“I’m quoted in this excellent review of ‘I, Daniel Blake’, and was honoured to attend the premiere last week.
Recently, I’ve drawn attention to the scandal of low-pay Britain – the Tories have failed to provide security and opportunity for those in work. As ‘I, Daniel Blake’ so poignantly shows, they also fail those out of work.
Food bank use has passed a million. The bedroom tax has seen panic rooms for domestic violence survivors reclassified as spare rooms, and in one case the Tories went to court to challenge a ruling that gave Warren, a disabled child, the right to the overnight care he needs in a specially adapted room. The welfare cap has seen families driven from their towns. Only through persistent challenges inside and outside Parliament were the Tories forced to drop the worst of their plans to further reduce the support that helps disabled people live independent lives.
We all pay into the welfare state, and when those who need it can’t access it, the economy suffers. A recent Rowntree Foundation report showed how poverty costs taxpayers £78bn a year. Situations like those portrayed in ‘I, Daniel Blake’ are as unsustainable as they are tragic.
“The next Labour government will invest in education and new industries to provide decent jobs for all, and take action on the cost of extreme poverty – ensuring that in the world’s sixth richest economy, no-one has to go without food or shelter, people with specialist needs are properly supported, and no-one is stigmatised for being out of work through no fault of their own.
“We are all Daniel Blake, and together we can rebuild and transform Britain so that no-one and no community is left behind.”
Jeremy Corby, Facebook
Read the Vice review of this outstanding Ken Loch film here
