quite simply make benefit claimants work for there money.

if they take from society, let them contribute also.

if they have kids, the work can be flexible, raking up leaves in local parks, scrubbing off graffitti - theres no real time scale involved in that.

i beleive many claimants are genuine and would take up any position in the hope full term employment may be offered at some point.

those with no intention of ever working may seek to work in a less strenuos enviroment.

there are literally thousands of community jobs that could be done, even with a small cash incentive - not linked to employment law, but still have protection from abusive employers, could get a whole lot done. charity clothes shops ect??

never work?

 

A company I do work for in darkest Norfolk recently made some redundancies. Being a factory environment in the sticks they don't pay particularly well, many probably on minimum wage.
One of the savvier ones who is already working said that with all the talk about a shortage of jobs, he was surprised how many were on offer when he had to look.

The problem nowadays is that too many people have too high an opinion of themselves (perhaps something to do with parents these days forever telling them how great they are; my old man was never shy of telling me I was a waster) and so some jobs are just beneath them.
Back in my teens (we're talking '80s now) I waitered in Little Chefs, laboured on building sites, worked in factories and even cleaned toilets (I didn't stick that long admittedly). Not many of my public school chums doing this as they were swotting for their A levels. Maybe I was a waster.

I think your average Joe now is a workshy, wet behind the ears waster, usually full of excuses as to why they can't do this or that. One thing you can guarantee - it's never their fault.
Just my opinion, mind.

And I'll be serving you a Big Mac and fries before I ever claim the dole.

 

In my lowly opinion most of what you have wrote is pure pish.

What difference to you would it actually make if Tesco, Starbucks and Argos paid more tax than they currently are? The answer is most likely none but what if they where forced to pay more tax at the expense of people within these companies losing their jobs or having to take pay cuts to keep profits stable.

As for 99% of people on the dole wanting to work? Are you serious? I'd say it would be less than 50% infact I don't know ONE person on the dole at the moment who actually wants to work.

 

YES! Nail on head. Labour is obviously the preferred choice of the long term benefit scrounger

 

I couldn't guess at a % but I do agree with where you are coming from going by my experience.

There are plenty of lazy people out there that have zero intention of working if they are not forced to, and that is just not right. I know of one person who was even advised that it would be pointless for him to get employment as what he earned would be taken away from his partner's benefits so he would be working for nothing, needless to say, he still isn't working.

The whole benefits system is f***ed up and needs to be properly addressed, as that should never be a situation allowed to arise.

And for those who think I'm having a pop at the poor and putting the blame on them, I'm not. There is no shame in relying on benefits as a helping hand in time of need, there is no shame being in low paid work and getting assistance if needed, but there is shame in being a free loading sponger that thinks the world owes them a living. It's not just the financial side of things, it's the social side as a lot of the people that fit into that category (in my experience) have little, if any respect for themselves and others. Plus, just because there are other issues that need to be tackled, doesn't mean ones like this should be ignored.

 

I agree with you and reading IDS's comments so far they seem balanced, measured and sensible!

The only question I have for you is who on 'the left' is trying to bribe the electorate.... the last time I looked we didn't have any left. The Tories are centre right as are UKIP , Labour are centre at best and the Lib Dems are now Tory so who is on the left?

Genuinely LOL'd at that

 

Certainly in terms of "back in the day", with the likes of Eric Heffer, Militant Tendancy, Red Robbo and so-on, there is no left any more. Those guys were a bloody good laugh it must be said.
As to who is more likely to pick up votes from public spending and welfare benefits - my feeling is that the Labor party still holds that constituency and probably they feel this as well.

 

PMSL

 

Well my experience of the jobless is, as I said, almost 100% of them would rather work.

BUT: Yes, there are some scroungers, a minority, but not what SOME papers would have you believe.

And it is difficult to get OFF the dole once you are on it.
1. Quite a few companies AUTOMATICALLY bin application forms with gaps in the employment. Been/are on the dole? no chance here then

2. Jobseekers gives you £50 pw. If the best you can get is, say 15 hours at minimum wage, you have £90pw, out of which you will be taxed and pay NI. You can still CLAIM jobseekers, but everything you earn comes off the £50 they give you, so you just end up with nowt from them.

