To think what I just heard on the radio is ridiculous?

[itwasallyellow]

Osbourne saying that another 10billion needs to be cut from benefits, on top of the 18billion already cut. And apparently those on benefits do have some brighter new, as of next week they are going to be able to buy stamps at last years prices.

First things first, I can't see how they're going to do this. Surely even if they get all of the Frank Gallaghers of the country into work, well a lot of these people will go into minimum wage or low paid jobs, probably have young families, so will end up needing tops ups of housing benefit and tax credits.

Are there even enough jobs to go round, even if they put every person in a job tomorrow which I seriously doubt, will there be enough to go round?

And stamps? Well who's going to thank you for cut price stamps?

I think someone talking out of his arse again.

They're cutting billions in benefits but still giving my parents winter fuel allowance. They don't need winter fuel allowance. They can afford to heat their home. You know who needs winter fuel allowance? The thousands of families they're taking benefits from.

It gives some insight into the kind of people they think their voters are. Money for those with disabilities? Cut it. But subsidise weekly bin collections.

Does this mean I'll be able to ask my cousin and his wife to buy my stamps for my Christmas cards for me?

Disgusting. They're picking on the disadvantaged and vulnerable because they're the ones who won't/can't fight back.

If i was queen of the world, i'd make it that you weren't allowed to become a MP etc until you'd endured a year of living on NMW or benefits. I think it would be the only way to instil some compassion into these robots.

There are numerous cuts by the backdoor affecting those on benefits, my Doctor's surgery has an 'unofficial policy' of not giving prescriptions for calpol (paracetamol suspension) or diarolyte, or even aqueous cream as they can be bought by parents, with what I ask?
My GPs have free TV licence, bus pass and heating allowance, they can easily afford these, don't agree with receiving them but see it as freeing up money to help out my children, what of people being attacked left right and centre with no generous relatives to fall back on?

Did they say that they were considering cutting the benefits of families with lots of DC if they have more? I read that somewhere....

I don't think they are gong to cut those families' benefits, I think it's that benefits won't rise (per extra new child) if they "continue to have more children while on out of work benefits".

Even more pernicious is the fact that they want to make it almost impossible for under-25s to claim Housing Benefit. I'm pretty sure I caught Osborne contrasting families where the DC had been to university and then moved back home while working "to save for a deposit" with young people who left home and education at 16 and "moved straight into a flat" and "lived on benefits".

Yes. How about young people whose home life is abusive/impossible to tolerate? How about young people with children? Oh, sorry, they're not middle class and saving money. More Tory fascism - would love to see them at their conference working themselves up into a frenzy of joy over this one.

They are already cutting large family's benefits by the £500 cap, if you have three children on benefits you are entitled to the same upper limit as a single parent with one child. If you live in London where three bedroom flats cost easily over £300 a week, you are faced with starving, moving into smaller accommodation (causing overcrowding) or moving away (normally from family and support networks - costing the government more in the long run from treating depression, increased child care costs when parents do come off benefits and uptake of services offered to disadvantaged children (being cut already) )