To say that if I hear the Tory cliche "hard working families" once more

[DreamingofSummer]

I'll personally nail Osborne's scrotum to the floor

It made me snigger.

I have to say that if I hear the phrase 'hard working families' in my head, it is Gordon Brown saying it rather than Osbourne but that might because I don't actually recall ever having listened to anything Osbourne ever had to say.

'and more women are working now than ever before' line that I've heard from the Tories on the past two Question Times.

Oh that one gets me every time too! theroseofwait

Yes, it is only a positive if the woman wants to be there!

As you say many women don't want to have to work and many also only want to work school hours.

I don't understand how vast numbers of woman being forced into taking low paid jobs and having a life style they wouldn't chosen is a positive thing!

Equal opportunity nailing I say, none of the parties will abstain from these repetitive and tedious, management speak catchphrases that make me want to scream.

'Lessons Learned' is another one that makes me cringe. There ought to be a fines box for them the same way the Chalet School use slang fine boxes.

Ah, sorry, OhGove... I get a bit deflated when I read that sort of thing.

Yanbu,

But mainly because logistically I would be interested to see how you would actually do it.

Taking responsibility for paying your own way in life is always a positive thing. Especially when the alternative is living off the state.

"Eew, it means having to touch their scrotums"
It's OK, I'll bring my Marigolds to the party

"Taking responsibility for paying your own way in life is always a positive thing. Especially when the alternative is living off the state."

Are you suggesting people with hugely expensive medical conditions should get better jobs and pay for their medications? That people upskill so that they can privately educate their children? That they upskill so that they can have private bodyguards rather than rely on the police for protection? Or are you only referring to those people who get actual hard cash from the Government, rather than services?

i would staple the ball sack of most MPs to their expenses - receipt by receipt

i think we would see a significant amount of reduction in spending the following year

Funny how no politician ever mentions ''hard working single people'' or ''hard working people who have to top up their wages with tax credits'' or ''hard working single mothers''... no it's only FAMILIES not in receipt of any benefits at all who work hard in their minds!!

oh god here we go

I truly cannot believe that anyone still believes that people who receive benefits are living the life of reilly

do i really HAVE to tell you that the amount of benefit spending that is the most is pensions?

the amount that go to people who cannot find work in a stagnant economy that has fuck all investment - is a drop in the ocean

the real things we need to look at are
mp expenses
uncollected tax owed
closing tax loopholes
not paying for a hotel room in brazil
mortgages on second homes
fancy dress costumes
subsidising the food and bar bill

Latara, why wouldn't the phrase 'hard working families' include single full time workers who claim tax credits or couples where both partners work and still claim tax credits?

Whenever I hear that phrase, my mind includes anyone who works into my understand of it.

Family
"group consisting of two parents and their children living together as a unit."

"Taking responsibility for paying your own way in life is always a positive thing. Especially when the alternative is living off the state."

I agree. Sadly lots now see it as their right to have a SAHP, work part time, go SE and declare a minimal profit etc and believe the state should subsidise that choice.

All politicians use the phrase, of course they want to show families not claiming that they are clamping down. Its what voters want to here. No different to those on benefits wanting to hear they can keep being handed money for nothing.

or
"a group of people related by blood or marriage"

more than one person

So a single parent family doesn't exist then . Or do they just not get to call themselves a family under your definition.

I'd better let my granny know she isn't technically part of my family.

YABU - You mean unlike the Labour Party cliche? www.labour.org.uk/hard-working-families

"Taking responsibility for paying your own way in life is always a positive thing. Especially when the alternative is living off the state."

That's fine if you can afford it. HappyMummy
Not everyone can afford such values.

Hate the phrase whoever launched it.

They mean not like us, we're fairly poor.

Except I am carer for 3 disabled kids, and should get my part time MA completed in April after five years of modular slow slog. DH is working a new start up (June) business that makes a profit most months. And grows in terms of assets (important, it's a specialist hire company), every month. He HAS NOT chosen to declare a minimal profit, he works damned hard to make a real success in the industry he finally qualified in last summer.

So damned right I take offence at the implications behind the phrase.

We may be many things but a work ethic is not something we lack! Unlucky, deluded, better-neutered-carriers-of-rogue-genes *, we've heard them all.

But nobody in this house is lazy.

• I don't agree with that obviously, although we do carry a rogue gene, on DH's side, and as his father adopted how could we have known?

'Taking responsibility for paying your own way in life is always a positive thing. Especially when the alternative is living off the state."'

To me that just means doing the absolute best you can, as the vast majority do.

But society needs it's lower paid workers- can you imagine how much childcare would cost if the workers were paid a wage that meant none of them needed top up help? Carers?? HCAs, TAs, cleaners at state buildings and provisions....

They are not jobs for lazy people, just low paid, and the inference one is the other rankles hugely.

YANBU YANBU YANBU. Gets on my tits, along with "the mess Labour left us in." The coalition's been in power for nearly 4 years - surely most of the mess now is their fault?

Hardworking families gets on my goat too. Read a good article in the newstateman (yes, Im a middle class bleeding heart lefty) about the devaluing of humanity by social and political scrutiny of young peoples (in)ability to produce capital. So sad considering that there really are not enough jobs to around.

I think it was about 1 in 3 unemployed under 25s have continplated suicide :( not surprising with slogans like this constantly belittling any attributes that do not directly contribute to the good of the economy.

Even better midnight, the CAMHs dept here has stopped providing a service to young people who have ''just' disclosed they wish to commit suicide, due to cost implications (I know this for a fact as my aspergic ds1 was refused help in just such a situation).

I really feel for young people these days.

Peachy, your family would be a 'hard working family', and people who are HCAs, TAs (like me) and carers are working members of society too. I can't see anything to be offended about.