Tories are certainly getting stuck into our benefits system...

neverdespairgirl

vaporate wrote: »

You all better call the royal family scroungers then. You pay for her and harrys eton schooling (didnt help) and other extreme pi$$ take advantages.

I didn't pay for education for them - why did you offer to stump up?

headcone

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

I think the incapacity benefit system is seriously out of date.

it looks at what is "wrong" with someone, not what they can do.

For example, it's often much harder to get IB with even the most serious mental health problems, but lose part of a leg and it's almost automatic. It's all based on an assumption of working in a mine or a factory.

I`m a little confused here.

What is a mine or a factory?

Shakethedisease

Look I don't want to get drawn back into this.. but ( Je-sus)..

Err, which one is it, do you claim benefits (LHA and Tax credits) or dont you?

No, for the last time, no. I don't claim any benefits and yes, I support 5 kids and myself and my OH. I was talking hypothetically. Ok with that dearie ? I do not claim any benefits at present and haven't for a long, long time.

But I WAS a single parent of two for a while. My then husband decided that he didn't want to 'do the fatherhood thing' when I was 8 1/2 months pregnant with our second.. and swiped the giro too on his way out ( I worked until I was 8 months gone ).

If I'd listened to folk like you back then, then I may well still be sitting there on benefits, thinking I was just a big 'drain' on society, that there was no hope for me and that I was obviously the biggest tart in the world... because I'd had my kids when I ( to quote ) 'obviously couldn't afford' them. Oh and why not starve them
as well why we're at it to save the taxpayer from keeping 'breeders' around. That'd teach me eh. I can only be very grateful that there was no internet around then. People like you would've made me feel worthless.

I didn't believe all that Sh!te then, those that scapegoated me and thousands like me on benefits through no choice. And I don't believe it now. Luv.

I sincerely hope no-one who was in a position like I found myself in, through no fault of their own.. believes the complete clap-trap you're coming out with either. They're worth much better than that and deserve a little more credit in terms of how productive they may be as future tax-payers once back on their feet.. sweet-cheeks.

ps I wasn't really holding my breath either.

ceridwen

mitchaa wrote: »

Wow, I'm staggered at how quickly George Osborne is ripping apart Labour's benefit system. So far, we have....

They are capping LHA.
They are reducing LHA/HB award to 90% of its value after 12mths unemployed
They are reducing JSA to 90% of its award after 12mths unemployed
They have reduced income support eligibility to when a child reaches 5.
They have scrapped the HIP £190 grant
They have scrapped the SMG of £500 for additional children over the 1st.
They have scrapped the CTF
They have frozen child benefit for the next 3yrs
They have cut the CTC baby element
They have cut the thresholds for CTC to stop those on middle incomes benefitting
They have aligned benefits inflation with CPI rather than RPI
They are ordering a full review of DLA claimants to double check eligibility
They are cutting incapacity benefit

I would say that's a good start to be fair, quite a lot of changes already and they have only been in power a couple of months. This time next year, I suspect there will be even further cuts.

The tories are doing everything right to stop this country from wasting away as a benefit claimant nation in my honest opinion. Labour politicians will no doubt be in uproar though.

I wonder how much further they will go?

I've read of all the proposed cuts you mention - apart from cutting JSA to 90% after one year unemployment. Have you got "chapter and verse" on that? - because I do remember thinking "10% less housing money for anyone needing housing money after 1 year unemployed - thank goodness they havent touched the actual personal benefit - as its so darn low anyway at only about £65 per week for a single person."

Pennywise

lemonjelly wrote:

they can become productive members of society.

Even though they "can" become productive members of society, how many "DO" become productive members of society, i.e. don't offend, don't get another addiction, don't claim benefits, DO become a worker contributing back to society. From the statistics, they show a fairly unimpressive result, and even then the "success" is usually not re-offending, or not returning to addiction - very few indeed actually return to the working environment - it seems most have benefits thrown at them as a kind of bribe to behave.

mitchaa

ceridwen wrote: »

I've read of all the proposed cuts you mention - apart from cutting JSA to 90% after one year unemployment. Have you got "chapter and verse" on that? - because I do remember thinking "10% less housing money for anyone needing housing money after 1 year unemployed - thank goodness they havent touched the actual personal benefit - as its so darn low anyway at only about £65 per week for a single person."

