What would you cut from your personal expenditure...

[Bellend Sebastian]

In these austere times we should be getting them working at a much younger age and charging them for B & B etc all this namby pambying is not good for them

Those chimneys don't sweep themselves.

Unlike slum children in the third world, British children just don't want to work

[Dr The Singh]

Those chimneys don't sweep themselves.

Unlike slum children in the third world, British children just don't want to work

Yet there happy to watch free tv, free clothing, housing, there the biggest spongers around!!!

Central heating has killed off the chimney sweeping industry but i'm sure there's loads of work for kids to do, if not they should join the benefit queue and start making claims!!

[davieG]

Those chimneys don't sweep themselves.

Unlike slum children in the third world, British children just don't want to work

That's why so many kids are unemployed there's not enough chimneys to sweep to many chasing to few jobs, it's not as it there's many mines open either. We need to diversify and find suitable crap & dangerous jobs for these kids to do as it will strengthen their characters.

[Dr The Singh]

In these austere times we should be getting them working at a much younger age and charging them for B & B etc all this namby pambying is not good for them

Society went wrong when they thought it was appropriate for children to 'clean there room', do there homework, pick up the plates, scrub the toilets as an acceptable means of payment. FFS, that stuff isn't gonna put food on the table, pay for my sky or my beer.

The feckers should be out, pimping, selling drugs or atleast muggin old ladies!!

[Bellend Sebastian]

You can squeeze a child into a gas flue if you really want to

[lou]

You can squeeze a child into a gas flue if you really want to

You really can! Not sure how Im gonna get her out mind....Shirker!!

[Bellend Sebastian]

That's why so many kids are unemployed there's not enough chimneys to sweep to many chasing to few jobs, it's not as it there's many mines open either. We need to diversify and find suitable crap & dangerous jobs for these kids to do as it will strengthen their characters.

I've been supplying children to clean the blades of offshore windturbines. The fresh air does them the power of good and you don't seem them for ages

You really can! Not sure how Im gonna get her out mind....Shirker!!

That's the sort of 'can do' attitude that will get UK plc back on its feet

[lcfc_jme]

Haha! Youd have loved Frankie Boyle then! Sadly its his last tour and all sold out!

He was outrageous but very very funny!

Id cut out giving money to the kids... that is all

LAST tour?! This worries me no end and may lead to over-the-top payment for any tickets I find going spare online. Definitely a good way to cut my own personal expenditure..!! <_<

Glad you enjoyed it though, can definitely imagine it being my kinda thing.

Buying alternative meats such as ostrich and kangaroo could probably be a good thing for me to stop doing, I guess.

[Finnegan]

Bang on!

I saw a bloke on MIdlands news yesterday (I get West MIds for some reason) complaining about the changes to the welfare system and the news were presenting it as a valid argument against the changes in that "isn't it terrible" way that they like so much. He was a normal, somewhat scruffy, clearly fond of a tipple bloke. He had no major physical problems unless you count his below average IQ as a disability. His argument was "It's not fair, they are going to take me off the incapacity benefits and put me on the JSA. I can't live on that. It will hardly even cover my living costs" What the fook else does he think it is meant to do? The welfare system is meant to be a safety net not a bloody ticket to live the life you choose at others expense. It doesn't bother me so much that there are morons like him with a sense of entitlement. My main concern is the way that the media present these people to us in the guise of 'hard-luck stories' as if we should feel sorry for them or guilty about the fact that we complain about sponsoring their idolness, drinking and trips to the bookies.

How the absolute shit do you know he wasn't incapacitated? This is EXACTLY the sort of attitude I have issue with. Take my mam for example. She's now so far gone to her MS she's 100% dependant on care and costs the state a fortune. But earlier in her decline she could have appeared healthy to untrained eyes for five minutes on a tv camera. What the hell gives you the right to sit on your arse and judge this chap because you THINK he might 'enjoy a drink.'

