Should our unemployed be forced to pick fruit?

[tzijlstra]

Of course.. one had me just stufing envelopes, I asked for a different placement! But while i was there I also used their computer and their "Windows for Idiots Book" and taught myself windows and excel.... use and use alike I thought!

 

Well done

[*_ash_*]

 

£3bn in unemployment benefits.

 

Sounds a lot different to £100bn doesn't it.

 

http://visual.ons.gov.uk/welfare-spending/

 

I mentioned housing, and in work benefits, (and including income support) much of which is just another name for UB and including this £3b comes to £74b. Disability and other benefits comes to £75b. Not figures to be sniffed at.

 

Take off pensions and the welfare budget is £150b. All sounds a lot different to £3b doesn't it.

[Gamston]

Just been watching Countryfile and it seems we have nothing to worry about a future shortage of labour to pick fruit, as a consequence of BREXIT, because robots are going to be used to pick fruit. Problem sorted.

[Olive]

Thank you - it wasn't easy, I wasn't offered the first "job" I worked in, I had to do a few placements to get my foot in the door, so to speak.

 

But I didn't view it as a "forced employment" more an opportunity, something I could take advantage of for my CV and my self esteem. I felt better going out "to work" then I did sitting home waiting for my giro :-D

 

Good for you, glad it worked out for you.

 

These days you'd probably be sanctioned for not being "available to take paid work"! I think I remember that happening to someone volunteering selling poppies.

[Bob Arctor]

Good for you, glad it worked out for you.

 

These days you'd probably be sanctioned for not being "available to take paid work"! I think I remember that happening to someone volunteering selling poppies.

 

I know someone who was on a volunteer placement that was teaching them lots of useful knowledge and skills but was told that they had to stop that to go on the Work Programme to do things they already knew. If they'd have refused they would have been sanctioned.

[Olive]

Whether fruit-picking or otherwise, yes.

Benefit payments are funded by taxpayers. It's easy for claimants to forget that.

 

Do you think that Tax Payers and Benefits Claimants are two completely different populations? Never the twain shall meet?

 

How pleased would you be to have paid tax and NI for decades, only to be labelled a scrounger the minute you get made redundant or become ill? Most people work bloody long and hard for the pittance of a benefit they may be unfortunate to need. It's unfortunate that a few long term system-players turn popular opinion against people who fall back on social security in times of need. It can happen to anybody.

[Bob Arctor]

Do you think that Tax Payers and Benefits Claimants are two completely different populations? Never the twain shall meet?

 

How pleased would you be to have paid tax and NI for decades, only to be labelled a scrounger the minute you get made redundant or become ill? Most people work bloody long and hard for the pittance of a benefit they may be unfortunate to need. It's unfortunate that a few long term system-players turn popular opinion against people who fall back on social security in times of need. It can happen to anybody.

 

Nicely put Olive

[Cyclone]

I mentioned housing, and in work benefits, (and including income support) much of which is just another name for UB and including this £3b comes to £74b. Disability and other benefits comes to £75b. Not figures to be sniffed at.

 

Take off pensions and the welfare budget is £150b. All sounds a lot different to £3b doesn't it.

 

You mentioned IN WORK benefits, which you think of as just another name for unemployment benefit.

That's pretty special.

 

Unemployment benefit is £3bn, despite your special reasoning, that's how much it is.

[Scozzie]

Picking fruit when I was unemployed never did MD any harm. I loved it and u made so many new friends

[*_ash_*]

You mentioned IN WORK benefits, which you think of as just another name for unemployment benefit.

That's pretty special.

 

Unemployment benefit is £3bn, despite your special reasoning, that's how much it is.

 

I've adjusted post #64 to as I should have written it in the first place. Have a re-read and see if it changes how I wrote it.

 

-

 

My later post about my thoughts on the economics (on post #71) you've linked together with the first one.

 

-

 

Income support is just a modern way of saying UB, you're just being pedantic. And working tax-credit type things is just another way of skewing the figures, because technically it isn't someone who is 'UNEMPLOYED'. If someone's doing 4 hours a week at min wage, and claiming a weeks wage called 'working/child credits' or whatever, it's just a cover to make figures look good and win votes.

 

I'm surprised you of all people fall for this easy manipulation of statistics.