To think more outrage is needed over Tory threat to child benefit?

[flower68]

According to papers today Tory planned welfare cuts can't be achieved without further cuts to child benefit. George Osborne has refused to rule it out apparently. Such a cut would be massively controversial, hurt lower income families and is potentially politically toxic for the Tories. So why is no-one pushing them for a straight answer?

I've probably posted this before but I grew up in a family who voted for Thatcher's administration. Mostly made up of snooty professionals who thought it was fun to look down on other people. When it became clear that I had a severely disabled child, they realised that omg, bad luck could happen to us too(!). Needless to say they don't vote for the Tories any more hypocrites

I am just that people can't see what is going on. Older people are more likely to vote so their universal benefits are protected. Younger people are therefore screwed. Bizarrely on MN people don't seem to think there should be cuts and means testing for pensioners because they may not claim, even though as adults this is their decision, but it's OK for children who have no say in the matter including being born . Apart from 75+ or those with health problems if pensioners need more money they can get a job, just like anyone else! And they dont have a right to live in big houses if they can't afford it any more than anyone else does.

It makes me very grateful that we can cope without any benefits, even though we currently get cb. It must be awful to not know what is going to happen next.

Presumably I'm about to get flamed for pensioner bashing. My own 65 year old mother agrees for the record although she will be voting tory as she likes their mp.

Back when hrt payers had their cb taken away, all the lower earners didn't give a shit,

I think a lot of us lower earners did give a shit. I spoke out at the time about how disgusting I felt the policy was and how unfair it was due to it not being based on household income. I have always seen the benefit as for children and as the vast majority of children have no income I didn't feel that it was fair to make it a means tested benefit based on parental income. The savings from it (after the cost of administering the scheme) has been minimal in the grand scheme of things.
Whilst some lower earners didn't give a shit and were quite outspoken about people on 50k+ not needing it, we didn't all feel the same.

I know, tobysmum I see this morning that Tories are promising same-day doctor appointments to over-70s. What about under-5s?

It's all shamelessly transparent. This election is (as always) mostly about who is least bad, but that is certainly not Labour.

I agree, there is nothing at all in the labour manifesto that makes me think 'yes, now that's a good idea'

But with the tories there are a couple of good ideas mixed with the truly horrific. Like hb and 18-21year olds, won't this just cause vulnerable young people to become homeless?

I am also baffled by the lib dem proposal (yes, I know they don't stand a chance) of offering rental deposit loans to young people living with their parents. If a person can't save a rental deposit whilst living with their parents how the hell are they going to pay rent and utilities and loan repayments?
I won't vote Tory because of bedroom tax, the unknown 12bn welfare cuts, the plans to cut HB for young people, Dave Cameron's lack of compassion and understanding for disabled people, the ATOS farce, the personal attacks on the opposition instead of sticking to politics...,
I won't ever vote UKIP...
I would like to see a bit more from labour but so far they are winning my vote.

Super excited - I'm not totally keen on this message, either. I get that it's to flag up the divide and rule nature of the policy but ... We lost cb as a family, so we're higher rate tax payers - and we are really pissed off about further cuts.

I would add that a further effect of cutting cb was/is to further push the idea that having children is a lifestyle choice and an individual issue rather than a benefit to society. Once you enter that political territory, if becomes harder to argue for state support for parents (mainly mothers) generay.

thecat I agree with everything you wrote there and I am glad that it isn't a case of all HRT against all LRT. I also think the removal of child benefit from HRT devalues to role of the SAHP. It should have been based on household income or not introduced at all. I don't see a single earner family on £60k as being wealthy in some parts of the country. It would be wealthy where I live, but I can look beyond my own region and see that some families on that income will need their child benefit.

The housing situation is truly obscene.

It's become a way of sucking money from the majority to the few.
I would love a massive council building programme in the south east. Expensive in the short term; a way out of generations of misery in the long-term.

I would love to see a massive council house building programme in lots of areas but I think an immediate plan I would like to see is a cease on the right to buy scheme. We need to stop selling off local authority housing immediately. If we hadn't sold so much council housing we wouldn't have such horrendous private rent prices and the HB bill would be much lower.

It's not even expensive in the short term. The money is borrowed, and the repayments are made through rents. It's an investment that the council can rent out long after the capital is paid off.

Meanwhile it employs lots of people and houses families. Win, Win, Win, Win, Win.

I even think that councils should buy up private rented properties where the landlord is needing to sell and would otherwise evict tenants who receive housing benefit . (Not necessarily at full market rates, but the quick sale and lack of needing to evict tenants could make it attractive. The state is already paying the mortgage, it may as well get to own the property.

I can't really believe some of the views expressed on here. Women have a time limited opportunity to have children, it is so mean to tell them that even if their future prospects are better they shouldn't have children now.

I am not affected by HRT losing child benefit but I argued against it at the time. But it was a very clever tactic for the tories, because it was hard to get people who earn less to be sympathetic about it with all the other cuts, and now it is easily cut further. :/

It's not outrage we need, people need to pick up their pencils and vote the Conservatives out next month. Labour might not be perfect in every respect, but they are a heck of a lot better for families than this current lot.

Out2pasture how can family be responsible for family one minute then in the next breath they get told they should move to find work.

And when you say family lets be honest.....you mean women because caring responsibilities always seem to fall on our shoulders.

I posted on threads on here that i thought it was wrong taking CB from HRT and i dont even have DC.

a. because in cases of financial abuse the CB hopefully ensures that some money is going to the mother.
b. and because i could see where they were going with this.

Loletta I went to see Ed Miliband today. I can guarantee you, he did not come across as spineless and uninspiring, without any ideology. I was actually very impressed. I took my 19 year old first time voter daughter along, she is now a fan.

I agree Helena. It's an old political trick isn't it? Establish the principle by taking a tiny bit, and then you've opened the door for more. Prescription charges used to be 20p.

Yep I posted against the loss of universal child benefit.
Do I get any fucking support here over the existing and proposed cuts to disability and carer benefit? No I do not.
So meh.s

dead, I've heard that he is very impressive in person. He will be coming to my town soon, too, but I will not be allowed to meet him!

but I will not be allowed to meet him!

Whyever not??

Why not, Kampeki?
He is very impressive in person. I could never really see him as PM, but I can now.

20p? I didnt know that.

Because they don't want him to waste his time on those who are going to vote Labour anyway - the floating voters will be prioritised. That's fair enough, really. I'd like to meet him, but I'd rather he won the election.

Kampeki, nope, I'm a labour member, they emailed me an invitation yesterday. Both labour members and non-members present, separated by green and red stickers

Yes Helena, that was the initial charge.

What I resent about politics is the dishonesty, and the game playing.
It is forgotten that people are not stupid, and some of us have memories too.

I would love to see a system where you can recall your MP if they don't deliver what they promise, or have elections annually. Make them really accountable.

It would force them to spit out their real arguments, then people are free to decide.