+ obj] formal: to speak in an
angry and critical way to
(someone) often +for She
wasrebuked[=reprimanded]forbeing
late. The boss rebukedusfortalking too
much.
rebukenoun, pluralrebukes [count
]
He was stunned by the harsh rebuke fromhis father.
free ridenounplural rides[count] : special treatment that
involves giving away
something that is valuable or
expensive
The state university offered him afree
ride for all four years of collegehis
football scholarship would cover tuition,
room and board, and other
expenses. companies getting afree ride atthe taxpayer's expense
alleged /ld/adjectivealways used before a noun1: accused of having done
something wrong or illegal but
not yet proven guilty
The allegedthief was arrested.
2: said to have happened but
not yet proven
He denied
the allegedconspiracy.allegedabuse
allegedly /ldli/adverb She allegedly stole the money.=Allegedly, she stole the money.
http://bostonreview.net/BR23.6/bowles.htmlhttp://bostonreview.net/BR23.6/bowles.htmlhttp://bostonreview.net/BR23.6/bowles.htmlhttp://www.newstatesman.com/lifestyle/lifestyle/2012/06/cameron-risks-wrath-younghttp://www.newstatesman.com/lifestyle/lifestyle/2012/06/cameron-risks-wrath-younghttp://www.newstatesman.com/lifestyle/lifestyle/2012/06/cameron-risks-wrath-younghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Trelawny_Hobhousehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Trelawny_Hobhousehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Trelawny_Hobhousehttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/allegedlyhttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/allegedlyhttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/rebukehttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/Shirkhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leonard_Trelawny_Hobhousehttp://www.newstatesman.com/lifestyle/lifestyle/2012/06/cameron-risks-wrath-younghttp://bostonreview.net/BR23.6/bowles.htmlhttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/allegedlyhttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/allegedlyhttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/rebukehttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/Shirk -
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system which allows the inheritance of wealth on the great scale
is open to criticism on this score.
Reciprocity is itself conditional
Once we reframe the issue of reciprocity in terms of theeconomic system as a whole, a further point looms into view.
Nobody (surely?) thinks that slaves are obliged to work in a slave
society. The condition of slavery makes the society fundamentally
unjust and people cannot be said to have duties to work
indeed, enforceable duties to work in a society that is so
obviously unjust to them.
In other words, if, as citizens, we have a moral obligation to our
fellow citizens to work, then this can only be in the context of a
society that is sufficiently just to us in other important respects.
Otherwise the duty to work becomes a duty to comply with ones
own exploitation.
This means that any reciprocity-based duty to work is itself
conditional. If Smith owes her society a duty to make a productive
contribution, she owes it if and when her society offers her
sufficiently fair rewards and opportunities to work.
Many on the left will argue that the background structure of
opportunity and reward in present-day UK society is unfair. On,say, aRawlsian view of fairness, our society almost certainly has
not attained anything like fair equality of opportunity in access
to education and jobs. Nor has it arranged rewards so as to
maximise the prospects of the worst-off group in the labour
market. Isnt further action in these areas morally prior to
enforcement of duties in the welfare system? In a society with a
lot of background injustice, tighter conditionality risks weakening
the bargaining power of disadvantaged workers and thereby
compounding the injustice they suffer (as emphasised byRichard
Seymour).
entitlement/ntatlmnt/noun
pluralentitlements
1 [noncount] a: the condition of
having a right to have, do, or
get something my entitlementto a refund
b: the feeling or belief that
you deserve to be given
something (such as special
privileges)
celebrities who have an arrogant sense
ofentitlement
2 [count] US: a type of financial
help provided by the
government for members of a
particular groupentitlements such as medical aid for the
elderly and poor
superfluity/su:pflu:wti/noun
[singular] formal: more of
something than is needed
a superfluity of volunteers
1loom /lu:m/verblooms;loomed;looming[no obj] 1: to appear in a large,
strange, or frightening form
often in a sudden way
A ship loomed(up) out of the
fog. Storm clouds loomedon the
horizon.: to appear in an
impressively large or great
form The mountains loom above/over
the valley.
