I, Daniel Blake

[stek]

Anyone seen it?

I've seen the trailers and the press etc, looking foward to seeing it in UK week after next, not released here until 22 Dec.

I must admit I'm a Loach fan and whilst not a fan of total one-sidedness, seems hard to dismiss this one as such since I know people who seem to be in the same situation..

[d000hg]

I'm surprised we have't done this on CUK lready (unless I missed it). I've not seen it but all my socially active friends are going on about it which makes me a)not want to b)not look forward to the way it will be discussed here. DA will presumably accuse everyone involved of being virtue signalling leftie-liberals as a distraction from the actual content.

Surely everyone knows there are people genuinely starving due to benefit sanctions and flaws in the welfare system without seeing a film designed to tug at the heart strings? Or maybe I take that as read and actually a large part of the more right-wing and/or middle-class demographic genuinely believe it's all made up and everyone on benefits is a character on Benefits Street?

The truth is both extremes are true. Some people abuse any system that they can abuse, others are failed by it. Tightening the rules in a clumsy public-sector way to prevent the former increases the number in the latter category. Making the system less draconian in a "nobody should be failed" invariably means it's easier to take advantage. I think you need to accept that is the case and then it becomes a political matter where that line is drawn.

[DaveB]

I'm surprised we have't done this on CUK lready (unless I missed it). I've not seen it but all my socially active friends are going on about it which makes me a)not want to b)not look forward to the way it will be discussed here. DA will presumably accuse everyone involved of being virtue signalling leftie-liberals as a distraction from the actual content.

I'm sure he'll be along shortly to parrot the Mail column by Toby Young, where he reviews the film without ever having seen it.

Why only Lefties could go misty eyed at a movie that romanticises Benefits Britain, says TOBY YOUNG*

Mark Steel does it much better (and he has seen the film).

Of course Toby Young understands what life is like on benefits “he knows what rings true"

[dundeedude]

I'm surprised we have't done this on CUK lready (unless I missed it). I've not seen it but all my socially active friends are going on about it which makes me a)not want to b)not look forward to the way it will be discussed here. DA will presumably accuse everyone involved of being virtue signalling leftie-liberals as a distraction from the actual content.

Surely everyone knows there are people genuinely starving due to benefit sanctions and flaws in the welfare system without seeing a film designed to tug at the heart strings? Or maybe I take that as read and actually a large part of the more right-wing and/or middle-class demographic genuinely believe it's all made up and everyone on benefits is a character on Benefits Street?

The truth is both extremes are true. Some people abuse any system that they can abuse, others are failed by it. Tightening the rules in a clumsy public-sector way to prevent the former increases the number in the latter category. Making the system less draconian in a "nobody should be failed" invariably means it's easier to take advantage. I think you need to accept that is the case and then it becomes a political matter where that line is drawn.

Many people have already forgotten the damage ATOS did to lives of people - many who died or ended their life - simply struggling to survive after endeavours to find a job. The majority were disabled to such an extent NHS doctors have provided testimony that they had advised the patients not to work 'yet' until their health had recovered.

A respectbale society treats people in-between work with respect and provides them the trust required to tide them by. The government's own fraud rate varies between 0.7 and 5%, depending on the methodology used. Using the upper threshold, why punish 95% of people with punitive sanctions and such when the vast majority are simply looking for work?

I would urge those who don't know any people with disabilities to enrol in charity work and see just how difficult living in a wheelchair is. That's the reason such people have difficulty finding work - society (from a work perspective) is against them. Someone I know has to get up into their chair at 4:30am in order to have a shower (takes longer than an able bodied person) to get to work for 8:30am via public transport that actually caters for wheelchair users.

It's easy to think the film subject is embelished, but the system really has used 'decision makers' and anonymous entities to pursue people out of the system who clearly need it.

If your response to these scenarios is "sometimes there are civilian casualties in war" then you need to remember that a human life is much more valuable than the basic JSA scales:

Age JSA weekly amount
18 to 24 up to £57.90
25 or over up to £73.10
Couples (both aged over 18) up to £114.85

The relentless drive towards belittling people (who are already likely to be mentally damaged by losing their job, let alone loss of family, friends and whatever due to general life incidents and location changes) is a disgrace and I cannot see how anybody can justify this to chase the 0.75 to 5% of claimants who are milking the system.

But hey, it's easier to use cognitive dissonance to persuade people that these people all deserve it. Get a job!

A couple of contractors I knew ended their lives after the financial crisis and lack of work. The issue was inside their heads, as they were free to move abroad - but people react in different ways to crises and at the very least, given how society and communities are eroding extremely fast, the least that can be expected is some money for a tin of beans, gas and electricity, whilst someone recovers from health issues and/or tries to find work when unskilled labour is at a major surplus. There aren't enough unskilled jobs for the unskilled labour market.

The film was an excellent portrayal and the gist echoes what I have seen during charity work since 2008. The stories are lost to those in society who haven't ever really had it hard.

[shaunbhoy]

Ken Loach......the handwringers' handwringer.

[minestrone]

Leftist agitprop bulltulip.

Back in the real world Ken Loach is worth 15 million.

[stek]

So Brexiters = Don't like Ken Loach?

Can this be extrapolated you think?

[SueEllen]

So Brexiters = Don't like Ken Loach?

Can this be extrapolated you think?

Brexiters != one point of view

[stek]

Brexiters != one point of view

Brexiters = All those on the dole and who are disabled are scoungers.

[minestrone]

It's the human shield manner where the regressive left use those less fortunate to shield their idiotic political views that needs criticising.

"Everyone needs to prove they are looking for work to get out of work benefits"

"SOMEONE DIED IN FLAT! OF HUNGER! AND YOU DID IT"