Forum Topic

Human Right to claim benefits!!!

Newspaper article on Thursday 12 July.Human Rights law will be extended to include the right to claim benefits and enjoy a comfortable standard of living courtesy of the taxpayer under plans unveiled last night.A Government panel of experts is considering whether Labour's Human Rights Act - which is already hugely hugely controversial- should be extended to include so-called 'socio-economic rights'. This would allow the jobless to take the Government to court if ministers did not provide a minimum standard of living,Earlier this week, a report by the Josephh Rowntree Foundation suggested a family of four needed an income of almost £37,000 to have a satisfactory lifestyle.The 'Commission on a Bill of Rights' was set up by David Cameron to end the rampant abuse of human rights laws. Originally the PM had pledged to scrap Labour's Act and replace it with a UK Bill of Rights, which would stop the system being abused by criminals and those who refuse to work. But after being forced in to a coalition with the Lib Dems he had to downgrade his pledge, instead, he established the commission to decide the best way forward. Yesterday, despite deliberating for 15 months, the panel said it had not decided whether to recommend any change to the Act.The article goes on and on - but to get to the point - can we really afford to give the jobless a comfortable standard of living when money is tight and benefits are being cut for old and young alike?This Human Rights Law seems to have caused more problems than anything else! Surely something has got to give?

Jean F Fernandez ● 5044d32 Comments

Social Welfare in one shape or other goes back for 100’s of years and the right to Social security was enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 1948. Much of Social Security benefits as we know them today was a Tory piece of legislation and now again the Tories are changing this on a major scale. There is more to come but not yet determined. Life for some will certainly be more and not less uncomfortable.The Labour party introduced Pension Credit and rightly so because our state pensions are quite low. They also upped Family Credit now Tax Credits which is where I think they went too far. We now have a baby boom even though this country will be broke for at least a decade..Leaving aside the absurd and bigoted claim that 80% of jobs went to foreigners, thanks to the failed Labour education system and other reasons the work ethic is at best variable among young people. On the other hand the news today claims that there are over 1M people aged 65+ who still work.Even the Coalition is too afraid to tackle the Tax Credits more extensively and so they are hitting on Housing and Council tax benefit. To me that is wrong to threaten so many with having to move. There are nearly 0,5M people long term out of work. I think new rules on Housing should be that you need to have demonstrated that you have put something into the economy before you can get social housing. And if you are very long term unemployed, but fit and under 55, then you should be moved out of the big cities. I know of no sensible socialist who disagrees that people should be brought more and more to the workplaceI also think that no foreigner should be given British nationality until they have worked for say five years in this country. And that they should not be entitled to quite the same level of benefits until they become a British citizen.

George Knox ● 5038d

Sadly the abuse of our benefits system goes way back and is seriously out of control, not just with regard for those who have chosen a lifestyle on benefits and refuse any offer of employment. I do feel sorry for those people who are genuinely looking for employment and I know there are many who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own.However, it is absolutely true that there are some who deliberately do not want to work, never have done and never will. We hear of 2nd and 3rd generations of families who have never known what it is like to have to get up in the morning and go seek work.A programme on BBC TV last week was an eye opener at the attitude of some of the younger generation compared to people over 70 years of age. Ther did an expirement to compare whether older people would be better at a particular job compared to the young.The pensioners were totally enthusiastic and give it everything they had, sadly after the 2 weeks most of them realised that they were no longer capable of holding down a job for much longer and were glad to slip back into retirement, this is apart from 2 ladies who were still keen to continue working. One was offered a job as waitress part time. One gentleman was offered a job washing dishes but he declined, it was too much for him.Compare this to the younger generation who were also part of the 2 week trial. Bad timekeeping, excuses, not bothering to telephone when taking the day off. Nose rings which had to be removed before facing customers in the restaurant. No respect for the employers or for their older counterpart. One lad went home soon after starting the job and when they went to his home he said, 'Can I go back to bed now?'Only 1 boy was offered a job after the 2 week trial.The work ethic seems to be lacking in many nowadays and if this is an example then no wonder workers from abroad are welcomed by employers. They are keen and willing to take the jobs that some of the endiginous population think is beneath them. So it is no use in blaming the migrants in this respect.There have been cases of college leavers who have absolutely refused to take a job which they think is 'beneath them' even on a temporary basis. They would prefer to to the Court of Human Rights. Surely any job is better than no job at all? In my working days I did many jobs that I absoulately hated but as my grandmother used to say: 'If you don't work your jaw won't work' - an old Irish expression but it used to be so true.Nowadays with all the handouts available many in our society think 'Why bother?' so it is annoying for those in work to watch their workshy neighbours sitting at home all day in front of the TV set with not care in the world.I have heard of one guy who told the council he split from his wife so they have hom another flat on the same estate. Guess what - he let the flat out at £500 per month. He had to go there and sit all day if someone from the council came to check who was staying there! Just one example of blatant abuse.I am pleased that the Blue Badges for the disabled are being restricted now to those most in need, this was yet another example of misuse. Mind you people still manage to get around the system.It is high time the government got a grip on the way the benefits system is being abused. The country can no longer afford to be so generous.

Jean F Fernandez ● 5041d

Re  we do have a duty to help those        xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx      totally agree, and if I had my way, persons who lay their lives on the line for us,eg members of the Armed Forces and their dependants would be at the top of the list, especially War Widows. And those who are genuinely disabled , and there are loads of fakes, that I have known , who have never worked, drive around in cars all day, sire kid after kid, live the life of Reilly at our expense, makes me  wanna vomit. Sadly it is the nature of some who want to see others work. A few nights ago, my original Iraqi friend was here , moaning he wants a bigger flat. He arrived in a Jag 6 cyl, taxed, insured so he says, his mother and sister were here for 10 years  in a flat overlooking Hyde Park. He has never worked since he  fled to UK from Sadaam in 1999, everything paid for by UK taxpayers, suffers from one-time drug abuse and depression, long spells in Secure Accomodation. Mother  married to father, he naturalised hard working retired professor, 5 bed house in the shires, which the wife found boring, so she  joins her son years ago in London, somehow gets the flat etc  courtesy of UK taxpayers. How do they do it, we are being ripped off wholesale. She has 3 houses in Baghdad, one built to order on the outskirts, where she went back to recently having  been in Syria for 12 months, the flat in London still kept on until not so long ago, but she apparently wants to come back to UK, so more expense for UK taxpayers. And those are just 2 of many I have known personally. What really upsets me is to learn of ex  forces personnel living rough on the streets, to those people we owe every help possible,in my opinion.

Tony Price ● 5042d