Bedroom Tax - Politics

[sarahxxx]

Now this could be about anything, but it is actually about a program that I watched tonight, the Government want to deduct money per under used bedroom for people on benefits.

Whilst I think downsizing for people on benefits or even in council housing is a good idea in general, this only works if they have suitable housing to move the people into.

Unfortunately it would seem that as of April this year you will lose benefit if you are in a house that is deemed too large for your needs, regardless of if they cannot re house you. Most people will not be able to afford this sudden cut in income at a time when money is tight, yet will suffer through no fault of their own.

They will be forced to leave the homes they have and move into the private rental market which will cost the tax payer far more.

Sarah x x x

[edgeofxtacy]

Good old bedroom tax. 14% if you have 1 spare room or 25% if you have 2 or more spare rooms. And i bet they will try and move people to terrible areas.

[Trinity-Belle]

I know... it's a disgrace.

Bloody Tories.

oh well... not to worry.... they're only poor people, after all.

Maybe we could accommodate them by forcing rich people with large houses which have more bedrooms that they need to take in some of the families being forced out of social housing?

[gemini's secret]

what channel was that on ?

[Classy_Katy]

I remember something from a while ago about trying to get people to take in lodgers if they have spare rooms.

[christie]

I know... it's a disgrace.

Bloody Tories.

oh well... not to worry.... they're only poor people, after all.

Maybe we could accommodate them by forcing rich people with large houses which have more bedrooms that they need to take in some of the families being forced out of social housing?

Oh that's right, Labour left power leaving the country in such a great state and never let the poor and needy down.
Hubby's sister lives in a 4 bed detached council house near the beach in Paignton, on her own, and with a full time job, paying the princely sum of £300 a month. Doing quite nicely thank you. She has lived there for 30 years and used it to bring up 2 children who have long since flown the roost. Torbay has one of the countries longest waiting lists for council housing. She now has to go for an interview to see if she can stay in it. Hubby's mums carer has already had to leave her house in Paignton because she had 2 empty bedrooms. They have put her in a flat in Torquay

[sarahxxx]

I know... it's a disgrace.

Oh that's right, Labour left power leaving the country in such a great state and never let the poor and needy down.

Was it not Maggie who started selling off the council houses cheap in the first place?

But what did Labour do to correct it? Nothing, carried on doing the same...

Lack of social housing is to be blamed on both parties.

Sarah x x x

[Classy_Katy]

Benefits in general were far better in the '80's...one government cuts back but the next one never overturns it, they just enjoy the saving.

[Trinity-Belle]

Oh that's right, Labour left power leaving the country in such a great state and never let the poor and needy down.

Hey... listen... I was as disappointed as anyone with the Labour administration. I'd always thought they were supposed to be socialists and I'd waited all of my life, pretty much, for a Labour government. What a disappointment.

But, to be fair... the mess was not of their doing... as much as anyone dislikes Blair or Brown, you can't really blame them for the reckless behaviour of mortgage salesmen in the USA... which is what caused the financial crisis in the first place and lead directly to the banking bailouts in this country which is why we are all up shit creek now.

It doesn't matter which way you cut it... the basic Tory philosophy is one of small state and specifically limited benefits spending where as the basic philosophy of the Labour party is big government and more benefits spending.

These cuts we are currently seeing have very little to do with the financial crisis. That is just being used as an excuse to cut spending. There is no need for this level of austerity... but the apparent current financial situation is just a really, really, really good excuse for the Tories to cut everything they want to their hearts content with little or no resistance. After all... the country is in a mess, right? And we have to get on top of the deficit... or is it the debt? [/irony]

[davidseven]

I shouldn't really be drawn into this, Trinny and I have previous for passionate exchanges elsewhere, and we will never agree on the merits of socialism, or otherwise, but I respect her view. (and passion)

When asked at his retirement party, an economics professor at a small college said he had never failed a single student before but had, once, failed an entire class.

The class in question had insisted that socialism could work. That no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

The professor then said ok, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism. All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.

After the first test the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. But, as the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too; so they studied little …

The second test average was a D!

No one was happy.

When the 3rd test rolled around the average was an F.

The scores never increased as bickering, blame, name calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for anyone else.

To their great surprise, every student failed and the professor told them that socialism would ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.

The professor concluded the class with this:

These are possibly the 5 most important sentences you will ever hear in college…

1) You can never legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.

2) What one receives without working for, another must work for without receiving.

3) The government cannot give to anyone, something it has not already taken from someone else.

4) You cannot multiply wealth, simply by dividing it.

5) When half the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them… and when the other half get the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they worked for… that is the beginning of the end of any nation.