This latest Conservative advert is truly divisive and unpleasant, and I can’t imagine it’s just going to be those implacably opposed to the Government who find it distasteful. Of course some people don’t want to work – such is life – but in the present climate it is simply impossible for many to find jobs. Neither is it always possible to tell who is ‘deserving’ or not. Here is a not untypical comment from a conservativehome commenter.
There is a fine line between promoting hard work and demonising the unemployed and while we started at the former, I fear we are moving to the latter. To paint all unemployed as work shy is completely unfair. I worry when the daily mail uses the extremes of benefit misuse and osborne talks about the lazy hiding behind blinds. I have significant experience with people on benefits and while they exist, they are a minority. Most unemployed people I meet are desperate to work and to treat these like scumbags may gain votes but is morally wrong.
Meanwhile those in work, whether or not they are part of ‘hard working families’, are likely to be working longer hours in more anxious conditions, while those who really cannot work are forced to compete for nonexistent jobs.