So........do you go out, pay transport etc for about £15 pw? Or do you stay on jobseekers? Difficult decision.

ARE there many on here on £65 pw or less? If so, speak up, tell us how you feel.

Those who aren't, or never have been on the dole need not apply, because, let me tell you, you have no idea.

 

Oh I'm a lefty today? I can't keep up.

I'm also a supporter of IDS and have no qualms whatsoever with stopping people falsely claiming, effectively defrauding me and you. We all have a stake in the system and want it to be as effective and efficient and fair as possible.

I'd still like to see some hard evidence of the actual numbers of people who have/are falsely claiming, even a good guess would be better than the wild speculation and unsubstantiated agenda driven crap I keep reading on here.

 

I agree with you, but my point is that we no longer have a left wing or socialist party in mainstream politics. As a 'lefty' in the purest sense of the meaning I get a bit hacked off with the current Labour Party being touted as left or socialist when they are anything but! In some ways Blair moved the party to be almost Thatcherite and I don't think she was/is a socialist.

 

my GF got made redundant last week, shes been online looking and applying daily, she wants to find another job and wont have anything to worry about with this, the only poeple who need to worry about this are those taking the system for a ride. i fully support it.

 

According to the Department of Work and Pensions, benefit fraud cost the taxpayer £1.2bn in 2011.

 

Blimey is that all??

I mean it's a lot of money in isolation, but compared to the welfare budget it's peanuts.

It must be more than that, otherwise why do so many people on here get their knickers so twisted?

 

I've done ****e dead end jobs for just about nothing, id still rather do something for 15 quid as long as there was light at the end of the tunnel - I guess employers don't won't to see youre happy to be lifestyle dole scroungers.
Work for self now, after training with family, never got anywhere from employers.
Learnt trade and only as good as the job just done

I think most would rather walk into a career and who can blame them

 

I agree with the majority of comments on here. As long as you are ACTIVELY looking for work then you should have nothing to worry about. If you aren't looking for work then why should you get everything paid for?

I also agreed with the bloke on the news the other night wanting to make sure that the benefit payments were put to good use (spent on their kids etc), not wasted on things like cigs and booze.

I signed on the dole once, I was on it for a week, I can't even remember if I got a payment. I decided I would rather take any job and there were some out there. I ended up at a call centre for quite a while, not a job I wanted to do long term but certainly better than doing nothing!

 

Signing on is a miserable experience. You are in with loads of pikeys, and the centre staff treat everyone as an idiot and a scrounger. For them, these aren't human beings with problems, they are just part of the job.

My youngest had a mock interview set up. He went, OK.
They then set him up a feedback, but never told him, and when he didn't attend, they cancelled his claim.

he then went SIX WEEKS with no money, before they would admit it was their mistake and refund him.

SIX WEEKS with no income, but still the same bills.
And they just shrugged when he asked them what to do in the meantime.

In ONE WEEK alone he was promised EIGHT callbacks and got NONE
And you can't call THEM, you can only arrange a callback.

 

Jobseekers is 56.25 under 25 and 71 a week over. You also don't pay any tax until you earn over £8,105 and only NI when earning over £107 pw.

Agreed the incentive is still minimal which is why I think they should continue to pay a percentage of your JSA if you actually get off your **** and get a job. Costs them less than if you were claiming full and gives a better package to the worker.

If you have no job after say 12 months then you should have to contribute whether its picking up rubbish or sweeping the roads. Even if its only a day or two a week.

 

I agree.

My neighbour has just had the misfortune of having to sign on after being made redundant two weeks ago.

 

The single thing I thought the Tories would do which I approve of is giving the benefits roundabout a good push ...... see who falls off it.

They have done NOTHING! The claimant cost is still huge, claimants are still spending their lazy 4rsed lives in bed ......... nothing will come of IDS's proposals.

