大象传媒

The new government hasn't spared much time sharpening it's axe and announcing cuts. It's clear that the 87 billion pounds a year annual bill for welfare benefits is going to be high on the list of priorities. If we can't afford it, what should we do about it? When money is tight how do you decide who is poor enough to help? Are news paper headlines and articles using phrases such as "welfare dependency," "the British disease" and "feckless poor" a dangerous echo of the old Victorian concepts of deserving and undeserving poor? How do you protect the truly needy while penalising those who want to claim benefit with no intention of ever trying to support themselves or their families? What should be our rights and our responsibilities in the welfare state?
Combative, provocative and engaging live debate chaired by Michael Buerk with Clifford Longley, Kenan Malik, Claire Fox and Melanie Philips.

Tonight's Witnesses:

Alexis Slater

Julia Unwin
Chief Executive, Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Daniel Johnson
Editor of Standpoint

Matthew Sinclair
Research Director at the Tax Payers Alliance.