Don't Cap My Benefits...

[ferlew]

How do you feel about this programme, BBC1, now.

[ladybirder]

Why Roy?

[factor-fiction]

I think Roy was being sarcastic.
Has there been a flood of Romanian gypsies then, Beezaneez?

[New Judge]

STill watching:

"Work 16 hours per week. Get £800!"

£50 per hour. Not bad at all.

Those wondering why (a) taxes are so high and/or (b) there is no money for essential services need look no further.

[ferlew]

This is going to sound so pieso, in my day, marriage came first, then looking for somewhere to live, once that was achieved, then came the babies.
Might be me that was wrong eh?

[New Judge]

"Last year 276 people were moved out of Brent". Well something good came out of it I suppose.

[ferlew]

£50 new judge????
I was lucky to earn £7

[woofgang]

Blimey. The nice man who does my house maintenance does an eight hour day with about a ten minute lunch break for 115 quid a day, he brings all his own tools and can do anything except gas and certificated electric. He actually is an electrician but hasn't kept up the certificated bit. He will also take in deliveries and looks after my nutty dogs if I have to pop out.

[New Judge]

Yes you have it all wrong, ferlew. The order of events (for some young women) now is:

1. Get Pregnant
2. Go to the Housing Dept.
3. Be allocated a flat
4. Get pregnant
5. Go to Housing Dept.
6. Be allocated larger premises
7. Sign up for a course (so as not to be troubled by people suggesting you might, perhaps, "seek work")
8. Get pregnant
9. Go to ......(I think you get the idea)

(continues two or three more times)

[ferlew]

Bliddy hell New Judge, now I see where I went wrong....... :(

[ummmm]

You really think that's a lifestyle choice, NJ? Bringing up my children has been a much harder job than any of my paid jobs. In fact, at times, going to work was like having a break.

I really find it hard to believe that someone makes a conscious choice to have babies and live on benefits. The actual hard cash you receive, imo, is simply not enough to buy food let alone pay bills and buy clothes...

[royfromaus]

The woman with two children was told if she got a job (16 hours per week)
she would get this...

Child tax credit £167.16
Working tax credit £207,69
Housing benifit £288.46
Child benifit £47.10

Earnings £100.96

Total weekly income ............£811.37

Leaving her £328.37 to live on.

Meaning she could stay where she was. She thought it would be demeaning doing a minimum wage job like cleaning.

[horseshoes]

The need for the HS2 becomes clear. It will be needed to ship all these people out of London and into Birmingham. Then same thing happens in Birmigham, ship them to Manchester.....Sheffield ....... York...... further and further north so eventually they end up in Scotland after which time Scotland becomes independent then UK can refuse to have them back! (All said tongue firmly in cheek of course).

[sherrardk]

That child benefit figure is wrong - it's £33.50 for two children, wonder how many of the othe figures are incorrect too? Oh, and people on quite a decent wage get child benefit too so personally I don't think it should be included in the overall 'benefit' amount.

[Cloverjo]

New Judge, it is not that easy to get a house if you are young and pregnant or have small children. Council houses are in very short supply. I was on the list for a couple of years when my son was little and I was a single mother. I never got anywhere near the top. Luckily I found a decent house I could afford to rent, privately - with help from benefits, for which I am eternally grateful.

[New Judge]

"You really think that's a lifestyle choice, NJ? "

If your lifestyle was not a choice, ummm, just what was it then? Who forced you into it? How did they do so?

Just curious.

[sherrardk]

New judge, it would appear that you have never been in the position where you needed benefits to survive – good for you, but until you have been in that position it really is impossible to judge what it is like.

[ummmm]

Ok...so someone gets pregnant unintentionally (I did when I was 18) you really think they'd have more children just so they don't have to go to go to work? That they really believe that a life on benefits is a decent life.

[New Judge]

Just to clarify my point - large numbers of those in the programme tonight were single mothers. There was no indication that they had become mothers and then that their relationship had broken down. It seems they had children whilst not in a stable relationship. Why did they do so? There is no need for any woman to become pregnant if she does not want to. Even those in the programme who were in stable relationships were clearly in no position to support themselves, let alone any children. Yet most of them continued to churn out children long after their straits became dire. Many of them had not worked for many years, if at all. Still the children arrived. Just what is wrong with these people and if it is not their lifestyle choice just what is it?

[ummmm]

Carelessness, stupidity, ignorance, a moment of madness....who knows.

[New Judge]

Ah. That explains it and thanks for your candour.

The trouble is that for this "carelessness, stupidity, ignorance, a moment of madness" the taxpayer pays dearly.