Ashfield: A Guinea Pig Town.

Sir Keir Starmer says the welfare bill is "Indefensible". He will shake up the system to cut welfare spending, strengthen efforts to get people into work and protect those who cannot work. This massive bill that could be better spent elsewhere or saved for something better, makes sense. This policy is very Conservative which goes hand in hand with my article. Yesterday when I said Sir Keir, was heading right politically. The effort to claim PIP to help the sick in their daily lives is already tough to get onto. Now the Prime Minister aims to make it even tougher. So the question is, is he doing that to ensure only the illest amongst us get it or conversely, to save money? Possibly, it is both but one cannot say with any assurance.

The Conservatives, when Sir Keir mentioned he was going ahead with welfare reforms, applauded it (as they would). But said it should have been sooner.

That from a former Conservative government who oversaw the implementation of Universal Credit. On paper, this benefit was a good idea. However, it has turned out to be oppressive, broken, good for nothing or good for no one system. So this is what Sir Keir has inherited but how will this benefit shake-up affect those on benefits?

In the town of Ashfield, in Nottinghamshire, in the East Midlands, there is a proud tradition of mining. However, that mining industry is long gone. All that remains are those who once worked in the industry or statues of miners. Ashfield will be one of the towns up and down the UK finding out what Sir Keir's welfare reforms will be like.

A 59-year-old woman who has been signed off work for life medically has spoken to Sky News. She said life has become a struggle. For the first time- she used a food bank. She worries about how she will manage when these welfare reforms kick in.

Young people between 16 and 25 gather in a local park to speak to Sky News. Many are looking for work but often do not hear back from employers. Many have health conditions that stop them from working or at least holding a full-time job. Others have dropped out of college due to health conditions such as mental health.

The welfare bill will be cut. Sir Keir says he will protect the most vulnerable, however, there is concern out there. Concern amongst the most vulnerable who cannot work, access training, or education. The young people interviewed expressed the wish that the welfare system should be more helpful to people. Help to find work and support them especially, for their generation.

The government is so out of step with what's coming down the track. AI and tech with robots by the score are changing the workplace forever. Jobs whether we like it or not will be done with robots, some autonomous, some semi-autonomous, and others controlled by Artificial Intelligence. It will not be the end of work because people will still work. If you work in the hospitality sector you may be okay but tech will be more forefront. Many will be made redundant, many will not understand what is happening around them.

There have been many revolutions in history. The discovery of fire to the Industrial Revolution. Back then there were winners and losers. So, it will be the same in this revolution. People will have to retrain for this immense change that is coming even as I write this. We should scrap the current benefit system and introduce Universal Basic Income.

Jeremy Corbyn, Sir Keir's predecessor, promised to bring in UBI. However, that was too radical for the 1% who own everything and sit at the top of the pile. Whether Aristocracy, Royals, or Billionaires.

If UBI came in it would liberate many from an oppressive system of wage slavery. And from a benefits system that's broken and good for nothing. Labour, of all the parties, should be the one implementing it. Sadly, they will not as they are as much part of this corrupt system as the Tories and others.

This current system serves only the wealthiest while the rest of us struggle at the bottom. The 1% will not ever entertain UBI as it will affect them and they will fall like dominoes. They will fight tooth and nail to keep their lofty positions. They know the liberation of the oppressed through UBI and yes, tech, scares them to death. This current system will be propped up for as long as it can, but God willing one day, it will fall.

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