To be agreeing with new conservative benefits proposal re alcohol etc

Imagine going to the JCP and telling them you’ve not done any applications this week because you’ve been out litter picking and scrubbing graffiti.

Community work schemes are a good idea but they need to be organised and resourced.

Personally for me a free museum would be great. It wouldn't make up for being poor. I have a friend on UC with a child and she wouldn't be able to afford the fares to get to free attractions

These types of proposals send the message that the underlying cause of unemployment is feckless, workshy and lazy individuals. They’re popular as it makes people feel superior and gives them an opportunity to look down on poor people. It won’t save any money, reduce unemployment, or improve society but that’s not the point.

It really is quite telling that some people can't see unemployed people do anything else but remove graffiti and litter pick.

The people who should be removing the graffiti are the people who are vandals. Similar with people who dump litter

Do you have any idea how psychotic that sounds?

Mind you, you're not alone on this thread.

So Community Service Orders for the "crime" of being unemployed.

Perhaps then, we just lock up every small-time first offender and train the unemployed as prison officers. Of course, the people who are convinced that anyone on UC is a feckless, chain-smoking alcoholic will have conniptions when you suggest raising their taxes in order to build more prisons and train the new prison staff. 😐

Something to aspire to!

Every cig cuts life expectancy by 20 minutes.

@autumnisherenow
The good news is that museums are free. Its just the special exhibitions that cost money. British Museum, V and A, National Gallery all free.
One of my favourite visits was to see a special Turner exhibition in Edinburgh, its only on in January each year. The very rich guy who left the collection made it a condition in his will that the gallery could never charge the public to see it. And for some reason only to show the pictures in January.
You just queue up and see the lovely pictures, all free. They have some wonderful galleries in Edinburgh.

Good point! Sadly that needs resourcing too and people are usually supportive of cuts to the justice budget.

Given that an alcoholic is going to be either pissed or in withdrawal almost the entire time, what work do you think that they would be able to do safely?

Have you considered taking up smoking?

I have been involved in hiring for minimum wage part time retail work many times. The biggest thing i have learned from it is the sheer number of completely unemployable people there are on benefits. With all the will in the world, even if there were enough jobs in the first place, no one in their right mind is going to hire them. I assume they would be begging in the street if their benefits were cut by 30%.

Not forgetting the Science Museum, the Natural History Museum in London. Ashmolean in Oxford etc. All free. Trouble is the unemployed are all in bed smoking and drinking or down the bookies playing machines, so don't go to the museums, which might raise their horizons.

It might surprise you how many functioning alcoholics there are. Drug users too.

Only good news if you live nearby and/or can afford to get there.

I agree with cutting benefits for people who have NEVER worked with some caveats.

I think 6 months is far too short in the current job climate though. It really should be 12 months to 2 years imo.

Bars, smoking areas, and gambling licences for all public museums and galleries. 💪

It's ridiculous, unworkable, an attempt to attract reform voters, thought up by someone who has never lived on a low income ( and so doesn't understand the importance of paying in cash) and have they got nothing more important to think about.

Same. And as his carer is also can't work and won't be able to pay into the system. As it is my income is far less than my outgoings, so cutting it would probably mean we would end up homeless. My son would have to go into residential care, costing far more than the £86.45 a week Carers Allowance i get (that is counted as income and taken off the Universal Credit I get) and I guess I will get sent to a B&B as temporary housing.

But hey, at least I won't be able to buy alcohol.

I don't smoke, and only buy alcohol very occasionally.

Of course it is. A ridiculous idea from a ridiculous woman.

Just a reminder that a little over a month ago Badenoch penned a crawling, fawning eulogy to Rod Liddle, a man who once freely admitted that he could never have been a teacher due to being unable to restrain himself from sexually assaulting his pupils.

This is someone who aspires to be PM, and this is her sense of judgement and self-awareness.

😁

Cutting benefits will not help people find work faster. It has the opposite effect. It is demoralising enough trying to run a home on 434 pounds a month without facing a 30 per cent cut.

They did way better than Labour is doing

The conversation about feckless alcoholics is entirely pointless.

5% of long-term unemployed UC claimants are alcoholics removing their ability to spend UC on alcohol isn't going to save the economy.

30% of the same cohort are "moderate" drinkers couple of pints/wines a week - this is not going to stop them from being employed or save billions by stopping them from spending their UC on alcohol if they choose too.

Should we also stop them from buying clothes and insist they wear only recycled sack cloth? That way we know that they are feckless wastrels and can avoid them in the street.

It isn't money saving, it is purely optics.