I realized, that poor people really have it easy in the uk

You may want to consider changing your profile picture until you learn a little bit more about what George Osborne does and how this has an impact on people.

But it was Ian Duncan smith who was in charge of welfare,he came up with the ideas.
George job is to balance out the budgets and to reduce the overall deficit.

I would but the 50 a week would barely cover my weekly expenses.

Indeed, IDS was in charge of work and pensions but Osborne is the Chancellor of Exchequer. He plays a significant role in implementing these cuts which have a huge impact on what IDS can do and, thus, your average person. Do you think that people are not impacted by the cuts Osborne implements in his attempt to reduce the deficit?

You need to do a bit of drug dealing on the side

Nice to see some sensible people in this thread. Being on JSA is HORRIBLE, speaking from personal experience, and I was living with my mother when I was on it! I've known of people stealing toilet paper when living on their own on JSA because it's such a pittance.

I live in the north east and i thought that i had it bad with my long term unemployment.

I just get the impression that those on welfare have to deal with less stress

But I thought people on jsa got vouchers, or some other supplements

Blue_Mason you don't need to apologise or even educate yourself.. you simply made a comment stating what many people think. I know MANY people in the area I live (deprived area) who do not work and live the life of luxury in comparison to working families!! It is different in every part of the UK and yes some may suffer more than others due to circumstances but many people who do not work, manage to live quite well!

A new system is required.. one that offers no money only vouchers so the money they are given is used for only basic things. If somebody wants luxuries they need to work for them. OK.. some people are unable to work for various reasons.and in these cases such as disability or incapacity more will be needed.. and for people who are trying hard to get a job they could be rewarded with special vouchers for various luxury items. If people want to smoke or drink alcohol for examples.. then they would need to work to earn money to pay for these things!

I do understand how this could increase the crime rate.. so a lot tougher punishments would be required.. MUCH tougher!! It really is not that hard to put this system in place!

How? You try living on £70 a week and tell people it's easy. Out of that, you have to pay some council tax and possibly top up your rent. My council tax bill alone (bearing in mind I live by myself) for this year was £159, which for someone on basic JSA is a lot - it's more than 2 weeks worth of their benefits.

They also risk getting sanctioned for not doing enough. I've been threatened with being sanctioned because some idiot had deleted some important information from my profile at the job centre, which meant as far as the adviser was concerned, there was no reason why I couldn't do 40 hours a week.

And then there was the work programme. That was hell. I was treated like ****. They had no idea how to deal with a disabled person. And it was simple things I was requesting they do, which they constantly refused. When challenged, they came up with the most ridiculous excuses ever, which pretty much translated as "I couldn't be bothered". I was then threatened with sanctions by them for supposedly not doing what I should do - because thanks to them, I couldn't actually do it.

After months of having enough and complaints, (where she got her line manager to take her side and made it sound like I was just being lazy) I changed to sickness benefits and complained again to the job centre. I was found unfit for work and put into the support group. I received a phone call that from the work programme. Apparently, they had received a letter stating I was in the work group and asked if I wanted some help getting back to work. Let me think about that for one second - you treated me like **** and couldn't understand why I refused to do things that I can't physically do. I'll pass thank you.

Oh, and if you're on sickness benefits, you have to fill in a form telling them exactly why you can't work. Have you seen those? it's so ****ing depressing having to sit there telling them that you can't read because it's so bloody tiring and simple things like socialising are hell for you because you can't predict what people will do to you, because you can't hear what you friend is saying or because you can't actually communicate with them.

I'm also in the process of having my disability benefits switched over. So, next week, I've got to sit down with someone and explain exactly why, at the age of 27, I've got have someone with me when I go out, why my friend has to explain to others why he's having to hold my ****ing hand when we go out and why he's having to constantly work out what the hell I want because I can't explain it to him.

Sounds easy to you?

I'm not aware of these vouchers, and I'm sure a lot aren't.

Thank you for the support, and i sense that tsr members are quick to put me down.I am glad that you have identified a key point, and that of people on benefits who do not have to worry a s much, when compared to person working on insufficient wages.
The fact is if you live i n a cheap area and have multiple children, or you are have non dependents you have to buy more things.



Well I am appalled in the way you and others in the same situation were treated, but those who were capable of working part time of full time, should have been or encouraged to get a job.
Again I do not condone the tactics that were conflicted on the most vulnerable of people.




I do no not much of the welfare system,so forgive me if i make any mistakes