Why do we have to support these **** dole scroungers? Guy sat next to me on the train bragging to his mates how he's earning more than the guy he's doing cash in hand work for! Isn't there a better way of supporting people who need to be supported? I'm sure if the government stopped all benefits to the scroungers who can't be bothered to get off their fat arses to do some work they'd save a fortune and get the country out of the financial hole it's in almost overnight. Keep the child benefit thats useful, Keep the benefits for the people who are legitimately off work through disability or carers, They should just have the contribution based JSA too. Most people can find work within the 6 months before that gets reviewed if they are wanting to work. If you don't want to work what a shame. You'll go hungry.

And while I'm having a rant. Whats big and clever about spending a stupid amount of money on an amp for your car that you can't drive anyway because you've been banned from driving because you nearly killed someone while driving when you're drunk you fat ugly twunt.

There are people who spend most of their 'working' day on STW, and earn loads more than people like nurses who work far longer hours for far less pay and no time on STW.

Life's unfair. Go and have a good cry about it.

MTH

like nurses who work far longer hours for far less pay and no time on STW.

Isn't TJ a nurse? 😆

There are people who spend most of their 'working' day on STW, and earn loads more than people like nurses who work far longer hours for far less pay and no time on STW.

Life's unfair. Go and have a good cry about it.

He's talking about me there you know…… 😆

I've been on here so much recently I've almost forgotten what my real job is.

Oh that's right it's catching doley scroungers.

Elfinsafety – Member

There are people who spend most of their 'working' day on STW, and earn loads more than people like nurses who work far longer hours for far less pay and no time on STW.

Life's unfair. Go and have a good cry about it.

I know. I can do that too. In sales I probably take home more than most nurses while playing on STW most of the day. But I work all hours god sends to earn that.

Me – semi retired 🙂

There are 2.5 million people without jobs – where are these 2.5 million jobs coming from?

The Southern Yeti – Member

I've been on here so much recently I've almost forgotten what my real job is.

Oh that's right it's catching doley scroungers.

Come and get the one next to me on the Barry to Cardiff train then please!

I'm sure if the government stopped all benefits to the scroungers who can't be bothered to get off their fat arses to do some work they'd save a fortune and get the country out of the financial hole it's in almost overnight.

Benefits bill is lower than most think – you read the Mail too much.

Anyway why not get off your own fat ass, take a pic of the guy and send it to the DSS?

Some folk always expect someone else to sort things out.

Am I the only person who read this and thought "Great way to create a smackhead crimewave…"

We should use the swiss approach…

TandemJeremy – Member

Me – semi retired

There are 2.5 million people without jobs – where are these 2.5 million jobs coming from?

I haven't got that far yet.

cynic-al – Member

I'm sure if the government stopped all benefits to the scroungers who can't be bothered to get off their fat arses to do some work they'd save a fortune and get the country out of the financial hole it's in almost overnight.

Benefits bill is lower than most think – you read the Mail too much.

Anyway why not get off your own fat ass, take a pic of the guy and send it to the DSS?

Some folk always expect someone else to sort things out.

Sadly no camera. And he got off the train at Barry 🙁

I wanted a Rant about it. Before I go and talk to people who can't understand why a claim they made after writing off their car makes their premium go up 🙂 before I sell stuff to them and go home happy with my wages.

Had this conversation with a work mate a while ago. He lives in Denistoun in Glasgow where there must be something like 90% unemployment and was moaning about how he pays, they don't. They drink all day long, they have better clothes than him, all have sky and play stations etc etc etc.

I asked him if he would really want to work next to these people……

He didn't say much after that.

I don't know what the solution is? But I do know it's been going wrong for so long that it's going to take quite a while to fix.

Come and get the one next to me on the Barry to Cardiff train then please!

Sorry mate, something might happen on here…

2.5 million people without jobs

TJ that stat is already old. I think you should have inserted a counter instead.

"There are 2.5 million people without jobs – where are these 2.5 million jobs coming from?"

Well, they could start cleaning Glasgow for a start – it's a bloody dump! A right disgusting mess for a supposedly 'advanced' civilisation…. I'm going to stop there…. If they clean we'll pay them a wage instead of benefit.

Had this conversation with a work mate a while ago. He lives in Denistoun in Glasgow where there must be something like 90% unemployment and was moaning about how he pays, they don't. They drink all day long, they have better clothes than him, all have sky and play stations etc etc etc.

