To not give a damn if the Labour Party...

[slatternlymother]

Give away free flat screen TV's and a £500 Next gift card to everyone claiming benefits.

I don't care if they say 'fuck it, free immigration to everyone, we'll let anyone in'

I don't care if they spend 4 jillion pounds on a statue of Ghandi.

Just as long as the Conservatives don't get in again. They are fucking evil, aren't they?

bastards. Fucking bastards

I don't want to live in a country like this anymore

[CelticPromise]

Pessary don't kid yourself it's only people affected who could possibly oppose this.

[BridgetBidet]

Can I just point out, it's up to the individual councils whether they pass on these charges or not. And many of the councils who have decided to do so are, er, Labour.

In fact according to Private Eye many Labour councils with an operating surplus are making cuts and imposing rises in a manner which appears to be attempting to stoke up anger towards the Tory government.

[HeadFairy]

sukey I don't remember, apart from winning the vote did he do anything particularly underhand to David? I know he (David) was devastated but then he'd probably been foolish enough to believe all the press written about him being the next Labour leader. It's never a done deal until all the votes are counted.

And as for Ed being ruthless... To be honest in politics I don't think anyone gets to the top without being ruthless. Even John Major (the only Tory leader I think I could stand being the same room as) will have stepped over a few people on his way to the top. You simply don't get to be the leader of a party just by being a nice person.

[PeneloPeePitstop]

I'm fortunate that my local authority are protecting housing benefit claimants.

Doesn't help with the £83 a week I'm already losing... But at least it ain't more!!!!

Arseholes.

[ShellyBoobs]

Iggly - no, you haven't hit a nerve.

It was your response to others that I found patronising.

[LynetteScavo]

You know ages ago when I said we will go back to living like we did in the '70's.

And lots of people weren't even born back then, or even in the 80's.....we'll we're getting there.

[LynetteScavo]

Sorry, will try that agan

You know ages ago when I said we will go back to living like we did in the '70's?

And lots of people weren't even born back then, or even in the 80's.....well we're getting there

[HeadFairy]

Lynette I thought the same, especially when back in March they were talking about the worst drought since '76 and there was talk of standpipes in the streets and we know what happened to that idea :o

I do think it's a really big lifestyle change for people, one holiday a year was considered luxury, people didn't spend large amounts of money on personal grooming or clothes all the time, people didn't buy so much disposable tat. I don't mind it, I have good memories of the 70s of course I was but a baby but it's such a retrograde step, it feels like we've gone nowhere in the past 35 years.

[sukysue]

Allegedly Ed opposed the failed coups by Labour MPs designed to oust Mr Brown before the general election. If the plotters had succeeded, David, then Foreign Secretary, would have been the clear front-runner to become prime minister. Allegedly Ed also didn't tell his brother until 6 days before the competition for leader was held, that he would be going against him now if true that is sly and underhand.

[carben]

Suki - For someone who professes such dislike for Ed - you seem awfully interested in his life and are developing a nice line in cod psychology regarding his 'motives'. Would be interesting to hear your views on born to rule Dave.

[AmandaCooper]

I am glad they passed the Protection of Freedoms Act and brought back a bit of common sense; the way the Labour Party was hacking apart our civil liberties was sickening.

[andubelievedthat]

yeah, my having a stroke and so getting on disability allowance £71 per wk was a fucking masterstroke> wish i"d done it sooner! as to poster who opinioned that people on benifits live a life working people could only dream off? oh yeah? fucking nightmare more like >if its such a dreamy life for us skivers, come on down and join us,>oh ,wait ,am i hearing ...yes ,i am!, i!m hearing "i work, i am to proud to claim benefits"> same old same old.

[sukysue]

I feel an affinity for Dave many reasons really, like the fact he has adopted 2 children, not every man can bring themselves to do that. Makes me think there is more to him than meets the eye.Hidden depths perhaps. I also admire his refusal so far to become a shadow minister. Mind if he does then I think Ed will really have to look out!

[Onewomanandherdog]

I've been working with people on Jobseekers Allowance recently. The 'lifestyle that we all dream about' is just that! Why don't you try it skittish - £72 per week to pay your bills, eat, heat your home etc. I doubt whether you'll find it that luxurious

[GrowSomeCress]

grow up OP

[NicholasTeakozy]

dreamingofsun Thu 31-Jan-13 18:44:47

oh grow up. labour have left this country's economic affairs in a right mess

Well done for swallowing the Tory lie. What has, and continues to, fuck our economy is a combination of not allowing the banks to fail and global neoliberalism. Globalisation has exported well paid manufacturing jobs and anti union measures have meant (collectively) wage dilution.

Anybody who thinks austerity measures will fix the economy or reduce the deficit is deluded. Or Gideon.

[twofingerstoGideon]

Ifnot - one reason why so many working class kids became GPO's is because of grammar schools which Labour abolished

Skittish
I think you need to get your facts right.
The wheels may have been set in motion by a Labour minister but Margaret Thatcher, when she was Education Secretary, closed down more grammar schools than any Labour ministers.

[Alittlestranger]

No one seriously thinks that people on benefits live a lifestyle people working full time can only dream off, do they? If you do I challenge you to give up your job and live off benefits. What the hell, ask your OHs to leave so you can reap the full luxury whirlwind that is life on the breadline.

And the Tories didn't "suggest" people pay 10% if they could afford it. They cut the overall budget by 10%, told councils to look after pensioners and find a way of helping everyone else with the by then heavily squeezed budget.

[Alittlestranger]

BridgetBidet it's not really up to the individual councils. The money they have been given is 10% below what it needed to be to protect everyone. If councils aren't passing on the council tax benefit cut it's because they are making cuts elsewhere. And council budgets have already been cut back so a lot of councils really don't have anything to work with here. But of course it's in the government's interest for a lot of people to blame their labour council for this.

[MechanicalTheatre]

I was on Incapacity Benefit for 2 years. It was great. Foreign holidays, massive house, all the clothes I wanted, plus of course fags, booze and a massive choice of Sky channels.

How I managed it on 60-odd quid a week is beyond me.

[Fanjango]

at Mechanical. You must be doing it wrong. We were on benefits and we have built up huge debts a massive telly!

[Fanjango]

Sadly the debts are real and the telly is not. I hate these threads, I have no idea how these rich jobseekers do it. We have hit rock bottom but dp has landed a job that may just do it, a second job, if he keeps it we may pay off the debts we incurred by being workless in about 3 years. Great life on the dole, innit??

[JakeBullet]

@MechanicalTheatre who has just made me spit coffee everywhere.

[PeahenTailFeathers]

Sukysue, I didn't know Shiny Dave had two adopted children. I've googled but no information comes up.

[PeahenTailFeathers]

*fail - you didn't mean him did you?