[Jon the Hat]

How the absolute shit do you know he wasn't incapacitated? This is EXACTLY the sort of attitude I have issue with. Take my mam for example. She's now so far gone to her MS she's 100% dependant on care and costs the state a fortune. But earlier in her decline she could have appeared healthy to untrained eyes for five minutes on a tv camera. What the hell gives you the right to sit on your arse and judge this chap because you THINK he might 'enjoy a drink.'

Perhaps it was the fact that he was going to be taken off incapacity benefit that gave it away. Or the whingeing about the cash. Seems to me if you had a genuine disability you would probably say, "I suffer from MS and I am concerned that I might see my benefits reduced due to the inadequacies of the assesment system, despite my genuine inability to work." Or something like that.

The absolute key to this, is if you have been daignosed with a condition whcih is deemed to be serious enough to keep you from working, then you should simply have to produce a letter from your specialist periodically and that is it. NO point someone unfortunate enough to have MS being examined by a nurse etc for the purposes of benefit review.

Way too many people are on Incapacity benefit as they cannot do the job they were doing (which may have been quite physically demanding) rather than becuase they cannot do any job. If you are merely obliged to move into a less demanding job then you are able to work and should be on JSA not Incapacity benefit,

[Guest BlueBrett]

How the absolute shit do you know he wasn't incapacitated? This is EXACTLY the sort of attitude I have issue with. Take my mam for example. She's now so far gone to her MS she's 100% dependant on care and costs the state a fortune. But earlier in her decline she could have appeared healthy to untrained eyes for five minutes on a tv camera. What the hell gives you the right to sit on your arse and judge this chap because you THINK he might 'enjoy a drink

Perhaps it was the fact that he was going to be taken off incapacity benefit that gave it away. Or the whingeing about the cash. Seems to me if you had a genuine disability you would probably say, "I suffer from MS and I am concerned that I might see my benefits reduced due to the inadequacies of the assesment system, despite my genuine inability to work." Or something like that.

The absolute key to this, is if you have been daignosed with a condition whcih is deemed to be serious enough to keep you from working, then you should simply have to produce a letter from your specialist periodically and that is it. NO point someone unfortunate enough to have MS being examined by a nurse etc for the purposes of benefit review.

Way too many people are on Incapacity benefit as they cannot do the job they were doing (which may have been quite physically demanding) rather than becuase they cannot do any job. If you are merely obliged to move into a less demanding job then you are able to work and should be on JSA not Incapacity benefit,

This.

The fact that he was being taken off incapacity means that he has been on it for over 12months and it is deemed that his initial complaint should have sorted itself out by now.

Also I'm sure if the bloke had any actual problems the news wouldn't have been slow to point them out to further crank up the pity dial.

His individual case wasn't really the point though. I was more whinging about the mentality that benefits are some kind of pocket money rather than a last resort lifeline for the needy.

[Jon the Hat]

This.

The fact that he was being taken off incapacity means that he has been on it for over 12months and it is deemed that his initial complaint should have sorted itself out by now.

Also I'm sure if the bloke had any actual problems the news wouldn't have been slow to point them out to further crank up the pity dial.

His individual case wasn't really the point though. I was more whinging about the mentality that benefits are some kind of pocket money rather than a last resort lifeline for the needy.

This is what happens when people start on them from leaving school. I have never actually understood why the state would start paying benefits to people who live with their parents, and who have never had a job. You should have to pay Tax and NI for at least 1 year before you qualifiy for employment related or housing benefit,

[Finnegan]

This is what happens when people start on them from leaving school. I have never actually understood why the state would start paying benefits to people who live with their parents, and who have never had a job. You should have to pay Tax and NI for at least 1 year before you qualifiy for employment related or housing benefit,

Are you not making assumptions about people's lifestyles and upbringings? Not everybody has the option of staying at home. And not everyone's parents have the finances to sustain them.

[Jon the Hat]

Are you not making assumptions about people's lifestyles and upbringings? Not everybody has the option of staying at home. And not everyone's parents have the finances to sustain them.

If they cannot stay at home then fine, but if they do stay at home then they should not be bringing another lot of benefits into the household. We are missing the first motivator to finding a job! Get out of home so you can enjoy yourself. I know it is not easy.

