Soft Touch Britain

[Rincewind]

A lot of wannabe actors work at MacDonalds.

[Guest]

A lot of wannabe actors work at MacDonalds.

are you saying that Moose is really a film star?

[The People's Hero]

free condoms. From your recent posts I would suggest that having more children was a bad idea.

You'll have to do better than that to get a rise out of me, my friend.

Whenever I feel short of money, I make some more, whether it be through private tuition, selling possessions, taking on a part time job etc. My frustration is that I feel I work very hard, like a great many people, whilst those who just sit on their arses doing nothing get a similar lifestyle.

At least my kids, who I admit I will struggle to afford to provide for in the way I would like to, will be brought up to value the traits of honesty, hard work, fairness and will have a social conscience. Okay, so they might not have the best clothes available or go on the best holidays, but I'll try to make damn sure they aren't a drain on the state.

I think your bile and poisonous comments would be best directed elsewhere - and I promise you, they won't bother me, its water off a duck's back. When you're trying your best to get sorted to provide for 3 children, the immature and pointless comments of an internet nobody don't rank high on the list of issues.

[Finnegan]

When you're trying your best to get sorted to provide for 3 children, the immature and pointless comments of an internet nobody don't rank high on the list of issues.

Bit harsh on Smuts.

[Master Fox]

TPH has three kids now? Wow, time does fly.

[The People's Hero]

TPH has three kids now? Wow, time does fly.

Hi Mate. One currently but two on the way.

Hope you're well - don't see you round here much now?

[Jon the Hat]

A large part of the problem is a lack of social housing. We can thank Thatcher for that.

Yes, no one has had ANY time since 1993 to build any houses, we all know that is completely impossible. Labour only had 13 years of a strong economy to boost social housing stocks after all.

[act smiley]

My frustration is that I feel I work very hard, like a great many people, whilst those who just sit on their arses doing nothing get a similar lifestyle.

There are very few people who can "game" the system like that, and to be honest there are far larger problems that cause such a large system to be necessary than a tiny handful of feckless layabouts. Its a little annoying, yeah, but hardly worth fussing over when there's things like the Vodaphone's tax bill from a couple of years back, etc.

I used to live on a road where some of the houses went to social tenants (families with 3 kids) and the rest were rented out by groups of young professionals. These were 4 bedroom houses with a rental value of about £1600/month but were some of the cheapest in town and were actually quite small - but obviously they'd make great Sun headlines simply on that basis. There certainly weren't any new BMWs or Mercedes parked outside any of their houses, though.

The only other people I know in a similar situation are a cousin and her fiancee, who have a young baby and a council flat. He lost his job and didn't manage to get anything for quite a while, she'd been working p/t and taking a course and left the job when the baby came. Everything in their flat was gifts and cast-offs from extended family, not from going down and getting a bajillion inch TV on finance.

Of course, having a hugely inflated housing market is a key problem with this, but obviously can't be fixed because there are too many people who're obsessed with having the value of their home go up to do anything.

[The People's Hero]

There are very few people who can "game" the system like that, and to be honest there are far larger problems that cause such a large system to be necessary than a tiny handful of feckless layabouts. Its a little annoying, yeah, but hardly worth fussing over when there's things like the Vodaphone's tax bill from a couple of years back, etc.

I used to live on a road where some of the houses went to social tenants (families with 3 kids) and the rest were rented out by groups of young professionals. These were 4 bedroom houses with a rental value of about £1600/month but were some of the cheapest in town and were actually quite small - but obviously they'd make great Sun headlines simply on that basis. There certainly weren't any new BMWs or Mercedes parked outside any of their houses, though.

The only other people I know in a similar situation are a cousin and her fiancee, who have a young baby and a council flat. He lost his job and didn't manage to get anything for quite a while, she'd been working p/t and taking a course and left the job when the baby came. Everything in their flat was gifts and cast-offs from extended family, not from going down and getting a bajillion inch TV on finance.

