Angry at scrapping of 2 child limit

I'll never understand a) why people treat the entire UK GDP as if it's their own personal income that they earned single handedly; and b) why they get mad about this but not Liz Truss spunking billions on nothing or dodgy private company deals or shady fake covid scams.

It’s ridiculous OP. I grew up in a deprived area where my peers used to laugh at me for wanting to go to university or get a job. They would say, why would you bother when the government will give you a council house when you have a baby.., and where I grew up it was always a council house and not a measly flat.

I have family members who don’t work, claim benefits illegally and
go on multiple holidays a year. Their children are all dressed in designer clothes and they are always eating takeaways, going the
pub etc.

I also have a friend who can’t afford to be a SAHM as her husband doesn’t earn quite enough for that however because she felt entitled to this luxury, she pretended she separated from her husband in order to receive benefits and a council home. She is even thinking of sending her kids to a private school when the time comes as financially she can afford that now.

It’s not just a minority, its v common that people take advantage.

There is nothing stopping any young person with no dependants applying for social housing.

I can't tell you you are "wrong" when it's not remotely clear what your point even is.

do you expect other countries to take you in in the event of war or massive targetted attack on the UK

I think that's unlikely.

Nonetheless, net migration in France for 2022-2023 was 183k. That's less than a fifth ours, for a very similarly sized population.

Germany's was 660k (30% lower than us despite a slightly larger existing population) and they have recognised that it has caused social problems.

Vouchers do not work all that happens is items cost more and you can’t use eBay, Vinted, charity shops, the local market etc. and the tiny minority of parents who don’t prioritise their children would sell a £30 coat for a fiver anyway.

I'm talking about young people sans children! Young people who delay starting a family until they are in a committed relationship and can afford to raise a child without relying on benefits.

Honestly, please stop replying to me now. You're right and I'm wrong 🥱

It's grown about 50% in the last 5 years. So it was already significantly above replacement level before that.

They're saying it's about 700k this year... but given that they just increased the 22-23 estimate - now 200k higher than previously estimated - who knows whether it is genuinely dropping.

So this is what you posted in your first post -

Young working people, who plan their families in a responsible way, can't get a council house because priority is given to people who've gone ahead and had children they can't afford, and mortgage rates are too high for young people to get a foot on the ladder

Quite clearly an assertion that people with "planned" families lose out to those "irresponsible" people with "children they can't afford"

That simply is not true. A family with two children is given the exact same priority as any other family with two children. Whether or not the parents are young, working, or "responsible" is neither here nor there, because the only qualifier here is the two dependants in each case.

There is nothing at all that prevents any family applying for social housing. They will be given the exact same priority as any other family in with the same qualifiers. How their children came about is neither here nor there.

If you are simply stating that social housing tenants are more frequently economically inactive than those in private housing, then you could just state that. It doesn't mean they are in social housing because they are given any special priority for it over "responsible" people though, it means they actually bothered to apply for it.

The UK has more of a problem at the moment with people having 0 children than having, say, 4 children and I believe that's especially so in Scotland. The number of large families (4+) is really very small and set to decline further. This isn't really a real issue. Most women want 0, 1 or 2 children and only a small minority want more.

I have a lot of sympathy for parents of young children, especially single parents, bringing up children in tight financial circumstances or on benefits. It can be almost impossible to keep all the plates spinning unless you have family support. When things are stressful here, I "buy" myself out of difficulties - extra paid childcare, takeaways, a taxi here and there to get back before the nursery closes. It's not surprising that so many single parents, especially with more than one young child, struggle to balance work and childcare especially if they have no spare money to throw at life's problems.

It’s a horror when people look down on those who have less than them.

The point is they mostly don’t parent their children so the cycle continues

I really feel for your mum, it sounds like she’s had a terrible time. But if she was struggling with three kids I’m surprised she went on to have 3 more, especially knowing that men don’t always step up and support their kids.

I'm not talking about criteria (as well you know). I'm talking about the choices made that result in, nay dictate given how widespread lack of responsibility is, housing allocation.

Out of interest I put my personal circumstances into entitledto tonight as if I had the same circumstances but a single parent and just lost my job (both might be a possibility soon). I would receive £1900 a month in universal credit, child benefit and reduction in council tax alone. Then any child maintenance payments, free prescriptions, free school meals etc etc etc. if I factored all that in - I get the equivalent almost of my actual salary, and I earn £70k a year in work.

Obviously appreciate most people don’t get child maintenance because of shitty fathers (often plural). But again tax payer money should not be spent, it should be a criminal offence to not pay maintenance for your kids.

if children are living in poverty in this country, it’s not because we are not throwing enough money at the problem. It’s a combination of poor education and some adults being feckless lazy cunts. I grew up on one of the biggest housing estates in the north and mums would coach their daughters on how to get pregnant and secure a council house from around age 15. It was shocking.

There needs to be radical reform, cash benefits should be reduced and swapped for different tax bands depending on your family circumstances for people earning less than £50k, and discreet “debit cards” that you can only buy food or essential items with.

It boggles my mind some families who work pay tax and then have to ask for it back in the form of benefits, talk about a cottage industry

I could not care any less how many kids someone wants.
Im not the one raising them.

also, just on benefits. There is an interesting Dispatches available on all 4 about how they can trap you and that's as much when you want to get off them as onto them in the first place.

Yep, you’ve got it in one. It is a horror when people who can’t afford kids, continue to breed.

That isn't true though.

It's homelessness, and dependents that get you priority.

obviously should just scrap the majority of benefits and replace it with a UBI. Should still have a cap on children due to us not needing to replace ourselves. Human population is too high for the rock we live on.

No, they don’t have more children to get the money, but they have more children because they know the extra money is coming, so work out they can scrape by. If you can’t afford more children without relying on child benefits or UC, then clearly you shouldn’t have them. I stopped at two because I couldn’t afford three. Having children isn’t a ‘right’.

I'm not complaining about a lack of social housing. I'm complaining about a lack of affordable housing for young working people.
Without getting into never ending complexities about housing allocation, it's a ridiculous circumstance that is presented to young people whereupon irresponsible life choices will get you a part/fully funded house whilst responsible life choices won't.

The "how dare they come here and take our jobs!", directed at an Indian neurologist, by Sharon, with her two GCSE's.

Yes it’s such a horror when the poors insist on breeding. Get a life.

I'm terrified of the future because I keep being turned down for PIP and I can't work because of autism/mental health issues/chronic fatigue/stomach issues.

But you go on believing that we still have an adequate safety net. Just pray that you never become ill.

That reminds me of the joke about Schrödinger's Immigrant, who is simultaneously taking your job and living off unemployment benefits totally millions. Also an invention of the Daily Mail!