Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5

Original poster

To ask you to help me come up with a good response to this (Facebook related).

101 replies

ChunkysMum · 19/03/2013 19:33

A family member has posted the below:

BRITISH OLD AGED PENSIONER TOTAL YEARLY BENEFIT £6,000
ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS / REFUGEES LIVING IN BRITAIN TOTAL YEARLY BENEFIT £29,900
The average pensioner has paid taxes and contribute d to the growth of this country for the last 40 to 60 years.
Sad isn't it?
Got the guts to copy & paste this?
I Just Did

This was posted by a close, well-loved, family member but I feel the need to post a reply as I believe the post to be uninformed and prejudice.

Any ideas?

OP posts:

jaywall · 21/03/2013 00:37

Who cares how much they get, why should they get anything?
Give them some food and water while they catch their breath after running away from...France..then send them on their on way.

We cannot support the entire world, our welfare bill has doubled since 1997. It will cost more than £126 Billion this year.
I think that is too much, and it needs to be reduced. I would prefer the cuts did not affect families who have contributed to this country already, i would prefer it came from not having to support people who choose the UK as a destination to pass through other safe countries to get to.

Just my opinion

vivizone · 21/03/2013 00:42

I see this on FB all the time. People are incredibly stupid. Even if you felt that way, why would you want to share such unpleasent views with people who may possibly be those who you are offending?

I lose all respect for someone who has the gall to post ignorant lies as truths.

Haha I am posting on here so I can steal some posts for future when I feel brave to reply.

nailak · 21/03/2013 00:44

What about British people who haven't contributed already?

jaywall · 21/03/2013 00:49

Nailak
In my opinion they would not be entitled to anything other than the basics to survive. Food, shelter etc. But no cash, all vouchers. Not working would not be an enjoyable time.

defuse · 21/03/2013 00:57

Makes me really sad when i hear pope say that we cant support the whole world. We don't support the whole world.

I will never forget listening to a radio show some 7 years ago and hearing a pensioner ranting about us not being able to support the world. She even went as far as to say that if she saw an african kid being run over (implying not british - ie: from a different part of the world without british passport) she would not call an ambulance as the NHS should only be for the brits and it is over-stretched.

It was so sad and shocking ( i was quite a naive individual and was shocked that people could harbour such vile animosity against people they do not know) and it made me more passionate about caring for the global village rather than just our island.

defuse · 21/03/2013 01:03

I dont understand jaywall . Refugees only get the bare minimum in order to survive. They do not enjoy not working. Most want to work and work very hard. The worst plight is of immigrants who are not allowed to work until they are declared legal. And they most certainly do not seem to be having a good time.

jaywall · 21/03/2013 01:04

Well Defuse, how about an opt in option. People who wish to donate to charity can, and those don't pay less tax. The amount that is provided by those who opt in can be divided up to all in need around the world.

It won't go far.

defuse · 21/03/2013 01:04

People say! Not pope! Auto-correct doing over-time!

defuse · 21/03/2013 01:07

Would be very interesting if pope did say that though! Very un-pope-like!

jaywall · 21/03/2013 01:14

Defuse,

The overall cost is the important point. We as a nation have spent way more than we had. This limits our current spending more than it may have done.

But regardless of past excesses we will always only have so much to go around, and i am not personally a believer in the global village.

I would love it if that were the case but protectionist policies are in place all over the world that prevent it from being so.

So in this instance, living with the way the world is right now i would prefer not spend anything more than absolutely necessary to provide food and shelter etc to anyone who really did not need to travel so far to get away from their 'peril' anyway.

defuse · 21/03/2013 01:19

Jaywall, you have suggested something that even you acknowledge, wouldnt work.

people do give generously. admittedly, a significant proportion gets wasted or falls into the wrong hands

However, it doesnt stop most from giving and it makes me proud to be british when we give to others more needy despite us not having a great deal in these challenging times either. I could not stop giving just because i feel that there is no point or that we are over-stretched, because i cannot turn away from say another child in need because we can make a difference. Just because i am lucky enough for my child to have food shelter, clothing, medical access and much much more, i cannot turn away from the child who was not lucky enough to be born with a british passport.