Of course, having a hugely inflated housing market is a key problem with this, but obviously can't be fixed because there are too many people who're obsessed with having the value of their home go up to do anything.

I wish the value of my home would go up. I think its actually dropped slightly.

Everything you say is correct though and of course some people are better off at working the system than others.

[Master Fox]

Hi Mate. One currently but two on the way.

Hope you're well - don't see you round here much now?

Congratulations.

I'm alright thanks. I don't really have the opportunities to post much anymore. I just lurk nowadays.

[The People's Hero]

Congratulations.

I'm alright thanks. I don't really have the opportunities to post much anymore. I just lurk nowadays.

Lurking is the new posting, that's what I've heard.

[cambridgefox]

So if a person or group of people are supposedly indispensable to a country they should be allowed to make horrible errors that affect millions but not them, act in the most immoral way and generally act however they like? where's the accountability? That's the basis of a capitalist system, right?

How did it get to the stage that groups of parasitic lowlifes (at both ends of the social strata, scroungers and bankers, though the bankers demanded more money) can hold this country to ransom?

When you say bankers,what do you mean?it covers a large sector and would like to know which part you hold responsible for the above.

[Master Fox]

Lurking is the new posting, that's what I've heard.

Exactly.

[cambridgefox]

I wish the value of my home would go up. I think its actually dropped slightly.

Everything you say is correct though and of course some people are better off at working the system than others.

i read somewhere a few days ago that they believe by the end of next year house prices will hit record heights.We will see.

[The People's Hero]

i read somewhere a few days ago that they believe by the end of next year house prices will hit record heights.We will see.

Crikey, some equity. Hallelujah!

Fingers crossed then.

[Guest]

You'll have to do better than that to get a rise out of me, my friend.

There was no bile or posionous comment implied. You have written a lot about the financial problems your new kids will give you. That was your decision and you should have thought through the implications first - which I'm sure you did. They are your problem not any scrounger's problem.

I like your use of Rise when talking about condoms - if it was intentional it was very good.

[Head Honcho]

Lets face it.... shes on the game.

Bingo

[BoneDog]

I think when anyone says bankers they are talking about a very small group of people at the top of the game. Perhaps they should have a specific title.

I would think that 99.9% of banking workers are not involved in screwing things up.

[leicsmac]

When you say bankers,what do you mean?it covers a large sector and would like to know which part you hold responsible for the above.

Largely the US lenders and speculators who OK'd and actively encouraged risky selling of mortgages and underwriting of loans, and at the same time taking advantage of deregulation to make risky trades with vast sums of money (and debt) in speculative markets. Also moving assets and liabilities into complex legal entities in order to mask the degree of leverage their companies were in, while making sure their own money they were being paid as a result of their 'success' was safe and secure before the plane hit the ground.

Your average bank worker had nothing to do with this. It was the high-level investment boys who took heinous risks with other peoples money and then covered it up while taking some for themselves before the market inevitably crashed that are to blame.

[The People's Hero]

There was no bile or posionous comment implied. You have written a lot about the financial problems your new kids will give you. That was your decision and you should have thought through the implications first - which I'm sure you did. They are your problem not any scrounger's problem.

I like your use of Rise when talking about condoms - if it was intentional it was very good.

I do get worked up about it as I see the system as being unfair, but there we go.

Everyone copes somehow and you have to cut your cloth accordingly I suppose.

I certainly won't be at the KP for a while. Its just a shame I won't be going as we appear to be getting a bit more successful, whilst I was there most games when we were rubbish!

[pSinatra]

I know people on benefits & there are people on here claiming benefits. I'm sure they will tell you that they are not living a life of luxury. They don't buy designer clothes & they don't go on holidays at all, nevermind abroad.

