Should the Tories freeze benefits

[Cactus Jack]

Vince Cable yesterday ruled out a Tory plan to freeze benefits for two years, but really had no basis for doing so.

A vital part of the Coalition agreement was that the Lib Dems would not vote down a Tory budget, the 'Supply and Confidence' clause, so should Ozzie go ahead and put these benefit freezes into the budget.

[spicy]

Yes except for carer's they don't even get the minimum wage and are taken for granted. Public Sector workers are having to take a pay freeze my husband has not had an increase in years, it's only right that even people on benefits should take a hit as well.

[Ali]

Vince Cable yesterday ruled out a Tory plan to freeze benefits for two years, but really had no basis for doing so.

A vital part of the Coalition agreement was that the Lib Dems would not vote down a Tory budget, the 'Supply and Confidence' clause, so should Ozzie go ahead and put these benefit freezes into the budget.

Would that include ALL benefits, even the old age pension?

[Cactus Jack]

I assume that pensions are excluded because there was a specific manifesto pledge to maintain them, however when the idea was floated it did not specify that pensions were excluded.

[Ali]

I assume that pensions are excluded because there was a specific manifesto pledge to maintain them, however when the idea was floated it did not specify that pensions were excluded.

I would actually be against this anyway.

Cash benefits (ie the money that people actually recieve in which to pay bills like gas, water and electricity and purchase food, clothes etc for the family) is not that great, much lower than the minimum wage and with everything going up so much the way it is this would devalue their benefits even more and lead to greater poverty.

[spicy]

Why should they get equal to the minimum wage ffs. The idea is to make work attractive.

[ravy]

I would hardly class Old age Pensions as a benefit.
A lot of people work all of their lives and have paid into the Pension fund.
They are getting back a pittance of what they paid in.
Not very benificial Ali!

[Ali]

Why should they get equal to the minimum wage ffs. The idea is to make work attractive.

I never said they should get equal to the minimum wage, but freezing it will only serve to have have a detrimental effect those on the lowest possible incomes who already struggle to pay for their families daily living costs.

[Verum]

Why should they get equal to the minimum wage ffs. The idea is to make work attractive.

It doesn't seem to have attracted you - you have a lot of time to spend on here.

[Ali]

I would hardly class Old age Pensions as a benefit.
A lot of people work all of their lives and have paid into the Pension fund.
They are getting back a pittance of what they paid in.
Not very benificial Ali!

Not everyone has paid into a pension pot Ravy and if you are talking about national inusrance, don't forget there is an awful lot of people on jobseekers nowadays who have previously been workers and paid National insurance too.

[ravy]

People that havn't paid anything in, shouldn't get anything out.
There are old people who have worked all of their lives and cannot afford to turn the heater on in Winter. (some even die from the cold).
There are also people who have come to Britain, have 5 or more kids, father drives around in a Jag and have never paid a bean into any pension-pot.
I bet that they have their heaters on at full power,
probably in the Summer as well.

[Verum]

People that havn't paid anything in, shouldn't get anything out.
There are old people who have worked all of their lives and cannot afford to turn the heater on in Winter. (some even die from the cold).
There are also people who have come to Britain, have 5 or more kids, father drives around in a Jag and have never paid a bean into any pension-pot.
I bet that they have their heaters on at full power,
probably in the Summer as well.

Air conditioners in the Summer, surely?
(If you're going to post clichéd crap at least make it reasonably credible. )

[ravy]

I will post how and what I will, thank you very much!

[Ali]

People that havn't paid anything in, shouldn't get anything out.
There are old people who have worked all of their lives and cannot afford to turn the heater on in Winter. (some even die from the cold).
There are also people who have come to Britain, have 5 or more kids, father drives around in a Jag and have never paid a bean into any pension-pot.
I bet that they have their heaters on at full power,
probably in the Summer as well.

There are elderly people who have never worked either Ravy. Don't forget that in the not so distant past women tended to stay home and keep the house whilst the men went out and brought home the bacon. Yes the man paid into the pot, but he only paid one lot of National insurance, they didn't pay double for the wife at home.

I doubt very much anyone on benefits has the heating on full power, the amount of cash benefits coming in would be too prohibitive given the cost of gas and electricity as it is.

It's also worth remembering that the cold is not only dangerous for the elderly, it is also dangerous for the very young too.

[Cactus Jack]

Yes Ravy we know that your ill informed post full of claptrap are all your own work.

Now back to the subject of the proposed freezing of benefits for two years