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?

[emmie]

it's been mentioned on another thread, i would like to see him try, he would be broke in two days, you can't live on that a week, not if you need to pay bills and actually eat, something that is suggested if you want to collect your huge 53 quid.

[vakayu]

bibblebub I should not think he or any of the rest of the politicians could live on that for a day never mind a week!!

[mushroom25]

A laudable quest - but even if every voter in the land signed, there isn't the slightest chance that this odious individual will take the challenge - or indeed provide proof that £53.00 per week can be existed upon.

[emmie]

i am not sure he is odious, however he is deluded. I have had to try and live on that amount, and ended up in lots of debt.

[AlwaysConfused]

Is £53 per week including or excluding bills? And I am presuming (just presuming) that rent and council tax is being paid by the government). I could feed the two of us on a tenner for the whole week if I absolutely had to, but gas and electric seems to be more expensive my the day.

[bibblebub]

it's £53 a week after paying rent and bills

[emmie]

where did it say that...

[emmie]

you would still find it hard, feed more than one? travel to and from work, clothes, lunch, add in many other unknowns, you need a washing machine, launderettes are quite expensive these days.. sorry i still don't buy it.

[bibblebub]

it's in the Telegraph article for which a link is provided within the petition page http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9964767/Iain-Duncan-Smith-I-could-live-on-53-per-week.html

[emmie]

sorry, will read it again.

[grumpy01]

If David Cameron thinks all these policies are going to guarantee him a majority at the next election he needs to think again.His only hope is maintaining the coalition with the Lib Dems (not that popular) or perhaps with UKIP (which at the moment would be more appealing to many).If he loses the next election then the future is desperate with the two ED's likely to lead us to ruin.

[emmie]

i read through it again, i still don't think you could for the reasons i have given, there are too many things that you need to pay for that are outside the scope of the 53 quid.

[emmie]

how does one define bills, is that utility, food, phone? some things one could do without if you had to.

[flump1]

Anybody could support their selves for one week with limited income. however, being childless and unable to work for the last 6 years , statements like this one from IDS makes me want to .....bash him.

[emmie]

flump, good for you, he will get a verbal lashing i am sure from a variety of sources,

[bazwillrun]

oh dear.......saying he could if he had to is a tad different to saying he would if he had to

[emmie]

no idea if this is true, from the Huffington post.

Iain Duncan Smith also faced criticism after the Mirror reported he lived rent-free in a £2million country house with at least four spare bedrooms.

[wardlaw]

There is NO WAY that IDS could live on such a small sum.

[jim360]

I think a number of people I know would dearly love to see IDS try... not going to happen though.

[bibblebub]

73,456 people have now signed the petition in 20 hours