The state benefits system mega-thread.

[Osem]

Originally Posted by MarkC1984

I am obese as well, yet I don't blame others for my weight. Shows what type of person she is, expecting something for nothing all the time. Hope the NHS tells her where to go, I would be furious on behalf of taxpayers if she gets a gastric band fitted.

I recently saw a TV documentary featuring a guy, in his early 30's IIRC, who'd become extremely overweight but had decided he needed to do something about it and did. Rather than opt for a gastric band, many months of hard work and a better diet yielded amazing results except for the fact that he was left with a massive amount of very unsightly loose skin dangling from around his abdomen and chest. Having done so much to change his life he approached the NHS for an operation to remove some of the excess it but was refused. This guy was in a low paid job as a school dinner cook but, rather than give up, he decided to try to raise the money c. £5k required to have the operation done privately so took on another job and started raising money by obtaining sponsorship for various physical 'iron man' type challenges.

I must say I felt very sorry for him but found his attitude exemplary and a fine example of what can be done with the will. I also feel the NHS rather let him down given all his hard work but there are always winners and losers when it comes to getting treatment.

[Gary L]

Originally Posted by Jimmy-J

The Sun Link - Says it all!

Why do people pay to read crap like this?

It wouldn't surprise me if she was actually working and not on benefits.
and that she didn't demand anything.
and that The Sun is making it all up

Mr L

[peanut]

Originally Posted by heero_yuy

The article does say that she gave up work because she'd pigged so much at that point. Then she sat at home and pigged another 5st on.

To be able to spend £160 on takeaways each week shows that in her case the benefits are too generous IMO.

Forget gastric bands and personal trainers on the state. Just cut the money and the waistline will follow.

£160 a week? She must be using her kids allowance too then. I bet they don't wear shoes and live on a bread and water.

[Gary L]

I don't know.
I have never understood why people approach someone like The Sun with a story like this. have their photo taken and published.
and then on top of your photo have "WARNING: This story will make your blood boil"

it's a lot easier just to get an 'actor' to do it.

[peanut]

You could say being on benefits is keeping her weight down, if she was working and earning £250+ week she would be about 40st at least by now. Then she'd be blaming her employer for giving her too much in wages.

[Gary L]

It seems she's always been overweight.
maybe she's not actually blaming it on her lavish benefits. maybe The Sun is?

Helen Jobson was bullied at school for "being big" and has been warned about her size by "every single doctor" she has visited.

http://www.itv.com/news/topic/obesity/?page=2

Some videos of her, but they're not loading here.
http://www.itnsource.com/en/shotlist...T13011445/?v=1

LOL you have to buy them. that's why!

Originally Posted by Gary L

I don't know.
I have never understood why people approach someone like The Sun with a story like this. have their photo taken and published.
and then on top of your photo have "WARNING: This story will make your blood boil"

it's a lot easier just to get an 'actor' to do it.

I think it's hilarious that in this case you are prepared to doubt the story as factual because it shows a benefit claimant in a bad light ,yet when the story is about claimants "suffering" and losing out you believe it unconditionally .

---------- Post added at 12:04 ---------- Previous post was at 12:01 ----------

Originally Posted by peanut

£160 a week? She must be using her kids allowance too then. I bet they don't wear shoes and live on a bread and water.

Wouldn't she be classed as disabled now ? i can't read the article because it's behind a paywall and i'm damned if i'm going to pay to read such crap

[Gary L]

Originally Posted by martyh

I think it's hilarious that in this case you are prepared to doubt the story as factual because it shows a benefit claimant in a bad light ,yet when the story is about claimants "suffering" and losing out you believe it unconditionally .

I said I can never understand why people like this go to the media.

that's all.

Originally Posted by Gary L

It wouldn't surprise me if she was actually working and not on benefits.
and that she didn't demand anything.
and that The Sun is making it all up

Mr L

Originally Posted by Gary L

I said I can never understand why people like this go to the media.

that's all.

yeah right

Originally Posted by Gary L

I said I can never understand why people like this go to the media.

that's all.

Oh so only people who believe they have been treated unfairly by the benefits system are allowed to go too the media? Oh ok, this woman is entitled to tell her story.

An I'm glad I've read it, it backs up just how easy a life on benefits can be!

