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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think that the benefit system is inefficient

29 replies

MumNWLondon · 13/08/2010 15:36

My cleaner is Polish and has been here fr 10 years, worked for me for 7 and has a good work ethic. She declares all her income and the only benefits she claims are tax credits and child benefit for her daugther. Thats fine.

But she told me that since she came all her siblings plus many friends came from Poland with their families. They don't work, never have, drink so much alchohol they can hardly afford food for their kids, and they laugh how they could come here just to claim benefits.

They say why live in poverty in Poland when you can live on benefits in the UK.

They even laugh at her for bothering to work.

This has really annoyed me. I don't have a problem at all with immigrants, but I do have a problem with people turning up here with no intention of working. Especially when there are so many disabled people really struggling.

Am I being reasonable to feel angry about this?

OP posts:

darcymum · 13/08/2010 15:41

I don't think I really believe her actually.

AMumInScotland · 13/08/2010 15:42

Are you equally angry about people from the UK who do the same? I don't think that Polish people coming here and doing this is any worse than anyone else doing it.

And I don't see any connection with whether or not people with disabilities are struggling.

Original poster

MumNWLondon · 13/08/2010 15:59

The comment about disabilties was because I think the government have got their priorities wrong.

She is not making it up. She keeps on telling me about them every time she sees me. On how they drink, how they laugh at her. How they ask her for money as they don't have enough as they drank it all.

Also my nanny told me her flatmate is from overseas (not EU) but has German passport as his grandfather was German. He has been here for 5 years living on benefits with no intention of working either. He has never worked in the EU.

re: people who were born here, thats a bit different, of course ideally everyone would have a job etc etc but do we not have enough people living on benefit without offering a system that means we import people to live on benefits too?

OP posts:

darcymum · 13/08/2010 16:02

I thought people couldn't sign on/ get council housing etc as soon as they arrive.

Original poster

MumNWLondon · 13/08/2010 16:27

I just asked her, so yes they (from Poland) worked when they arrived just long enough until they were allowed to claim benefits.

The person with the German passport though never worked here.

OP posts:

Heracles · 13/08/2010 18:18

What's the alternative? Starving people rob houses.

NorbertSmalls · 13/08/2010 18:39

vote BNP to stop the scroungers coming in and taking the piss

SayItOnce · 13/08/2010 18:41

MumNWLondon aka Mrs DailyMail.

RunawayWife · 13/08/2010 18:58

YANBU the benefits system needs stripping down and starting again. Too many people abuse the system.

giveitago · 13/08/2010 19:01

Well YANBU - the benefit system here is inefficient.

The problem is the system. Where a system is so easy to manipulate of course you'll get lots of people manipulating it.

With EU nationals you need to have been here for a year. But it's easy to claim that you have been. I know one young woman who split up with her parnter and decides to come to the UK with her baby - her brother here just said she'd been with him the year and she comes over and breezes into a council flat in no time at all with all benefits. By her own admission, she's having a ball.

When I was in hospital I got zero attention. I was with my mum - she was worried as she though it was because she wasn't white - I said no mum - it's because we speak English. And guess what - the girl opposite me feigned she couldn't speak english - she got all the attention to the point they even let her mum stay over with her etc. The day she was due to be discharged she was straight on her mobile in great english to the council reminding them of their obligations to house her and her british baby.

But's it's little to with 'foreigners' but to do with the system in general which says that they will rent social housing to one family and not to another when they are on the same income. If the other family can afford (just about) to live without the help of social housing then so can the other family. Yet there are so many people in much greater housing need who are left in rank poverty when they could really do with a helping hand.

It's the system - not the people.

It is in great need of reform - just like our tax system but I'm unsure that doing it in the time of recession is the best time.

giveitago · 13/08/2010 19:05

Erm - why is the OP a daily mail person? She might be but she might not be.

Original poster

MumNWLondon · 13/08/2010 19:13

No I am not a daily mail person. I have never bought it. I have a polish cleaner who was just venting to me about her sister who called her (while she was cleaning) to ask for money as she doesn't have enough for more drink, so my cleaner was telling me about this.

I would never ever vote BNP. They are racist, and as I said in my OP I have no problems with immigrants at all, but just think this is taking the piss.

OP posts:

SayItOnce · 13/08/2010 19:14

OK, I may be wrong, but Benefits and Immigrants in one post?

Original poster

MumNWLondon · 13/08/2010 19:16

SayItOnce not really sure what you mean? As I said before, I have Polish cleaner and she was telling me this today. Are you suggesting I call the Daily Mail? I can't see that my cleaner's sister (have no idea how to contact her) would want to be in the paper?????

OP posts:

Kaloki · 13/08/2010 21:57

Shut up norbert

Heracles · 14/08/2010 01:47

"YANBU the benefits system needs stripping down and starting again. Too many people abuse the system."

They do, yes, mostly the wealthy and the corporations. Can't see them being tackled though...

Jaquelinehyde · 14/08/2010 01:54

I think you will find that there are many, many more immigrants going without and living in poverty because of how the benefits system works, than there are living the highlife off it.

If your cleaner really has an issue with the way her 'friends' are living she should stop being friends with them, and if she believes children are being neglected then she should report it. Not just bloody gossping about it to her employer.

Chil1234 · 14/08/2010 08:08

At least with the new coalition government's plans on welfare reform, it's going to be much less possible for anyone - regardless of origin - to simply opt to live on benefits any more. They will find there are strings attached in future. If they're claiming illegally (i.e. if they claimed without having been in the country for 12 months) and your cleaner wants to do something about it then she can always tell the authorities.

Tootlesmummy · 14/08/2010 08:18

Sorry but it's not just immigrants who are abusing the system, and I personally don't give a monkeys chunkey where they are from, whoever is abusing it has to be stopped.
By stopping the lazy gits from sitting on their arses all day claiming benefits then those who are really in need should be able to get more. That includes the disabled and those looking after disabled family.
Immigration is a completely separate issue.
P.S a good number of immigrants are hard working and take jobs that some feel they are 'too good for'.

OnEdge · 14/08/2010 08:25

Heracles That is interesting, care to elaborate, how do the wealthy abuse the benefit system exactly.

Chil1234 · 14/08/2010 08:28

One small example of how the wealthy could abuse the system.... Since the advent of tax credits employers have been able to get away with paying very low wages because they know that the person's income will be topped up to a more reasonable amount by the state.

Hammy02 · 14/08/2010 14:13

I think it's worse for immigrants to take benefits than those that were born here. The whole point of member states of the EU being able to migrate to other countries was to take their skills with them. Not for people to move with the full intention of sponging when they get there. Why the hell should the UK taxpayer fund the education and healthcare of a family that have clearly come here to leech from our system? Let alone get additional benefits?

Tootlesmummy · 14/08/2010 15:06

Hammy sorry but if you're going to use that as an argument I'd say why the hell should I pay my taxes to fund spongers who were born here? what makes them anymore entitled to sit on their arses all day while I pay for it?
And I am not pro immigration or anti it as I see there are plus and negatives to it but I do object to us as a society saying one form of sponging is more acceptable than another. A good number of families and I mean generation after generation don't work and never have so what exactly have they contributed to the provision of healthcare or education etc etc?

BarmyArmy · 14/08/2010 16:19

Those that object to the thrust of this thread are very likely on some form of benefits themselves and are lashing out through insecurity, shame or self-loathing.

sarah293 · 14/08/2010 16:24

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

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