Job Centre Plus taking the Bible literally - " To those who have not, even what they have will be taken away..."

Let's start with a Fibonacci - you know the drill now, a spiralled increase of syllables for each line so that each line contains the sum of the syllables in the two previous lines. Simple. Well simpler than what I'm about to try and explain further down! Anyway it goes like this  1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34 - and 55 if your are feeling silly, or have a lots to say. This time I've a lot to say!!

Job Centre Plus Fibonacci

Shout!

Rage!

Outrage!

Shout outrage!!

Job Centre Plus calls!!!

Job seekers, premium numbers.

People on benefits, made to phone 0845?

Job Centre Plus, a public sector service, diverts enquiries to premium charge lines!

Enquiries by phone about a letter intimating withdrawal of benefits cost a job seeker more than seven pounds to resolve.

Unemployed and looking for work; job seeker on minimum allowance; human being determined to maintain dignity; good citizen complying with written instructions; and costs them an eighth of their weekly income!

.......

Now the next line should be 89 syllables. And that would be really, really, silly. But since I'm trying to write coherently about a policy that makes coherence an emotional, intellectual and moral challenge, I'm going to try to write an 89 syllable one sentence essay entitled,

"The 0845 Job Centre Plus Scandal"

By definition people on benefits are low income,  and in a recession there are few jobs and more and more people looking for them, and those recently made redundant, or the long-term unemployed, whether young or old, male or female, are anxious to get a chance in life, so why does Job Centre Plus claw back benefits from those enquiring by phone about jobs? Scandalous!

.....

Only when it becomes personal do we discover the hidden injustices others have to put up with, day in and day out. Someone close to me took the £7 hit for phoning, as requested, to clarify the benefits position, and phoning, as advised, about job possibilities. I did a quick internet search and came up immediately with exchanges about the 0845 Job Centre Plus racket. You can start by looking here. I'm intending to follow this up with a letter to the local MP, and to the Minister at the DWP - that would be Iain Duncan Smith who did some research while in opposition into the difficulties faced by people on the lower ends of the income scale, if I recall..... Wonder if he remembers. Of course this nonsense pre-dated the present Government - but they haven't moved to change it either.

Comments

[lynn]

I just don't know how you do it...........!