Ids £53 Petition

[bibblebub]

https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/iain-duncan-smith-iain-duncan-smith-to-live-on-53-a-week

This petition calls for Iain Duncan Smith, the current Work and Pensions Secretary, to prove his claim of being able to live on £7.57 a day, or £53 a week.

On this morning's Today Programme David Bennett, a market trader, said that after his housing benefit had been cut, he lives on £53 per week. The next interviewee was Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith, who was defending the changes. The interviewer then asked him if he could live on this amount. He replied: "If I had to, I would."

This petition calls on Iain Duncan Smith to live on this budget for at least one year. This would help realise the conservative party`s current mantra that "We are all in this together".

There are over 50,000 supporters already (myself included) so why not let him prove that he doesn't just come out with glib phrases?

[BayBoy1]

Em10 this 2 million pounds country house ,that I D S lives in rent free,if it is funded by the tax payer,that means he is receiving rent allowance .Also that makes it a council house ,will he have to pay bedroom tax on the four unused bedrooms??? , or can we ask him to get his own house in order first,before preaching to others.??

[youngmafbog]

So a bunch of lefties are signing a ridiculous petition. Get real and listen to yourselves.

The welfare state needs shake-up, does anyone really argue with that?

And where is the proof of these figures? Usually it ends up someon surmising what will happen without really knowing, or some poor person who does not represent the majority.

As for saying they wont win an election because of it thing of this. Labour has its core voters, Tories have there's but it is Middle England that giveth and Middle England that taketh. I wonder what Middle England thinks of this?

And to put what he said in context. " I would if I had to". Yes if you have to then you do because there is no choice.

When I see those on the Nash without phones, X-boxes fags and booze then I may start to have some sympathy, I would however like to see more help for those that work.

[boxtops]

YoungMB, I agree with you.

If it's after housing and bills, I could live on £53 (for food) - if it's including those, I couldn't.

[emmie]

i am no leftie, but am affected by this, in ways you can't possibly imagine. It may be nothing to you, but it's a big deal to me. It needed a shake up, agreed, however the shake up will involve many who can't afford it, and many will find themselves in arrears of rent, or worse evicted.
I am ashamed to say that i feel like ending it all, and not for the first time, but as i have family they would be dreadfully hurt, but now i am left with the same feelings i had when my poor bloke passed away.
what the hell has this country come to when those in need don't get it, and those that don't need, do.

[emmie]

i did work, for many many years, so stop tarring us with the same brush.

[friedgreentomato]

Its not often I agree with youngmafbog, but on this occassion I do.

£53 after the rent and utilities a week is a lot.

I have survived on a lot less.

[friedgreentomato]

And i was working full time!!

[EvianBaby]

It all depends on the variables really doesn't it.

Firstly, what is the £53 expected to cover the costs of? If things such as rent, council tax, fuel was already covered by benefits than I could probably live off that much if I'm just looking after myself. Of course, I'd probably not be able to afford a mobile, fags, etc but you'd certainly be able to feed yourself on that amount.

[McMouse]

Would be interested to see a breakdown of David Bennett's actual weekly income and expenditure. Anyone able to enlighten me?

[nailit]

Im sitting here trying to work out how i will survive this week. After paying gas, electric, phone (nowadays a neccesity), council tax, bedroom tax and water rates, I am left with £15 to buy food, clothing etc. I have been freezing over winter as I cant afford to have my heating on. I buy the cheapest of the cheap food and my only pair of shoes have holes in them. I am seriously thinking of topping myself. My mental health isnt in the best state at the moment as it is and on top of that I get labelled a scrounger.

[jake-the-peg]

YMB said:

//As for saying they wont win an election because of it thing of this. Labour has its core voters, Tories have there's but it is Middle England that giveth and Middle England that taketh. I wonder what Middle England thinks of this? //

Labour has it's core voters and the Tories have theirs - true

and the Tories have lost a lot of their core supporters to UKIP recently

Moreover the Tories have forgotten that most benefit claimants are not 'idle scroungers' but actually work and have jobs

http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/politics/2012/10/memo-cameron-93-new-housing-benefit-claimants-are-work

The Tories have a large working class core support (you might think of them as 'Sun reading Tories')

If they've not yet deserted the Tories for UKIP this will push them over the edge.

[dave50]

If it's £53 just for food then yes it is possible. If we look at the bigger picture, what do those who disagree suggest we do about it? Increase benefits until claimants can afford the necessities in life without worry? That is a noble aim but as you reach that point it becomes less of an incentive to find work and if you do, you maybe no better off and this is how the problems start. If life on benefits is no hardship then why work?

[mccfluff]

after i have paid rent & bills i'm not left with much more a week, depending on if it's a 5 or 5 week month and i work full time - that's out of my wages.

i do have fatty living with me & he does give me rent so now i do have more but prior to that some months i had about £40 a week to live on and its hard but doable, should he finally get his own place then i'll be back to the £50/60 per week.

[China Doll]

I have also been in the position of having £50 a week left roughly after my montly wage has dealt with all bills etc... as Fluffy and others have said, it's do-able although a struggle. I had to get up pretty early to get to work at the time as a bus travel card was much less than a train travel card I seem to recall... I count travel as part of my bills though.

[mccfluff]

*4 or 5 week month*

[cazzz1975]

with all the bills out of the way it is possible to live on £53 pounds a week, however long term I would imagine it isnt much fun and as "surprise" bills come up (appliances breaking down, new clothes/shoes, birthdays/xmas, inflation ect ect) I would imagine it gets a bit harder to stretch out the money and even more miserable.

[emmie]

and i without sounding like something from monty python, have been left with nothing, after bills and all, standing at the cash point which swallowed my card, and couldn't feed myself, that was a particularly low point. I had to borrow a few quid to the next pay day.
The thing is with making statements like that is you can't factor in all the things you do pay for, unseen until they occur, like washing machine failure, so its down to the launderette, now quite expensive. Getting accidentally locked out as i did, cost me an arm and a leg to get the locks
changed, you cannot bargain for those things at all. So its not totally realistic to say you can live on 53 quid, it can be done only if nothing goes wrong and all bills are taken care of, and you are only catering for you.