If you could vote on the future of benefits, how would you vote?

[TheGuy]

I think it should be spent on whatever those in receipt of it see fit.

 

why shouldn't it be?

 

I never really viewed myself as a right-winger, but if instinctively baulking at the idea that our collective taxes are funding people's smoking and boozing makes me a right-winger then so be it.

[andyofborg]

Oh come on! the welfare dependency after 13 years of New Labour left a lumpenproletariate, to use a very old fashioned term, with a welfare dependency, that did nothing for their "self direction".

 

and the government before new labour and the current one are doing what to discourage welfare dependency?

 

if you really want to remove welfare dependency then you need to force companies to employ people in this country to do proper, skilled, decently paid jobs

[tinfoilhat]

and the government before new labour and the current one are doing what to discourage welfare dependency?

 

if you really want to remove welfare dependency then you need to force companies to employ people in this country to do proper, skilled, decently paid jobs

 

Start one then. I mean, it's that easy isn't it ?

[andyofborg]

I never really viewed myself as a right-winger, but if instinctively baulking at the idea that our collective taxes are funding people's smoking and boozing makes me a right-winger then so be it.

 

would you like someone to tell you what you can and can't buy?

 

if people have paid their bills why shouldn't they have a drink and/or smoke?

[andyofborg]

Start one then. I mean, it's that easy isn't it ?

 

start one what?

[tinfoilhat]

Start a business employing lots of skilled labour.

[andyofborg]

Start a business employing lots of skilled labour.

 

ok

 

..........................................

[Mister M]

Figures for 2008/09 reveal that the Department for Work & Pensions had a budget of £135.7 billion. It was divided up as follows:

 

£62.677bn - State pension

£17.181bn - Housing benefit

£16.218bn - Disability benefit

£8.687 bn - Income support

£7.798 bn - Pension credit

£4.23 bn - Council tax benefit

£3.026bn - Paybill

£2.881bn - Jobseekers allowance

£2.734bn - Other admin spending

£2.694bn - Winter fuel payments

£2.075bn - Statutory maternity pay

£1.367bn - Invalid care allowance / carer's allowance

£0.769bn - Employment support allowance

£0.528bn - Over 75s tv licences.

(Figures from IFS & Guardian)

 

Thought a few facts & figures might be useful....

[Bulgarian]

Was going to vote that people should do some work for their benefits (assuming they can) but I don't think they should only do "menial jobs", thats sounds like some kind of punishment.

[tinfoilhat]

ok

 

..........................................

 

Good man. Now I'm prime minister for the next 10 minutes and know I'm forcing , I repeat forcing (your words remember) you to employ 4 more highly skilled posts. Now you might need to train them (at your expense) you might not be able to afford it (as the business owner you'll have to pay them from your wages) but by gum you'd better employ them.

 

Chop chop, we've nearly 3 million to get through (although a good 1.5million were unemployed in the boom times suggesting that maybe not all of them want to work.