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In order to “change lives for the better” and reduce“dependency,” George Osbome, Chancellor ofthe Exchequer, introduced the “upfront work search” scheme. Only if the joblessarrive at the job centre with a CV register for online job search, and startlooking for work will they be eligible for benefit-and then they should reportweekly rather than fortnightly. What could be more reasonable?
More apparent reasonableness followed. There willnow be a seven-day wait for the jobseeker’s allowance. “Those first few daysshould be spent looking for work, not looking tosign on.” he claimed.“We’re doing these things because we know they help people say off benefits andhelp those on benefits get into work faster” Help? Really? On first hearing,this was the socially concerned chancellor, trying to change lives for thebetter, complete with “reforms” to an obviously indulgent system that demandstoo little effort from the newly unemployed to find work, and subsideslaziness. What motivated him, we were to understand, was his zeal for“fundamental fairness”-protecting the taxpayer, controlling spending andensuring that only the most deserving claimants received their benefits.
Losing a job is hurting: you don’t skip down to thejobcentre with a song in your heart, delighted at the prospect of doubling yourincome from the generous state. It is financially terrifying psychologicallyembarrassing and you know that support is minimal and extraordinarily hard toget. You are now not wanted; you support is minimal and extraordinarily hard toget. You are now not wanted; you are now excluded from the work environmentthat offers purpose and structure in your life. Worse, the crucial income tofeed yourself and your family and pay the bills has disappeared. Ask anyonenewly unemployed what they want and the answer is always: a job.
But in Osborneland, your first instinct is to fallinto dependency- permanent dependency if you can get it-supported by a stateonly too ready to indulge your falsehood. It is as though 20 years of ever-tougher reforms of the job search and benefit administration system neverhappened. The principle of British welfare is no longer that you can insureyourself against the risk of unemployment and receive unconditional payments ifthe disaster happens. Even the very phrase ‘jobseeker’s allowance’-invented in1996- is about redefining the unemployed as a “jobseeker” who had no mandatoryright to a benefit he or she has earned through making national insurancecontributions. Instead, the claimant receives a time-limited “allowance,”conditional on actively seeking a job; no entitlement and no insurance, at£71.70 a week, one of the least generous in the EU.
21. George Osborne’s scheme was intended to___________.
[A]provide the unemployed with easier access tobenefits.
[B]encourage jobseekers’ active engagement in jobseeking.
[C]motivate the unemployed to report voluntarily.
[D]guarantee jobseekers’ legitimate right tobenefits.
22. The phrase “to sign on” (Line3,Para.2) most probably means
[A]to check on the availability of jobs at thejobcentre.
[B]to accept the government’s restrictions on theallowance.
[C]to register for an allowance from the government.
[D]to attend a governmental job-training program.
23. What promoted the chancellorto develop his scheme?
[A] A desire to secure a better life for all.
[B] An eagerness to protect the unemployed.
[C] An urge to be generous to the claimants.
[D] A passion to ensure fairness for taxpayers.
24. According to Paragraph 3,being unemployed makes one feel
[A]uneasy.
[B]enraged.
[C]insulted.
[D]guilty.
25. To which of the followingwould the author most probably agree?
[A]The British welfare system indulges jobseekers’laziness.
[B]Osborne’s reforms will reduce the risk ofunemployment.
[C]The jobseekers’ allowance has met their actualneeds.
[D]Unemployment benefits should not be madeconditional.
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