Business Matters
E Numbers
There's been a lot of noise going on this week about the removal of child benefit as a universal benefit. Whether you agree politically with the decision or not is down to you and I'm not going to be discussing the rights or wrongs of what or why the decision has been made.
So, I'm sorry if you're now going to be a little disappointed!
What is an interesting outcome of the decision though is the languaging of the commentators and present recipients of this benefit when discussing their feelings about the changes. And one word kept on cropping up in interviews.
So what is the E-word?
“Entitlement” (or any one of its derivatives).
Of course what has happened is that it (Child Benefit) has been around so long that people believe it is as much a personal right to receive it as it is to expect that there will be a police force or an army to defend and protect us.
And interestingly that very comparison begs the question “ exactly what as citizens (notice, not as taxpayers) are we entitled to receive or to have?”
Now, speaking from a position of relative strength but considering how I would feel if my personal world were to collapse and I found myself homeless, jobless and with no means of feeding my family, I’m not sure that my first reaction would be to suppose that someone else will worry about it and take care of me. Personally, I don’t live with an “entitled” philosophy. My first actions however – knowing what I know - would be to sign on to protect my contributions record for the future and then get a job – any job to start with.
Don’t believe what they say – there are jobs out there. A real life example: a young teacher employed in Edinburgh, lost his job because of the cutbacks, immediately enrolled for supply work (a kind of temping agency for teachers) AND got a job as a server with one of the hotel chains. Working very hard and very long hours (30-40 hours a week) for very little pay, makes something towards his cost of living and the state contributes nothing.
Does he consider himself entitled even though it is (ultimately) the state that forced a change of career (if only temporarily he hopes)? It would appear not. Perhaps this is a middle class example: what about the unskilled, or those who have never worked? Are they more entitled?
Deep down the philosophical question has to be this: what is the role of the state in the UK and how far does its role extend? While we need to take culture and tradition into account, we need also to start with a clean sheet. The world has changed fundamentally and we need to fundamentally change how we think about central government. And until we answer the question about the state’s role satisfactorily there will always be a question of entitlement.
JohnF
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