MSE News: Prime Minister David Cameron plans welfare crackdown

BurnleyBob

This is more salami slicing, divide and rule stuff that'll go on until 2017 according to George Osborne who recently upped the austerity cuts timeframe from 2015.

Before someone says "ah, but they may lose the next General Election and..."

You can bet the proverbial house on Labour carrying forth their plans and not reversing any reforms this government has and will introduce. For 18 years they moaned and groaned about what Thatcher and Major introduced then Blair and Brown kept them all, without any exceptions.

Why? Because they have exactly the same agenda: to follow what their banker and multinational corporations' bosses want.

I must admit that I didn't think these proposals would be outlined until the pound was attacked by speculators and an IMF bailout was in the offing to be used as a figleaf to drive them through. Although, they've probably looked at Greece and Spain primarily who are suffering no end and yet not a bullet has been fired thus far in those countries, and as Britons are generally far more docile than a typical Greek or Spaniard then they're going to make hay in the sunshine.

I imagine 25-35-year-olds in receipt of Housing Benefit will become their next targets along with those above 35 who are classed as long-term unemployed.

They'll get round to attacking pensioners by means-testing their bus passes and Winter Fuel payments before too much longer. When they do, they'll get little or no sympathy from the majority of unaffected people who have already suffered. That's how salami slicing works.

Oh, throughout this process, unlimited funds will be found to be shovelled towards banks, money will be no object when required to bomb lands far away and it will be as readily available for growing our already enormous surveillance society.

chanz4

Like the cleaning up the parks, after they are getting money for nothing

smileytiger

Whatever decision made by whichever govt is never going to please everyone as someone will always lose out as it were - but i've worked damn hard all my life and it tiddles me off that some people have never had to because all they have had to do is keep churning out kids to whichever bloke is flavour of the month, or the life long jobless/disabled who all do jobs cash in hand. I live in a small town and see it all the time.

No benefit cuts are going to be popular - but anyone with common sense must see that we cannot go on as we are.

iscamaid

Not certain how I stand on this. When I returned to work after maternity leave I was earning under £1 an hour after childcare. I am not entitled to means tested benefits and struggled to feed us whilst watching a friend take home benefits 5x my take home after childcare deductions. She was able to stay home and play with her child whilst I wept on the way to work after handing my baby to strangers. Even the pittance I brought home stopped us losing the house but by God my husband and I could have done with a bit of help. I really think there should be a bit more for working families who try hard and work all hours to just survive. Having said that I detest the idea of regionalised benefits and worry about plans to force under 25s to stay home as they cannot leave due to the crippling cost of renting. Surely there has to be some commonsese out there?

jobdone1

this is doggey ground for the torrie cameron their are many reasons why people claim housing benefit you cant just throw them on the street because they are not 25 yrs old with a kiddy and lets say some over 25 and claim all the benefits i have no problem with that they may have been made redundant and paid tax in the past you can't just start throwing people on the streets

samjef11_2

To be honest don't think the tories or any of the partys know what they doing but come on would you vote for a three of them i sure won't.

jobdone1

they way they are carrying on we will be third world in this country in a few years

samjef11_2

jobdone1 wrote: »

they way they are carrying on we will be third world in this country in a few years

Why are they keep picking on the welfare and not focus to much on the tax loopholes as they know most of the people who avoid tax support the tories

patchwork_cat

Lifes_Grand_Plan wrote: »

(Not all directed purely at you patchwork cat)

As usual, threads like theses on difficult subjects will be full of people slagging off the ideas with "what about......"

Silvercar quite rightly stated that there will and should be exceptions i.e. where parents are deceased etc....

Anyone commenting on the ideas shouldn't do so without having read the finer detail..... That's the problem, people will form an opinion without realising that the changes won't affect them, or will actually improve their situation possibly.

Cameron's comment rings far too true...

"If you are a single parent living outside London, if you have four children and you're renting a house on housing benefit, then you can claim almost £25,000 a year,"

My brother and his wife have four kids and earn more per year than my wife earned working part time.... :eek: My wife and I have just had a baby and will qualify for no benefits (which is fine, I don't expect people to pay for my child) but if my wife returns to work, not only will my brother and his wife earn more in benefits than she earns working full time, but we will also lose half my wifes wages in childcare too AND miss out on spending quality time with our child...

However this is the problem with legislation. As someone who dealt with regulations every day I am well aware that provision is not always made for every eventuality. Also if there is a 'cop out' then it will be abused.

Personally I think we have to make people want to work. I agree with what others have said that we need to provide what they need and not what they want.

I do not agree in removing a benefit like this carte blanche from all under 25's and do not trust that the govt will make provision for those whose parents are not here any more.

If I was a homeless charity I would be very concerned right about now!

clemmatis

Sixer wrote: »

And why is the target always the under 25s? Pensioner benefits make up a third of the welfare bill. Why should taxpayer money go on a £200 winter fuel payment to working 60-year-olds, even if they are higher rate taxpayers?

Because Cameron knows where his voters are (or thinks he does) and what they think. He's electioneering.