In April 2013 the Conservatives intensified their campaign of vilification of the poorest in our society as part of their justification for making some welfare recipients pay the greatest cost for the economic problems caused by the banking crash of 2008. The gap between the public perception as pushed by these Politians and their newspaper friends, has never been starker. So here are some facts:-
| Common misconceptions | Actual Facts |
| Large benefit claiming families are an increasing problem in the UK | In 2012 only 2,000 families had 8 or more children. Families with 3+ children account for just 14% of families. Both groups are in decline. |
| Support for the unemployed is about 41% of the welfare budget (opinion poll) | Actually it is just 3% |
| Fraud is a massive problem occurring in 27% of cases (opinion poll) | Actually it is just 0.7% of the benefit bill |
Isn’t it time to start using more temperate language and discuss these issues without trying to vilify a largely defenceless minority.
By far the largest part of the Welfare budget goes on pensions (about 60%) and with the pensionable population set to rise form 17% to 21% in 2035, this can only get harder to manage.