Ken Loach - "I, Daniel Blake"

The Guardian reviews film "I, Daniel Blake" by Ken Loach, a veteran film-maker quoted as "rarely speaking" while developing a project but is so deeply concerned about government policy on benefits and the sanctions regime. The title character worked for years as a joiner but had a heart attack which forced him to give up work and claim benefits. Ken goes on to comment on the divisive rhetoric of people into "skivers and strivers". The article ends with an amendment note by charity Mind had commenting on independent academic research that fit-for-work tests were linked to hundreds of extra suicides.

"What exactly are jobcentres for?"

Thread from Kate Belgrave and shared to Reddit. User 'KarmaUK' is right on point in several comments, especially where private companies were being paid thousands to hold courses of zero value to people who already have GCSE English and Maths and can create their own CV, and touching on the kind of 'team building exercises' going on in work training providers like the Flexible Routeways I'd been on in 2008-09.