1prospect/pr:spkt/noun
pluralprospects2 [count] : an opportunity for
something to happen usually
plural He has fewprospects for
employment. She has a lot of
businessprospects. = She has a lot
ofprospects for doing business.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice_as_Fairnesshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice_as_Fairnesshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice_as_Fairnesshttp://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/10/prison-labour-tory-assault-incomeshttp://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/10/prison-labour-tory-assault-incomeshttp://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/10/prison-labour-tory-assault-incomeshttp://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/10/prison-labour-tory-assault-incomeshttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/prospectshttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/loomhttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/superfluityhttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/entitlementhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/10/prison-labour-tory-assault-incomeshttp://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/10/prison-labour-tory-assault-incomeshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justice_as_Fairnesshttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/prospectshttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/loomhttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/superfluityhttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/entitlement -
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This has particular relevance for sick and disabled people. Our society currently configuresworkplaces and job packages in ways that make it harder for sick and disabled people to do
owe /o/verbowes;owed;owing1: to need to pay or repay money to a person, bank, business, etc. [+ obj] I still owe money on
the car. [=I have not yet paid back all the money I borrowed to buy the car] We owe no income tax. He owes me $5. Don't
I owe money to you? = Don't I owe you money? I owe the bank a lot of money. Additional payments are owedon themortgage. How much is owed? = What is the amount owed? How much do I owe (you) for this? [no obj] I still owe on
the car.
2 [+ obj] a: to need to do or give something to someone who has done something for you or
given something to you
I owe you a drink/favor. I owe you my thanks. (informal) What do you mean you won't help? Youowe me! She
still owes me for all the times I've helped her out. Thanks for your help. I owe you one. [=I will give you help when you need
it]
bused to say that something should be done for or given to someone You owe me an explanation. I owe you an
apology. The senator is oweda degree of respect. [=the senator deserves some respect] We owe it to the veterans to build a
memorial. [=we should build a memorial to honor and thank the veterans] You owe it to yourselfto have fun. [=you deserve
to let yourself have fun] He owes it to himselfto travel while he still can.3 [+ obj] used to indicate the person or thing that made something possible She owes her family for her success.
[=her family enabled her to become successful]often + to I owe my success to my teachers. [=my teachers deserve credit
for my success] She owes her success tohard work. [=she has succeeded because of hard work] He owes his wealth to his
father. He oweshis fame to several movies. [=he is famous because he was in several movies] His success owesmore to luck
than skill. [=is more because of luck than skill] I owe my life to the surgeon's skill. [=the surgeon's skill saved my
life] We owe our understanding of gravity to Newton.owe a debt of gratitude/thanks to someone
bargainverbbargains;bargained;bargaining[no obj] : to discuss an agreement or price in order to make it more appealing
The price listed is quite high, but the seller might be willing to bargain. He was bargaining[=haggling] with the taxi driver
over/about the fare. Teachers are bargaining [=negotiating] for higher salaries.bargain away[phrasal verb]
bargain (something) awayorbargain away (something): to lose or give up (something) as part of an
agreement
The employees on strike are concerned that the union will bargain away wage increases for other less desirable benefits.bargain for/on[phrasal verb]
bargain for/on (something): to expect or plan on (something)
The Internet service is better than what we bargained for. [=better than we expected it to be]No one bargained forthe
change in weather. = No one bargained on the weather changing. Theybargained on getting married after college. He
hadn't bargained on how his new position in the company would change the way people treated him. [=he was surprised by how
his new position changed the way people treated him] The job ended up being more than I had bargained for. [=more
difficult than I had expected] I got more than I bargained forwhen I signed up as a volunteer. [=being a volunteer was harder
than I expected]bargainingnoun [noncount]
After hours of hard bargaining, they came to an agreement.often used before another noun The larger corporation has
more bargaining power. They are in a good bargaining position.
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jobs (as Sue Marsh discusses in arecent articlelaunching a new
campaign, #DisabilitysNotWorking). We are very far from
equality of opportunity. Nevertheless, as a society we have
pressed ahead with changes to the benefits system which put
great pressure on sick and disabled people to get into jobs. We
are enforcing contribution without first establishing a fair context
for the demanded contribution.
Reciprocity matters as part of something bigger
A third thought emerges from what I have just said.
In a recentpresentationon thefuture of social security, Kate Bell
and Declan Gaffney make the point that social insurance is not
only about reciprocity but about something bigger: solidarity.
Reciprocity matters at all, I would argue, precisely because it is
itself an aspect of solidarity. Someone who tries to live in a
society by taking and not contributing (when they have the
ability and opportunity to contribute) is in an important way out
of solidarity with their fellow citizens.
The bigger, background value of solidarity, however, also shapes
and limits reciprocity.
This is why reciprocity is not to be thought of as strict tit for tat:
getting just what you put in and no more, no less. People haveunequal capacities to put in and solidarity requires that we try
to even out some of this in what people get back for their work.
Reciprocity, in the context of solidarity, is more a matter of
doing ones bit than of tit for tat. Ideally, we would each put in
according to ability and take out according to need.
Reciprocity is not just about employment
Much discussion of conditionality assumes that contribution
what we do to reciprocate - is the same as work which, in turn,is the same as employment.
But notions like work, employment and contribution have a
much more complicated relationship than this. There is, for
instance, a huge amount of care work in our society which is
unpaid. But would anyone really want to deny that it is a vital
contribution to meeting human needs?
