haha, just heard a reporter summarising the new benefit cuts

[dotty.]

no housing benefit for the under 25s, that will make lots of babies and small children homeless, excellent stuff, they can set up shanty towns on the edge of cities near to the local tip so that the older kids can scavange for scrap metal to sell for food, because no housing benefit means they wonlt qualify for free school meals, excellent, love this country me.

[Mamyalynne]

They scribble these things down on paper without a second thought as to how it actually affects people - yes real people!! It is shameful.

[VHG]

So we continue to let 18 year old girls get pregnant, refuse to say who the father is, give them a council flat, let them live off benefits (including housing benefit), and fund them and their child for the next 18 years or more.

Sounds like a recipe for bankruptsy in any country.

Of I forgot we are bankrupt.

[VHG]

>>>Sounds like a recipe for bankruptsy in any country.

Whoops "bankruptcy"

[Mamyalynne]

What about two 23 year olds, one loses their job??

[dotty.]

i agree VHG starve em out, kick their kids into the street, that's the way forward.

[dotty.]

if it's a single dad raising the kids and trying to hold down a job too then maybe they'll let him keep his house as he isn't the one that got pregnant and up and died leaving the dad to cope,

[Psybbo]

Exactly mamyalynne, with no job security I fear for our children

[seadogg]

But us grizzlies will still get our free TV, buses and winter fuel however well off we are. Is someone after our votes ?

[VHG]

Trouble is we have gone from a situation where benefits were a "safety net" for people without a job or money....to a situation where many people make "lifestyle" choices about claiming benefits.

They chose to live their life in a way that takes advantage of the benefit system but choosing never to take a job, have lots of children, be a single mother or father and so on.

I have worked all my life and have now retired. I have bought my house and worked hard to pay off the mortgate.

Just down my road are a couple of council houses (same style and size as mine) which were bought off the builders by the council about 40 years ago when the builders could not sell them.

One family of four (parents + 2 children) live in one of the houses, and in the 20 years I have lived in my house the man of the house has never had a job.

Why on earth should people like me work day in day out and take out a big mortage which took years to pay off when people like him can live in the same house as me not have one job and live off benefits.

THAT is why the benefit system needs a shake up, and not before time. We have had too many scroungers living off benefits for years.

[pastafreak]

As some know-I work for a charity for the homeless and vulnerable. While I do not deal with this aspect of their care,I know from my co-workers that this is going to make any current problems far worse. We expect to see a rise also in 'working poor'...those who may not qualify for benefits,yet are unable to manage on limited incomes. The whole benefit system is being revamped drastically-with an end to cash hand outs from what I've gathered.

[craft1948]

Don't even go there seadogg.........the Conservatives stuffed my pension in the last budget.

[dotty.]

my OH reckons it will mean those under 25 with no dependants that will not get housing benefit. now, what would be the best way to qualify? Get a baby.

[Mamyalynne]

VHG no one is advocating that we encourage young people to freeload off the state as in your first comment - however surely even you can see that to 'Carte Blanche' deny any Housing help to all under 25's regardless of circumstances is totally outrageous.

[Connemmara]

Hear Hear VHG - I echo your sentiments big time. Those people you mentioned are all around me. It is a sad situation tho as it is 50/50 situation.

[China Doll]

My sister was made redundant from her job as a care worker, they have closed three homes in her area. My nephew is a year old. The father is chronically unwell and has just undergone surgery meaning that even if there was a job to be had, (there isn't, she'd been looking) my sister can't actually leave my nephew with his dad at the moment as he's not actually able to physically lift his son. I'm just glad she's 26.

While I'm all for reviewing the benefits system, it's rare that one cap will fit all. And you can't punish babies because their parents are tits in the cases where it is a lifestyle choice, (if there is such a thing, life on benefits for the average person isn't much fun in my expereince).

[China Doll]

Sorry, my post doesn't read very well, my sister and nephew's dad are engaged and living together, not seperated as it might read. He just isn't able to physically look after his son.

[Mamyalynne]

From a blog on this topic when the idea was first floated ...


" a returning 22 year old soldier from Afghanistan – it’s ok to put your life on the line for your country, get a wondrous reception at Royal Wootton Bassett but get a job you lazy bastard as you’re not getting any HB. In fact even if Johnny Soldier comes marching home straight into a full time job, such is the state of Britain’s low wage economy; he would still qualify for Housing Benefit."

Amazingly a large proportion of Housing Benefit claimants are actually in work.

[dotty.]

VHG he may work from home, he may be an author, a web designer, he may trade on ebay, how can you tell he isn;t employed in any capacity, he could have a long term illness, the benefit agency won't let people lounge around if they are fit for work

[sandyRoe]

A life on benefits is a life of scrimping and going without. Papers like the Mail can occassionally find an Old Mother Hubbard with 15 kids and a 50" plasma tele but they're the exception.
Benefit cuts are always trumpeted as going to be harsher then they eventually are. Then, when the time comes for them the millionares in the cabinet doing the cutting can say, 'look it's not as bad as we feared'.

[jno]

dotty, surely the only way forward is to stop the British breeding now? I don't know where cabinet members will get their scullery maids from in future, but exceptions can probably be made.