The DWP staff have upset a few people by publishing “highlights” of the year on Twitter.

The Department for Work and Pensions claimed new strategies to help families, changes to the state pension age and examples of people finding work were among their successes in 2017.

They also praised staff who received a gong in the New Year honours list “for their hard work”.

But hundreds of people took to social networks to post what they believe the department had really “achieved” – a doubling of suicide rates among claimants, more children living in poverty and people with disabilities forced to return to work.

One Twitter user even posted a picture of “totally joy free” gruel with the DWP logo.

Increasing use of food banks, people on ­Universal Credit left for weeks with no money to feed their families, and Women Against State Pension ­Inequality ­(Waspi) feeling ignored by the Government. The rejection of disabled people after assessment tests declaring them fit for work. The claim by the Ombudsman in a straw poll that 60% of DWP cases they were reviewing had no basis in law.

A failure to halt the failed Universal Credit rollout, cruel welfare cuts and misguided job centre ­closures.

The Government were heavily criticised by the United Nations in August for failing to uphold the rights of disabled ­people through a string of ­austerity policies.

The failure affected a range of areas from access to healthcare to equality in education and work. Huge increases in child poverty and a doubling in the rate of suicides.  

The DWP’s own goal came a month after it was revealed their bureaucrats had pocketed ­£44million in bonuses while ­presiding over huge fraud and errors in welfare benefits. Approximately 5,000 people this year have been prosecuted by the DWP for benefit fraud.

Between July 2016 and June this year, the department were headed by Damian Green, who was sacked as first secretary of state and ­Theresa May’s effective deputy earlier this month after admitting that he had lied about ­pornographic images on his House of Commons ­computer.

A DWP spokesman said: “We run campaigns ­throughout the year to promote policy changes such as the ­workplace pension and to highlight the support on offer to help people into work.

'Once we have identified God as a baby born into poverty and peril, a refugee fleeing a Middle East despot, a common laborer living in occupied territory, we have to rethink everything about greatness'. Brian English

Rutger Bregman is a journalist at The Correspondent, and one of Europe's most prominent young thinkers. He has published four books on history, philosophy, and economics. His History of Progress was awarded the Belgian Liberales prize for best nonfiction book of 2013, and Bregman has twice been nominated for the European Press Prize.

Bregman argues something that we have argued for some time, that people who are in poverty that they are so consumed with immediate survival they do not think about the future. They make poor choices as a result and psychologists are arguing that peoples IQ drops. This is a very interesting talk at a time the idea of a Universal Basic Income is gaining momentum. 

Next year will be an important year for ending hunger, with two important attempts by back bench MPs to take meaningful action on ending UK hunger.

On January 19 there will be the second reading of Frank Field's bill on ending holiday hunger. At Christmas many families will be hit by the dual problems of higher heating bills, expectation of presents and pressure to have a big meal on Christmas Day. Some simply won't be able to make ends meet. Let's make sure that next Christmas the government is doing something to help those families.

Two weeks later, we have Emma Lewell-Buck's bill calling for the government to measure food insecurity. This is one of the things in our Menu for Change: if we measure it, we can fix it. We know that rising foodbank usage alone doesn't tell the full story of those who can't access sufficient food, and we believe the government have a responsibility to take notice.

Click here to ask your MP to attend and support the bill to measure food insecurity in the UK.

Image: House of Commons

Thursday showed a jump in the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits last week, the underlying trend in jobless claims remained consistent with a tightening labor market.

The strong economy and tight jobs market has led many analysts to question the need for the $1.5 trillion tax cut package. The bad news from the labor market caught many by suprise. 

Timpson are helping people look their  best when times are tough so if you’re unemployed and going for an interview Timson will clean an outfit for you free of charge.

This service is available from 500 Timpson locations nationwide. A great intiative and worth taking advantage of. Timpson will be open 10:00 - 16:00 on Christmas Eve and then closed on both Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Click here for more information: 

We would line to wish all our audience a very, Happy Christmas.

