to wonder what benefits will get the chop from the £12 billion of cuts?

[steiner8]

Just that really. I'm wondering which benefits are going to go or be significantly cut. Anyone have any idea?

I think that's the rub, TTWK.

I think the problem is that benefits haven't allowed people to feel, " poor" so there is absolutely no incentive to change their circumstances and get work.

Until now. And suddenly we have the lowest unemployment in decades - and no, that isnt because everyone is on 0 hours contracts.

Benefits shoudl be just enough and no more. You should feel poor if not working. Nvere starving, not hungry or shoeless . All basics covered. But basics.

That is fine TTWK but relative poverty means looking at what most of society enjoy.

I have three cats...have had them years, should I re-home or euthanase them? Or do I say"they still have to be fed" and look for the best deals on pet food.

Most people have a TV, I do (thanks to my parents) , I don't have movies or anything beyond Freeview. Should I sell this and remove the only source of entertainment my child has? Or do I remember that it is paid for?

Most people now have access to the Internet and much homework is internet based. Do I dump it? Or do I realize that the local library now no longer exists so if my son wants to keep up he needs it.

BTW I absolutely LOVE how you say what you'd expect on benefits.I can guarantee that if the proverbial ht the fan you'd claim as much as possible to ensure your children had the best chances possible of coping. It's always great to hear someone on benefits talking about things they know sod all about and have no experience of.

I don't smoke, I rarely drink and never go out, actually sod it....Sky's NowTV at £9.99 a month looks a positive bargain when it's my only outlet for watching a movie from time to time.

...hmm....pondering the NowTV offer....free for a month.

...actually it's not free.....on this page the add says £1.

All I really want on benefits is for my son to have as even a playing field as possible. Not likely given the cuts to SEN in schools.

Ahh, sorry, not shoeless. Quite right, I forgot clothes. I'd expect to receive enough to buy basic clothes and necessities like toothpaste and soap under food, clothes maybe from a charity shop, Primark or similar. So 5 basics not 4. Food/household basics, shelter, healthcare, education for kids, clothes.

Yep....education may need internet access at home...another cost.

As far as I am aware benefits covers those needs already....just.

Of course the alleged lower unemployment figures are skewed by the claimants undergoing sanctions and the referrals to the Work Programme.

Alfie, I have 2 cats, would expect to rehome them. Cats are a luxury. And tv, who pays the licence fee?

Yes, I would claim as much as possible, too right. My point it the maximum I should be able to claim shouldn't be enough to pay for bloody cats and tv licences.

As for internet, most place still have libraries with internet access, most schools run a computer club with internet access. Or have facilities for kids without internet access. Internet is great but it's not a life necessity. Not something the govt/taxpay should be funding.

And as for "expecting" to keep 3 cats on someone else's dime, no way.

yet people voted for these feckers to stay on.

ANYONE would have better than them.

Saying that in was hoping anyone else would have been fairer to the vulnerable society.

TTWK some unemployed people don't live near a library and the slots are often booked which makes effective job searching very difficult.

So you've moved somewhere cheap to rent. Did you get all your dc into one walkable school? They may need new uniform of course. If they're in different or non walkable schools then you'll need to get them there. If they need you to go too you could be walking 8 miles a day or paying your own bus fare. You'll need to cycle or bus to a supermarket or use expensive mini marts. You may spend more on heating if the rental isn't well insulated. What do you expect to happen to your cats if you can't rehome them? PTS? Or rely on charity to take them?

Ttwk internet is being made a nessesity though. I can't pay for anything at school apart from on the internet, cash and cheque is not allowed.

If I apply for jobs it has to be done online

If I go to the library, the connection is slow and the keyboards worn out, so I can't read the letters. I maybe able to pay for a school trip online and then my times up. The connect is slow and keyboards worn out as the public service is facing more and more cuts

I feel sorry for your cats tbh if you see them as a luxury. Cats are not Gucci handbags....they are living breathing human beings who show more empathy and loyalty than you could ever be capable of TTWK

What do you expect to happen to your cats if you can't rehome them? PTS? Or rely on charity to take them?

Charity I guess. Amazed that anyone seriously expects the welfare state to pay someone enough to keep cats. And I say that as a cat owner.

Outrageous sense of entitlement.

Cats are not Gucci handbags....they are living breathing human beings

Are they really? And from what uni did you graduate in evolutionary biology.

TTWK You are a perfect example of why my DH prefers animals to people. I am fast becoming of the same mindset.

But you expect a charity to pay for their keep. Which is other people paying for your mistakes.

Cats, great as they are, are not a necessity. Benefits should not afford you enough money to keep cats. They need food, flea treatment, vets bills, etc.

The fact that people seriously think that the welfare state should pay enough to fund the keeping of cats just shows what the hell is wrong with this country. Entitled or what.

So you are saying the cat should be rehomed even if you got the cat while in work. Wonder what Peter Egan would think of that attitude. He follows me on Twitter Perhaps i should ask him.

So no response to the comments made about libraries and internet access?

I didn't say the state should pay.
I asked YOU what you would do in the event of becoming reliant on benefits as you're so sure you could cope.
You said you'd expect a charity to step in. Is that not an outrageous sense of entitlement?

ilovesooty Tories dont want the unemployed and/or their kids having internet access Because then the Tories and their voters and their Made In Chelsea kids would lose out on the chance of ppl to sneer at and feel superior to if there actually was any social mobility.

People on benefits should feel poor?

Out of work benefits, or all benefits? Do you have preferences over which benefit claimants suffer enough for you to feel they're getting the right amount of support?