To be agreeing with new conservative benefits proposal re alcohol etc

[Tigerthebreadroll]

They will cut benefits for people that haven't paid into the system and been unemployed for over 6 months (don't quote me on that number ) by 30 % and it will be given on a prepaid type card. Meaning it won't be accepted by betting shops, for alcohol or cigarettes. I feel that's right . Why should tax payers money be spent on funding cigarettes etc but I have no problem with funding the basics like food etc.
Thoughts?
Basically you will claim full benefits if you've worked and paid into the system. Should reduce generational unemployment hopefully

Nope. Benefits are not wages. If you can't see the difference it might explain why the left are screwing up the country. Benefits are allocation of state money. If the state chooses to allocate that in vouchers rather than cash that is fine.

It doesn’t apply to working people.

Prehaps if he hadn't had an alcoholic lifestyle funded via benefits when he was younger he would be doing better now, who knows.

The current system isn't sutainable and isn't working, it may be too late for systems changes to improve his outlook, but that doesn't mean things shouldn't change.

No, it's really not fine. Even if you don't think it's morally reprehensible to restrict what people do with the money - which it is - practically it doesn't work and when it's been tried before it's been shown to not work.

The people who you think you are punishing will find a way to access the products you don't want them to buy regardless, and plenty people will be caught in the crossfire - see my point about food stamps above, for example.

How are the left screwing up the country. They've just made cuts to disability benefits. That will no doubt please some people. Vouchers will be completely unworkable

Why should people getting free hours have a choice about where to put their children? If they want to go somewhere else, let them pay.

You’re right though, administration costs are always higher when we divide the population into deserving and undeserving, rather than treating them equally as citizens and service users.

How would a card that is restricted from using for the purchase of alcohol or ciggerates stop you spending on fixing your car? Unless you're fuelling your care on vodka then the two things are unrelated.

People will buy items with the card and sell them cheap to get cash for cigarettes and booze. Which they will then buy on the black market.

Edited to add - kids at my secondary school would use their pre paid lunch cards (free school meals) to buy a lunch - his mate/associate would then pay 50p for a £1.00 lunch and the free school meals kid would buy chips or cigarettes in town.

@DuncinToffee
No argument here. I'm afraid Im a bit of an old trot I think public transport should be free for many more groups in our country. I have a freedom pass and its awesome.
Weirdly I was using it to travel home from the best paid job I ever had until I retired.

It's fucking hilarious that problems that are a direct result of decisions made by right-wing parties have now become the left screwing the country.

Brexit and austerity have led us directly to the "state" of the UK, and whose ideas were they, again?

Refreshing to see people have finally had enough of the endless money poured into welfare.

How would a pre-paid card stop someone buying alcohol or cigarettes in a supermarket?

Yes! And I say that as a parent on benefits and the child of parents who always had money for fags and booze but not to provide essentials for myself and my sibling's.

Same as a rooster card for a kid, by automatically stopping transactions of merchandise limited to sale to 18+ only.

It's not hard to understand.

If, as was suggested by the poster, that child benefit can only be spent on food, what does someone on the breadline do if they can't access that money for a car repair, for example.

You have £200 on a food card. You need £100 for car repairs or you lose your job. Bit of an issue, don't you think?

You have the money, it's just some idiot has decreed that you can only spend it in Asda.

If you want to say well, we only restrict it for alcohol, what do you think happens? Addicts just go "oh sure, that's fine" or they do they perhaps go "shit, i now need to trade off £40 of my benefit card for £20 of booze" on the black market?

Such schemes do. not. work because desperate people will always find a way around them.

This. The stupidity is astounding.

But obviously you won’t spend any of it on sherry, lottery tickets or high fat foods.

I presume the same way the food vouchers worked, if alcohol or cigarettes are in the shop then the vouchers wouldn’t be accepted when scanning them.

And who operates that system?

You do know though that was your parents, and not all parents even the ones on benefits that treat their kids like this? Lots of them also might go without in the week but try to budget for something nice at the weekend like a bottle of wine which doesn't mean getting shitfaced or smoking endless packs of fags.

The Tories appear to believe Burnham is going to go for an election in November.

So they are starting to put some clear policy ideas out there to help people understand what they stand for ahead of that. Some of that will be real policy that affects the country and the finances. And some of it will just be ideological fluff like this, just designed to appeal to their voter base, or more importantly, the voter base they want to steal or shore up from Reform.

They will talk a good game on stuff like this but in all probability they won't actually do anything about it, because as you point out, it probably won't work or make any significant difference.

Yes, different posters have different opinions; it's truly remarkable.

Quite

Which depends on shop staff managing the system and process, and likely means only some shops would accept them
at all.

Another poster has suggested the Rooster card, which is owned by (I think) NatWest. Who I’m sure will be thrilled to give the model away to government for free.

And if your local shop doesn't accept vouchers for food shopping then what?