Is this likely to happen? Benefit related.

[littlemisssarcastic]

And where would it end?? Is this just the start of a slippery slope ?

"Job Creation. What exactly does that mean?"

Vivienne please read my last post. That's exactly what I mean by job creation.

I've often thought on the same lines myself aufaniae.
It seems so simple and obvious to me.
Good post.

I agree we need more social housing, (you can o that while still seeing the merit in a benefit card) I just don't want to increase our national debt even more to pay for it. I think it would do very little to increase long term employment, even if it does have other benefits.

I sometimes think they make these idiotic statements when they are getting bored.

How on earth would they cover for the deficit caused by reduced sales in alcohol or cigarettes? They will start adding taxes to currently excluded consumables which will hit us all hard in the pocket.

There is a grey area within everything which people will take advantage of. Mp's did it, bankers did it and even Jimmy Carr did it. Benefit scroungers are the easy target for those who feel they work hard but:

a) Most claimaints claim to survive, many neither smoke or drink.

b) In the grand scheme of things it is not worth pushing the government to take benefits away to stop these few who are taking advantage. The strain it would cause other resources do not bear thinking about.

c) Why on earth do this statements look for conclusions when they are not prepared to fix the cause.

The govt spent a lot of time and money looking for these 'problem families'.

They found 5

Do you have a link to prove this?

It was on another thread, I think, Outraged. You're welcome to look for it.

I can't do links.

And the poster who posted it, tends to ensure her facts are correct before she posts.

expat

It would appear so, for some.

Why didn't Labour build all these houses when they were in power. They didn't. They encouraged private landlords and extortionate rents pushed ever upwards by huge housing benefit subsidies in certain areas. Labour did not have any answers which is why I won't be voting for them again.

Whilst I dont think the government shouldnt be telling people how to spend their money, I see people on benefits with iphones on contracts, Sky TV etc and with both my DW and I both working fulltime and sacrificing things like Sky then why not. I think the governments plan at themoment is to only target people who are currently seeking help for drug/alchohol dependancy. If You want more control over your money then you should earn it im afraid.

Cigarettes, Alcohol and payTV are branded a luxury. We are on benefits and I don't drink, I don't smoke. My kids eat a well balanced diet full of fruit and veg. Me and DP have no social life so we have payTV. It also keeps disabled DS happy. I am sensible with our money and make sure that the dc' are well fed and dressed, the house is warm and I don't fritter money. It's not fair that just because some parents can't care for their families properly we will all be penalised

OutragedAtThePriceOfFreddos investing in social housing would be just that - an investment.

It would make money for the tax-payer long term.

Agree with "if you want more control over your money then you should earn it". Benefits obviously are too generous if they can purchase luxuries in the first instance but a quick look on any benefit site shows that non working parents can easily have a higher state benefit payout than those that work full time.

If benefits were truly a welfare state payout and covered the base essentials then people wouldnt chose them as a lifestyle choice and people would only have children they could afford. Those that work and dont claim have to budget for extra children and dont get a payrise each time so why should those that dont work be handed more money for being irresponsible.

Cards dont discriminate, if you truly need welfare help you wouldnt care what form it came in as long as it fed and clothed you.

Job creation has happened before 1946-1970 it isn't impossible.

I agree with aufaniae re social housing.

I would add, employ more teachers, social workers and nurses (we have lost 7,000 nurses since Condems came to power) I would build schools and give council budgets a boost so they could employ people directly for bin collections, road maintenance, home care and community care services etc. I would look at simplifying taxation and go after the many billions lost in tax. I would scrap tuition fees. I would make it illegal for private homes to be owned by off shore trusts/companies, I would tax wealth/property as well as income. I would break up banks and outlaw the trading in derivitives (which manipulates commodity prices) and currency trading. I would bring down the rate at which banks could leverage. I would take back control of the money supply into the hands of the state and away from the banks. I would cap housing benefit but pay direct to LL and bring back rent controls. I would re-nationalise, rail and buses and many other sectors such as care homes and nursing homes, children's homes etc. I would take away the charity status of private schools. Instead I would give tax incentives direct to wealthier people to pay/take up places in state schools.