It was initially announced in the report and then appears to have been revoked since..

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/34076913#Comment_34076913

Scroll to page 47 of the pdf (40 of the report) and then look at item 33

mattcanary

I have been on JSA for roughly nine months. I am single and for some of this time have lived in a private rented flat wehere the Local Housing Allownace payment did not cover the rent - meaning I had to uyse some of my JSA money to pay the balance. This is not unusual in my neck of the woods - East Anglia. If after 12 months the LHA money is cut by 10%, this is likely to lead to extreme hardship for many people.

I have been making use of my time. I currently volunteer for four days a week (doing something extremely worthwhile), whilst also applying for jobs. I don't smoke and I hate recreational drugs with a passion.

Fingers crossed, I will be starting full-time permanent paid work towards the end of this month (I have verbally been accepted for a job - just need confirmation in writing from the head office now).

There are jobs that I would not consider doing - such as trying to sell double-glazing by cold-calling on people, etc. I offer more good to society by doing voluntary work than if I did this type of job - which puts more and more suckers that buy from these people into debts that they cannot afford to repay, etc than any benefits it may bring to a minority of people. This is despite taxpayers (including people on tax-credits, I hasten to add) funding my Job Seekers Allowance. Of course, they have far more money coming in to their household anyway. That is fair enough - I do not complain about this but nevertheless it is true.
I did apply for cleaning jobs - however, upon telephoning the employer about the vacancy, they usually failed to return my answephone messages.

What I am saying is that the whole issue is not black and white. There certainly are not enough jobs to go around. The benefits system (and I include tax-credits) in this should be radically overhauled and simplified. And sometimes people doing voluntary or community work whilst receiving benefits are doing more good for society and the state of this country than some people in work.

mattcanary

I have been on JSA for roughly nine months. I am single and for some of this time have lived in a private rented flat where the Local Housing Allownace payment did not cover the rent - meaning I had to use some of my JSA money to pay the balance. This is not unusual in my neck of the woods - East Anglia. If after 12 months the LHA money is cut by 10%, this is likely to lead to extreme hardship for many people.

I have been making use of my time. I currently volunteer for four days a week (doing something extremely worthwhile), whilst also applying for jobs. I don't smoke and I hate recreational drugs with a passion.

Fingers crossed, I will be starting full-time permanent paid work towards the end of this month (I have verbally been accepted for a job - just need confirmation in writing from the head office now).

There are jobs that I would not consider doing - such as trying to sell double-glazing by cold-calling on people, etc. I offer more good to society by doing voluntary work than if I did this type of job - which puts more and more suckers that buy from these people into debts that they cannot afford to repay, etc than any benefits it may bring to a minority of people. This is despite taxpayers (including people on tax-credits, I hasten to add) funding my Job Seekers Allowance. Of course, they have far more money coming in to their household anyway. That is fair enough - I do not complain about this but nevertheless it is true.
I did apply for cleaning jobs - however, upon telephoning the employer about the vacancy, they usually failed to return my answephone messages.

What I am saying is that the whole issue is not black and white. There certainly are not enough jobs to go around. The benefits system (and I include tax-credits) in this should be radically overhauled and simplified. And sometimes people doing voluntary or community work whilst receiving benefits are doing more good for society and the state of this country than some people in work.

headcone

ILW wrote: »

People CHOOSE to take drugs KNOWING what they can do.

People choose to vote Tory,etc,etc.

StevieJ

Pennywise wrote: »

Even though they "can" become productive members of society, how many "DO" become productive members of society, i.e. don't offend, don't get another addiction, don't claim benefits, DO become a worker contributing back to society. From the statistics, they show a fairly unimpressive result, and even then the "success" is usually not re-offending, or not returning to addiction - very few indeed actually return to the working environment - it seems most have benefits thrown at them as a kind of bribe to behave.

Wow! you seem well up on all the facts and figures relating to addiction or do you just read the Daily Mail :eek: