The Idler

Government Attacks Poor: “Send them to the workhouse”

02 December 2008

The Guardian today reports that the government is going to crack down on that terrifying and dangerous group of wasters and scroungers, single mothers.

The proposals say that every mother of a child over one year old should be forced to get a job:

“… James Purnell, the work and pensions secretary, will defy critics when he publishes a review prepared by the academic Paul Gregg that will propose all lone parents with children as young as one should be required to make themselves ready for work.

“The government proposed in a green paper in July to make it a requirement for lone parents with children aged seven or more to seek work, proposals that had already led to a backlash. It is estimated there are 600,000 lone parents with children aged under seven.”

Get those lazy feckless Mothers into jobs! The Guardian continues:

“Gregg is to propose a new category of benefit claimants—the progression to work group—who he says should face clearer state requirements to make themselves ready for work.

“The Department for Work and Pensions said this group would include lone parents with children as young as one, partners of people on benefits with children under seven and incapacity benefit claimants deemed to be capable of work.”

It’s another piece of legislation which seeks to enforce the government’s fiercely pro-work ideology, and their conviction that women should dump their toddlers in childcare facilities while they go and slave in Tesco’s. In the 19th century, such indigents were sent to the workhouse. Their kids were sent to the workhouse as well. The report continues:

“This group, before they are actually ready to actively seek work, would be expected to address debt, confidence or health problems, as well as taking on work and skills training. Young mothers might also be required to make inquiries about access to childcare in their locality.”

It’s a chillingly brutal and authoritarian move:

“‘Sanctions would only apply to those who refuse to take steps to be job-ready that have been jointly agreed with their personal advisers in Job Centres’, said a DWP official.”

This sort of language reminds me of another government attempt to get people into full-time jobs. I ‘ll quote it here:

“Work-shy elements within the meaning of this order are men who are old enough to work and who have recently been certified fit and who can be proved to have rejected offers of work on two occasions without just cause or have accepted work only to abandon it again shortly afterwards without adequate reason.”

The date of this announcement? 1938. The author? Heinrich Himmler. The solution?

“All protective custody prisoners will be sent to concentration camp Buchenwald near Weimar.”

Watch out, people. It’s during times of economic collapse that bits of authoritarian legislation tend to get sneaked through.