jaywall · 21/03/2013 01:25

good for you Defuse, but thats bullshit. No offence meant personally, i know what you mean but thats not what you have said. There are millions of children not eating right now. Sell your shit that you don't need...sell your iphone and give up your holidays and help them.
Of course i don't expect you too, but thats what i mean. What can we do, we can look after a certain amount..not everyone. I choose to define that amount as the people living legally in this country.

defuse · 21/03/2013 01:31

Jaywall, i think i get what you are saying and i believe that we do turn away many many people because they do not fulfil our criteria of bring worthy or needy enough. Lives get destroyed.

Interestingly, we never put the blame where it lies. We blame the most needy and he most down-trodden. We forget that our system is not just about giving, it also takes. It gives aid, but it expects a return. It is more an investment to secure its own interests. But i am still glad that we give. What I dont understand is that why dont we look at the big corporation which are not paying their dues. We are talking millions and millions of pounds. It wouldnt solve all the problems - but what a difference it would make!

Yet the masses try to kick down the down-trodden over a few pounds and look the other way when the huge corporations will not pay the taxes. It takes real courage to take on these inequalities. looking at the gap between the rich and the poor in our system rather than taking out our frustrations on the immigrant or refugee.

defuse · 21/03/2013 01:36

By the way, i dont have an i phone and have not had a holiday for many many years now.

defuse · 21/03/2013 01:40

Jaywall, if you want to look out just for the legals in this country, that is fine too.

jaywall · 21/03/2013 01:43

Fair enough, i hope you get a holiday soon, i'd swap most things in life just get away once in a while.

As for the cooperation's, well, we would have to look at each on its merits. And we would likely not agree on this either. I am a capitalist through and through, rightly or wrongly i believe each should stand up to the test of being able to stand up.

But I don't have time now im afraid, bed beckons!

good night

defuse · 21/03/2013 01:47

Goodnight jaywall.

defuse · 21/03/2013 01:48

Sorry about the huge thread hijack op!

LtEveDallas · 21/03/2013 06:32

I saw this one last night OP and borrowed your wording (I hope you don't mind). Unfortunately I got back a lot of 'send non Brits home' as a reply.

At least they've showed their true colours now :(

YouTheCat · 21/03/2013 10:34

I've just had that very post on my newsfeed (again). I've given the facts in response.

And I feel a facebook cull coming on which is something I've never done before but I am so sick of these vile lies clogging up my newsfeed.

Educationstudiesstudentandmum · 21/03/2013 11:25

I have also recently seen this message on Facebook with others which are also not ture and its been really bugging me. So I've been deleteing the people who repost them! Friends have gone down by 10 in the last week!! Wish people would stop believing everything they read on facebook or in the bloody Daily Mail and if they want to repost something then they should check out its true first!

I did reply to somthing on there once that someone reposted and wasn't true but just got loads of abuse for it so now I don't bother - just delete them!

PeachActiviaMinge · 21/03/2013 11:40

I had this posted on my FB by a cousin and my Mum, I posted the facts regarding how much income an immigrant gets and finished by saying I don't tolerate racism or any other hate crime on my FB so if they planned to post this rubbish without even knowing the facts then please could they let me know so I could remove them from my FB. Also pointed out it was first posted by the EDL. I'm pleased to say both posts were removed. I hope I managed to educate them both a little and won't be seeing it on there anymore.

NicholasTeakozy · 21/03/2013 11:52

I've been defriended and blocked by two people overnight for pointing out they were either bigoted, stupid or too lazy to find out the truth. Happy times.

EasilyBored · 21/03/2013 12:13

I have had this on my FB feed as well this week. I just hid the person who posted it as it's my husband's family and it's not worth the drama. Plus they would just never ever get that they were wrong, regardless of what I said.

YouTheCat · 21/03/2013 12:16

I've had no response as yet. I'm hoping because she is suitably ashamed.

If she challenges me on the facts, I'll delete her.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5