Comment on Hunt warns of benefit cuts for people who won’t ‘actively look for work’

• Oneeightnine@feddit.uk ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  Mate I work a minimum wage warehouse job and my partner works part time in a supermarket. We rent a 2 bed terrace house that hasn’t had any work done to it in 20 years and can barely afford to keep the lights on. Middle class I ain’t.

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  • Mchugho@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    Well stop acting as though it’s an insignificant number of people who abuse the system. I’m not talking about immigrants either. There are millions who could be in work but aren’t.

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    • Oneeightnine@feddit.uk ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      But in the grand scheme of things it’s a relatively small percentage of people. And If they were serious about saving the tax payers money they wouldn’t have written off a few billion in COVID loans a few years back.

      They couldn’t give two shits if some bloke is down the job center claiming a few hundred quid to sit on his arse, and tbh neither should we. There’s significantly bigger fish to fry.

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      • Mchugho@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

        It’s not just some bloke is it? It’s an entire demographic. Our schools are failing people from the very start and they aren’t interested in social mobility or education.

        We spent £230bn on welfare last year alone. Granted a percentage of that chunk is fixed, but to act as though there is no headroom and people aren’t gaming the system ever is just insanity.

        Yes the rich need taxing, but this isn’t a mutually exclusive kind of situation. We shouldn’t just tax the rich and spend stupidly elsewhere.

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• mackwinston@feddit.uk ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

  The OP is clearly using hyperbole. But only 1% of the welfare bill goes on unemployment benefits, so even if absolutely everyone on unemployment benefits is cheating and you cut them off, you don’t save much. In reality the majority of people on unemployment benefits are not cheating the system - a system that already sanctions the unemployed for not actively seeking work.

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  • Mchugho@lemmy.world ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

    There is more to it than the budget. It’s a cultural thing. People become comfortable being on benefits. And I’m not just talking job seekers, I’m talking about the long term “sick” many of whom I personally believe are exaggerating their symptoms.

    I don’t think just giving people a bit of cash every week that they can blow on drugs or booze is necessarily the best use of resources, nor is it even beginning to scratch the surface of the wider social issues.

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    • echodot@feddit.uk ⁨1⁩ ⁨year⁩ ago

      I’m talking about the long term “sick” many of whom I personally believe are exaggerating their symptoms.

      Well good thing you know what your talking about. Otherwise I’d be inclined think you were a enormous twat.

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