"I've never had a job"

[Mich the Tester]

This woman strikes me as someone who has lost direction in her life. Not everyone has the ability to "think outside of the box". She acts the way expected of her by the state and by the community. She is a victim of the system as much of one of her own actions. The state need to stop making it hard for people to work. Remove the fiscal drag into benefits by removing taxation on low earners and reducing the amount of benefit. Maybe providing food and heating vouchers instead of money.

See the following paragraph;
'Without any qualifications she assumed she wasn't able to follow her chosen path and join the Army. She never actually made it to the recruitment office to ask.'

I really don't think fiscal policy makes much difference to her. But yes, people have in a sense been institutionalised. it happens in large organisations too. I see permies who are terrified of having to find a new job, and just don't seem to be able to put down on paper the skills they have acquired; many of them, contrary to popular CUK opinion, could be very useful to other employers, or could work for themselves, but they've lost the ability to think for themselves.

[Bagpuss]

See the p following paragraph;
'Without any qualifications she assumed she wasn't able to follow her chosen path and join the Army. She never actually made it to the recruitment office to ask.'

I really don't think fiscal policy makes much difference to her.

If benefits were less I'm sure she would have

[Mich the Tester]

If benefits were less I'm sure she would have

I don't think so. Sunday evening I watched Louis Theroux; he was with the police in Philadelphia patrolling deprived areas. Gang warfare, grinding poverty, kids who turn to crime, shocking violence, high murder rates etc and the police just have to try and prevent the trouble spreading to the more 'respectable' parts of town. That's what happens when people with no clue as to how to function in society are left to their own devices; the situation is possibly beyond repair; do you want that to happen in Europe?

[snaw]

I don't think so. Sunday evening I watched Louis Theroux; he was with the police in Philadelphia patrolling deprived areas. Gang warfare, grinding poverty, kids who turn to crime, shocking violence, high murder rates etc and the police just have to try and prevent the trouble spreading to the more 'respectable' parts of town. That's what happens when people with no clue as to how to function in society are left to their own devices; the situation is possibly beyond repair; do you want that to happen in Europe?

That's far too insightful for this lot. Nah, stop the benefits and society will repair itself, everyone will get a job and live happily ever after.

[gingerjedi]

I work bloody hard so my family can enjoy a modest standard of living, there are many who just don’t have the skills to earn enough to break out of the same standard they get on benefit, there is no incentive.

I often wonder why I bother as I could probably still enjoy life on very little if we tried so what hope do these people have?

[expat]

For a few outstanding individuals this is the case; Duncan Bannatyne and Alan Sugar are fine examples.

I may not have made an outstanding success of my life, but I am proud to say that I don't think anyone has ever bought something I made and then said, that's a pile of cack, I'm not buying anything from him again.

[Bagpuss]

I don't think so. Sunday evening I watched Louis Theroux; he was with the police in Philadelphia patrolling deprived areas. Gang warfare, grinding poverty, kids who turn to crime, shocking violence, high murder rates etc and the police just have to try and prevent the trouble spreading to the more 'respectable' parts of town. That's what happens when people with no clue as to how to function in society are left to their own devices; the situation is possibly beyond repair; do you want that to happen in Europe?

We've had a no benefit system in this country before and we didn't have a Philadelphia, infact crime rates were lower. We had lots of poverty yes, but then I am not advocating no benefits, just not a situation where not working is more profitable. This is not America.

[sunnysan]

And

I don't think so. Sunday evening I watched Louis Theroux; he was with the police in Philadelphia patrolling deprived areas. Gang warfare, grinding poverty, kids who turn to crime, shocking violence, high murder rates etc and the police just have to try and prevent the trouble spreading to the more 'respectable' parts of town. That's what happens when people with no clue as to how to function in society are left to their own devices; the situation is possibly beyond repair; do you want that to happen in Europe?

Considering how much more its costing the UK state, do you really think that the most deprived areas in the UK are that much better?

[snaw]

I work bloody hard so my family can enjoy a modest standard of living, there are many who just don’t have the skills to earn enough to break out of the same standard they get on benefit, there is no incentive.

I often wonder why I bother as I could probably still enjoy life on very little if we tried so what hope do these people have?

Thing is, growing up on benefit is pretty fecking sh!te. I know, most of my childhood when me ma couldn't get a job in a single parent family (My postcode was the 2nd poorest one in Britain for a time, it was kinda hard to get a job for most people) was spent experiencing it.

It's not cushy in the slightest living life on the borderline; watching the bills, clothing and feeding a family. Just the basic stuff is a struggle, and it's relentless. Every day, every week, every year is the same struggle. And I think I was lucky, least where I grew up had some remnant of working class culture and decency left. Now those schemes are pure sink estates, full of junkies and no hope for most.

I got NFI of the solution, but let's not pretend it's cushy - despite what a few headline examples might make you think.

[snaw]

Considering how much more its costing the UK state, do you really think that the most deprived areas in the UK are that much better?

Clearly you've never been to a third world country and seen the poorer parts up close ...