Finding work is not just about the pay cheque. It’s about getting the job centre off our backs and gaining the freedom to live our lives as we want
Everyone has days when they wake up and the last thing they want to do is go to work. For some, what gets them through is to think about the people they work with. For others, it’s the work itself – getting outside, driving about, or helping people with the things they need, for example. For most of us, though, it’s the freedom we gain from earning our own money.
The reality is that no government wants to pay benefits to people who are able to work. They see welfare as a safety net and nothing more. It’s there for people between jobs or those who are unable to work long-term. Unless we physically cannot get to work, the pressure from Jobcentre Plus will ramp up endlessly. In the worst cases, they’ll start to cut benefits until we work or we go without. It’s brutal. And it’s a fact of life.
Here’s the thing: Finding work is not just about avoiding cuts. It’s about taking control of our lives. It’s about being able to make our own decisions, spend our own money, and not have to answer to anyone about how we live. It’s about waking up in the morning with a purpose and going to bed at night knowing we’ve earned our keep.
Gunning for us
MPs from all parties seem to be out to crack down on people out of work.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged “zero tolerance” for benefits cheats and promised to do “everything we can to tackle worklessness.” Labour has promised more support for people who are off with poor health to get well and back into employment. Their agenda of planned cuts to welfare, however, suggests it could be more stick than carrot.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has spoken out about the need to get people off benefits and into work. She’s called the current welfare system a “ticking time bomb”. She says it encourages people to depend on the state. “We should be rewarding the people getting up every morning, working hard to build our country,” she said.
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, shares a similar view. He believes that if you can work, you should work. His party’s manifesto states that all job seekers and those fit to work must find employment within four months or accept a job after two offers, or else benefits will be withdrawn.
Taking control
The message is clear: Work isn’t just a way to earn money, it’s a way to live freely and with dignity. It’s about standing on our own two feet and not relying on benefits that might be taken away at any time. It’s about showing the world, and ourselves, that we can do it.
So, when we’re stuck, if we’re unsure, if we’re feeling like there’s no way out it’s worth remembering this: The best way to truly be free is to find work. It might not be easy, but it’s worth it. At the end of the day, there’s no better feeling than knowing we did it for ourselves.
