to think that a girl called Jack should stick to budget cookery tips and NOT bash

[LordElpuss]

people who are losing their child benefit

Guardian article

Why shouldn't she get involved in politics? We are after all, last time I checked a democracy? Isn't the whole point that all of society's views be heard? Or should only 'professional journalists' be allowed to voice views?

As it happens I don't really agree with her on this, but I like the fact she is making herself heard, especially as many in her situation are often those we hear the least from in the media

obviously I was not trying to be a repetitive arsehole there, my phone had an unusual episode

kurri are you kidding?

gives up and turns sad phone off for the night

No I wasn't NotYoMomma - but rearange these words 'stick' and 'wrong end of' - apologies OP.

50K is a dream wage for most people I know, I can see where Jack is coming from.

It's a free country; she can say what she likes.

If she starts bashing people for eating cheesy chips in front of big tellies I might feel inclined to step in.

Until then...

She is calling people fraudsters for not registering for self-assessment on time, though. Whilst there are penalties to be paid for missing the deadline, you are not fraudulently claiming anything unless you do not file your return and pay the tax by 31 January 2014. So she has written this article several months too early.

I registered by the deadline but only by luck. I assumed that, as I was intending to file online, I had until a few weeks before 31 January to get registered. Just by luck I went on to the HMRC website and saw the notice about 5th October on there. So I am not surprised people have missed the deadline to be honest.

Not seeing what's so apparently inflammatory about the article - is it sneery? Where?

Oh, the irony of using a social media site for people to express their opinions about whatever they want, to criticise someone using their own blog - a social media space - to express their opinion on something!

Like Rushyswife I don't necessarily agree with her, but she has a perfect right to express her opinions on politics. As does anyone. Feel free to criticise her argument, her reasoning or her evidence. But it's her personal blog on which she can write about whatever she wishes. Do people seriously not grasp how the internet works, in 2013?

The point of what she is saying is being missed because people have chosen to take this article as a personal attack on them. I have been late with child tax credit forms etc. The terms that are used for higher income people are different than for say, a person on long term sickness benefit. They need to be "helped" back into work. A young person who cannot find a job needs to help themselves. Because for those people its their fault. For those who have not filled out the forms they have missed a deadline. Its an oversight. Its not the same.

Well, she must have received a good offer for her book rights. Her blog has a post in July of how she is looking for work and her benefits have not come through but would imagine she is well off now with the publicity she has had, even interviewed in Australia.
She might be another JK Rowling, turning her life around and becoming mega rich.

I think she has a good point about the brutality of the recovery of benefits (often overpaid due to admin errors not any fault of the individual) to low earners versus the laisse faire attitude towards CB.

But I think she shoots herself in the foot a bit by implying that these people are fraudsters, when the reality is that they've failed to fill out one form to register, but would always have had until 31 January to file their return. I think her point would have been made more powerfully with a more subtle approach.

She has always been a anti-poverty activist and I like those articles on her blog. I don't use her recipes because I'm very very good at cooking. And also I'm lucky that DH and I still have our jobs so we don't have to count our pennies.

But pinupgirl Her recipes are shite as well-wouldn't feed a mouse in my house. seriously? I guess lentils and beans aren't good enough for your family then? Just because your partner earns more than £50k, you don't have a right to be sneery about peasant food.

I was listening to Radio 2 the other day about this. Lots of people were ringing in saying how complicated and difficult it was to register for self assessment and how they had to fill the form in on their birthday etc etc. Now, I decided to set up my own business a couple of years ago and registered for self assessment for the first time ever. I don't recall it being massively difficult. I earn nowhere near 50k, so I would assume people that do are much cleverer than me. It seemed like a lot of people are deliberately finding something complicated and hard to understand to avoid having to pay back their child benefit.

Jack has always campaigned on politics and social issues.

She now has a weekly OPED column in the Guardian. I suspect she will continue to do good a la JK. I admire Jack greatly and she is well aware of the price she has to pay for the publicity and earning opportunities coming her way.

She has had people slagging her off for having 'glittery tiles' in her kitchen these being somehow 'proof' of her being inauthentic. as she points out, the interior decor of her landlord has nothing to do with her!

Funniest thing I've read all week.