Barry Graham: Illusory Flowers in an Empty Sky

This article in The Guardian considers the link between welfare cuts and rising suicides among men in the U.K., and quotes the former Labour Party official Luke Bozier: ”Welfare suicides don’t exist. Suicide is a mental health issue.”

The idea that mental health stands separate from the effects of policy changes is - pardon me - insane. 

When my friend Paul Reekie killed himself two years ago, he didn’t leave a note on his table. He left two pieces of correspondence from the government. One was a letter telling him that his disability benefit had been stopped. The other was a letter telling him that his housing benefit had been stopped.

I would like to hear Bozier explain how Paul’s mental health problems were unaffected by government policy.