7 replies to this topic

[graphic]

Iain Duncan Smith is to unveil his plans to encourage the unemployed to find work in a "radical" shake-up to the welfare system.

The Work and Pensions Secretary's shake-up includes replacing the current "complex and unfair" system with a single payment to claimants.

But opponents argue the revamp is merely a cover for heavy cuts in welfare spending.

Speaking to Sky News ahead of his speech later today, Mr Duncan Smith accused the current system of "trapping" significant parts of British society in "generations of worklessness" and "entrenched poverty".

"About 5.5 million people of working age in the UK simply do not work during the course of the week, and of those nearly 1.5 million people have been out of work for nine out of the last 10 years," he said.

"This is madness and the reason it's there is to do with the complexity of the system."

The minister's plans for change will see the current income-related benefits and Tax Credit systems combined, while out-of-work and in-work support will also be unified in a single system.

Monthly household earnings will be supplemented through credit payments reflecting circumstances such as children, housing and disability.

Mr Duncan Smith said the changes will rule out the "illogical" position of benefits paying more than work.

"The key thing is getting people back to work and the reality is that more money will be saved, you save through fraud and bad overpayments," he told Sky News.

"All these things go on in this terrible system left over to us from the Labour party which is complex and very expensive."

Shadow work and pensions secretary Yvette Cooper described the plans as "a sham to cover the fact that the Budget actually cut work incentives, cut jobs and cut help for people to return to work".

"Major reform either costs billions or means taking money from those who need it most. Iain Duncan Smith needs to be honest and tell us which it is," she said.

[Lucydog]

Dont ya just love that word 'reform'?

My gripe with the system is that it is impossible to take a part time job and have a living wage come in. Many people have conditions that wax and wane and can probably only ever work part time. These are mostly low paid minimum wage jobs. Once you have been earning for a year, or reach the magic 16 hours most of your other benefits stop. If you are on the min wage and work 16 hours you take home pay is just over £100, take out travel costs and its less.

Its not about the money either. I know people who have got part time work despite various conditions, yes they want to work. Having spelled out the support needed by the employers it soon became clear this wasnt going to happen. Needless to say the jobs didnt work out.

To be honest I dont know the answer to this. But I do know I have paid 20 years NI, which is supposed to cover things like benefits and medical treatment and now at the time I need it Im made out to be some social pariah. I think the same can be said for most of us here. I doubt most people dont really want to work in some capacity.

Edited by Lucydog, 30 July 2010 - 10:25 AM.

[E-DOG]

graphic, on 30 July 2010 - 09:10 AM, said:

"This is madness and the reason it's there is to do with the complexity of the system."

Noooooo. No no no no no and No, with a capital N.

Madness is going to work every day if you can find a way around it.

[graphic]

E-DOG, on 31 July 2010 - 03:00 AM, said:

graphic, on 30 July 2010 - 09:10 AM, said:

"This is madness and the reason it's there is to do with the complexity of the system."

Noooooo. No no no no no and No, with a capital N.

Madness is going to work every day if you can find a way around it.

I thought you'd be along sooner or later!

[E-DOG]

graphic, on 31 July 2010 - 03:28 PM, said:

E-DOG, on 31 July 2010 - 03:00 AM, said:

graphic, on 30 July 2010 - 09:10 AM, said:

"This is madness and the reason it's there is to do with the complexity of the system."

Noooooo. No no no no no and No, with a capital N.

Madness is going to work every day if you can find a way around it.

I thought you'd be along sooner or later!

Hey, I can't be everywhere at once. Ya get one idiotic reply at a time.

[dangerousdave]

is this duncan fellah just a e-dog relative
Sounds just as mad
Telling folk to find work when there is no jobs to be found
Straight out the backwoods loony bin

[graphic]

I think they might well be one and the same person Dave!

[wheeliebear75]

You can fool some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time.....but NOT all of the people all of the time! The UK & US are both doing the same types of cut backs & such......but they're not REALLY worried about US as citizens AND us as disabled citizens even less (in MY opinion anyhow). Here in California they've been threatening to all but cut out IHSS which would put a lot of people in nursing homes (gimp-jail) which in the end costs the state MORE $ per person......but that same narrow view/thinking of spending is one of the biggest hurdles. Rather than cut their own pay checks they'll cut the hell out of checks to the "needy"! I 100% agree with what was said......the majority of us if we were able to work part or full time we would be! Those of us who have trouble sitting up at times whether it is AD or pain it still is non-conducive to working or getting a whole lot "productive". But I bet we ALL know in some degree or another at least a few "able bodied" people who make absolutely NO use of their healthy working bodies. I get SSI & live on $900 a month in CALIFORNIA! Trust me everyone I know who has a job gets almost double that income or more! My bills are paid mostly by "Uncle Sam" but there is a lot more month than I have $ & my mom + BF helps with financing just about everything including gifts for me to give my kids at birthdays & Christmas. I didn't have a chance to work since I was only 14 I hadn't done much in the way of "WORK" nothing taxable.....baby sitting & tutoring didn't count.....but my Mother works & pays taxes, as does my sister,and Aunts, and so do ALL of my cousins (with the exception of the 2 that are full time students in college). And despite my life long vision troubles or lack there of I had EVERY intention of becoming a marine biologist "when I grew up".....but an accident where I just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time messed up those plans. But I think far too many people forget about one thing.....and it's not just big it's HUGE! It's the same reason that we make AB's nervous. It not only can but most likely WILL HAPPEN.....EVERYONE eventually joins the disabled.....maybe not SCI but with something! Being a minority is generally something you're born into. For most minorities (technically you can change your religion) it isn't something that is going to change or can be changed......one thing that will change however and for every person on the planet is to join OUR minority (disabled not SCI)....nobody can say for sure that they will not have an accident, get ill, or just become disabled due to old age.....and you can not guarantee that you or your children will not have a child born with a disability.