Also if kids move out of home and home is a council house, then parents should be required to move into a smaller property. I think. Mind you maybe that would cause people to have more kids to keep their house. Hmm. Tricky this isn't it

[Finnegan]

But like I say, given that "home" isn't an option for everybody - that sort of wipes out your 'you should have to work for a year...' suggestion entirely.

I mean it's not even just sixteen year old school leavers. Plenty of people will leave uni and realise that, all of a sudden, having to actually support and sustain yourself sans-loan is a tough thing to do and that their degree isn't actually a Free Pass after all.

[FoxyPV]

And can anyone even remember why Child Benefit was universal?

It was the only money that guaranteed to be given to the mother to help raise the children.

Perhaps it was the fact that he was going to be taken off incapacity benefit that gave it away. Or the whingeing about the cash. Seems to me if you had a genuine disability you would probably say, "I suffer from MS and I am concerned that I might see my benefits reduced due to the inadequacies of the assesment system, despite my genuine inability to work." Or something like that.

The absolute key to this, is if you have been daignosed with a condition whcih is deemed to be serious enough to keep you from working, then you should simply have to produce a letter from your specialist periodically and that is it. NO point someone unfortunate enough to have MS being examined by a nurse etc for the purposes of benefit review.

Way too many people are on Incapacity benefit as they cannot do the job they were doing (which may have been quite physically demanding) rather than becuase they cannot do any job. If you are merely obliged to move into a less demanding job then you are able to work and should be on JSA not Incapacity benefit,

Blame the GPs who sit on their fooking arses getting paid an absolute fortune and sign people off on the sick. A friend who is a GP said that if they don't sign them off on the sick then they will move practices and the surgery loses money so they sign them off even though they generally know there is fook all wrong with them.

[Thracian]

I hate being called a far righter or right wing it's like calling child molesters paedophiles or paedos it almost makes it sound acceptable I much prefer my full my proper names of Nazi or Fascist! I don't want to be accepted!

Which reminds me - how is our esteemed Lord Mayor these days?

[Houdini Logic]

Blame the GPs who sit on their fooking arses getting paid an absolute fortune and sign people off on the sick. A friend who is a GP said that if they don't sign them off on the sick then they will move practices and the surgery loses money so they sign them off even though they generally know there is fook all wrong with them.

Lose money then.

What's the point in having a title if you have no morals to go with it

[Jon the Hat]

Lose money then.

What's the point in having a title if you have no morals to go with it

And if that money you lose means your other patients are on a waiting list longer, or can't have a cancer drug? Things are never as simple as they seem.

[Zingari]

Which reminds me - how is our esteemed Lord Mayor these days?

he had lovely rosy cheeks last time i saw him

[Dr The Singh]

he had lovely rosy cheeks last time i saw him

How come your always around when he pulls his pants down???

[Zingari]

How come your always around when he pulls his pants down???

i'm the mayoral groupie

[Houdini Logic]

And if that money you lose means your other patients are on a waiting list longer, or can't have a cancer drug? Things are never as simple as they seem.

What?!

[Jon the Hat]

What?!

You suggested the GP should take the loss in income for their practise by refusing to sign people off sick. I am suggesting that the moral decision is not quite as simple as it seems, if the upshot of the reduction in funding is that you are forced to make tough decisions on funding care for other patients on your list. You seem to imply the decision was one of greed for personal gain, I am suggesting life as a GP is not that simple.

[Houdini Logic]

You suggested the GP should take the loss in income for their practise by refusing to sign people off sick. I am suggesting that the moral decision is not quite as simple as it seems, if the upshot of the reduction in funding is that you are forced to make tough decisions on funding care for other patients on your list. You seem to imply the decision was one of greed for personal gain, I am suggesting life as a GP is not that simple.

But how can loss of revenue as a GP lead to longer waiting lists and reduced funding for cancer drugs. They're simply not linked

.

Maybe the financial decision isnt' as easy as it seems, but the moral one certainly is