The ways in which we contribute to our society are plural and not
reducible to having a job. As Sue Marsh hasrecently argued, sick
and disabled people make all kinds of valuable contributions to
on the way out oron someone'sor something's way out1: leaving a place or position
The phone rang while I was on my
wayout. [=while I was trying to
leave] There are rumors that the
superintendent of schools is on the way out.
[=leaving his/her job]
2: becoming no longer
popular
Bell-bottom pants are, once again, on
their way out. He incorrectly predicted
that the Internet would be on its way
outwithin three years.
tit for tat /ttftt/noun
[noncount] : a situation in which
you do something to harm
someone who has done
something harmful to you
a tit for tatbetween two rival politicians
3evenverbevens;evened;evening[+ obj] : to make (something)
equal
He evened[=tied] the set at two games
apiece.even out[phrasal verb]
1: to become level
After a long climb the ground evened out.
[=leveled out]
2even (something) outoreven out
(something): to make
(something) even and smooth
Let me even outthe rug.
3even outoreven (something)
outoreven out (something): to reach
a balanced or middle state
between extremes over a
period of time
The economy had good periods and bad
periods, but it all evened outby the end of
the year.Any variations will be evened
outeventually.do (one's) bitTo do one's part or contribute one's
share
http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/disabilitys-not-working.htmlhttp://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/disabilitys-not-working.htmlhttp://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/disabilitys-not-working.htmlhttp://ppu.politics.ox.ac.uk/past_materials/2012_18Maypresentation.pdfhttp://ppu.politics.ox.ac.uk/past_materials/2012_18Maypresentation.pdfhttp://ppu.politics.ox.ac.uk/past_materials/2012_18Maypresentation.pdfhttp://www.tuc.org.uk/social/tuc-20994-f0.pdfhttp://www.tuc.org.uk/social/tuc-20994-f0.pdfhttp://www.tuc.org.uk/social/tuc-20994-f0.pdfhttp://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/disabilitys-not-working.htmlhttp://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/disabilitys-not-working.htmlhttp://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/disabilitys-not-working.htmlhttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/tit%20for%20tathttp://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/disabilitys-not-working.htmlhttp://www.tuc.org.uk/social/tuc-20994-f0.pdfhttp://ppu.politics.ox.ac.uk/past_materials/2012_18Maypresentation.pdfhttp://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/2012/10/disabilitys-not-working.htmlhttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/tit%20for%20tat -
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society that do not take the form of having a job. Ellie Mae
OHagan has similarlyarguedagainst overvaluing paid work. Of
course, employment is important, not least for sustaining a
generous welfare state. But it should not set the limit of how we
think about contribution.
A different politics of welfare?
What is the upshot of these points?
Here are some possible political responses (Im sure there are
more):
Oppose all conditionality. The whole issue of contribution is so
contentious it is perhaps best to take a firm stand against more or
less all conditionality. This leads us in the direction of ideas
likeCitizens Income: an income grant paid to all as a right of
citizenship with no test of contribution (or means).
Conditionality is conditional. We should accept some
conditionality but try to make a political and policy link to other
measures that address background injustices. The message
should be something like this: People receiving welfare benefits
do have responsibilities and benefits should be conditional on
meeting them. But they should also have better job
opportunities, better wages, and more dignity at work in return
for meeting their responsibilities to find jobs. And if securing
these improvements costs money, then let us pay for them by
fairer taxation of those enjoying unearned wealth, e.g., through
aland value taxand a better designed capital gains tax.
Democratise conditionality. A third approach is what one might
call Democratise conditionality. Those who stand to be directly
affected by conditionality rules should have a much greater voice
in determining their content. As theSpartacus reportshowed,
existing processes of consultation around benefits reform are far
too weak. This approach would seek to make them much
stronger, ultimately shifting from consultation to something like
co-determination.
Democratisation also has an important public-facing aspect. It is
not just about affected groups talking to policy-makers but to
the wider public. Bluntly, it is about educating us all about the
realities of life on welfare benefits and about conditionality.
Personal testimony, e.g., in the blogging ofBendy GirlandSue
Marsh, is one aspect of this.
upshot /p:t/nounthe upshot
: the final result or outcome of
a process, discussion, etc.
