A spot on the fairness lawn

I guess that if I'm arguing that Labour's electoral success depends on parking our tanks on the "fairness" lawn, I'd better attempt to expand a little...

It is in the welfare system and the provision of social housing that the issue needs to be addressed most urgently. There's plenty of good reasons why it is in these areas that those who see themselves as “playing by the rules“ are going to be most resentful about their lot.

The most obvious is that as a result of our historically stupid decisions about how to build and locate social housing, those who are most likely to be directly affected by these areas of policy (the disadvantaged to averagely wealthy) will often be living together in an insular community with poor connections and amenities -- a breeding ground for rumours and resentment. Those C2s who see themselves as playing by the rules will be living next door to those that they perceive as getting the rewards from the state that they do not deserve.

The second is that it the most visible aspect of the state -- as opposed to the school or the hospital, which have some separation from government in the perception -- and the very bread and butter of Government and of life. They are concerns at the bottom of Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs, perhaps making them susceptible to the kind of gut instinct morality that we're concerned with here. I can't, for example, see the same feelings being aroused by the fact that everybody has access to museums no matter how much they may not deserve this.

The big issue (one which I will return to) is how to balance the fairness agenda with the need not to bolt to the right wing and not to bankrupt the country. It is balancing the competing ideals of a welfare and housing system according to need and one according to entitlement due to previous or current behaviour, all the while promoting equality. No biggie, then...

I think conditionality of benefits, and the refinement of the existing policies and messages about them, is a route to this end, and I don't think should be a dirty word in lefty discussion. What is more, the conditions should be seen to be beneficial to both the individual and to society at large. This need not be the same as workfare, and when I've had a few cups of tea and some quiet time to think about things some more, I'll try to explain why.