Preparedness for when

Frugalsod

jk0 wrote: »

I've always thought the dole office staff were a nasty bunch. (Sorry if any of you guys are one. I'm sure you are exceptions.)

I realise however, that they are only acting under orders, as they are worried about their own jobs. I guess that there are rather perverse incentives at work. (Getting people to stop signing on is the target.)

Back in 1996, Reading Jobcentre told me I'd have to take a cleaning job, when I turned down the rubbish wages offered by an electrical firm. Fortunately I had enough money to tell them to 'go to hell', but this and worse must happen every day.

The problem is that even if they were following orders if someone killed themselves and named the benefit officer in their suicide note they could be rightly charged with manslaughter or even murder if they knew that the person was vulnerable.

The long term problem is that if benefits are stopped all these people will not disappear they just become someone else's problems. Then what will happen to all the ex job centre staff? Where will they work? They might all end up on the streets and drag down your property values. Then they might all become dependent on begging. Now what hotel will want 40 beggars outside its entrances. Many might resort to crime to sustain themselves just as drug addicts do now. In some highly depressed areas where work is thin on the ground there is no alternative. The last thirty years have seen constant erosion of workers rights and I do not see this changing. The problem is that the middle class are stupid enough to not realise that they are the ultimate victims of this all. So they vote for ever more regressive workers rights and gift the super rich ever more power and money.

[Deleted User]

I is in a house in chaos with hot and cold running builders and plummers who get fings rong and flood kitchens!!!!! Boo Hoo I is NOT happy!!!


BUT 'cos I is a prepper and has preps I has lots of stored water and knows how to haves a wash in a pint or so of water and not be smelly!!! so though it's horrid, it could be worse couldn't it?

GreyQueen

I was disgusted to read about the sanctions. Several of my current colleagues have taken the DWP's shilling previously and were glad to get away from them. Heard a tale about one office where the phones were deliberately left askew on the base unit so they couldn't ring and disturb (sarcasm to be imagined here) the staff. Barstewards were apparently most p'd off when a change of phone system meant that couldn't happen.

I'm intelliegent and articulate, but I always treat DWP with caution, as they have too much power when you're at your most vulnerable. I dressed on those times I had to the JobCentre as carefully as I would for a job interview, and I always urge anyone I know to go there booted and suited, to take notes and take names, and be seen to be doing it.

My intention is to show anyone who'd think about messing me about that I'd be able to mess back, with interest. But a lot of people are vulnerable and it shouldn't have to be a dog-eat-dog situation. One of my acquaintances was denied JSA on a technicality and was spitting feathers as he ranted about having paid £70k worth of national insurance contributions over the years, only to find out that they wouldn't help him in his hour of need.

ETA Good grief, Lyn, whatever has happened?!

[Deleted User]

The plummer thought the tank had drained, he was fitting a pump for the new shower, and turned the water back on to fill the tank in the airing cupboard, and it hadn't drained fully and water came to join me, via gravity, in the kitchen and also ON lots of the kitchen, Boooooooo!!! I don't understand the intricacies of plumming and water tanks so I don't know why only that it was wet and looked like much more than there probably was!!!

Frugalsod

This made me laugh.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jan/21/benefit-claimants-cars-buses-ukip-leaflet

GreyQueen

Frugalsod wrote: »

This made me laugh.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jan/21/benefit-claimants-cars-buses-ukip-leaflet

Lol, they are truly bonkers. All the UKIP-ers I've seen in person or in photos look like they've escaped from a comedy show where they were playing the creepy character. I'm not lookist (plain lookin' gal meself) but they've got some darned odd looking individuals in that party.

Anyway, the man's a fantastist, hasn't he seen how expensive busfares are? In this city, if two or more are travelling, and no one has a free bus pass, it's cheaper to take a taxi.

Frugalsod

How modern banking works.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DT7bX-B1Mg&x

charlies-aunt

jk0 wrote: »

I've always thought the dole office staff were a nasty bunch. (Sorry if any of you guys are one. I'm sure you are exceptions.)

eerrmmm......cough...cough.... I'm an ex-civil servant.....


Hopefully one of the exceptions!

Softstuff

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

Hang on in there a minute...have I missed something?

I'm not up on the latest news here I think. Have you sold your flat and bought a new house then? If so.... that was done at "warp speed" wasn't it? congratulations:T

The short story - did our usual annual house-hunt because we're sick of paying body corp fees, unexpectedly found one we liked, with a little assistance we're managing to buy it and still have our flat. We're going to do a bit of renovation to the flat and then sell it (these flats don't sell quickly without and I have a builder friend), at which point we pay back hubbys parents, pay back a chunk of mortgage and still have a bit of mortgage left. New house however has more space, solar hot water, the chance of a huge veggie garden and other money saving opportunities (renting out a room, registering the kitchen with council to sell food etc.).

And the new house has a giant 6ft zombie wall around it. Though I'm loathe to keep that long term as we do actually tend to get along well with neighbours (even ones other people seem not to).

As for the jobcentre, I remember my one and only visit about 15 years ago. I'd just left uni and had come back to my home town looking for work, so went in... since I thought they had jobs they wanted people to fill there. In a quick interview with one of the staff I got nowhere. "I'm not sure we can help you if you're not on benefits", "There's a job you're qualified for but I can't refer you unless you've been out of work 6 months", "We can put you on a course instead". Never had the occasion to go in subsequently and even when unemployed have never signed on.

Sorry to hear of your plumbers woes Mrs LW. You'd think at plumbing school, this would really be in the first few lessons wouldn't you?

Frugalsod

charlies-aunt wrote: »

eerrmmm......cough...cough.... I'm an ex-civil servant.....


Hopefully one of the exceptions!

I know one who as office manager had during the early Thatcher years had to reduce staff on inspections. So rather than sack them he sent them on courses or elsewhere for the inspections, so the staff count was okay. The staff were needed because of the high levels of unemployment. Since we knew him privately he even helped me with mock interviews in his home. Very handy as a school leaver with that sort of help.