Again, thanks for the amazing response to ’67 jobs’ so far. The blog has been visited more than 22,000 times in three days – an average of something like 330 visits an hour, every hour, since it was created.
Furthermore, it has been visited by virtually every country on earth, but not China. I’m led to believe they have certain access issues there.
Anyway, less of web analytics and let’s examine the mad events of the last three days. There have been so many testimonies, messages and people’s stories on social media – many are heartbreaking. Proof positive that the current work, welfare and recruitment paradigms are badly broken, part of the continuing much wider narrative of ‘Broken Britain’. Go read some of them – they will move you.
Speaking personally, despite the success of the blog I’m sat here in my dressing gown, £2,500 in debt and rising, no income whatsoever and not one concrete offer of work yet. Granted, a couple of excellent recruitment people have been in touch, Renae @ Search Laboratory and Brett @ Clockwork Talent (they are clearly atypical of their occupation by showing some imagination and initiative) but things are still pretty grim. I’m not getting the tiny violins out, just saying it like it is.
I was delighted to come across this piece of footage from parliament this July:
http://www.buzzfeed.com/sirajdatoo/iain-duncan-smith-would-like-to-think-he-can-walk-on-water
It is five minutes of Glenda Jackson ripping into Iain Duncan-Smith, and he has to just sit there and take it. Look…
IDS being savaged live this week. Love the face
Glenda said some great things that Iain didn’t listen to, like:
“We have all become used to the Secretary of State avoiding answering any direct question or actively engaging in any of the serious issues which have to do with the destruction of the Welfare State and the total and utter incompetence of his department, by opting for a self-serving, sanctimonious sermon as opposed to any serious speech”
If only he got a roasting like this every week. Frankly, if only Esther McVey and him were to be gored by bulls, or torn apart by a baying mob.
Back in reality, my MP Caroline Lucas has taken up my case and is looking into it. Meanwhile, my appeal against the sanction has still not be resolved, and I have heard nothing about the official complaint I made to the DWP asking for the two members of staff largely responsible for the gross discrimination against me to be sacked.
In the 1990s I was an environmental activist and was jailed for my part in protests against the Newbury Bypass, and clocked up about a dozen other arrests while co-ordinating campaigns and conducting protests against various road schemes. During this time we organised a mass trespass at Michael Howard’s house in Lympne, Kent. It was front page news at the time, but there seems little record of it online – apart from a mention here. However, it was a great day and there were people all over his roof and weeing in his garden.
Maybe its time to find out where IDS and McVey live, eh?
N.B. In May 1997 one of the first things Tony Blair did as PM was to scrap more than 200 road schemes across the UK. Things can change if people want it enough. Obviously for the record, this was one of the few decent things Tony Blair ever did…
67 job applications in a fortnight and sanctioned 
You are Brave Soul, lets hope the powers that dominate dont shut you down as this blog is becoming what appears to be a real window into the reality of the DWPS policies as much as it is about the suffering and indignity being imposed by these draconian policies.
take good care of yourself, but dont go away, we need people like you.
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Its about time something got sorted, ive been mucked around with pay since start of october and we arrive at today being payday and nothing in my account, no way of getting in contact with them as they get the weekend off (lucky for some) no reasons as to why ive had it stopped other than week ago signing she couldnt find any sign of me using the UJM (thats beacuse i stopped them from seeing if i used it or not when i 1st registered with them) and also its hard to get the site working properly on my phone (and no, i have no internet or computer to use) snidy comment i got from advisor was “thats the way we’re playing it is it” muttered under her breath.
Its not on that you cant hold them to account but they can stop your pay just like that, im asthmatic and need to get hold of medication, no pay means no busfare to get what i need. Oh yeah and ive not eaten in nearly a week, maybe this the plan to lower employment rates, starve people to death and then its 1 less on the figures.
