Dealing With Scroungers

[Theland]

The overwhelming majority of benefit claimants live in poverty, are treated unfairly, and need support not condemnation.
The government quite correctly insist that people are better off in work to escape poverty.
But, unemployment may be at an all time low, not surprising since there are so many temporary jobs about, and zero hour contracts.
So where are all the jobs that the benefit claimants should be applying for?
Yet there remains a very tiny number of people whose lifestyle choice is to reject work, and live on benefits.
Without being controversial or argumentatative, how should we deal with shirkers and scroungers?

[naomi24]

//If you have no money how do you get to them? //

I expect those who come off benefits initially spend a bit of what they've been receiving on fares.

[spathiphyllum]

Community service

[ummmm]

Naomi - You really think it's that's simple?

[spathiphyllum]

There is loads of litter to pick.. someone wants a house and full benefits ‘just like that’ then the council can go pick them up, take them to a quiet field and pick litter.

[naomi24]

Ummmm, when you have little money it’s never simple but it can be done. The answer isn’t to stay on benefits because a place of work is a bus/train ride away.

[ummmm]

Spath - people are employed to do that.

[ummmm]

Naomi - I couldn't live on benefits. I spend more on food a week than they get to buy food and pay their bills.

Do you actually know how much bus fair is?

[naomi24]

Ummmm, you couldn't live on benefits and yet you're offering a reason for scroungers to remain on benefits. Where are you going with this?

I know bus fare is quite expensive.

[ummmm]

No I'm not. I'm just pointing out you can't pay bus/train fair if you have no money.

[aelmpvw]

aren't unemployed people entitled to free bus passes?

[ummmm]

I don't know. Never heard of that.

[douglas9401]

The words of that great social historian and employment commentator, George Michael, are as true today as they ever were.

[naomi24]

Ummmm, but they do have money. They have their benefits - albeit they'd probably have to juggle a bit to pay their fares. That getting to jobs may require public transport is no reason not to work.

[bainbrig]

Why is all the venom always concentrated on the poor, the ‘bottom end’ of society?

How about the barrow-boy bankers, the well-heeled gamblers in the City of London, Google, Amazon, the foreign billionaires buying up half London to even further enrich themselves?

In the words of an old political song, “Tell the thieves, ‘get your hands out of the till - or else’”. ALL of the thieves, no matter whether they steal the odd hundred or the odd million!

BB

[naomi24]

//Why is all the venom always concentrated on the poor, the ‘bottom end’ of society? //

What venom .... and what poor? We're talking about shirkers and scroungers.

[ummmm]

Naomi - I'm not making excuses. A day pass on a bus was £3.50 a day and that was 10 years ago, goodness knows what it is now. How can people on benefits afford that?

When I was a teen I worked in a factory...the agency I worked for picked us up. According to my daughter they don't do that anymore.

[naomi24]

What's the answer then, ummmm? Others seem to manage.

[spathiphyllum]

Ummm, i know but there is alwasy more litter to pick

[ummmm]

I don't know. Maybe free travel until pay day.

There are a lot of people looking for work but lack of funds really reduces their options. I wouldn't call them scroungers.

[naomi24]

Fine. Free travel until pay day. That'll do.