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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Benefit Bashing

823 replies

Kendodd · 18/02/2011 16:40

A mum I know and her DP with two children live in a two bed (nice) HA house. Neither of them work and have not worked for as long as I've known them (two years) I don't know about before then. She has told me they are trying for another baby, not to get a bigger house or anything, just because they want four children eventally. I would love four children but can't have that many because for one we just can't afford four.

AIBU to feel a bit pissed off that they can have more children and I can't or am I just a jealous benefit basher.

ps They are both nice and don't have a flatscreen TV.

OP posts:
TheSecondComing · 18/02/2011 21:41

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

StarlightPrincess · 18/02/2011 21:42

therefore my views are irrelevant because I was feeding myself aged 10 at the expense of truly decent folk such as yourselves.

You said it, not me.

usualsuspect · 18/02/2011 21:42

StarlightPrincess I would take a wild guess and say not everyone believes the shite that cameron comes out with ..did you know the word gullible was not in the dictionery

CrispyCakeHead · 18/02/2011 21:43

It's what comes from living on a manor LOTM Wink

the majority of people I know who live in social housing, got that housing because they were on benefits and couldn't afford anything else. Then they got themselves a job and started contributing to society again.

What gets me about the attitude on this thread is that ALL people in social housing are wasters; it's just not the case. And you would all do well to get down from your lofty priveledged heights and experience redundancies, death of a partner, abandonment by a partner and as is often said on here "walk a mile in someone esle's shoes" before being so fucking judgemental. I've been there; it wasn't nice, but it has given me a damn sight more empathy towards everyone, and a lingering sense of it being none of my business how other people live their lives.

LadyOfTheManor · 18/02/2011 21:43

thesecond yes you chose to have another child knowing the risk of losing your home. At least you know what's coming, rather than having more children then accusing the government of not "fathering" them properly. It's people who aren't assessing the risks of having children while being solely reliant on the state (from say for e.g. 18 years old). I don't have a problem with people who pay/have paid into the pot.

bubbles4 · 18/02/2011 21:44

NoSuchThingAsSociety Fri 18-Feb-11 21:28:55

Anyone who is a net recipient of benefits has nothing of value to add to this thread

So as tax credits are going to be paid under the universal credit,then anybody who receives them has nothing of value to say,

ShirleyKnot · 18/02/2011 21:44

I am accused of being patronising again.

How very fucking ironic.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 18/02/2011 21:44

... and why do you keep harking on about Bankers and their ilk? The Government has made it possible for them to dodge taxes and so on but what has it to do with people taking responsibility for not having more children that they can't afford?

... and are you talking about the 'working poor' or the benefits claimants who don't work but could? The working poor should be paid a living wage and topped up so that they can afford a proper standard of living.

I think we're talking about different things. For clarification, the working poor as you call them are not 'benefit scroungers' in my book. The benefit scroungers are the ones who could work but do everything they can not to do so. Those are the people I'm talking about, not any other section of society.

LadyOfTheManor · 18/02/2011 21:44

I wasn't knocking people in free/cheap housing, I just wasn't aware of how available it was.

StarlightPrincess · 18/02/2011 21:45

So people making a choice to live off benefits is an urban myth then?

StarlightPrincess · 18/02/2011 21:46

For clarification, the working poor as you call them are not 'benefit scroungers' in my book. The benefit scroungers are the ones who could work but do everything they can not to do so. Those are the people I'm talking about, not any other section of society.

Exactly!!!

LegoStuckinmyhoover · 18/02/2011 21:46

still waiting for a good reason as to why some citizens [based on income] of this country are not allowed an opinion...

riddiculous, yet again.

LadyOfTheManor · 18/02/2011 21:46

It will be when our children our older and the govt has returned to its great self. People can moan about DC all they want, they have to realise we're in a economical pit and he'll pull out the stops to sort it out...if that means that people have to work, then so be it.

TheSecondComing · 18/02/2011 21:47

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 18/02/2011 21:47

Hardly. Hmm

CrispyCakeHead · 18/02/2011 21:48

are you for real starlight? benefit apologists?

I sincerely hope you have to experience the benefits system in this country; you never know, you might even learn a little humility.

FFS

StarlightPrincess · 18/02/2011 21:48

Secondcoming Hmm, what do my pics have anything to do with this then love? Got nothing else to say of worth have we? Or are we just jealous?

TheSecondComing · 18/02/2011 21:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ShirleyKnot · 18/02/2011 21:49

I love it, it's actually kind of funny.

Here we go:

Where are the jobs? Bearing in mind the massive swinging cuts made in the public sector, twinned with massive inflation of oil prices (meaning that it costs a fortune to fill your tank) further exacerbated by a rise in public transport cost, made evan harder by the fact that thousands of small/medium businesses are clinging on by the skin of their teeth.

Gizza job.

I have one, in a very small business, believe me, it's tough, I earn close to the minimum wage and the business is struggling with the banks calling in our overdraft.

TheSecondComing · 18/02/2011 21:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

StarlightPrincess · 18/02/2011 21:50

I sincerely hope you have to experience the benefits system in this country; you never know, you might even learn a little humility.

FFS

I have, my partner was made laid off, we claimed JSA. Difference is, it wasn't a lifestyle choice for us.

LadyOfTheManor · 18/02/2011 21:50

Oh, I should update that. Yes I work from home, but I look after my ds too and I'm in the middle of studying.

But my dh works full time aswell.

I shall amend it immediately.

(I wasn't "knocking" your post, my tone often comes across as dry-apologies)

StarlightPrincess · 18/02/2011 21:50

Lmao, who's dressed like a pole dancer?

You're a bit pathetic really having to attack me personally. Get a life love.

TheSecondComing · 18/02/2011 21:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

CrispyCakeHead · 18/02/2011 21:52

"if that means that people have to work, then so be it"

and what jobs do you propose these people are doing? when public sector job cuts are happening across the board, when councils can no longer afford funding to pay for all those in jobs that were previously public sector, but are now in the private sector, like home helps? when the thatcher governmet totally decimated manufacturing in this country?

do you actually live in cloud cuckoo land? is the weather nice there this time of year?