[peanut]

Originally Posted by Bogof

Oh so only people who believe they have been treated unfairly by the benefits system are allowed to go too the media? Oh ok, this woman is entitled to tell her story.

An I'm glad I've read it, it backs up just how easy a life on benefits can be!

You ought to read the Mail and the Star, you'll have a field day. There's plenty of these types of stories in those sites / papers just for people like you.

[Gary L]

Originally Posted by Bogof

Oh so only people who believe they have been treated unfairly by the benefits system are allowed to go too the media?

I didn't say that.

Oh ok

An I'm glad I've read it, it backs up just how easy a life on benefits can be!

At least you said, can be.

Apologies for my absence had a hospital visit this morning so had to try and get some kip last night. To answer your point Marty yes there are people faking and some of them do get away with it but the majority play a type of benefit shell game they claim sick up to the six month point where things get harder in terms of both NHS examinations and DWP evidence requirements. They then sign off and go claim JSA for a bit until there faking causes the jobcentre to suggest going back onto the sick it is a pattern that could be recognised if the system was improved. Then you have the hardcore who put in a great deal of time and effort perfecting their faking reading up on the internet and hanging around physiotherapy departments watching for people with obvious problems.

All that said there are a lot of very debilitating illnesses that cannot be faked and are well known in terms of the limiting effect they have on sufferers and many people with those illnesses have been found "fit for work". I can only speak of my personal experience of NHS consultants the three I'm under at the moment have all signed people off their lists when they feel they are better or in some cases never had a problem. First time I was waiting to see the rheumatologist consultant he chased a person down the corridor telling them loudly he didn't see people that had no problems and then told the reception to remove the person from his list and make no more appointments. I didn't know at the time he was going to be my consultant and a few of us were laughing and hoping he wasn't our consultant. There are more consultants like him then will allow people to waste their time these days.

Also testing these days has progressed to the point where they cannot always make a concrete diagnosis but can tell if a problem exists thus slowly making it harder to pull the wool over eyes. But that only applies to people that are on the sick longterm I would like a proper reform where any and all tests are done within weeks of signing on the sick that would cut the numbers of fraudsters down significantly. Once again I'll state I have no problem with welfare reform and people having to justify their benefit but despite what many of the public think this current so called reform process is doing absolutely nothing to cut fraud and is simply cost cutting by any means necessary if anything it's helping frauds at the expense of the genuine.

[Gary L]

Attacks on Jobcentre staff have more than doubled since the Government began its well-publicised welfare reform programme.


Policies to slash the benefits bill have led to a rise in assaults. Increasing violence in jobcentres is leaving staff scared to go to work.
The government’s own figures show hundreds of incidents of either verbal or physical assaults on jobcentre staff every month.
Last year alone there were more than 20,000 attacks. In one of the most extreme cases a man drove his car into the front of a jobcentre in Norwich.
In Lincoln a man left the centre after being told his benefits were being stopped only to return brandishing a meat cleaver, and an Airdrie civil servant had his nose broken when he was punched in the face by someone who’d just been told their dole payment was being withdrawn.

"Staff are being put under a huge amount of pressure to hit targets and remove benefits. They often have to tell people that benefits are withdrawn in meetings taking place in the middle of an open office, which is completely inappropriate. Our people know that and they are scared to go to work.”
However, in a remarkable statement, the union boss claimed Iain Duncan Smith is entirely to blame — rather than those swearing at or hitting union members.
Mark Serwotka, general secretary of the PCS, said: “No attack is ever justified but the violence this government is doing to our welfare state, and the vilification by sections of the media of people entitled to social security, have led directly to this increase in violence against staff. Ministers must bear full responsibility.

Well it's pretty obvious that it was going to happen.

You can't expect to tell someone who's already suffering poverty, and not able to eat, and pay electric and gas. that their money is being stopped by way of an obligatory sanction. and expect him or her to say "Oh, ok then"

Another thing is. if you're near to a jobcentre. don't say to someone "Get a job! you workshy scrounger!"
he or she might be in a bad mood at the time

http://www.sundaypost.com/news-views...-bite-1.187481

Originally Posted by Bogof

Oh so only people who believe they have been treated unfairly by the benefits system are allowed to go too the media? Oh ok, this woman is entitled to tell her story.

An I'm glad I've read it, it backs up just how easy a life on benefits can be!

life for some is easy on benefits but for a lot it is anything but