Thats the bit that annoys me. I haven't got a problem if people are willing to work legally. Its the ones who play the system and get away with it.

Sorry mate, something might happen on here…

Lol I know. And I need to get off the train now 🙁 Don't anybody go anywhere! 😛

I doubt anyone actully wants tosupport fraudelent dole claimants do they?

Most people can find work within the 6 months before that gets reviewed if they are wanting to work. If you don't want to work what a shame. You'll go hungry.

Really what alternative world are you living on where anyone can get a job in this recession? You can see how many jobs there are available in the job centre and how many on benefits and they are not an equal number. You also seem to think that someone with no qualifications and no work history[possibly even a criminal record] can just get a job…who are the employers crying out for this kind of worker?
Do you really think they will just sit at home and starve too death or do you think the will start robbing from you whilst you are at work in order to eat? You then get higher insuance premiums and taxes [prisons and courts are more expensive than benefits]

In 2008/09, gross income tax receipts were £152.5 billion. In the same year, social security benefits cost the Exchequer £150.1 billion.

In 2009/10, the Treasury is expecting to take in £140.5 billion in gross income tax receipts. Social security benefits are projected to be £164.7 billion.

cynic-al – Member

Benefits bill is lower than most think – you read the Mail too much.

you might think that wiping out entire income tax revenue, and equating to 25% of ALL tax revenue is 'not much……'

Bring back conscription lol

I'm amazed that anyone would still espouse getting rid of the dole. I could see how some people could arrive at their opinions before the credit crunch – getting work was very easy, and most middle class people had no experience of unemployment.

Post credit crunch, pretty much every profession going has had redundancies, and work is much harder to come by.

I've no time for people who play the system, but suggesting blanket removal of unemployment benefits is incredibly wrongheaded.

I used to work in a Benefits Office. The system is a mess, a shockingly high percentage of claimants have made a profession of playing the system for a 'free lunch'. This is terrible for genuine claimants because of the stigma it then attaches to being on long term sick, carer, or unemployment benefits.

What REALLY boils my piss is every time benefits reform is touted all these groups (often disabled rights groups) start banging their pots and pans. What the hell are they scared of? I know there is always the danger a few genuine claimants might suffer, but to my mind saving the money captured back from the scroungers might pay for better services for the genuine folk.

I am also a secondary carer for my mother-in-law who has MS and is paralysed from the chest down – my wife and myself live with her to help with the care. So that gives me more perspective also (I think). Annoyingly, my father in law is one of these folk who rants everytime benefit reform is touted. I just keep my mouth shut.

Military service for the long term unemployed, community service for the short term unemployed; care taken that they have the time too, and are still looking for work. The long term sick can sometimes do work, should be explored. For example Common Wheel is a Glasgow charity were the mentally ill restore second hand bikes for resale.

Plenty more folk deserve more than they get. More for pensioners and the genuinely ill, less for Billy the ned driving a nearly new Focus obtained on mobility, meant for his mum.

DenDennis isn't National insurance the portion of tax that is 'supposed' to cover 'benefits' under the welfare state?

So you focusing on Income tax ignores £104.6bn 'earmarked' for that purpose.

Does 'Social security benefits' in your post cover state pensions? What proportion of these are pensions?

There are loads of statistics out there and the daily mail don't help. According to statistics that nearly 4 million people are unemployed, but could be wrong. I am on benefits and try my dam hardest to find work every day and it is a case of supply and demand – the supply is low in every sector and the demand is very high. There is about 200+ people applying for every job going. But it is the agencies and employers that still wont fill vacancies that maybe there and if you go to the jobcentre and look on the jobpoints 90% of the jobs are middle/high ended – demanding qualifications (degrees/a-levels) and loads of experience. I cant even get a IT Support job – got 10 years experience/had my own business for 5 years and got 2 years qualifications in IT (A-level) equivalent.

So where does the answer lye and the recession is far from over, loads of companies making people redundant.

Rant over

there will be a lot more unemployment too when the gov cut backs get into full swing…mind you all these scroungers will no doubt get caught out by Experion under the govs benefits shake down….like heck.

I do sometimes wonder how may of the ranters on here have actually experienced unemployment and had to go and claim benefits.

Workhouses.
Solves both the unemployment and housing shortage problems in one go.

ctznsmith – Member

DenDennis isn't National insurance the portion of tax that is 'supposed' to cover 'benefits' under the welfare state?

