Disgraceful BBC has been demonising DWP benefits claimants right before the general election

Just days before the general election, the BBC has demonised DWP benefits claimants. Martin Geissler, correspondent for BBC Scotland, labelled benefits as “handouts” during this weekends Sunday Show:

John Swinney hit back after a BBC host described benefit payments as ‘handouts’

🗣 “I don’t think that’s a good way to express these things” pic.twitter.com/AecbdcYovk

— The National (@ScotNational) June 30, 2024

👏 Big kudos to @JohnSwinney for calling it out.

Benefits are not ‘handouts’, they’re an investment in people and in lifting them out of poverty.

Frankly, this talk is a stain on our politics and has driven many of the policies that push people into poverty. https://t.co/efYuYfJUA8

— Olaf Stando 🌻 (@OlafSNP) June 30, 2024

Geissler said:

Shouldn’t your focus more be on improving people’s life chances generally than giving them handouts?

DWP benefits are ‘handouts’

People online were quick to point out the similarities between the language Geissler used, and right-ring rhetoric. Quite frankly, it sounds like a line from the Tory hymn sheet. We wonder what bright ideas this guy has for improving people’s lives?

Martin’s an old Neoliberal-Tory.
The TV Broadcasters are full of RW Media. There are NO Left Presenters or Journalists on TV now, unless as a solo guest.

— Defab (@defab14_defab) July 1, 2024

Hard to believe that is the BBC using terminology of the right….

— Sampson55 (@Sampson556) June 30, 2024

V telling that Martin Geissler automatically uses right-wing rhetoric to describe @theSNP social safety net. @JohnSwinney 💯 right to challenge it. All the evidence of the past 14 years is that there is no economic growth with austerity & Labour isn’t planning to change that https://t.co/XwMITQdG7B

— Susan Aitken (@SusaninLangside) June 30, 2024

Scotland is the only place in the UK that provides the Scottish Child Payment – which helps low-income families with children under 16. Westminster should be paying attention to their Scottish colleagues – because it’s working. Scotland has the lowest child poverty rates in the UK so this is clearly how you do anti-poverty at scale:

What a take from BBC Scotland

Child poverty is disgracefully high in the UK. Scot Gov doing its best to tackle the issue with the Scottish Child Payment which is helping thousands of children and child poverty in Scotland is the lowest in UK.

BBC Scotland call it “handouts”!

— Andrew (@ShaniqsDad) July 1, 2024

Moreover, unlike in England and Wales there is no ridiculous two-child benefit cap. Modelling shows that this alone could reduce child poverty by 5%:

Nothing to see here except a BBC presenter calling welfare payments not available anywhere else on Shithole Island except Scotland that helps kids not to starve “handouts”.

I fucking despair of these BritNat cunts. https://t.co/68qSP05eLA

— The Ayrshire Extremist (@DanielJMath1) July 1, 2024

The framing of this question is fucking disgusting.

The UK is the 6th or 7th richest economy in earth and it has an obscene level of children living in poverty.

Trying to address this isn’t a fucking handout. https://t.co/CjGd5sZWN9

— WillieMillersMoustache (@williemillersm1) June 30, 2024

Look who’s talking

This is the not the first time we have seen broadcasters, journalists or even politicians demonising DWP benefits claimants. Let’s face it – the line between our corporate media and our politicians is constantly becoming even more blurry. No doubt they’re bashing benefits while they’re evading taxes or claiming hefty expenses.

As the Canary reported, Keir Starmer recently condemned DWP benefits claimants. He said in a Telegraph column they were “handouts from the state” and that they lack “dignity”.

As always though, Starmer’s actions speak louder than his words – and his words are saying ‘hypocrite’.

Of course, Starmer claimed huge amounts in expenses which he was Director of Public Prosecutions. He racked up close to £50 000 a year. That is a hell of a lot more than anyone claiming state benefits will see in their lifetime and let’s be honest – they’ll never see the inside of a business class lounge. As the kids would say, look who’s talking.

As some people on X pointed out, Geissler is probably earning a crazy amount of money yet seemingly completely out of touch with normal people:

To confirm the privileged are often blind to their our privileges this interviewer, who’s probably on well north of £100k PA and recently moaned on here about not getting a heat pump grant, calls support for the poorest in society ‘a handout’.
Really Mr Geissler, really. https://t.co/9WduTZDsLW

— Ewan Sanderson (@noisyewan) June 30, 2024

Martin Geissler rightly being challenged by John Swinnie for using the pejorative term ‘handout’ for poorer families receiving the Scottish Child Payment. Notice the BBC/MSM never use the term handout for all the tax / benefit concessions that wealthier people receive #SundayShow

— Robert Hunter 🇪🇺 (@BobHunterMD) June 30, 2024

Classic example of the importance of language – for any journalists to call it a hand out FFS indeed. Would he call help for businesses a hand out or an investment! https://t.co/0C6kgYRiud

— ScouseTims (@ScouseTims) July 1, 2024

Ignoring the actual problems

Whilst BBC presenters are also taking home the big bucks, latest figures show that 38% of people on DWP benefits in the UK are doing so because their work doesn’t pay them a liveable wage. The people at the top taking all this cash and probably not even working that hard are the same people demonising poor people.

They are clearly okay with money for nothing – just not for the people who aren’t privileged. Rich capitalists are exploiting their workers and squeezing money out of them, while paying these employees less than a living wage:

Almost 40% of people on benefits in the UK are in work because they don’t receive a living wage.

Anas Sarwar’s family business refuses to afford a living wage their their employees. https://t.co/hdeRRzHrCD

— Lorraine Bell🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Extremist (@rainie1410) June 30, 2024

“Handouts” – what a grimly inappropriate way to editorialise. First Minister @JohnSwinney absolutely right to call it out. https://t.co/b835Lr0xOz

— JOHN NICOLSON 🇵🇸 🇺🇦 (@MrJohnNicolson) June 30, 2024

The BBC was never high,in my estimation list,but this is just scrapping the barrel!
We are trying to give children the opportunities to live a life,free from poverty!
So as far as the BBC is concerned,they are just “handouts”??
Are they Complete Numpties?
Just Trashing SNP 😡 https://t.co/edxhoicuPy

— Gwenny Ross (@Gwenny1960) June 30, 2024

The BBC regurgitating rightwing DWP benefit scrounger narratives is nothing new unfortunately. However, it quickly needs to become a thing of the past if we want to see any real progress towards a fair and just society.

Politicians, BBC execs, and broadcasters currently pocket huge amounts of money – lets face it – far more than a regular person could ever use. Yet working-class people are demonised because their jobs don’t pay enough for them to survive. This should tell you we have something seriously fucking wrong with the society we live in.

Feature image via Freedom For Scotland/YouTube and the Canary