Skint Britain: Friends without Benefits on C4

[amrscot]

Is anybody else watching this?

One of the couples take their dog out to hunt rabbits and squirrels that they can eat.

They've just shown him with a dead rabbit he has caught skinning it in the kitchen

Horrendous..

YY Frequency..............hence my Rimmel comment.

Well said @EwItsAHooman

I’m shocked that the nails is becoming such a big debate in all of this.

I live in the NE & you can pick up a pack of stick on nails for £1 from Primark, which actually look really good. Hardly splashing out on luxuries isit.

Doesn't matter, however your inability to empathise based on those nails says far more about what sort of person you are than her painted nails say about her.
I never said I am a good person, but obviously the only one who had noticed the nails.
Night night to all of you good people - early to rise for work tomorrow, otherwise I'd surely discuss more.

Night night to all of you good people - early to rise for work tomorrow, otherwise I'd surely discuss more

ODFOD.

I have to go to college tomorrorow and then work, the next day I am working 11 hours, the day after that I am working 11 hours in one job and six in the other followed by another 11 hour shift on Monday followed by college on Tuesday.

I am still entitled to UC. Working does not exclude you from this shit show, unfortunately. UC is not a benefit only for feckless people or people with shit manicures.

No work for me tomorrow, or for the foreseeable future.

I don't claim UC thanks to DH fortunately being in a decent job however I'm not a total fuck-knuckle so despite being fortunate I am still able to empathise with those who are not so fortunate.

ODFOD
Had to google this, not sure why I deserved the honour. If you have a busy day tomorrow, it would be wise to head off to bed to, rather than getting wound up by the strangers' opinions about other strangers.

No work for me tomorrow.
School run in the morning then home to sit under my duvet to keep warm, 25p pack of noodles for lunch, school run, take child to their mum's, come home, have a huge tea of half tin of Aldi 23p beans 3 slices of bread and then sit under my duvet until bed time..

This is living it up on the benefits.. be envious folks...

I never said I am a good person

Yeah funnily enough I got that impression 4 pages ago but thanks for clarifying.

Night night to all of you good people - early to rise for work tomorrow, otherwise I'd surely discuss more.

Early rise for the many people on this thread who also go to work like you. The huge difference is that we have something called empathy, maybe you could look into this?

Had to google this, not sure why I deserved the honour. If you have a busy day tomorrow, it would be wise to head off to bed to

It's *too. Also I think I'll wait for my dinner to finish cooking before I head off to bed. I've been at college today and then cleaning for my elderly grandmother and then studying for a work qualification, so I haven't eaten since 11am when I had a break at college.

Again UC is not a benefit aimed at the workshy. Single parents, low income families and the disabled are also targeted by this draconian system.

and pensioners with younger partners from the 15 May

Again UC is not a benefit aimed at the workshy. Single parents, low income families and the disabled are also targeted by this draconian system.
I have not said anything about anyone being workshy or unworthy in any sense. I actually know very little about the British benefit / welfare system - am a foreign citizen myself, so never came across it personally, only had some second hand exposure. If I am completely honest, I am a bit puzzled why giving people money can be viewed as "draconian" - I am from the third world originally, where absolutely nothing like this exists, and still people do not starve or freeze. Probably my lack of education about British realities is showing here. I am a single parent too, so far from being judgmental.

Now definitely off to bed!

Nursery workers stripped of Universal Credit in huge payments flaw.

www.mirror.co.uk/money/nursery-staff-stripped-universal-credit-14061165?utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar

Channel 4 Calling Channel 4...................

What I don’t understand is how no-one realised how the basic design of UC would cause issues. It seems completely obvious that:

1. moving from housing benefit going to landlords direct to vulnerable tenants (particularly those with additions) was going to cause issues. Making people homeless is not going to support them to gain independence.
2. people need a buffer and having a delay or having to reclaim childcare isn’t going to work if you’re living hand to mouth.
3. if sanctions push people into total poverty, crime will start increasing making life worse for everyone.
4. after years of worklessness, some people will need a hell of a lot of help to be able to work and you can’t just expect them to be snapped up by employers by magic.
5. punitative sanctions will have a negative psychological impact and people need a degree of flexibility to deal with unexpected situations (as you would have in the workplace).
6. Areas like Hartlepool need investment to create infrastructure and jobs and to develop skills. Changes to the welfare system need to be designed in parallel with economic development, education and skills etc.

What I don’t understand is how no-one realised how the basic design of UC would cause issues.

If the government certainly didn't know about the flaws before it was rolled out (and they did know by the way) they certainly do now, and yet still they persist with the roll out, what does that tell you?
It tells me they wanted a system that will punish anyone who doesn't fit the ideal Tory middle class home owning mould. They said it was meant to reward those in work and punish the so called workshy. And people fell for that. Those same people are now realising how royally fucked they are under UC. It would be satisfying to be petty and say "I told you so." Because people did warn them, they just didn't want to hear it. But I'm not taking any enjoyment from that, I try to be a better person than that.
They also said the sick and the disabled would be protected. Another patent untruth. There are numerous examples to prove that for the lie it is. I think the Tories have pretty much used the divide and conquer tactic on everyone by now.
The Tory mantra is that if you help yourself UC won't punish you, yet it makes it impossible for people to do just that. The logical conclusion is that it's by design, they could focus their energies on creating jobs in areas like Hartlepool, but sanctioning them is a lot easier I guess.

