MrSmith Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 The bits that cost us the most money and have the potential to increase benefit spend massively in the future. Pensions, e.g. do all pensioners need bus passes, winter fuel payments etc... Is the schedule for upping the retirement age aggressive enough? I would up the pension age faster but I think it’s an administration thing regarding bus passes, winter fuel payments, apparently its cheaper to give them to everyone than means test them. Housing benefits. Clearly a massive and growing problem. Agreed, I would have prevented the problem 10 years ago, not easy to sort out now. Youth unemployment. Agreed and again I would have prevented the problem 13 years ago, not so easy now but it can still be sorted. I would say if we're all obsessed with the Philpotts we're obsessed with what represents a tiny proportion of benefit spend. It's not wrong to be angry that there are people like them about, far from it. But our energy should be used for asking questions about the real more pressing issues we face around benefits. No one is obsessed with Philpot and he will be forgot about in a week or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricgem2002 Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 I would up the pension age faster but I think it’s an administration thing regarding bus passes, winter fuel payments, apparently its cheaper to give them to everyone than means test them. says who Agreed, I would have prevented the problem 10 years ago, not easy to sort out now. not according to cameron and clegg Agreed and again I would have prevented the problem 13 years ago, not so easy now but it can still be sorted. isnt that what the condems are trying to do No one is obsessed with Philpot and he will be forgot about in a week or two. it seems the condems are Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I1L2T3 Posted April 7, 2013 Author Share Posted April 7, 2013 No one is obsessed with Philpot and he will be forgot about in a week or two. I wouldn't be so sure. You are going to hear that name again and again. Lynton Crosby is expected to be advising the Tories again and he's the master of dog whistle politics. The Tories are relying on voter prejudices to get their message across. They will never tell you outright that all benefits claimants are like the Philpotts but they want you to think it. If it isn't the Philpotts they use the Mail and Sun will dutifully track down others like them to keep the stories rolling. Disappointingly some in the Labour party think the best way to tackle the Tory approach is to join in. It's the basest of politics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSmith Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 not if they didnt want to much profit Profit is usually the motivation for starting a business, if it wasn't for the greed there wouldn’t be any businesses to work for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Cid Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 No one is obsessed with Philpot and he will be forgot about in a week or two. I would have decreased all this money that parents get, years ago. Anyone on benefits for longer than 2 years, their benefits should be paid in the form of food tokens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSmith Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 says who not according to cameron and clegg isnt that what the condems are trying to do it seems the condems are I was talking about what I would have done and not what they would have done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I1L2T3 Posted April 7, 2013 Author Share Posted April 7, 2013 Anyway, back to the article linked to in the OP. There's a graph in there that seems to be showing the numbers now on out of work benefits is over 1m lower than in the early 1990s. It also shows the explosion in numbers on incapacity benefits happened in the early 90s under the Tories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSmith Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 Anyway, back to the article linked to in the OP. There's a graph in there that seems to be showing the numbers now on out of work benefits is over 1m lower than in the early 1990s. It also shows the explosion in numbers on incapacity benefits happened in the early 90s under the Tories. At least 900,000 people who were on incapacity benefit have now dropped their claim to the payments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I1L2T3 Posted April 7, 2013 Author Share Posted April 7, 2013 At least 900,000 people who were on incapacity benefit have now dropped their claim to the payments. What will they claim instead? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrSmith Posted April 7, 2013 Share Posted April 7, 2013 What will they claim instead? Some might not claim anything like this man. John Pickard, 64, was claiming benefits including incapacity benefit while not declaring he was working as a claims processor at the job centre, which a Norwich Crown Court judge described as “bizarre”. On his own claims forms he insisted that a knee operation made it impossible for him to work. He claimed incapacity benefit and a raft of other payouts, including pension credits, housing and council tax benefits. For all we know all 900,000 were cheats and have stopped claiming out of fear of being found out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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