For all the benefit frothers out there

StevieJ

ILW wrote: »

As before, Fags, Beer, Sky Sports, £100 trainers for the kids.

Yes OK, you believe that is the norm if you wish

pfpf

Severe poverty – defined as a household income lower than 40% of the median household income – has increased in recent years. In addition, relative poverty – defined as a household income lower than 60% of the median household income – has also increased since 1998/99 among single adults and couples without children.

not sure of the source but on that basis...

married childless couple and we are borderline "severe/relative poverty" as per definition.

luckily at this moment in time we dont feel "poor". i dont really know what i'm trying to say except what is poor then?

lemonjelly

StevieJ wrote: »

I should imagine a huge chunk of these workless are retired with a pension, so not claiming benefits, statistics eh BTW was it two in four in the 50's (stay at home mums).


More than one in four working-age adults – 10.6 million people – in the UK do not work.

The UK has one of the highest rates of workless households in the EU, with 4.8 million working-age people living in a household in which no one of working-age is in work.

Tut tut StevieJ. We've had our conversations about benefits for the retired. I'll wager that there are a significant number of people aged 50+ who are getting a pension plus incapacity, or at least one of Income Support, pension credit, housing benefit or council tax benefit.;)

abaxas

This begs the question, why are we giving people 'dispoable income'?

Surely benifits are designed so people can live only?

ILW

StevieJ wrote: »

Yes OK, you believe that is the norm if you wish

Are you saying it does not happen?

StevieJ

ILW wrote: »

Are you saying it does not happen?

If it does the kids will be starving, or claimants working on the side.

StevieJ

lemonjelly wrote: »

Tut tut StevieJ. We've had our conversations about benefits for the retired. I'll wager that there are a significant number of people aged 50+ who are getting a pension plus incapacity, or at least one of Income Support, pension credit, housing benefit or council tax benefit.;)

I know plenty who claim no benefits (maybe they should enquire) , pension credit? (only 30 years needed now).

ILW

abaxas wrote: »

This begs the question, why are we giving people 'dispoable income'?

Surely benifits are designed so people can live only?

That would depend on the Benefit. If someone is truly long term sick, disabled or not capable of work for a good reason, I for one would love to see their income increased through the benefits system, to give them a comfortable lifestyle (eg singlesue). This could be funded by decreasing the rates of those that have decided they are better off without or cannot be bothered to work.

moggylover

ILW wrote: »

I was not judging against my own moral standards, just trying to get a defintion of poverty that did not move as soon as any success in reducing it is achieved.

I would suggest though that anyone who can afford 20 cigarettes and 6 cans of stella daily along with a Sky Sports subcription is NOT living in poverty.

But that depends on equating poverty just with "disposable cash" and not with the real deprivation that many of those people live with and which I detailed before.

Not saying for one moment that you are not right in many ways, but I believe that focussing on these rather envious parts of what you see wrong without looking at the very much bigger and deeper problem is what makes it so easy for the problem to be perpetuated with successive Governments paying lip service to changing it all, but actually only massaging figures to their own ends.

Believe me, I work with such figures/statistics in an effort to do my job honestly and without prejudice, but the fudging and manipulating of those figures is a constant brick wall of frustration for those of us that would just like to see it all stated in plain black and white so that a REAL attempt at changing it could be be mapped and worked towards.:(

kabayiri

I think moggylover's eloquent posts hint at another issue.

We don't have in any form a collective vision about what our society should look like today, or where it should be heading mid and long term.

To me, the ability to hop on a bus or train at minimum cost and get to a place of work or interview, is a life enhancing benefit (just as one small example).

I would contribute significantly to such a transport service through taxes. I can see how it would enhance life for many, especially if the service were reliable, clean, and safe.

Giving more people more money is not going to ever provide a solution, if we don't know/agree what the solution looks like.