Beech Leaf Books

Can This Be England?

NEWS - March 2017: Angela Neville, together with Ken Loach & Rebecca O'Brien, will be taking part in a question & answer session following a special screening of I, Daniel Blake at Rich Mix in Bethnal Green on Wednesday 22nd March.

The current government has made a virtue out of describing benefit claimants as work-shy scroungers, and has been widely accused of a systematic dismantling of the welfare state. The Show and Tell Theatre Company was formed out of a sense of injustice at this situation. Members of the company have all, in different ways, as a friend, advocate and employee, witnessed at first hand the devastating effects of government action.

With Can This Be England? Angela is writing from personal experience, having worked as an advisor for Jobcentre Plus, supporting customers on health related benefits. For her, Can This Be England? is an attempt to highlight how the impact of benefit cuts and the callous system of targets affects both customers and staff.

Link to an article in The Guardian about the play