 

My wife took voluntary end of Aug and got a decent payoff and has plenty of savings. She signed on to carry on her NI contributions and said it was a horrible experience. You are made to feel like scum when you walk into the JC and its full of bouncer type security people as if something is about to kick off any second. She gets minimum benefit after being honest about her savings. How many lie to get more and do they ever get checked?

She is trying to setup her own coaching business now after using some of her redudancy money to do a fast track coaching qual. In her first 2 JC meetings they were adamant she still needs to prove she is applying for jobs which she doesnt want to do. Only on the 3rd visit did someone mention some Enterprise Application for people in her position. Only one person at the JC can handle that so booked it in. She arrived and was told he was held up so couldnt be done that day. £5 wasted on a bus ticket. Unbelievable.

 

I've been on the dole.
To get off it I took a job with the Benefits Agency. They sent me to work in a job centre that covered the most deprived area in the country.
I'd like to think I have some idea.
99% want to work? You have to be kidding, seriously.

 

We had a 'clear desk' policy when I worked there. The only things you could have out were a pen and your computer monitor and keyboard.
My first day I had to tell someone his money had been stopped, he told me that if I didn't get it sorted he would stab my eyes out with the pen.

A few weeks later a lovely old guy told me he was going to come back in with a machete and chop my hands off.

Short time after that and the computer monitor was picked up and thrown through the nearest window

Wonder why we needed bouncer type security people?

 

We live in a 'Something For Nothing' Society ..... look at the PPI claims, the accident claims, etc.

No-one has any ***** anymore ..... or pride!

 

Yes. I'm about to be made redundant after 16 years, and not looking forward to it. What riles me is how the unemployed are demonised, (for £71 a week) yet loads of other groups milk the system "massively" yet never get mentioned.

1. Workers who wont do overtime as it reduces their working families tax credit.
2. People who have a second, part time public sector job, and get a 50/50 pension contribution.
3. Rich people who winge like *uck about losing child benefit.
4. Even richer people ie Wayne Rooney who dont pay their proper inccome tax rate

...and on and on.

I know this may sound like a bit of sour grapes, but its like if you are milking the system while employed, fine, but as soon as you lose your job, straight away you are a third/fourth class citizen.

 

Hey - I know!!!!

Why dont the jobless go get a job then they'll get spied on by the corporations they work for, like the rest of us tax paying workers do !!!!!!!

 

As with immigrants and asylum seekers it's just easier to tar all the unemployed with the same brush.

Some are scroungers for sure, some are just unlucky to be out of work and want nothing more than a job.

Sweeping generalisations should be banned... on the whole

 

i think i probably have a touch more empathy than some, or just niave lol,

but when i grew up i was in constant employment form 13 years old, i worked delivering news papers, then milk, then when the season came i delivered potatoes for a local farm, i also spent hours cutting down rhubarb in feilds. my parents gave me 50p pocket money per week, it went up 10p per year, and you coundt even buy a ciggarrette for that then lol.

but i was semi "in the sticks" where growing kids could be put to reasonable work, without it being a sweatshop for nike! now though all thats gone, and inner cities, or suburbs with low employment anyway have nothing to offer kids, then the law comes into it, minimum wage ect.
then whats there for girls to do to earn pocket money (dont bother) they have to wait until there 16 or older before being allowed to work.

so in some cases kids can grow up through school, hit 18 and never had experience of work!! thats not a good guider is it, then people wonder why they moan about what they consider sh*t jobs, like mcds or whatever - and think there too good for those jobs.

as for adult scroungers ect get them working for there money doing jobs in the community. - a bit of hard-ish graft may make them reconsider those other jobs

 

For those who genuinely want to work the jobs are out there and they should have nothing to worry about. For the scroungers it's time to run and hide

 

Take a look at the long term hardcore jobless, the ones who breed kids and moan that their houses are too small.

Would they really like to get their ***** out of bed at 6AM?

No jobs is there? Funny how all these sausage rolls/latvians/ etc. seem to find them.

Not sure about your part of the world, but in my area of the country some see it as a fcucking lifestyle choice.