The state benefits system mega-thread.

[RichardCoulter]

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet

You know, reading that and the first part of your signature you could easily be describing PFI with that statement. Incompetence in those matters appears to be something that applies to politicians generally rather than one party.

This scheme has the rather pleasing, for this government, effects of flattering them in terms of unemployment and keeping wages down by keeping the supply of labour higher at the low end.

It's a waste of taxpayer funds of course, but few politicians care about that when it comes to their own political interests.

The Tories started this stupid idea of buy now pay later and Labour continued it with another name. It costs taxpayers a heck of a lot more in the long run, but in the short term, it allows the Govt. to build hospitals etc and not have to find the money to pay for them- thus creating a false illusion of low taxes and money for public services.

I guess if Labour had not continued, the tories would have accused them of putting up taxes and spending less on public services. It's a great deal for the older generation, but very poor for our children and grandchildren.

JSA claimants are now being routinely 'sanctioned' for the most trivial and spurious of reasons.

Some examples of this are a person who was sanctioned for not looking for work on Christmas day, another for not turning up for an appointment whilst in a coma and a young man with an exemplary work seeking record who was sanctioned for three months for being 10 mins late to an appointment when his bike suffered a puncture.

Whilst sanctioned, these people are taken out of the unemployment figures.

Originally Posted by denphone

How many benefit cheats are there really?.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentis...port?CMP=fb_gu

Benefit fraud must be tackled, but it is a lot less than the Govt. would have us believe. They never mention the vast amount not claimed by eligible people, nor the cost of tax evasion, which dwarfs benefit fraud.

Originally Posted by ianch99

Well said. No one objects when the Tories slash social services but there will hell to pay when someone with mental health issues, for example, who otherwise may have been monitored and helped, commits a serious crime ..

Indeed.

I recently received a fat cheque from HMRC due to the tax cuts. I would much rather that the money was spent on the NHS, so it's there when I need it. I also feel uncomfortable that I have received this, whilst genuinely needy people are being evicted and reduced to using food banks.

Don't forget that even those with private health cover need the NHS Accident & Emergency service

Why don't you donate it to a local food bank or a local Credit Union?

[spanna]

Originally Posted by RichardCoulter

I guess if Labour had not continued, the tories would have accused them of putting up taxes and spending less on public services. It's a great deal for the older generation, but very poor for our children and grandchildren.

Not only did they continue it they massively increased its use, taking all the credit for the spending while pushing the actual paying for it far into the future so it was somebody else's problem

[Osem]

Originally Posted by spanna

Not only did they continue it they massively increased its use, taking all the credit for the spending while pushing the actual paying for it far into the future so it was somebody else's problem

[RichardCoulter]

Originally Posted by Hugh

Why don't you donate it to a local food bank or a local Credit Union?

I helped set up the local credit union many years ago; over the years they have expanded and are now self sufficient. I also make sporadic donations to various charitable causes (and let them keep the tax relief).

I am currently considering how excess food and/or donations can be made through my business interests and personally to foodbanks.

Even so, I would still have rather had increased funding for public services eg The NHS than a tax refund/cut that I could have lived without.

[Mr Angry]

Originally Posted by spanna

Not only did they continue it they massively increased its use, taking all the credit for the spending while pushing the actual paying for it far into the future so it was somebody else's problem

It's such a bad mechanism that Osborne has continued the trend and increased the use of PFI since then.

His PFI approval figures (in excess of 60 projects and almost 7bn pounds) in the first fourteen months as Chancellor are frightening.

Don't think for a second that the Tories adopted PFI for the good of the general population, it was done to increase the wealth of a relatively select few.

[ianch99]

Originally Posted by Mr Angry

It's such a bad mechanism that Osborne has continued the trend and increased the use of PFI since then.

His PFI approval figures (in excess of 60 projects and almost 7bn pounds) in the first fourteen months as Chancellor are frightening.

Don't think for a second that the Tories adopted PFI for the good of the general population, it was done to increase the wealth of a relatively select few.

Do you think with the election approaching, the voters will pick up on this when they consider who will best protect the NHS?

[denphone]

Conservative benefit cut options leaked.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-32084722

[Taf]

Disabled and their Carers under threat again

[denphone]

Originally Posted by Taf

Disabled and their Carers under threat again

Yes it does look rather ominous.

[ianch99]

Originally Posted by denphone

Yes it does look rather ominous.

but they will still get away with it meanwhile at the opposite end of the spectrum, the rich get richer.

Vote Tory and help the rich get richer and the poor get poorer ..

Vote Labour and get idiots who don't really know what they are or where they are going ..

Vote UKIP .. (don't want to even go there) ..

Vote Green and get some wacko policies and a useless leader ..

I despair!

BTW, the last is the best of the worst .. and I like the colour .. YOMV

I'm past caring to be honest I dread the Tories getting back in but as long as my benefit cuts can allow them to give a tax cut in three years be selfish for me to oppose it afterall we're so badly in it that a tax cut can be managed in three years so of course hammer the disabled and carers not like we can do sod all about it we are the epitome of sitting duck.

[Arthurgray50@blu]

This is what annoys me is that Tory lovers think this is a good idea. Its always the people that cannot defend themselves.

My wife is a carer for my son, she gets £60 per week to cover my sons 24 hour care. My brother in law is on a disability benefit, he cannot work due to industrial injury.

Why, why are they going to do this. Why don't ALL MPs, drop there expenses accounts, that would save a million quid.

I used to deliver to the Parliament kitchens and also the Conservative club in Pall Mall, they don't get nothing from Tesco's. All there stuff (wine, foods, champagne) it all comes from big name stores.

IF, the Tories get back in, they will increase spending oversea's and cut spending in this country to help it.

Funnily enough, the Carlton Club (not the 'Conservative Club') took over the site of 'Arthur's Club' in the 1940s, after the original was bombed by the Luftwaffe.

[nomadking]

Originally Posted by Arthurgray50@blu

This is what annoys me is that Tory lovers think this is a good idea. Its always the people that cannot defend themselves.

My wife is a carer for my son, she gets £60 per week to cover my sons 24 hour care. My brother in law is on a disability benefit, he cannot work due to industrial injury.

Why, why are they going to do this. Why don't ALL MPs, drop there expenses accounts, that would save a million quid.

I used to deliver to the Parliament kitchens and also the Conservative club in Pall Mall, they don't get nothing from Tesco's. All there stuff (wine, foods, champagne) it all comes from big name stores.

IF, the Tories get back in, they will increase spending oversea's and cut spending in this country to help it.

All that is being SUGGESTED by CIVIL SERVANTS is a sort of means testing. If you were receiving benefits, then carers allowance would continue. The suggestion about DLA & PIP is making them taxable as other benefits already are. If your income is below the tax threshold, there would be NO difference.