MovieChat Forums > I, Daniel Blake (2017) Discussion > Is britain really as poor as it depicted...

Is britain really as poor as it depicted?


Or it is just propaganda?

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Like every country, there is a spectrum from the very rich to the very poor in every town and city. Britain is actually quite a socialist leaning country compared to, say, the US.

Loach is a very socialist film-maker and concentrates on many issues affecting the working class and in the case of 'I, Daniel Blake' - the benefit system - the depiction was very accurate.

The situation (IMHO) is worse when there is a conservative government and the demonisation of those on benefits is the greatest and more and more obstacles are forced onto those least fortunate.

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I'm a mental health nurse in manchester , it's every bit as bleak as it's depicted unfortunately

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in the US, we have ZERO benefits.. No job, no money, no life.

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Yes, Britain is extremely poor, everyone apart from 0.01% of the population go to food banks so refugees/asylum seekers do not come here!

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No it is not poor. The reasons the benefit system is so complicated (and unforgiving) is so that people go and look for jobs. If you have a job then you might struggle but you aren't poor.

Most British people don't realise how much fraud there is and how hard it is to catch the fraudsters. The Conservative Party knows that every penny belongs to taxpayers, so they make sure that every claimant is genuine. The Labour Party wants to buy votes, so they ignore most things that working class people do.

Sadly it is actually the Labour Party which has let down the people who vote for it. That is why they won't win the next election.

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The Conservative Party knows that every penny belongs to taxpayers, so they make sure that every claimant is genuine. The Labour Party wants to buy votes, so they ignore most things that working class people do.


I've worked for the DWP under both, and I'm going to have to respectfully disagree.

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My job involves looking after the most vulnerable in society - I have seen two crack-downs on false claimants, both were under the Tories. Labour have always been generous with other people's money!


Thank you for being respectful though.

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And how would this system stop fraud?? There will still be people who claim benefits fraudulently whilst honest people like Daniel Blake suffer. The Tories are disgusting, they honestly believe people like Daniel Blake are lazy when he has (as far as we can tell) worked his whole life and just experienced a set back. He has paid into the system and deserves help in his hour of need. The Tories don't understand suffering, they just think people like Daniel Blake are lazy and should just try harder (and I say this as someone who has never claimed benefits).

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