Special thanks must go to all those who have assisted the ABC in 2017. Christopher Johnson, friend, adviser, administrator and all round unwavering supporter. Co-director David Chivers. Tomas Kasiulis and the magnificent, University of Essex, VTeam. Our student volunteers, not in particular order, include: Aba Darko, Jack Hicks, Cherry Lam, Aiste Rapalaviciute, Joanie De Muro, Vilius Gudziunas, Isabel Buliani, Mihaela-Georgiana Mihailescu, Aishwarya Balan. We also remember our alumni at this time of year and those who have assisted us in the past.  There’s a whole bunch of you as you know. Over 50 students have worked with the ABC and in 2018 we want to grow that number.

We have had 70 000 visitors and we have almost 15 000 contacts that have grown over time. We have around 2 000+ articles now in our archive. We have very exciting plans for next year and we are looking forward to building a relationship with a team of MA students in the Literature Film & Theatre Department under senior lecturer, Annecy Lax.

There is a whole host of others we could mention of course. We must give a mention to Roddy Swearngin at ART19, Inc. in San Francisco, James Brown at Proactive UK Ltd and Carol Spiers, Chair of the International Stress Management Association (ISMA) and founder of National, now International Stress Awareness Day.

We must say a very special thanks to UnLtd and BIG Lottery for our initial support and Gareth Bickerton, the former director of UnLtd who saw the potential, and coined the name we are best known by, ‘The ABC’. Ben Green and the Team at This is Fever who built our website.

We are extremely grateful to Foundation East that have helped so many entrepreneurs get a start, and locally Community360 an organisation in Colchester that fosters and nurtures social enterprises.

All those in the DWP Select Committee, but a special mention of, Frank Field MP, Parliament TV, Europarl TV and a mention or the Rt Hon John Bercow MP, Speaker of the House and even statesman Michael Heseltine who gave us some kind words during the year. Our new-found friends in politics in Northern and Southern Ireland. All those who send us information daily from political parties, think-tanks, NGO’s, Not-for-Profits and the European Union.

Lastly, family and friends.

We know it is very tough right now. We know there are ‘job snobs’ who can look down on those unwaged or struggling in precarious employment and on low incomes. However, we also know that a far greater number, millions more people in fact, who identify with, and fully understand the plight of those struggling on low incomes. The threat posed by a lack of social mobility and inequality of wealth in a country, run by an uncaring, out-of-touch government, cling onto high office but no longer reflecting the wishes of most of the people. The tide will turn as it does in human affairs and things will get better.

The ABC is truly international and in 2018 we will be growing our offer to a larger international base of citizens.

Before I bore you all by droning on…. Thank you to all those who have supported the ABC. Have a very Happy Christmas, drive safely - if you have a car, and don’t drink more than your doctor if indeed you can afford to drink at all! Stay warm, stay safe and stay well.

Best Wishes,

Simon COLLYER

ABC Founder,  

Lastly if you are a student who is interested in volunteering and taking part in a formal programme in 2018, please email us: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Remember the fuss about Damian Green, Theresa May’s closest adviser and de-facto deputy, allegedly having “extreme porn” on his government computer several years ago?

Green denied being aware of a police investigation into the allegations. Trouble is, that wasn’t accurate. A government report released last night found he lied, forcing Theresa May to sack him. 

This is what the ABC said at the time: http://www.abcorg.net/item/1750-damian-green-come-under-scrutiny

Remarkably accurate given the passage of time since we expressed a view. 

We met this little chap on the bar at the fabulous The Cats Public house in Essex. 

The Cats, Blue Hill Lane, Woodham Water, Nr. Maldon, Essex, CM9 6LS,United Kingdom

We just love The Cats at the ABC and we recommend that you visit the pub if you can. You may need a Sat Nav or a map and excellent map reading skills. This pub is an absolute gem, and well worth a visit. Sadly many of you will be struggling on a very low income, but you may have friends or relatives feeling generous. 

Image: The Cats public house. 

The good folk at Jobcentre Plus are having their holidays and these are the opening/closing hours.

Feeling depressed, lonely or suicidal. We are here at the ABC every day apart from Christmas and Boxing Day: 01206 509623

We are on Facebook, and: https://www.facebook.com/AssociationofPensionBenefitsClaimantsCIC/

Twitter: @ABCorgdotnet

 The Samaritans are available click below: 

  Christmas is a very difficult time we know. If you need support, some advice or a kind word it is available.