to wish all these filthy rich people who claim to know what it's like to live off a pittance, would just fuck the hell off?

[sickofthisshite]

AIBU?

Sarah Ferguson claims a family of 4 can easily live off £80 p/wk to cover all living costs

Boris Johnson has said the poor "should show gratitude to the mega rich"

Iain Duncan Smith says living off £53 is doable for a single person.

According to DC, customers at Waitress are "friendlier & more engaged" than those he has interacted with at other supermarkets. As if people who shop in Sains, Tesco, etc don't have opinion on politics & the state of the country, their lives. Just because someone is inarticulate or introverted does not mean there thoughts & feelings are irrelevant.

The list goes on.

Who the hell are these prats to judge those in the vicious, relentless struggle of poverty.

I hope there perfect little bubble is one day burst.

It makes me sick to my very core.

^But following the same logic, does anyone really believe that trauma surgeons need to have had one of their own limbs blown off before they can operate on bomb victims? ^

I don't see how that is remotely 'the same logic' unless these surgeons go around saying that the bomb victims should just have tried a bit harder not to be blown up.

Oh well, lifeuncanny, that settles it then - all of those people at foodbanks and getting into mountains of debt with payday loans are just intrinsically crapper than you.

Poverty? What poverty?

Ffs.

Nearest jobcentre is 15 miles away. Two buses, can't be done. Return fare £6.40.

Personally, I hate the notion that hard work solves all and if you can't get yourself out of a pit then you're lazy. This is an opinion held by a few people I know who once had it rough and now don't, and seem to have had an empathy transplant in the process. Like bad shit doesn't happen to good people.

I agree trufflesnout - many people who once were poor and are now successful forget that they may have been lucky enough to have characteristics that many poorer people do not have.

These characteristics include: business acumen, good social skills, academic or other types of intelligence, the luck to get certain job opportunities, good mental and physical health etc.

Many people just don't have these characteristics or opportunities however hard they work and will be stuck in MW jobs or just above for life. There is a threshold whereby you are low paid but not eligible for any benefits and that is a very difficult place to be (I know.)

When I claimed jobseekers (4 years ago and briefly for about 2 weeks last year) you could claim your travel expenses back. I'm pretty sure you can now.

There's also a fund to help those who can't afford formal clothing, I believe.

You can't claim travel expenses for signing on - only for extra appointments.

Yes, I got funding for interview clothes and travel expenses. I lived within walking distance to the Jobcentre though so had no travel costs for work focused interviews.

How often do you need to sign on. It's once a fortnight, off the top of my head?

A few people here are talking about the expense of job seeking so I'm just referring to the help available.

I'm may be naive in thinking that very few people have no access at all to the internet?

Rommell, people don't understand the laws around a tv licence. Of course, if you let a licence man in to your home and he turns the telly on to find bbc, then yes, that's proof. Things like paying for a sky or virgin tv package is proof. Having a massive satellite on your roof might be also.

But you don't have to let the licence people in, and just owning a tv does not make one liable for the licence. I could let the licence people in now (I wouldn't) and they could not turn on our tv and get channels. They would have to tune it first.

The onus would be on them to prove in court that I either tuned and detuned my tv every day, or that I streamed live tv using another device.

They would be as well asking for a tv licence for anyone who owns a computer or tablet too.

Yes objection it's once a fortnight but that's a struggle when you live somewhere like Dawdonna

It's similar for me - costs me £10 per visit for fuel. That's a lot when you've got very little.

I really despise the government and am not defending them here.

HOWEVER i feel incredibly privileged to be born and apart of this country.
Here we get free* healthcare, education and support.
Everyone in this country can be funded through University (either by grants or loans) and obtain a degree. Everyone in this country can go to the doctors or the dentist.
There are provisions in place to ensure that people who are not supporting themselves, are supported. Yes, these provisions mean living meagerly - but they are there. A roof over our heads, clean water and food.
There are many many other countries where this isn't the case. If you are disadvantaged in some way, whether that be because of childcare, disability etc. you are still expected to provide for yourself.

I lived for 6 months in South Africa where children couldn't come to school because another sibling had the one pair of shoes the family owned for that day.

I really don't think people are fully appreciative of how much we get for this country.

On top of the provisions created by society/the governments, we have an advantage of mild weather with few natural emergencies (tornado etc) and freedom of speech. No one on this thread is going to be stolen from their homes and imprisoned or murdered for giving an opinion here.

There is also a huge potential to better oneself - little racism, or sexism etc. Loans and grants and facilities available to do further studying or training.

*free as in paid by tax!

*from this country, not for!

