What would Jesus say about sick note culture?

The Prime Minister has vowed to tackle what he calls, “Britain’s sick note culture”. In responding, Tony Wilson says Christians are called to be compassionate to those who are sick, but argues the Bible also encourages us to work hard and be wise in not facilitating over-dependence

The Prime Minister’s recent press conference to address the problems of Britain’s “sick note culture” has been met with a mixed response.

He speculated that the three-fold increase in those deemed too ill to work over the last ten years can’t be explained by an increase in genuine sickness. In calling the nation to be more ambitious in assessing people’s potential to work, he explained that regular work can be beneficial for many.

With an increasingly ageing population, there is a growing argument that working-age people need to contribute to the nation’s wealth and that many of us will, necessarily, work for longer.

When times were good and GDP was rising year-on-year, it was easier to fund pensions, benefits and public services such as healthcare, policing and education. But, with a stalling economy, all these things are hard to afford, especially when the country’s infrastructure is in desperate need of improvement – not to mention the calls to spend more money on military defence.

Lowering our expectations

In short, is a generous welfare state now beyond our means?

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