Socialism puts people in work not out of work. This was proven over the period 45-70. Thatcher and free market capitalism and neo-liberalisation puts people out of work. Many never work again (Yes I agree they exist)

It isn't the amount of money in the economy but the rate and the ease in which it changes hands. What is crucial is the debt to (GDP) output ratio. Proven over the period 1945-1970 to reduce when the state controlled more of the economy.

Will you vote for me thought not!

I'm on benefits with a contract phone so shoot me. I also have pay TV and a flat screen (BINGO) ......all started or bought while I was in work.

Sorry if that upsets some of you but that's life. I don't see any of you rushing to give up your jobs (NMW or not) and change places with me or any other Carer, unemployed person, or disabled person. Funny that ...but yet you still feel you have a right to say how any income I have should be spent.

My response I am afraid is "get stuffed".

question...
what super market will get the contract?
will it be like ATOS.....??
will all the shops be wheelchair accessible?
will the person on the till have to check that the scrounger isn't buying the wrong stuff?
will there be a list that you have to stick to?
what if you have an allergy?
what if you don't live near a supermarket?

I'll vote for you MiniTheMinx..

JakeBullet so right.
I often offer people dd's life time disability. they never seem to want it.

I agree about Job Creation.

1. What if people dont want to move to where the jobs are
2. What if benefits give them more than they could earn
3. What if they cannot be bothered to take any training courses
4. What if they just cannot be bothered

These are the people who will be very difficult to please and get into training/jobs They can work or not and still get paid with benefits Why should they do any of the above...

Its all very well saying Job Creation but I have seen people on Mumsnet who cannot work because it doesnt fit in around school hours, who are better off on welfare and have no issue in staying on it and one person who wouldnt move from the middle of nowhere because she didnt want to leave her best friend!

....yawn....HappyMummy is back with her "rose tainted no clue about benefit claimants" comments.

yeah yeah......I personally don't give a crap about a card but as some of my benefits pay for stuff like gas and electricity I do need some cash too. My child also needs clothes, shoes and transport to school. For 30 years things came from my salary but now it comes from benefits and I buy what I like with that including minor car repairs. My car is not a luxury it's a lifeline as my autistic child cannot cope on public transport. The car cost me £250 so not exactly a cool n trendy vehicle.

Some of you here need life to kick you right between the eyes in someway so you can find out what it's really like instead of repeating ad nauseam what you've read in the Daily Mail.

Take the jobs to them, there is plenty that needs doing, we all require education, social (not financial) welfare and we all need roads, rail, transport, food etc.

I should have added though, I would take away all out of work benefits to people capable of working and hand them a shovel! I would also scrap tax credits and create a situation where the private sector had to compete for workers, this would mean they were compelled to pay a living wage to attract workers

I agree with quite a lot of what you've said in your post MinitheMinx. Stand for Parliament. I'll vote for you!

Aufaniae, do you mind explaining how building social housing will make money for the taxpayer please?

I'm not doubting you, I just don't understand how that works.

Does the social housing we already have increase revenue for the treasury?

The thing is we all know people who seem to be OK on benefits. Plenty of free time, phones, sky tv, holidays etc (not all of them of course) we suspect that they have another income source - who knows.

However true benefits are for the essentials and sky TV, mobile phones and dont hate me holidays are luxuries.

There are plenty on here who budget, who think what they do next with regard to growing their family, they dont just do it and then stick two fingers up at the rest of us. I felt the young women in the nail bar this afternoon were doing just that. They had a clear sense of entitlement. Where on earth has that come from....

And tin hat at the ready - fags are a luxury.

Some of you here need life to kick you right between the eyes in someway so you can find out what it's really like instead of repeating ad nauseam what you've read in the Daily Mail.

Some of you need to realise that those of us who have views that sometimes oppose your own don't alway read the Daily Fucking Mail!

I think many people move to where the jobs are.
And they all seem to be in the SE of England, where house prices and living costs are far more expensive than the rest of the country.
It is also seriously overcrowded.
My ds will go to university next year, and will never come back here as there is nothing for him.
I, on the other hand am 56, and will not give up on the friends and community I have had here in the last 20 years, to find a council house exchange and work in a supermarket for the rest of my working life.
I'd rather jobs were created up here, thank you very much.