So you focusing on Income tax ignores £104.6bn 'earmarked' for that purpose.

Does 'Social security benefits' in your post cover state pensions? What proportion of these are pensions?

not sure actually, I'll have to dig the web for more 'facts' but in any case, even if 'benefits' included state pensions, the proportion of payouts compared to combined income tax/nat insurance revenue is surprising…..
What that chart shows perhaps more surprisingly, is the relatively low proportion of corporation tax.

Unless you plan to do something about it, get on with your own life.

In 2008/09, gross income tax receipts were £152.5 billion. In the same year, social security benefits cost the Exchequer £150.1 billion.

In 2009/10, the Treasury is expecting to take in £140.5 billion in gross income tax receipts. Social security benefits are projected to be £164.7 billion.

this is what happens in a recession – which is why cutting jobs is a bad idea as the benefits bill goes up and the tax take down. Those numbers will be worse next year as unemployment rises leading to lower tax take and higher benefits bill

I do sometimes wonder how may of the ranters on here have actually experienced unemployment and had to go and claim benefits

I have. I signed on for a grand total of a week before I decided I'd rather manage myself by taking any job I could find.

in regars to the OP,
a) he was probably bullsh!tting
b) as great as free money is, im sure if he was being honest hed rather have qualifications, a steady job etc
c) its friday dont worry about it

and i also think that smackhead crimewave is the result of stopping junky benefits!

I probably take home more than most nurses while playing on STW most of the day. But I work all hours god sends to earn that.

er? did you read that?

I'm on the Dole, i'm earning my tax credits back. It's essentially my Pension fund that i'm dipping into. I've been paying into it for years through national insurance and now i'm being given some of it back so that i can fund my ventures into finding a new job. 😀 If it didn't exist i'd be in a much worse position. I'm not backing up the scroungers, who are out there in their millions. just glad that this system is in place for people like me.

OP – you'd be better off ranting about cash-in-hand work

course, we "all" like to avoid VAT etc and take the cheapest quote for getting work done when it suits us

anagallis_arvensis – Member
I probably take home more than most nurses while playing on STW most of the day. But I work all hours god sends to earn that.
er? did you read that?

Well, posting all day takes time and dedication – you can't just play at it

what Waderider said.

career scroungers are a strain on more than just the benefits system. If (like my past neighbour) you don't need to get up and work for your vodka money, why not have a party most nights blasting your crap music out, using up council env health dept's and coppers' time….

I wish people would stop trotting out that old line about enforced military service for 'benefit scroungers'…

1) It's an insult to all of our servicemen/women to insinuate some sort of moral/status equivalency between them and the aforementioned lifestyle benefit recipients.

2) Such people would be a total hindrance in any professional military.

3) Every advanced military in the world has either moved from or is in the process of moving on from the concept of conscription with the exception of Israel and that's only due to the fact that they're so heavily outnumbered by their enemies and could face a war of national survival at any time.

4) The military are too small and have far more important things to do than babysit for society's least wanted.

I do sometimes wonder how may of the ranters on here have actually experienced unemployment and had to go and claim benefits.

Not a ranter as such but I was on benefits for 3 months following redundancy and it was the most soul-destroying period of my life. I can't work out how these 'dole scroungers' do it either, the number of hoops I had to jump through to even get the bare minimum was incredible. And it certainly wasn't a living wage.

Going to the Job Centre every fortnight was something I came to loathe very quickly although some of the staff there were OK there were plenty who obviously hated being there as much as I did.

I wish people would stop trotting out that old line about enforced military service for 'benefit scroungers'…

And while shifting the costs from the Social security bill onto the Defence bill. I don't know if anyone noticed, but defence spending is about to be cut.

I do think that a lot of people think we shouldn't be "handing" money out at all, that they should get a job. There aren't many jobs around for starters, not that many of these people would have the qualifications or experience to do them anyway. In times like these, if you don't hand out the money, many of them will be robbing you blind, literally to get money.

The benefit system was designed to help participants for a short period only. It has become a long term solution in certain areas of the country where industries were closed down a couple of decades back. Lack of social mobility compounds the problem.

What that chart shows perhaps more surprisingly, is the relatively low proportion of corporation tax.

Shows you how "business friendly" Previous Governments have been.

I nearly got there, walked miles to every building site I could find and got labouring work.

Dole to me is just complete failure whatever the circumstances. There is always work somewhere IMO – you just need to remove any standards and possibly do something truly awful for a while.