why is it a taboo to ‘ benefit bash ‘ on mn ?. See below for context.

And...what if they can't find work? Some long term unemployed people are unemployable for various reasons. Addiction issues, poor levels of numeracy and literacy, undiagnosed mental health issues. Poor social skills. Not everyone has had the benefit of decent education and a childhood which cared and nurtured them. Also, older people find it hard to get new jobs after redundancy due to ageism.

Do we just let those people starve?

@user1497207191 People were pushed into exactly that kind of self employment scenario by the benefits office, when staff used to get incentives for getting people off certain benefits.
So you blaming it all on dodgy benefits claimants really takes the biscuit. Claimants didn't make the system, they are just trying to navigate it.

Society has to face the fact, some people are unemployable for one reason or another. Pushing them at employers isn't going to work. If we don't give them financial support they are just as likely to turn to crime.
It's cheaper for the tax payer to suck it up and give people a basic income.

Ah okay, so "I work with these type of clients, now I want to discuss them on Mumsnet"?

Are you sure you want to do that?

If we don't give them financial support they are just as likely to turn to crime

Maybe we could bring back the death penalty for petty crime, like in the good old days? That'll rid us of the undesirables. If we can't starve em, we can hang em.

There is a group of people, it cannot be denied, who work in the black economy. A few years ago I was claiming unemployment benefit and every fortnight round the corner from the job centre were blokes in vans getting out of overalls and going in to sign on.

We should be talking about it, unfortunately on a public forum it will never stay on track. I could use an example of my neighbours who split their time between 2 council houses claiming not to live together to claim additional benefits. Do I know this for a fact? No, have I seen any evidence other than what I've witnessed and what I've been told? No. So it's not a discussion for this thread, if I had facts yes it would. I could also use myself as an example, I've worked FT since I was 14, never claimed benefits, I have disabilities and last year I had to stop work. Because I had 3 months where my NI was not paid I'm not entitled to ESA. Is this fair to me? No, but will I come on here and bash immigrants who haven't contributed to our country, and get benefits. No because I don't know their circumstances, how they got here and what they've been through. I won't be bitter and benefit bash anyone because what's the point, it's the system that's broken and allowing these claims to go through.

There are very specific circumstances for being able to claim whilst working though. I lost my full-time job in March and have claimed JSA for six weeks, I start a new role next week but it's only 15 hours and I can't claim anything. I will be looking for work for the other three days but as it's a good pro rata salary I can't claim anything and I wouldn't expect . It's not a lifestyle choice for me. JSA gives you a month to find a job you want and then you have to take whatever you can get.

Its because most people 'bashing' these work shy, malingering, deceitful creatures of myth and legend haven't the first clue what they're talking about. Typically they make sweeping statements based on either a minute sample of one, and/or their assumptions based on a snapshot of a person's life.
No one should expect to have their views respected if they trot onto a thread with some nonsense about their unemployed brother in law affording to go to Bernidorm, or their neighbour cleaning his windows when he's supposed to be on PIP.
Yes some people claim more than they're entitled to, but piping up about these rare cases everytime benefits are discussed or starting threads to moan about them exacerbates the judgement levelled at all claimants.

Sorry probably quoted the wrong person there, my apologies

If people had to make direct contributions for social insurance and benefits this problem would disappear. Make non contributionsry benefits time limited. Other countries do it. They aren't uncivilized places of destitution either.

Talking about your clients on a public forum?

Yes, that absolutely should be a taboo.

Surely you’re joking.

This is an absolutely constant theme on mumsnet.

Whenever threads like this pop up. Not a single poster - not one - has ever answered this question.

Which means no one is really interested in anything other than pushing their nasty, spiteful, Tory backed agenda. To which I say fuck you all. And the right wing rag you rode in on.

I am suspected that with the figures being out of date, the amount of benefits unclaimed (which far exceeds the peanuts lost in fraud) will have increased.

Op I don't agree that its only a minority that make benefits a lifestyle! Its only a minority that will ADMIT to doing that! In my previous work and in my community the majority are on some form of benefit and openly admit they would rather claim something they are not strictly entitled to rather than work 40 hours a week for the same money! People on MN are blinded to what actually goes on they refuse to accept that the system is very easy to play if you know how and that not everyone who is on benefits is living a hand to mouth existence on rubbish money!

I agree 100%. All the scaremongering doesn’t stand up when you consider how many civilised countries have this system.

There are loads of people like that around. I know one man in my extended family who has almost never worked. He spends his day supposedly being a stay at home dad but in reality, farms his kids off to family, sleeps a lot and screams and swears at the kids when he does see them. On benefits, in a council house and any spare money he gets goes on drugs and fags. Been shopped to SS a few times but for reasons I'm not sure of, him and the partner seem to be let off every time. Delighted my taxes are going towards him.

To be fair MPs expenses scandal is dwarfed by 1.2bn benefit fraud but people always bring it up?

Plus there’s no way that huge blue circle is 120 times the size of the smaller benefit fraud one so it’s clever optics

Im not saying other tax evasion isn’t a bigger issue but one doesn’t justify the other, 1.2bn is still a huge amount of money, it could build 2 hospitals

Which European countries have a system that pays no benefits at all after a certain time?

Spiteful .

By the way, without "these people" YOU wouldn't be employed anyway!

applause

I was talking about direct contributions

It would be a much better and fairer system

Fine and understandable that you feel like that, but what would happen if his benefits were stopped? What good would that do? He doesn't sound like the type to appeal to employers.

Is it better that we support people like this or is it better that we let them starve on the streets or turn to crime?