Letter Welfare myths

Your article on welfare reform (4 April) suggests that government policies on this issue are "radical" and "brave". On the contrary, as an ex-welfare claimant, I regard successive government policies on welfare to be repressive and cowardly - the policies barely differ and have been populist in their approach; each leading party competing to see which can be toughest.

Under the current system, law-abiding individuals are being forced to do manual labour for less than the legal minimum wage. Hardly radical. Welfare claimants are among the most demonised people in Britain today, usually scapegoated by the right-wing press and establishment parties as lazy scroungers who languish on benefits. This is deliberate ignorance of the volunteer work many claimants engage in.

Yes there are fraudsters and those who take advantage of the system and that should be tackled, but gross generalisations, discrimination, prejudice and collective punishment of claimants must end because it helps no one. It is a contradiction to suggest people can be helped by being vilified and punished.

NATHAN HAZLETT

The Oaks West

Sunderland