To think its completely outrageous for the govt to not include internet access as a necessity on the voucher programme when

[MadameDefarge]

they are now demanding all benefit applications and correspondence has to be online? I think it is disgusting. Its pushing already marginalised and often vulnerable people beyond the edge. In our Borough over 20% of folk do not have internet access. These people are generally the poor, the foreign, those with MH issues. Is this just another step to ensure the poorest most vulnerable members of society have no voice or access to services?

"Madame" you can ask to see an advisor as you do not have access to the internet. They then provide, an advisor to make your claim, a telephone or internet access.
Perhaps the extent of choices are not known by enough people and that is the real problem?
"Two" you are right that those in need are "Losers". Western societies create, Winners and Losers. It is then up to those who have some power, still and are decent human beings to challenge the extent on how much the Losers miss out on, entitled income should never be a loss.

With all the ways out of it?! I'm sorry, what? What ways? Get a shitty low paid job, if you don't have one already. Save your left over pennies each months (if you have any, which lets face it with the cost of housing, childcare, travel and food isn't going to be very often), think you've just about got your feet on the floor and .... your car fails it MOT and all your savings are gone. You mother gets dementia and the care provided by the local authority is so poor you fear for her safety so you have to cut your hours down so you can look after her. You get pregnant and your child has a life long disability. Your partner has an affair and walks out of the family home and dodges their support payments. These are just a handful of examples.

I suppose it's easier in your world where you know that poor people are only poor because they are lazy and make bad choices and if they really didn't want to be poor then they would fix it. So they must like being poor. So fuck them all.

Twobras - your 'fucking stupid' comment is beyond 'fucking stupid' in itself, but at least you have finally decided to come out and say that people who find themselves in extreme poverty are there because they're 'fucking stupid', which is probably one of the most odious statements I have ever read.

I was in extreme poverty after leaving an abusive husband. I had no job, a two year old and nowhere to live. How 'fucking stupid' of me. And I even went on the dole for eight months (after paying taxes for around 22 years prior to that) and I even had the audacity to need a crisis loan to buy a second hand cooker. How fucking stupid of me, eh?

Jesus at the attitudes on this thread!! I'm not at all supportive of people living on benefits forever contributing nothing but have some compassion.

Treat them like humans and provide them with internet access to get them back on their feet. It opens up so many opportunities. Stop treating these people like shit who should suffer for even the basics in life.

Very few people scrounge their benefits on fags and booze compared to the number who have genuinely fallen on hard times.

'I understand you need something to access it - but, and please be realistic here - MOST people, whether employed or unemployed have a smart phone. Too many excuses being made in my lowly opinion. '

f*cking bollocks to that little gem

It's not worth engaging with someone who actually believes this

So NONE of you had ANY savings of any kind in case the shit hit the fan??? Oh Jesus. Not one of you had any money to fall back on - over TWENTY TWO years woollyideas. THAT is stupid. There is no excuse for that. It is common sense to save even £10 a week for when you may need it.

Whereas you, twobras, think a business can survive if it has endless people using its facilities without actually buying anything...

not biting Two.

It might be hard to save money if your abusive husband didn't let you access any. The key is in the word abusive.

Everyone I know is really struggling to save now. It's not a case of spending money on luxuries, it's simply getting to the end of the month with everyone fed and all bills paid and having nothing left for any kind of safety net. People, lots and lots and lots of people, are living hand to mouth right now. One minor disaster is all it can take to knock people on their arses.

But I supposed if they had just not fed their least favourite child for a week each month than they wouldn't be stupid and poor.

twobras Did you miss the bit about 'leaving an abusive husband'. Do you have any awareness or intelligence at all? When people leave in those circumstances it can take months or years to unravel financial stuff. You are very, very blinkered.

woollyideas McDonalds actually has a business plan - hence why it works and is not bankrupt. It takes into account its' future projections and budgets appropriately. Whereas the people here - as is now becoming clear - just spent, spent, spent without thinking of saving a portion of their incomings. It's all getting very clear now.

Thanks, easilybored - it's a pity that some people need to have the flaming bleeding obvious pointing out to them, eh?

and lets be fair. most posters have genuinly engaged even if we dont all agree. only a couple seem to want to derail it. progress methinks!

Spent spent spent on basic needs like food and shelter. When you are choosing between putting the heating on or buying food, where is this extra money for saving going to come from? Do you not understand what people mean by saying they are poor? Are you just really really stupid, or is it just the way you are coming over in this thread? OR are you just a goady fucker who needs to fuck off back to the Daily Mail comments section where you belong?

Yes I know there's a number to phone at the moment because at the moment it's not compulsory to do it online.

If they are saying it will be online only then presumably means they won't be providing the phone line as an alternative. I may have missed somebody saying otherwise (although if they are still providing alternative methods of application then the whole thread is a bit pointless surely?), apologies if so.

You can get people to help you fill in forms, most have a tick box saying "somebody has filled this form in on my behalf", I will be getting help filling in the DLA form I have finally decided to try after months of denial about the declining state of my health. It's not a service that's given out willy nilly though and you need some initiative to get it to happen etc.

No longer sure what point I'm making, sorry

fuzzypig you might need to check that it's DLA you need to apply for, and not PIP (which is being rolled out in some areas soon).

It might be hard to save money if your abusive husband didn't let you access any. The key is in the word abusive.

You would be under the umbrella of 'vulnerable' people that I said about an hour ago SHOULD BE LOOKED AFTER. I have been there. Unless you could not open a bank account to put money into, then you absolutely should be looked after. Yours is a very different situation to what I am talking about. What a prick.

I wouldn't bother exchanging personal stories with "TWO", it will get you no-where.

"Fuzz" there will always be alternative's to applying on-line, the Government just are not very good at keeping people informed and try to fool as many as it can into doing things the way it wants, or miss out.

"Fuzz" there will always be alternative's to applying on-line, the Government just are not very good at keeping people informed and try to fool as many as it can into doing things the way it wants, or miss out.

Thank you easily :) - I actually have an appt with the local benefit advisor next week to discuss it all - I've had to dramatically reduce my work hours etc so a massive change in circumstances.

Does the job club not provide internet access for job applications?

Oh, so I would fall into your 'deserving' category, would I? That's nice. I feel almost honoured.

I expect you'd get quite a thrill from sitting on some kind of panel separating out the deserving from the undeserving, the vulnerable from the feckless, wouldn't you?