For example, a friend had been working for the same company for the last 20 years until he was made redundant. He is separated from his wife & children & rents a pokey flat. He doesn't have any savings & he doesn't have any qualifications. He is actively seeking employment, applying for several jobs a day. The benefits he receives - £300 a month housing benefit & his council tax paid. He also receives £71 a week JSA. That is it!! He has to pay all his bills (gas, electric,water, fuel, car insurance, mobile, food, & other bits & bobs) out of this money. He doesn't come out anymore, he doesn't buy clothes anymore, he doesn't smoke anymore........he is barely existing.

Because The Sun has printed some made-up story & because the media in general seem to suggest that everyone claiming benefits is a scrounger & living a lifestyle better than anyone in employment - something needs to be done about it. Ian Duncan Smith (c*nt) thinks he can rescue the economy by making life that much more miserable for people on benefits?

It is terrible to see my friend's life slipping away. He has paid plenty into the system & he couldn't do anymore than he is to find another job. I would suggest that his story is far more common than the individual cases the media would have us believe.

[Alf Bentley]

It's really quite simple. The credit crunch caused a lot of economic problems including recession in various countries including ours. Separately, labour were indulging their every whim in a last minute bid to buy votes, which ruined public finances. The economy and public finances are not the same thing. Currently we are deep in austerity as we are having to repair the damage done by labour. The credit crunch didn't help and is still making things difficult, but the fact is that labour were ludicrously irresponsible and that is the main reason why we are now struggling.

As usual, Moosebreath, it's really NOT quite simple. However, I'm aware that we're diverting a thread that was supposed to be about scroungers/immigrants and/or fake News International propaganda, so will start a new thread shortly.

In the meantime, some official figures to chew on re. the budget deficit (will post sources in the new thread):

- Since 1980, under Tories & Labour alike, the UK has run a deficit every year except 1988-89 (yuppie boom before ERM crash) & 1998-2001 (1st Blair Govt.)

- 2002-2007 (before the credit crunch), the 2nd & 3rd Labour Govts ran a deficit a bit higher than Thatcher, but lower than Major

- From 2008 (credit crunch), the deficit approximately quadrupled!

Labour's increase in public spending (investment in health & education, tax credits, Iraq War etc) started from 2000-2001, not 2008. Public spending (and failure to increase taxes or cut waste) caused the small 2002-2007 deficit - and exacerbated the post-2008 deficit - but that deficit was caused overwhelmingly by the credit crunch/financial crisis.

I'm no apologist for NuLabour (they did some good stuff & some bad stuff, including the 2002-2007 deficit) but the idea that they mainly caused the current massive deficit is simply lies and propaganda!

[MooseBreath]

Yes the deficit increased massively when g-brown went on his spending spree. Nothing about the economic crisis forced him to do this. If anything, a competent government should have known that was exactly the time to be extra careful. Instead the idiots got their cheque books out and plunged the country into all sorts of trouble.

[James.]

I think the bankers in the US (and by extension over here) caused a large worldwide depression through taking ridiculous risks on sub-prime mortgages.

"the Bankers" is a pretty lazy term, it's kind of become the socially accepted version of blaming 9/11 on "the Muslims".

It is incredibly easy to blame bankers for the entire credit crunch but not entirely accurate. The public always get off very lightly in my eyes. Millions of people borrowed utterly irresponsible amounts of money with absolutely no security out of a false sense of entitlement to living a life beyond their means.

[Rincewind]

Psinatra describes the situation about right. I am the same. But hopefully things will change soon. Have an interview Thursday of which I'm fairly confident. Only 10 hours but it will cover my JSA. I will still be able to claim housing and council tax so even though I will earning my situation and belt tightening will continue. In July I can take pension credits which is more and still get benefits. If I do OK at the part time job I see no reason to seek full time. If I was younger and had dependants I would. This will allow anyone that is more in need of a job to have a better chance of getting a job. I am happy to step aside for them.

Excuse spelling mistakes. I have my reading glasses on. My others are in my bag. Somehow I walked home in the wrong ones.