haha, just heard a reporter summarising the new benefit cuts

[dotty.]

no housing benefit for the under 25s, that will make lots of babies and small children homeless, excellent stuff, they can set up shanty towns on the edge of cities near to the local tip so that the older kids can scavange for scrap metal to sell for food, because no housing benefit means they wonlt qualify for free school meals, excellent, love this country me.

[Connemmara]

My sister and I were discussing this today - she is a very avid listener of radio - I am not (being deaf) anyway she says Cameron is putting this "through" this Tuesday - when is it going to be in operation (operation not being the right word)

[Psybbo]

Oh I wish I knew the answer to this

[Connemmara]

Sandy I don't know about you but I do know plenty of Mother Hubbards and their 50" TVs not to mention their DLA cars oops 4 wheel drives.

[dotty.]

oh a neighbour of mine hasn't worked in 25 years and she has a DLA mobility car, she looks perfectly fit and is always trotting off to bingo, mind you, her two teenage boys have to stop at home when she does as they are both wheelchair bound and can't get about without her driving them in the car, life of riley some folk eh?

[Mamyalynne]

Please let us not start the mobility car thing again - you hand over your benefit for a bog standard model, any bigger or better and you pay the difference.

[Mamyalynne]

Anyone on benefit that I know have got their plasma telly from some store charging stupid APR interest to those with a poor credit rating.

[Connemmara]

Can I just reiterate here - when is business going to be operation. Thanks

[Mamyalynne]

Latest info I can find...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/.../uk-politics-19864056

[pastafreak]

This gives a rundown of the changes and time scale for them...

http://www.turn2us.or...anges.aspx?page=16619

[pastafreak]

From mamya's link - " Party chairman Grant Shapps suggested the Conservatives had been too "shy" about trumpeting what they had done to support low and middle-income earners in tough times.

The public were worried about the cost of "paying their bills and filling up their car" and the party had to make clear they were on "the side of every working family".

"People need to know 'they do get it'. But they are not mind readers. We need to go out there and tell them."

I wish they'd do something about the horrendous rises in the cost of utilities...mine are set to go up by almost 10%.

[Connemmara]

Thanks Pasta and Mamy - but turntous was a bit too lengthy for me and the bbc politics did not give a date. My sister keeps saying this Tuesday things will happen.

[Mamyalynne]

Totally agree Pasta, my electric and water charges are crippling and of course have to be paid before I can think of food shopping etc..

[Mamyalynne]

Doubt that Conne...we will have to wait and see - first to the soup kitchen eh?

[pastafreak]

It starts to come into effect next April ( well-some changes have started this year)...and will continue up to 2016 I think.

[pastafreak]

I dread the winter,mamya...it puts a dent in an already severely stretched budget.

[sandyRoe]

On Tuesday Cameron will make a speech directed at the gallery. If he has the effrontery to talk of cutting housing benefit for under 25 he should remember that they already make up a sizable number of the unemployed. Are they all going to live in shanty towns?

[sherrardk]

Me and himself had well paid jobs, big mortgage, credit cards, the lot. Thought that people on benefits were work shy scroungers who needed a kick up the arse. We then decided to start our own business and lost everything. We were evicted from our rented house and had nowhere to go. No housing association houses available as we had to be given a four bed house (even though we would have taken anything) as they wouldn't let us have five children in a three bed house. Had to apply for a homeless loan to get a deposit to rent privately. Didn't get any benefits for three months (despite having five children of 7 and under, two of whom were babies). Any one who thinks living on benefits is easy is deluded although I expect that there are plenty who know how to work the system. Not only are you as poor as poor can be you at the mercy of some unknown system to allocate you any benefits and to take them away as they see fit. Horrible position to be in and the worst time of my life. Until you have been in a that position you cannot possibly understand how Sugar it is however understanding you think you might be.

[Gromit]

Here is the Timeline:

2012 - Cameron will announce on Tuesday. Thunderous applause from aged rabid rabble on the Conference floor.

2013 - 2014 The LibDems will block it and it will never happen.

2015 - An election is called and it will be dropped in favour of 'nice' policies.

It is just a gesture from a lame duck Prime Minister to placate fustrated grassroots Tories?

[berniecuddles]

so many people taking benefits out and not putting anything back in! what happens when the money runs out?? gotta happen soon or later!
3 yrs ago i got made redundant after working 35 yrs and it took me a year to get another job i was on j.s allowance for 6 months and then told (i had to laugh ) i was not entitled to any more j.s allowance as i had not paid enough in over the years, yet i worked full time 42 hours a week, on the same day as i signed on young chap of 18 left school at 15 has never had a job paid nothing in been on j.s.allowance for over 3 years since he left school something wrong somewhere?

[ummmm]

I think you have that wrong Bernie. He wouldn't be able to claim JSA until he was 18.

What I find strange is under 25 is the best time to have a baby, body and fitness wise. I had 3 by 26.