A red herring to benefits debate

RE EUAN McColm (Comment, 30 June). Those who are made redundant will probably have some sort of pay-off to (maybe) tide them over, but these are not the folk who will be hardest hit by the extended period. It will be the much larger group who have been forced on to short-term, zero-hours contracts who are paid off, without compensation, and at a moment’s notice every few weeks, and now will have to survive without money for that bit longer.

Concentrating on those made redundant and on the benefits cap – an amount that most affected can only dream of reaching – in this article is to introduce red herrings to suit the agenda.

Gordon Hay, via email