To think that the welfare state is too generous if people in council flats have way more stuff than those on middle income can afford (no really lets have a discussion)

[splodge2001]

Maybe it's where I live (central london) maybe it's me (hmm, I don't think so) and It's definitely something that's been ruminating around my head for a while. An argument I've tried to unpick but I always come to the same conclusion.

I'm sure I'm going to be lynched but I'm keen to get other people's perspective on this....Here we go...

Where I live private housing is expensive and intermingled with social housing. It's hard to tell the difference between the social housing and the private dwellings. Certainly on the open market they fetch very similar prices. I'm feeling grumpy because we (DH and I) pay a lot of tax which goes to the people down the road in social housing, of course we should pay tax to support those on low earnings BUT, it does start to grate when though people in subsidised housing seem to have much bigger disposable incomes. eg. everyone I know who lives in the council flats near us can afford a car, we cannot. They can afford several holidays per year, we cannot

Isn't the welfare state just a bit too generous to enable those on low incomes to afford more than those on higher incomes? Surely the point of welfare isn't to subsidise cars or 42inch TVs.

I'm sure I'll be told to move out of London if I want more but this doesn't address the issue that I'm raising. Why should I subsidise people living in central london when I cant afford to live here myself.

Analogy moment....

I have 5k and would like to buy a car, instead I'm forced to give up my 5k to the government, who instead gives it to someone else so that they can buy a car. Boo hoo!!!

Go on let the stoning begin!!!!

true goodnight I vaguely remember hearing a figure of £3k a year - but they are "premium" houses for that price . You can buy a very nice 4 bedroom (new build) detached build for 150-200k. So with a 150k income the savings would still be huge.

most of the people that I know who do the commute daily moved out of London for a better general standard of living.

why has my post been deleted? I thought we all liked a bit of honesty on here? anyway what I said still stands because quite frankly your post has insulted me splodge

Maybe your post has been moved to a cheaper thread teameric?

Perhaps the OP wanted to post where you had...

If it bothers you that much, why don't you go into 'social housing'?

Maybe the solution is to euthanise all those who earn under £45k and all those on benefits?

You'd have nobody to empty your bins though. There'd be no nurses. Or teachers. Or hairdressers. Pretty sure a sizeable portion of the police force and the paramedics would be gone too.

Oh well.... you could have your pick of houses.

actually glitter I was quite @ how much refuse collectors earn these days. They were advertising round here last year and the pay wasn't half bad. Hours were totally shite though.

although obviously not more than 45k

and glitter dont forget the firemen. I knew one who was on £22k working in Greater London. Needless to say he lived a lot further out and had a bike to do the M25 commute on.

"Maybe the solution is to euthanise all those who earn under £45k and all those on benefits?"

Now that's unfair. Nothing so extreme. Just ghettos which are clearly marked red on maps with Delta areas and blue for Alpha areas. Although Alphas can start colonising Delta areas if they fancy takes them, whereupon they promptly convert to Alpha areas instead.

As long as no Deltas can live in Alpha areas - and Alpha areas remain so in perpetuity - house prices will be under control, so you can afford a nice brunch at the Wolsey as well as a 4 bed pad in South Ken. Everyone's happy! Except the Deltas, but then if they worked harder and aspired more they wouldn't be Deltas, now would they, so it's their own fault.

wow perfect - can I have some of what you're having - couldn't understand your post at all but it sure was nice to read

Stop blaming other people and find solutions for your family, stop being such a bloody martyr.

Thank you lizzylou, you took the words out of my mouth...

Oh, not really an original thought, alwayslooking. Huxley's, albeit on an extremely facetious tangent. Brave New World.

oh well - still "good" to read

ooh.... don't tube drivers earn under £45k?

Happy to steal credit from a writer like Huxley! Specially if they start paying me royalties on his stuff. Then I could afford to live in South Ken.

(Really is a great read, if a bit dated - I recommend it. 1984 is better as a political satire, but Brave New World is fascinating as a sociological period piece - the fact they were so open about all sorts of social and sexual politics goes against my image of inter-war England.)

Perfectstorm I believe there's talk of a movie of Brave New World at the moment.

"Isnt there something wrong when an income of 150k cant get you at least 2 bedrooms for 3 kids when an income of 24k can (in the same area)"

Both these familes need to live somewhere. Why you should give a fuck where either of them live is beyond me. Unless you know or are one of them.

Underground drivers earn about 45k +, a fair bit more if they have a managerial position - gillerknikaz

Ah that's ok then Hando thought it was only about £30k.

The high earners can still travel then

Nah, overground train drivers get quite a bit less, but I think underground drivers deserve every penny. Bloody hard job, lots of training and long hours, depressing sitting in the dark, alone for 8 hours! Plus they have to deal with front row seats seeing people splatter themselves under their trains.

Can you imagine the smells too? It's all fusty.

Ha! It doesn't really smell. My dp is an underground driver though - so perhaps I'm a little biased!

45k

i want to be an underground driver.

can i listen to my mp3 player?

In OZ department of housing homes are supposed to be for low income erners or people on benefits. Rent is adjusted depending on how much income is coming into the home. Does it work like this in the UK? I do know that some people won't send their kids to a school that has a high proportion of "department of housing kids". Quite sad really.