Who will you vote for?

[trev]

IMO what we need is a government focused on prosperity, not austerity. One that will not punish the unemployed, the poor and sick for being unemployed, poor or sick

 

[Dan]

I don't like this dole culture. Doesn't matter who created it. It sort of whittled in while the two main parties were in government. But I know people on the sick that shouldn't be. People who treat the dole like it's a wage and go fishing monthly and on holidays a couple of times a year and buy the latest £60 Xbox and PS4 games when they're out. And they don't spend any time looking for work and have no intentions of doing so.

I think tories have helped a bit with getting a bunch of those off the dole. I think. Might be wrong. Just feels that way. But I hope whoever is next in power really starts to take a look at that culture and starts to get these families who breed families of the same culture back in work!

 

[R G]

Originally the benefits system was set up for those who needed it for subsistence and a temporary entitlement , unfortunately its now used a lifestyle for many , the tories have at least high lighted the problem and put into action some help in reversing it , even old style labour would have tried to put a stop to it and I would have voted for them . The slide of the old British values has gone down hill and where at one time you would be scorned on for a life on the dole , now its accepted ...

 

[Dan]

If I were in power it'd be 12 months and then you're on your own pal. So use this 12 months wisely.

 

[trev]

What the tories have done is blown the problem out of all proportion and convinced certain sections of the population that it is far bigger than it actually is. They have diverted attention from far more outrageous things which are happening.
Ask yourself this, who has done the most harm to the British economy? Banks with their profligate betting shop culture or a few people who are on the dole?
The government employs 3000 people to track down £1.2 - 2 billion of fraudulent/wrongly claimed benefits but employs 300 people to track down £100 billion + in dodged tax by wealthy individuals and large companies.
(All figures quoted are estimates given by the DWP and HMRC themselves)

 

[Octopus]

IMO what we need is a government focused on prosperity, not austerity. One that will not punish the unemployed, the poor and sick for being unemployed, poor or sick

So you are happy for people to get £26K tax free when you are earning this, for 40 hours AND paying tax and NI??

600K+ people came to England, and found work. This means 600K brits have the excuse to do nothing.

If I was in charge, I would progressively reduce all unemployment benefits, over time until work paid.

 

[R G]

Its not just dole now , how many people are living on other benefits in form or another , ask yourself the question why have people became apathetic to politics and why is the turnout lower than it used to be many years ago , the answer is that they are not being listened to , old labour were at least for the people ,where now they are a mess , you can see why UKIP is gaining popularity and the price for doing so is to be ridiculed by the other parties....

 

[trev]

So you are happy for people to get £26K tax free when you are earning this, for 40 hours AND paying tax and NI??

600K+ people came to England, and found work. This means 600K brits have the excuse to do nothing.

If I was in charge, I would progressively reduce all unemployment benefits, over time until work paid.

No, of course I'm not happy to have people languishing on the dole, my point is though that the problem is much lower than our government would like us to believe. What I'm also not happy with is the demonisation of the people I mentioned.

 

[Octopus]

ha ha ha.

I heard Ming Campbell a short while ago, on the radio saying he thought that Nicola Sturgeon, last night, reminded him of Margaret Thatcher!

 

[plugsandsparks]

ha ha ha.

I heard Ming Campbell a short while ago, on the radio saying he thought that Nicola Sturgeon, last night, reminded him of Margaret Thatcher!

*********** WHAT !!!! - ONLY IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE, where NS is the anti-matter. Actually she could be quite good for UK politics , if I wasn't the crap content that she purports

 

[Octopus]

*********** WHAT !!!! - ONLY IN A PARALLEL UNIVERSE, where NS is the anti-matter. Actually she could be quite good for UK politics , if I wasn't the crap content that she purports

In a perverse way I quite like her approach. No messing, no playing for the soundbites. What you hear, is what you always hear ...... unlike MOST of the others!

 

[Diddy]

Benefit culture does indeed exist. It is alive and well in my area in Scotland. BUT the area boasts high unemployment, Bad public transport and there are very few local jobs. Now what is the answer ? Do you want the guy to move to the south east of England to find work ? Plenty have done it (I worked down there for 13 years and had a great time.) Anyway so say the young eager bright all move south....What happens next ? Tons of empty houses up north and a housing and infrastructure crisis in the south. Sound familiar ?
So no im afraid the answers are not a simple "Get on your bike" - the fact of life is some areas of the country are depressed areas. These areas need government funding to attract businesses to the areas THEN we can say to the long term unemployed - get back to work lads.
Coupled with better education, apprenticeships, training programs ect ect ect...all this needs addressing before we start looking into telling people that there are jobs available for all.....will never happen of course.

 

[Octopus]

Benefit culture does indeed exist. It is alive and well in my area in Scotland. BUT the area boasts high unemployment, Bad public transport and there are very few local jobs. Now what is the answer ? Do you want the guy to move to the south east of England to find work ? Plenty have done it (I worked down there for 13 years and had a great time.) Anyway so say the young eager bright all move south....What happens next ? Tons of empty houses up north and a housing and infrastructure crisis in the south. Sound familiar ?
So no im afraid the answers are not a simple "Get on your bike" - the fact of life is some areas of the country are depressed areas. These areas need government funding to attract businesses to the areas THEN we can say to the long term unemployed - get back to work lads.
Coupled with better education, apprenticeships, training programs ect ect ect...all this needs addressing before we start looking into telling people that there are jobs available for all.....will never happen of course.

You will be pretty safe from the influx then.

The strange thing about this free movement around the EU, is that the "clever" people from the poorer countries will almost certainly move for work, which will inturn leave their homelands poorer.. meaning more people will leave the country......

Not sure how you can stop it!

 

[rapparee]

The ****less idle who live on the dole are a bit of a red herring. The fact is that most claimants of welfare are employees who recieve poor wages from greedy employers unwilling to pay a fair wage, the government is then forced to top up the low wage in the form of tax credits. If employers were no longer subsidised and made pay a fair wage then the welfare budget could be slashed.

 

[Diddy]

You will be pretty safe from the influx then.

The strange thing about this free movement around the EU, is that the "clever" people from the poorer countries will almost certainly move for work, which will inturn leave their homelands poorer.. meaning more people will leave the country......

Not sure how you can stop it!

Well I have hinted at how to stop it within the UK - Invest in the deprived area PROPERLY.
We need more schools ? Build them
We need more teachers ? Bloody well train more and make the position more attractive
Need more doctors and Gp's ? Train within our country
BUT BUT BUT all of that takes cash and we are in a recession....Well scrap HS" and scrap trident for a start.
We desperately need more power stations - Build them with government money funded by a super tax on the energy companies....As they don't seem to be using the resources given to them to do this.
All of that takes cash...Yes there is debt, There has ALWAYS been debt. Every western country runs on debt and have done for 100 years.
Ask yourself this. What would you rather leave your future generations ? A society that educates all to a acceptable standard. A health service that works and most importantly a future proof energy supply. If you leave them that you may leave them high tax's and debt - Or you could let everything decline to the stage where private companies and insurance industry control ALL of the above with the chance of insecure energy supply and low tax's. I think essentially the argument boils down to your outlook.
These things are not being discussed during this election..and they bloody well should be. But mark my words we will be discussing them in future elections.