All these issues have arrived because somebody thought id said i had a change of address but not told them, nothing of the sort, now as it weekend ill have to wait till monday before i can do any more about it, 1 of derbys job centers may well get there name dragged thru mud, email being sent off to local MP next.
Hope you get sorted mr styles, its a load of ballache nobody needs.
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I hope you will be sending an account of your experiences to the Work & Pensions Committee Inquiry into Sanctions?
http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/work-and-pensions-committee/inquiries/parliament-2010/benefit-sanctions/
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Total empathy with your situation, I am involved in assisting people with jobsearch activities and know of many more scenarios such as yours;
people applying for jobs they are not qualified for – for example coffee shop job
Required to log into UJM everyday and apply for jobs as per their claimant commitment – requested of those known to be illiterate, do not speak english very well and definitely do not understand or are able to write in english, IT illiterate.
Also some people do not have computer/wifi and nor can they afford these items again, requested to do x amounts of hours jobsearch on internet
People informed that if they can’t use the computer to get their children to do it (single parents with school children)
People been sanctioned for not applying for enough jobs (over 40+ applied for over a 4 week period by a lady with no IT skills who received assistance to apply for the 40+) or not detailing what activities have been completed on what dates in their work plan book.
Think the role of jobcentre staff has changed to the policing the distribution of unemployment benefit and as such their role is not to assist people in seeking employment but to ensure that individuals meet so call ‘individualised’ jobsearch activities, with emphasis (and possibly targets) on sanctioning those who are ‘deemed’ to have not met the specified requirements no matter how unachieveable.
The ability to sanction people is open to interpretation and too easy to apply that jobseekers are been tormented by the lack of specific requirements that are achievable.
But hey, those individuals moving from JSA to ESA and those sanctions are not included in unemployment figures.
Good luck with your appeal and don’t forget to ask for a hardship payment claim form.
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I hope you will be sending an account of your experiences to the Work & Pensions Committee Inquiry into Sanctions?
http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/work-and-pensions-committee/inquiries/parliament-2010/benefit-sanctions/
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Great to see a fellow claimant who has the will and wherewithal to do this kind of thing. I’ve been long term unemployed for five years and have seen the changes that have taken place. I recall that the system changed with the Welfare Reform Act 2012. And by changed, I mean the system became whole lot more punitive and (quite frankly) evil. Sanctions were to be imposed at the drop of a hat and for longer periods. This is nothing more than pure malice on the part of hatchet faced Middle class Tories who have confirmed (contrary to all protestations) that they are indeed The Nasty Party.
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Yes, the good old DWP are having a field day. Well the bullies are. I have got cancer, and have had the staff in Hornchurch DWP treat me like a criminal. Stopping my benefit cos I missed an apt, cos I was having chemo. I had allready told them when I would be unable to attend. I have lost everything, house pets etc. This is after working for the NHS as a ward sister for over 30 years. Like you, if it wasnt for family, I would be in serious shit. Hate the Tories with a passion……. If you are planning an occupation, please let me know. Enough is enough!
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I hope you will be sending an account of your experiences to the Work & Pensions Committee Inquiry into Sanctions?
http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/work-and-pensions-committee/inquiries/parliament-2010/benefit-sanctions/
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Reblogged this on The Greater Fool.
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As someone else has said, stay writing your blog – we do need people like you. You have first hand experience in JSA and JC+, others have the experience of ESA, the working and support group, and so it goes on.
I rooting for you and you WILL get a job in something that you are experienced at, just keep on believing it, this is all happening for a reason. That reason may be for this blog to continue and for another one of us to join the chain, spreading the word about what it is like to be under the spotlight of those in the DWP and maybe to help out someone of something that is going to happen soon.
I love the way you said about “genuflecting” to the JC – howled at that 🙂
Keep on keeping on.
Jay
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You may want to keep an eye here as I hear they may well soon be looking for an editor for their marketing content. May be worth sending in a CV regardless.
http://www.kineo.com/about-us/careers
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