Using NHS or Education Services? Shame On You!

A number of media outlets today are running with the, typically derogatory, headline that a record number of people in the UK are “dependent on the state” (see here, here, here, and here). By “dependant on the state” what they are referring to is the again derogatory idea of so called ‘benefits dependency’. 

In each outlet, the article was published verbatim and focused on an analysis of ONS (Office for National Statistics) figures by the think-tank Civitas. Civitas is registered at the notorious 55 Tufton Street, an address known for its right-wing, ideologically aligned resident think tanks. Civitas is considered centre-right and free-market endorsing according to Antonio Olmedo and Stephen J. Ball.

I was particularly drawn to the following paragraph:

Civitas analysis of Office of National Statistics (ONS) data from 2020/21 showed a record 54.2% of individuals – or 36 million people – now live in households which received more in benefits – including non-cash ones such as NHS and education services – than they contributed in taxes.

On scan reading this paragraph one may be forgiven for missing it, particularly if perusing the news online. To me, it stuck out like a sore thumb: NHS and education services. To many, this may seem uneventful, but to the sociologist’s eye there is much going on.

Benefits Stigma

Benefits, and welfare in general, has long been a contentious issue, especially in Britain and more especially under neoliberal dominance. Scott Lavery’s phenomenally good chapter ‘The Coalition’s ‘Two Nations’ Hegemonic Project’ in his book ‘British Capitalism After the Crisis’ deftly outlined the purposeful building of antagonistic relations between social demographics by the Conservative Party. In layman’s terms, it essentially explains how the better off were conditioned to hate those reliant on benefits for income.

Ever since this stirring up of hatred, although it was nothing new as history shows, there has been a bubbling undercurrent of negative attitudes towards those on benefits. However, in recent times, most likely due to the cost-of-living crisis we are being subjected to, and the major job losses occurring throughout the pandemic, attitudes towards benefits have been softening slightly. Although this trend has been occurring since 2016, attitudes to welfare remain harsh, most likely due to the consistently negative framing of welfare in the media such as the way it is described in this article.

Unfortunately, stigma and shame still play a major role in the perceptions of those on benefits. The ever-persisting ‘scrounger’ narrative, the ridiculous idea that those who claim benefits are lazy, or the notion that those on benefits embody some kind of immorality continue to adorn comments across the both the media and social media landscapes.

Narratives

So, what does this have to do the above quotation? The answer is a lot! It is perhaps the first time I have seen both NHS and education services being attached to the narrative of welfare dependency. It is maybe unsurprising given how close we are to losing the NHS to a fully privatised system. Only yesterday Sajid Javid was calling for people to pay for access to GPs and A&E. In addition to the NHS, the conservative party have made it clear that academisation of schools is the goal. Yet, academisation is itself the middle point on the way to a fully private system of schooling in the UK.

It seems then, that perhaps we are about to witness the new tactic to help dismantle and fully privatise the NHS and education by framing them as something that ‘scroungers’ or the ‘lazy’ and ‘feckless’ use. The idea of welfare dependency alone implies weakness and a lack of self-sufficiency, an unacceptable sin the neoliberal world. It, of course, ignores any prior contribution that people may have made into those same welfare provisions that we all pay tax for in the first place.

I expect that it is more than a coincidence that the media chose to run with the welfare dependency headline surrounding the analysis by Civitas especially when there was a much more interesting story being told within the report that was completely ignored. One that reveals another side of the story.

The Middle-Classes

The report by Civitas states:

And for the first time ever, in 2020/21 the middle quintile receives more in benefits now than they paid in tax. In contrast, in 2016/17 they paid over £3,500 more in tax than they received.

This is a massive detail to ignore. By ‘middle quintile’ they are referring to a certain demographic. For reference, the top quintile is the highest 20% of earners with the bottom quintile being the lowest earning 20%. The middle quintile by contrast then is the middle 20% of earners. This essentially translates into the middle-classes. In terms of income, the OECD consider a person earning 75%+ of the median income as middle class. The median income for the UK year ending 2021 was £31400.

This suggests that the middle classes are becoming more reliant on welfare. In other words, if we play devils advocate and include NHS and education services as welfare, then the middle-classes need the benefits system, the NHS and education more than ever before. The middle-class comfortable lifestyle is disappearing. If the dependency narratives are anything to go by, perhaps we will see another incarnation of Lavery’s ‘Two Nation Hegemonic Project’ targeted towards demonising those who use the NHS for free by setting them against those who have been forced to pay, particularly if they implement a means tested system at the first incarnation. After all, in neoliberal logic, it makes sense to hate those who get it for free and gives one a sense of moral superiority to the extent where they can say ‘why should I pay for somebody else’s healthcare’ just like they say ‘why should I pay for somebody to sit at home watching sky TV and languishing on benefits’? Except now, the middle-class may just be drawn into that same narrative.