(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Sooooo... people living off of the state (and in turn other people). How are we feeling about this?

Where do you get this impression from? Do you know these people personally or are you making unwarranted assumptions?

As it happens I was on benefits until very recently by circumstance.



Why do you call them scumbags? What are they actually doing that's so despicable?

Welfare is an interesting subject which a lot of people have misconceptions about the result is a debate which often is wrong.

For starters a lot of people say that we should cut welfare it a waste here is a list of things welfare covers this UK spending.
State pension
Housing Benefit
Disability Living Allowance
Pension Credit
Income Support
Rent rebates
Attendance allowance
Jobseeker's allowance
Incapacity Benefit
Council Tax Benefit
Employment and Support Allowance
Statutory Sick/Maternity pay
Social Fund
Carer's Allowance
Financial Assistance Scheme
Others

As you can see some of these things cover some of the poorest people in the land, also pretty close to most peoples hearts.
But people are going to say fraud what about the people who get more than they should by the UK government own accounts it 0.7% of the budget or £1billion pounds a year out of £160 billion total.
Tax avoidance on the other hand is said to cost us £5billion a year but some estimates put that at 30 billion. Overall the world number is meant to be in the $30 trillion or more.
On top of that welfare payments are pretty crappy for JSA or pensions.
JSA £56.80
Pension £66
Average take home per week is £359

People who say we should “make work pay” I believe they are looking at the wrong issue.
Number of people in poverty have fallen in most cases in nations with welfare states. If you want inequality go ahead but it works why remove it ? Studies show that welfare has no negative effect on a wealth of a nation or growth, does make the bottom end happy.
Hell even China is looking at making it welfare programs stronger along with a couple other nations which are growing fast.
Now it must be said that each nation has its own style of welfare program one size does not fit all. But the nations with working welfare programs which give money to the poor and help the poor. Do far better at dealing with inequality compared to the nations which make the poor out to be evil. Reality the people on welfare are not better off but worse. Benefits may be going up but are if you look at what people get wages have been growing faster. Apart from in a recession in which benefits have increased as wages decreased that happens with each recession. Some scare stories are around but most are 0.1% just like 0.1% of people in the UK earn £780,043 a year on average.

Do I think we have reform yes but cutting benefits is not the way to go. How about fixing the problems why people have to get these benefits. And supporting people at the very bottom so they can move out of that trap. How you do that depends on the nation, Nordic countries all different but it works. The result is lower inequality, high social mobility, low tax dodging, loads of people in work.
Time for common sense in this debate along with evidence based policies, clueless Supply-side economics idiots are saying cut welfare. Have failed to remember the mistakes of the past, want to carry on making it worse for all but the 1%.

If you want to get welfare reform how about you fix the crippling house costs ? Or low wages ? Or get a pension plan for everybody ready. The problem is very easy to attack the poor when the real issues are much harder to solve. The Nordic countries have done this and result way better off with a strong welfare program. No simple answer you must tackle each of the problems from a number of areas.

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People like this. They rob the state and then go and spend the money on drugs and alcohol and cause trouble. And when I say robe the state I mean it. They just don't work or look for a job as the dole pays more than a job would and they have more free time.

You do realise people like that are in the minority, not the majority? And I don't think morally you can get away with shafting the majority just to punish a minority. Also, when I say minority, I mean well under 5%, probably under 1%.

If welfare as it is now pays more than a job then clearly said job is not paying enough. Not the other way around.

Yeah I know, but unemployment takes up the majority of the welfare bill in Ireland. And it really isn't a minority here. There doesn't be many people who are in their middle ages and queing up for the dole at my local post offices every week so it is a majority here.

ya there has to be a cutt off time but people who just sit on their buts and do drugs and crap should not get welfare, but if they are actively trying to get a job then im fine with it as long as they dont get it forever

I know these kinds of people personally, many of them in fact, one included is my uncle and pretty much half of my family.

I read that here in England welfare primarily goes to the elderly. Have you got a source for that claim regarding unemployment?



Right... and they're scumbags solely because they're on welfare, or because they're just bad people? You shouldn't be attacking welfare, you should be attacking those people you mentioned.

No I don't but I can judge it by the lines leading down the shopping center every Thursday and Friday. Welfare for the elderly is all well and good, but allowing people to sit back and enjoy a nice payment each week for doing nothing because they are choosing not to work isn't. Welfare needs caps and to be run better. People are given way too much time on it before they are kicked off.