Kate Taylor

On Thursday a High Court judge ruled that the benefit cap to lone parents with young children was in fact illegal. In a move that shocked no one, the Department of Work and Pensions has said that the news is ‘disappointing’ and plan to appeal (thus the cap stays until the appeal has been processed, leaving children to suffer for even longer).

Many have argued that the fact that said parents could be entitled to £20k or £23k in London which is ‘more than enough’ to live on. Firstly, many do not get this much, or they have to cope with random sanctions implemented by a struggling department. Secondly; as someone who has been a single parent for many years, including with a three year old and newborn baby, money does not stretch far.

Here in Lincoln renting a family home for less than £600 is nigh on impossible for new renters, depending on area. In Nottingham and surrounding areas, a three bedroom house is closer to a thousand pounds per calender month.

Adding average household expenses not to mention all the extra costs of young children in particular, along with the staggering number of lone parents who are having to pay off high interest debt accrued trying to survive (not buying a new widescreen TV as some people may believe) increases a household budget rapidly. Not to mention this cap could be for one child or several.

Trying to avoid sounding like the Marxist manifesto, but the problem our society has in general, is apathy. We have become cold and resentful in our struggle for survival at the hands of the wealthy who have turned us against one another.

Division between the social classes has become less obvious and more manipulative. The poor are not the reason we’re struggling. Benefit fraud has been proven time and time again to be miniscule in comparison to tax evasion and various banking and investment frauds.

Those who argue that those out of work should not be entitled to more money than themselves who are working hard to put food on the table are missing the point.

Those in work should be entitled to adequate boosts in income and those out of work should not be punished; even if they are as ‘feckless’ as the right make them out to be, surely their children should not be punished for this?

Childcare is as expensive as is it is difficult to find, and not everyone has the luxury of an accommodating extended family. The regulations on self-employment have been ravaged and thus closed off as a viable option for many single parents; not to mention finding an employer who is willing to give 16 contracted, flexible hours is about as viable as a D.U.P coalition.

Before the mess over the Iraq war, Blair became a modern political idol – with the invention of tax credits, Sure Start centres and various childcare provisions; for the first time children from all backgrounds were able to live without fear of abject poverty.

With the continuous increase in food bank usage, pay day loan companies making insane profits and children having what may be their only hot meal a day about to be taken from them – the next generation are growing up with a self-fulfilling prophecy to struggle, to fail and to resent.

We cannot keep up the venomous divide of bitterness between high earners, low earners and indeed, no earners. We have been thrown into the pit by said top earners and taught that we’re suffering because of the laziness of those less fortunate than us. Contrary to popular belief, there aren’t many people who do not want to support their children financially themselves, particularly given the stigma attached to claiming financial aid.

As with everything in society, we need to stand together and make it known we cannot and will not fall for the delusions put upon us by the government. We are all deserving, and one day you might have to be on benefits, whether with a small child, or because of illness or redundancy. If we do not stand up for everyone else, you may end up being told to ‘try harder’ and ‘stop being lazy’ or ‘wasting money’ whilst in a vulnerable position yourself.

Over a week later and after an election that shocked no one more than Theresa May, talks are still ongoing with the DUP to form a minority government. Many have pointed out that this is in breach of the Good Friday Agreement, and that sacrificing peace for power is not something the public are willing to stand by anymore.

As a writer and sociologist, I have wrestled with topics that are very, very difficult to untangle and some which are emotive for everyone. None so much as the truly heart-breaking scenes at Grenfell Tower.

Polly Toynbee has written an article which sums up our countries situation to a tee – enough is enough.

The tower block has been gutted to a husk after fire blazed through the building; with the death toll over 30 currently, but with nearly 100 people missing those figures are set to rise dramatically over the coming days.

Hearing stories of parents throwing their children from eight floor windows begging strangers to catch them – how is this 21st century Britain?

Theresa May chose not to face the public when attending the scene with guards stating security risks, not something that appeared to be a problem for the Queen or other party leaders, as photos emerge of Jeremy Corbyn holding on to a distraught woman emerge.

Will this be the straw that breaks austerity’s back?

For too long politicians from all sides have ignored their voters, this snap election seeing many Conservative party members (former MP Karl McCartney included) refusing to debate or engage with the public repeatedly.

There seems to be a vacuum on the topic of what’s behind tragedies such as the fire and the lack of political interaction. Social class. It’s been stated that the cladding which has been pointed to as being the reason the building was engulfed so quickly was ‘mainly’ to improve the aesthetic for surrounding neighbours – namely those living in luxury accommodation.

The working classes have been hoodwinked for centuries, whether teaching the poor that the gates to heaven cannot be entered with money (so don’t worry about poor living conditions, you’ll live on in Heaven forever!); or insisting that those ‘below’ us are feckless and irresponsible with their money, leaving the rest of us to pick up the pieces.

I’ll tell you what is irresponsible, building a moat with taxpayers’ money.

Record numbers of people signed up to vote this year, with many places having over a 70% turn out rate on June 8. Even our voting system is archaic, with first-past-the-post turning it into a two-party race, the public are standing up.

Swathes of people turned up to see Corbyn speak in his rallies this year, and many Tory and even UKIP voters have swung to red.

In no small part due to their parties’ refusal to participate with the public. With the utilisation of social media, it’s easier than ever for the barriers to be pulled down, and for the PM’s sake she needs to speed-read the new political landscape and understand her constituents no longer merely need more, they expect it.

The Lib Dems, too, failed to ignite passion with the public after Tim Farron refused to discuss certain topics such as homosexuality because of his Christian faith.

In a bold move he has ‘decided’ to step down as he struggled to keep church and state separate whilst leading a liberal party. This may have been commended by the Archbishop of Canterbury but others have held it low regard, particularly as he announced it on the day of the Grenfell disaster.

Perceived as ego-centric, yet another politician has managed to bring the class divide into full view; and people are beginning to take notice.

Meanwhile, bedroom tax, further means testing, reductions in school spending and indeed, saving £2p/m on cladding by not purchasing fire resistant materials have all contributed to a class divide not seen since the Thatcher years.

Fear has kept people from learning the truth, but times are changing and facts are becoming easier to access every day.

We are a diverse and proud nation, and having a government that is willing to engage with us is of upmost important if democracy is to retain any sort of believability.