Benefits and the deficit: what would you cut?

MissMoneypenny

StevieJ wrote: »

That is why they have kids, probably.

They don't have to have kids to be given LHA.

treliac

ukcarper wrote: »

Not so easy when you need half a dozen things a month at £7.20 each.

No-one, but no-one, has to pay this. Anyone can buy a prepayment card for

£28.25 for 3-months, or
£104.00 for 12-months

Why isn't this more readily publicised / understood?

http://www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/1127.aspx

treliac

nembot wrote: »

Try going to Europe and claiming benefits, without having to put something in first, they would just laugh.

Easy going, politically correct and caring Britain, such admirable strengths yet also the cause of our undoing.

We are the laughing stock of Europe.

Kohoutek

jetta_wales wrote: »

I must say some of this is pretty comical, cut this cut that but the vast majority are in no way qualified to conclude that cutting whichever benefit would be fine especialy if you've never had to claim any of them.

The point is that the government has a £178 billion structural deficit, £90 billion of which is structural, i.e. won't go away even if the economy recovers.

Benefits and pensions cost £200 billion a year. If the government doesn't make any significant cuts, it means more policeman, teachers and nurses lose their jobs instead.

jetta_wales

Kohoutek wrote: »

The point is that the government has a £178 billion structural deficit, £90 billion of which is structural, i.e. won't go away even if the economy recovers.

Benefits and pensions cost £200 billion a year. If the government doesn't make any significant cuts, it means more policeman, teachers and nurses lose their jobs instead.

Really? Is that what Deficit is? I never knew!

Lol yes I am well aware of the state our country is in hun but people need to realise that slashing anything and everything 'they' think costs too much really isn't going to be the right thing for the country.

It takes just a little bit more thought than that and no poster on here has all the answeres even though some seem to think they do.

It's a vastly complicated situation and treating every person on benefits like a criminal will only serve to ensure that when somebody does fall they will never be able to get back up again.

Peoole just talk as though it's just that easy, they know how to fix it lol, no you don't and I think there needs to be a little more respect for the complexity of the situation and the consequences of whatever cuts are made and who exactly will be hurt by them.

treliac

It doesn't matter which party wins the election... they'll all have to cut. Gordon's only putting off making a start as he thinks it'll help him win if he carries on pretending we can still spend what we haven't got.

Kohoutek

jetta_wales wrote: »

Lol yes I am well aware of the state our country is in hun but people need to realise that slashing anything and everything 'they' think costs too much really isn't going to be the right thing for the country...

Peoole just talk as though it's just that easy, they know how to fix it lol, no you don't and I think there needs to be a little more respect for the complexity of the situation and the consequences of whatever cuts are made and who exactly will be hurt by them.

Sorry, but 'slashing everything' IS the government's plan. The plan is to cut 23% of the budget of 'unprotected' departments. For example, they've cut £1 billion from higher education already, costing 15,000 jobs.

Local authorities are shedding jobs...Birmingham City Council cut 2,000 jobs recently.

Like I said, no benefit cuts=more public sector redundancies. Continuing running a huge deficit isn't a option either.

1.2 million households receive benefits of £15,000 or more a year. It's not unjustifiable to rethink whether so many people should be receiving that much money when the alternative is making people redundant.

sjaypink

Kohoutek wrote: »

Sorry, but 'slashing everything' IS the government's plan. The plan is to cut 23% of the budget of 'unprotected' departments. For example, they've cut £1 billion from higher education already, costing 15,000 jobs.

Local authorities are shedding jobs...Birmingham Council cut 2,000 jobs recently.

Like I said, no benefit cuts=more public sector redundancies. Continuing running a huge deficit isn't a option either.

I take 'slashing everything' to mean reference to the suggestions of 'stopping all lha', 'stopping all tax credits'

Kohoutek

sjaypink wrote: »

I take 'slashing everything' to mean reference to the suggestions of 'stopping all lha', 'stopping all tax credits'

No, I meant 'slashing everything' is how the government is currently planning to reduce the deficit in terms of cutting 23% of budget of the transport, defence, education department etc. Can you imagine how many job losses that will cause?

They haven't proposed to cut the benefits budget to my knowledge.

Graham_Devon

Kohoutek wrote: »

They haven't proposed to cut the benefits budget to my knowledge.

They won't propose it, they would lose 98% of their voters overnight