I think you are being naive, I used to work in one of those cash sell places and a lot of customers didn't have access to the internet.

When I was struggling at one point I only had access through my phone contract, which was slow and on a tiny screen (no oversized top end phone for me!) and many sites, especially ones with forms, don't work properly on mobile browsers.

I then got a mobile broadband dongle which was pay as you go, it was helpful, but I couldn't be on it for too long as it would eat up bandwidth which I was charged for. I couldn't download big files because it would detect me doing so and cut off the connection. It was better than the phone but still not as good as broadband, and it cost money.

I agree that the poverty in the UK is not absolute poverty but that doesn't mean we shouldn't campaign for better understanding and change. There are an awful lot of people struggling.

Also they are now arguing for signing on to be done daily aren't they?! Ridiculous proposal.

Yes, and there are other countries where people have a higher standard of living and a lower cost of living. There are also countries with better weather. Not quite sure what your point is, other than that people should stop moaning.

BertieBotts, the signing on every day thing is just ridiculous. I can't see what it would possibly achieve. Unless they are also going to provide computers, paper and printers for free use for all claimants who arrive, and provide them all day every day, all it will do is just interrupt people's attempts to find jobs due to them having to stop what they are doing and go to the bloody dole office which could be some way away - our local one to here is a 45 minute trip each way. That's an hour and a half out of every day that a claimant will be unable to look for work or apply for jobs.

YANBU, but it is comments like these that helped me learn that I'm not a proper human being.

The thing that annoys me about the rich person surviving for a week on X amount thing is the inability for them to see that it's not the same. I think the worst thing about poverty is not knowing when or even if it will ever end. Not the same as 7 days and counting. Secondly if they end up not eating enough calories and or nutrients for a week it's not going to have a significant impact on the health or ability to function of a healthy person. Whereas eating like this for weeks on end has a very significant impact on health. When living in poverty there's rarely much if any leeway for replacing shoes, clothes or household appliances. Not an issue when your only living like that for a week, good odds that nothing will red replaced and if it does then it's easy to go without for a few days.

Not to mention the inevitable waiting around until they get seen - so that's two hours out of every day with claimants not doing anything constructive. It is clearly not designed to help people find work - all it is is making them jump through another hoop in the hope that lots of them won't do that jump, so then they get sanctioned, and since a second sanction means no benefit money for 13 weeks and a third means no benefit money for 26 weeks (half a fucking year!) they'll just sign off, not to work or anything, but just sign off. And probably end up homeless, but hey the jobless figures will have gone down so hurrah. The cunts.

Yanbu op. Sister is on

Yep, and when there's a bus strike, or snow, or whatever other reason that public transport isn't running, what are they supposed to do? Or if you need to replace your weekly/monthly/bus pass (which would be cheaper than buying one daily) but you don't have the money today and need to wait a couple of days. Or what if you're ill, not ill enough to warrant visiting the doctor but too ill to leave the house and spread it everywhere. Or you have a chicken-pox infected child off school, are you supposed to bring them on the bus with all the old people?

But this wasn't a thread about that, anyway.

Jsa and hads literally no life. Has to do daily job searching which involves a 3 mile walk to library. Does 15 hours voluntary work (her choice) pays £5 every 2 weeks to sign on. Another £10 one week to pick up and drop off job application form.
She pays council tax, gas, electricity, bt basic which took a year to set up, water rates, tv licence all out of 71 pw.
I really hope they never bring in daily signing on as that would be £25 per week out of 71.
She has no mobile phone, computer or internet and hS nowhere to dry clothes. Her washing machine broke and she can't afford to replace it.
Some people have no idea.

Not quite sure what your point is, other than that people should stop moaning.

My point is that there are a lot of resources available for those who want to help themselves.
I appreciate that some can't due to disability or responsibilities (carer, childcare etc) but the majority can.
This country has facilities in place to support people at low points and help them climb out.
No one has said what they think the government should do about the problems in this country. Just had a good old moan about it.
There is limited money in the country, the government IMO are spending it badly - but there ARE provisions in place.
Yes there are always people out there worse off - but there will always be people better off too!

Taking aside childcare, carer or disability situations, why can't Joe average have a good standard of living? Provided for and worked for by HIMSELF.

Single people are especially screwed. A family can get 4 pints of milk for £1 or 2 loaves bread £1.60. A single person cannot especially when they haven't room for a fridge freezer.

And they only think of the short term costs like food and fuel.

They forget about the occasional costs of things like furniture, home repairs, winter coats/boots, travel, household items, children's activities, cooking equipment, birthday and Christmas presents, all tiny small expenses that add up.