Silvercuckoo - if you want to know how "draconian' the system is I suggest you read up about how disabled people have been and still are suffering because of all this. I'm not sure there's a word other than draconian for a system that wrongly tells a disabled person they aren't disabled enough to claim ESA anymore, expects them to survive months with no money whilst appealing (because you don't get the money whilst appealing) and also won't allow them to sign on as unemployed because they aren't in the job centre's words "fit and available for work." Like I said, what else is that but draconian?
Just because this sort of system doesn't exist in less well off countries doesn't mean the UK should be allowed to get dragged down in a race to the bottom.

User I run a food bank and I think the government knew full well what uc would do what you have overlooked is that they don't care. Wee tinker how old is your child? Is there any end in sight?

It would cost a lot of money to create jobs in places. For young childless fit people, could they have free transport to a boarding house where they could stay to do agricultural/factory work where there are vacancies? Understandably it would be seasonal, but it might get work for part of year. Perhaps renting rooms/flat-share would be reasonable?

My dad recently got diagnosed with terminal cancer. My mum is already ill and so after speaking with Macmillan theyve advised me the best thing to do is for me to give up work and take care of my parents at least until dad goes, unless we give up on him and put him in a hospice which would destroy my parents at the moment. There just aren't the resources available to care for people like my parents. So in three weeks time I will be giving up my job and claiming universal credit for a while. Macmillan have already told me that I will be at least £400 per month worse off and that I will be waiting several weeks to have any money so to be prepared for having to be late with rent,bills etc.. All I will have for several weeks is my child benefit which is £34 weekly. I'm trying not to worry and I've set up an eBay account to sell as much of our stuff as I can to try to prepare but no sales yet in 3 days. I'm NOT complaining at all in any way shape or form, I am just saying that this is really scary and I don't know what will happen if I can't pay my rent etc...(landlord isn't sympathetic, said I have to find the money or he'll give me notice which is fair enough, why should this be his problem?)
But I have a quick benefits story for you.... My girls dads parents are extremely wealthy, millionaires, they own 1 million pounds worth of property alone. When we separated he transferred our house to them in some perfectly legal way, so I was entitled to nothing. They have bought a house each for all of their other kids (who don't work). The kids are all claiming full benefits and are supposed to be paying it to their parents but they never do they just blow the money and then ask their parents for more. My ex partner does the same now and as he techinally isn't a home owner now and isn't working he hasn't had to pay me even 1p of maintenance in years. I'm not complaining about that either, good for them if they can get away with it but it does make you stop and think about what is really going on sometimes. I am awake posting here half the night at the moment because I just can't sleep for worrying anymore and I'm really enjoying chatting to people and taking my mind off it but I do feel like the countdown to something awful has started and I'm starting to pack things up discretely because I know I'm going to lose our home. It's a bit of a mad world. 😃

MiGi - I always want to ask people this, and you used the phrase so I'll ask you, what do you mean exactly by "full benefits?"
Because when people use that phrase on here they do so to imply a person on benefits is raking it in, whereas in reality unless a person has children (and even then the tax credits won't last forever) or they are disabled, then all a single healthy non-disabled adult would be claiming is JSA of about £70 a week and housing benefit if they have rent to pay. I'm sure you'll agree £70 odd a week is hardly raking it in.

@Janmeyer
I don't know about anyone else but when I say "full" benefits I mean the person doesn't work at all to contribute therefore the person lives solely on benefits. I don't think anyone is raking it in on benefits. I just said when I claim UC in a few weeks time I will go under. I can't see where I wrote people are raking it in? That is not my opinion.

@JanMeyer sorry!! Typo!

Like I said, I was commenting on how that phrase is usually used on here. And to me there's a big difference between saying someone is claiming "full benefits" and simply saying they are unemployed. The former just sounds like a bit of a goady expression. That phrase has always annoyed me, because when challenged on it people usually can't answer what they think the person is claiming (because they have no idea whatsoever about such things) or list things like free school meals (which aren't a benefit) and make outlandish claims about people on benefits all getting free travel.
But you say you didn't mean it that way, so ok. Benefits are a touchy topic, it's not always easy to remain level headed about such things.

And if you're having to claim UC, are you aware you can get an advance from your first payment? Are either of your parents getting DLA or Attendance Allowance? Because if so you might be able to claim carers allowance, which mercifully is not part of UC.

That is the way in which I always interpret "full benefits" too - not that the recipients are "raking it in" but that people do not have any other form of income so are fully / solely reliant on benefits to survive.

Wee tinker how old is your child? Is there any end in sight?

There is a ray of sunshine on the horizon, I just have to wait. I have up my 'job' so ex could keep her 'career' but she's had to take a bit of time out to deal with an illness, when she goes back in a couple of months she'll be back to earning and paying maintenance.

Hi,
I'm new here so didn't know that but thanks for pointing it out. No I wasn't meaning it to be goady at all. I can see everyone's point of view. I have a feeling benefit fraud is a phrase pushed by the government to annoy the working class and distract them from the real issues. For instance the average person these days will be far more angry and hateful towards a single mum working ilegally a few hours per week for a few pounds because she's desparate to feed her children than towards the richest people fiddling tax, having off shore accounts and using the money to buy extra homes etc...or things that are just luxury. Individuals who work for the government are quite happy to do this while slamming people for "benefit fraud". But one seems to be socially acceptable for some reason and the other makes people "lowlifes." I think fraud is fraud to be honest regardless of your position in society and it all has a negative impact. People who say others are "raking" it in on benefits to my mind haven't ever experienced it, it's a misconception again put out by the government to divide the working class. For me personally I'm going to get this next few weeks/months out of the way and as soon as I've seen my dad off in the best way possible for him I'll be back at it. It'll take me a while to get back on my feet I know but I'll get there. Macmillan said to me about UC with the carers element, they're going to help me fill out the forms. My dad gets all the benefits terminally ill patients get. I think I heard peeps? Some sort of personal allowance?