Why work when you can get a good salary on benefits?

[Orwellian]

Sorry to come over all DM but I just can't believe the amount that is given out in benefits. I just read this story; www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2087857/Romanian-Big-Issue-seller-given-legal-right-claim-housing-benefit.html
and this lady is getting over £25k a year tax free (and will get housing benefit to boot soon) as well as her nice little earner from selling the Big Issue (isn't that supposed to be for homeless people, not those on £25k per annum?).

Anyway, it just got me thinking. What is the point in getting into debt at university to achieve a high career (which will take years to climb the career ladder), when you can simply achieve the same income by having several children. I did a calculation on the Turn2us website and there is actually not much difference (especially when all the extra benefits such as free school meals are included) in a family with one higher rate taxpayer and a similar family where nobody is working once everything is taken in to account.

I never see my husband because he works so many hours. Maybe I should suggest he gives up work as we would only be slightly worse off on benefits but he would be around to help me with the children.

Does anyone else watch Look East news? There was an interesting piece on the soup kitchen operation in Peterborough on yesterdays. I am not sure I would choose to live how these migrants are living. The reality is rather different to the picture that has been painted on this thread.

There have been several different "realities" outlined on this thread. Immigration would be a less emotive subject if the UK wasn't so heavily populated in the first place.

Alouisee. I think immigration would be less of an issue all round if the media printed the full facts rather than biased and misleading half truths.

To quote my DD "why do so many poor people live in London when it so expensive to live there?".

SecondhandRose, How old is your dd?

Seems an odd comment for a child to come out with

She is 13, keeps up with the news.

Alouisee, immigration was a highly emotive subject long before the UK was anything like as heavily populated as it is now. It certainly isn't just about that, although interestingly a lot of the same arguments were being used decades and even centuries ago.