THURSDAY was the day of our weekly demonstration outside Ashton-under-Lyne jobcentre. We look forward to them because we know that it is the one day of the week that we can make a difference. We have become quite well-known now and people pop along to say hello and to get advice.

We weren’t sure of how the atmosphere would be this week. We had the devastating election results and deep inside I thought that the people using the jobcentre would be very downhearted. I was right.

There was lots of frustration and anger, with people holding their heads down as they walked in. They didn’t want to be noticed, and the atmosphere wasn’t brilliant. Their last hope of freedom from the tyranny that they are undergoing had gone. Knowing that we are going to have to undergo five more years of this is perhaps more than some can take.

One man stopped and spoke to us. He had applied for 1,743 jobs in a few months. The jobcentre had told him that this wasn’t good enough. Why? Because only a few potential employers had emailed him back to tell him that he wasn’t successful. Of course this wasn’t his fault, but the jobcentre in its infinite reason thinks that it is.

The poor man was at the end of his tether. He said that all he wants is to get a job and that he remembered the days when potential employers used to reply to your job application to tell you if you were successful or not.

Those days are long gone. A few potential employers send out an email, but to most even sending out a standard acknowledgement email is too much effort. People are far too disposable these days. A big thanks to the employers that do actually recognise their job applicants.

A man stopped us and told us that what we need to get this government out of power is another Oliver Cromwell. While I understood what he meant, I know that’s not possible. This government will try to get rid of any loophole that enables anyone to protest and campaign against it.

I noticed that the “snoopers’ charter” is one of the first Bills it wants to pass through Parliament. Also the stopping of protests. I don’t think the public will let it get away with this — well not lightly anyway. Some of us will oppose this.

This got me thinking, so I did a bit of research into the levels of benefit fraud — just because I’m sick of the demonising of the poor and immigrants. We get blamed for everything.

The total cost of benefits and pensions is £180 billion.
Tax fraud stands at £15bn.
Unclaimed entitlements are at £17bn.
Benefit fraud costs £1bn.

Don’t you think that the tax fraud should be dealt with as a matter of great importance? I do, but you can bet David Cameron and co will not deal with it.

Let’s put an end to this poverty prejudice that has taken over this country. Most people forget while watching terrible TV programmes and reading the gutter press that they could be next. Cameron has a list of his next targets and he’s ticking this list off one by one. He’s confident that he can demonise and punish the poor to such an extent that they won’t be able to fight back.

So let’s challenge him. Stop watching these programmes, stop buying Rupert Murdoch’s newspapers. Stop funding and enabling this Tory party dictatorship to destroy the poorest and most vulnerable like never seen before.

Remember the people have the power and there are more of us than there are of them. Be kind and non-judgemental to those suffering.

Charlotte Hughes blogs at thepoorsideoflife.wordpress.com, where this article first appeared.