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

I fully support this idea!

Enough to live on is quite subjective.

NMV is £25-26k a year. What amount would you like it to be? £30k? £50k?

There are a million out of work youngsters - many of whom have probably never paid, or paid very little, only from Saturday/holiday jobs.

Maybe we could think about how to get them gainfully employed, rather than deciding they are all winos who need their benefits reducing/restricting. And given that finding a job is only half the battle, you then often need to find somewhere to live, too, sorting out cheap rental accommodation. We have half a million empty homes in the UK plus all the second/holiday homes so lets see some action.

I wonder if any of the people posting here have actually been unemployed. It's a big ask to expect someone to stop drinking or smoking during a period of external stress. And for many, alcohol and cigarettes are one of life's few pleasures.
Plus it's not really our job to police how people spend thier income.

It’s not ‘their income’ it is ‘our tax money’.

True

Ah well they are not meant to have mobile phones either. So no phone or broadband contract. Prepayment meters for gas/electricity. I suppose they'd need something for water bills but I suppose that could be paid direct.

And poor people can use launderettes, they don't need washing machines.

The whole idea is worse than nonsensical.

Surely the point is that maybe it should be, to assist in demarcating benefits received as not earned income ?

Wow. What a horrible comment. You actually work for the DWP and you think it's appropriate to say something like that. If they break up and get back with their partners constantly that's up to them. Not you. It's none of your business what people spend their money on as long as they aren't committing fraud.

How do people get thousands a month on UC if they have no disabilities. Id love to know

There are barely any jobs out there and they’re not being created.
Yeah cutting benefits with no real option for work is a superb idea rolls eyes

I paid taxes for over 25 years. I can't ever recall being invested in what someone unemployed spent their benefits on

So what

ONS says 700k job vacancies currently. How about we fill some of these from the 1.7m currently unemployed?

Why don't you come up with a proposal to do that seeing as you seem to know all the answers

Not everyone on benefits smokes or drinks - the majority are living hand to mouth.How on earth do you think a single person living on £60 per week,paying bills and fares to interviews is going to survive ? How is a single parent family going to feed and cloth their children with a 30% drop ? Benefit rates are barely enough to live on and cutting them will put many many into absolute poverty

So then they shouldn’t be able to spend it on fags, booze, and tattoos.

Vouchers is a great idea.

The high and mighty "my money is paying for your lifestyle" brigade. Other people's tax money is paying for the call out for your horse-riding and skiing accidents and I guarantee they'll never be able to afford either hobby.

My proposal is to cut welfare benefits right back to a bare minimum and watch the rush for these job vacancies.

Why do you think unemployed people spend their benefits on fags booze and tattoos. Are you a snob who believes all the daily mail stereotypes?

It's already a bare minimum for single people. Hth

If they are all spending it on lentils and quinoa, then these proposed restrictions will be no burden.

@KarenWheeler But if those genuinely are the problems with the system, then I don't see how this is a solution. You seem to be implying that you're talking about people committing benefit fraud - and this proposed system would be wide open to fraud and misuse, making it incredibly costly to administer.

We need real, pragmatic solutions not performatitive ideas that could actually end up costing the tax payer more money.

It’s unworkable. The cost of implementing it will be more than what is saved.

I just need to go into my town centre where all the unemployed hang out. Drinking, smoking, showing off their tattoos.

Surely, the minimum society should expect from people who live solely off the public purse is that they refrain from ant social behaviour and crime.