MrSmith Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 But whats possible to survive on in one country,is totally different to other countries.Are you comparing third world countries to this country? Where there is a Tax on almost everything? Or was it just a thoughtless comment chucked in for the fun of it? £53 a week in the UK buys significantly more than billions of people in other countries have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francypants Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 I believe most people could live on £53 a week FOR A SHORT TIME. Not easy but can be done. It's when things start to break down and you can't replace them, clothes and shoes wear out or children outgrow them, that's when you can't manage. I don't think even the thriftiest of people could live on this amount for long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gym_rat Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 £53 a week after benefits? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLADE8T1 Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 £53 a week in the UK buys significantly more than billions of people in other countries have. Your point is pointless and irrelevant to the thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vague_Boy Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 Billions of people live on less. They don't have to pay UK prices though. I seem to remember Conservative MP Mathew Parris trying this back in the 1980s for the TV series World in Action. As an MP he took part in a World In Action documentary during 1984 requiring him to live in Newcastle for a week on £26.80, the then state social security payment set for a single adult by the government he supported as a Conservative. The experiment came to an embarrassing end when he ran out of money for the electricity meter. Twenty years later, in 2004, he attempted the experiment again for the documentary For the Benefit of Mr Parris, Revisited. LINK I'm not familiar with the second attempt but I well remember the first. As the experiment only went on for a week, he didn't have to budget for things that occur throughout the year (e.g. TV Licence). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister M Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 You seen to mix up hard work with physical effort. They are not the same There are many who wish nothing more than to go through life "cradle to grave" never having lifted a finger to earn a living. They turn up for job interviews and tell the potential employer they are only at the interview because they were forced there to avoid a benefit cut. They will explain all the problems they would cause if they were given a job. They then return to their life on hand outs. Hard work and physical effort are not synonyms but I'd rather be a bank manager than a bricklayer at 65. It is true that a minority of people on benefits don't put any effort in to find work; however recent research from the DWP shows that the overwhelming majority of people do not recieve income support for a long time (i.e. over 2 years), most are back into work within months. The research was not widely publicised by ministers as it contradicts their efforts to demonise the poor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSmith Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 I believe most people could live on £53 a week FOR A SHORT TIME. Not easy but can be done. It's when things start to break down and you can't replace them, clothes and shoes wear out or children outgrow them, that's when you can't manage. I don't think even the thriftiest of people could live on this amount for long. The £53 a week is for one person, no children involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister M Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 They don't have to pay UK prices though. I seem to remember Conservative MP Mathew Parris trying this back in the 1980s for the TV series World in Action. LINK I'm not familiar with the second attempt but I well remember the first. As the experiment only went on for a week, he didn't have to budget for things that occur throughout the year (e.g. TV Licence). You're right Vague Boy, and Matthew Parris was on record as saying it challenged many of his prejudices & altered his world view. I think the second attempt was when Michael Portillo went to live as a single parent (I think about 8 / 10 years ago) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
go4it Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 donating his salary to a foodbank. As has been pointed out on one documentary, food banks are being abused by people making out they are poorer then they actually are. Why go to Tesco when someone will do that for you and give you the shopping for free? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSmith Posted April 1, 2013 Share Posted April 1, 2013 They don't have to pay UK prices though. I could buy significantly more in the UK with £53 a week than billions of people around the world have, my life on £53 a week would be substantially better than the lives of billions of people around the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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