The upshotis that we'll see him
Thursday.
often + ofThe upshotofthe decision is that the park will be
closed.
contentious/kntns/adjective
[more contentious; most
contentious] 1 a: likely to cause
people to argue or disagree
I think it's wise to avoid such a
highly contentious [=controversial]
topic/issue at a dinner party.b: involving a lot of arguing
After a contentious debate, members of
the committee finally voted to approve the
funding. They have
a contentious relationship. [=they argue
with each other a lot]
2: likely or willing to argue
a contentious student The dispute
involves one of the region's
most contentious leaders.
contentiouslyadverb
contentiousnessnoun [noncount]
1blunt /blnt/adjectiveblunter;bluntest[also more blunt; most blunt]
2: saying or expressing
something in a very direct way
that may upset some people
bluntlanguage a bluntstatement To
be perfectly blunt, I find herannoying. He was bluntabout needing
more privacy.bluntlyadverb
She bluntly refused their offer. To putit bluntly, I think he's out of his mind.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/30/paid-work-britain-valueshttp://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/30/paid-work-britain-valueshttp://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/30/paid-work-britain-valueshttp://www.citizensincome.org/http://www.citizensincome.org/http://www.citizensincome.org/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_value_taxhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_value_taxhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_value_taxhttp://wearespartacus.org.uk/spartacus-report/http://wearespartacus.org.uk/spartacus-report/http://wearespartacus.org.uk/spartacus-report/http://benefitscroungingscum.blogspot.co.uk/http://benefitscroungingscum.blogspot.co.uk/http://benefitscroungingscum.blogspot.co.uk/http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/http://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/Bluntlyhttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/contentioushttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/upshothttp://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/http://diaryofabenefitscrounger.blogspot.co.uk/http://benefitscroungingscum.blogspot.co.uk/http://wearespartacus.org.uk/spartacus-report/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_value_taxhttp://www.citizensincome.org/http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/aug/30/paid-work-britain-valueshttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/Bluntlyhttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/contentioushttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/upshot -
7/31/2019 JM - Artculo con vocabulario - What Do We Owe to Each Other
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Endnothing for something. Punitive conditionality policies feed
offan us and them perception of welfare: they the benefit
scroungers get it, while wethe respectable taxpayers
dont. In theirrecent report, mentioned above, Bell and Gaffney
suggest that one way to tackle this perception is to redevelop a
contributory social security system in which those making
national insurance contributions into the scheme receive clearer
benefits for their own contributions. This might enhance the
sense of the welfare state as a system into which we allput in and
from which we all take out, rather than a system of stigmatised
transfers to the (undeserving) poor.
Which of the approaches should the left adopt?
The Citizens Income route has many attractions and deserves
wider discussion. But it faces major political problems, not theleast of which is the fact that conditionality is popular.
An alternative is to try to combine the other three approaches.
This is also compatible, of course, with outright and
uncompromising opposition to specific kinds of conditionality
(such as workfare).
Central to the success of any approach is the continued
development of effective, educative campaigns rooted in the
experience of benefit recipients themselves.
The challenge is to move the question away from the punitive
What do they *the benefit scroungers+ owe to us *respectable
taxpayers+? to What do we, as citizens, owe to each other?
About this article
Published on 09 October, 2012
By Stuart White
New Left Project
Dictionary:
http://www.learnersdictionary.com/
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/
feed off[phrasal verb]feed off (something): to gain
strength, energy, or support
from (something)
Shefed offthe crowd's enthusiasm. His
angerfed offhis jealousy. We are able
tofeed offeach other's ideas.
scrounge /skran/verbscrounges;scrounged;scrounging1: to persuade someone to
give you (something) for free
[+ obj] I managed to scroungeenough
money for a bus ticket.often
+ offorfrom I scroungeda few
bucks offmy friend forlunch. She scroungedsome
moneyfrom her folks. [no obj] He's
always scrounging offhis friends instead of
paying for things himself.
2US: to get or find something
by looking in different places,
asking different people, etc.
[no obj] We scroungedaround for
firewood. [+ obj] We managed
to scrounge some firewood.often
+ up I tried to scrounge up some ticketsto the show, but I didn't have any luck.
scroungernoun,pluralscroungers[count]
1outright/atrat/adverb
1: in a full and complete way
They rejected the idea outright.
[=altogether, completely] She won the
competition outright. The painting is nowowned outrightby the museum.
2: quickly and completely : not
gradually
Those who were not
killed outright[=immediately] later died of
hunger. Their house was
destroyed outrightby the fire.
3: in one payment of money
I bought the car outright.
4: in a direct and open way
that does not hide anything Some people laughed outrightwhen he
told us his idea.
http://www.tuc.org.uk/social/tuc-20991-f0.cfmhttp://www.tuc.org.uk/social/tuc-20991-f0.cfmhttp://www.tuc.org.uk/social/tuc-20991-f0.cfmhttp://www.newleftproject.org/http://www.newleftproject.org/http://www.learnersdictionary.com/http://www.learnersdictionary.com/http://www.thefreedictionary.com/http://www.thefreedictionary.com/http://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/outrighthttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/scroungershttp://www.thefreedictionary.com/http://www.learnersdictionary.com/http://www.newleftproject.org/http://www.tuc.org.uk/social/tuc-20991-f0.cfmhttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/outrighthttp://www.learnersdictionary.com/search/scroungers