What is wrong with this country?

[timmytree]

I'm in the unfortunate position of being off work at the moment, signed off by the Dr for what will be now 6 weeks, maybe longer.

I live in a mobile home which I own but pay site rent. All I get is SSP at £89 per week. Today I spent hours trying to get some help, cost me a fortune on the phone getting passed from pillar to post so eventually I went to citizens advice who did all they could but the upshot is that as a white , working male with no dependants I can't get any help whatsoever. My rent, rates, phone, precharged prescriptions and TV licence take up the whole £89 per week leaving me nothing for food, fuel, electric or gas for 6 weeks or more. To say I'm frustrated and angry is an understatement! I did get a referral to a foodbank, I walked to the place and had a chat to the bloke in charge, he was great and explained that I'd missed the best but told me to come back on friday at 12. He said that was the best way to avoid the vultures, he said this while nodding at a woman who was loading up her 13 plate BMW with 3 bags of grub! Apparently she's a regular visitor, on benefits since she left school, with 5 kids and regular overseas holidays. I haven't had a decent holiday for 14 years!!!

So what am I doing wrong? Do I go on benefits and claim everything, work on the side and have a decent standard of living or do I carry on, go back to work and be treated as a second class citizen for evermore?

I'm convinced that the scroungers, foreigners and illegals in this country are treated better than people like me who just want to work, pay our bills properly and maintain decent standards.

For working class people who hit a bad patch this country is one sick bloody joke.

I bet there's terrorists in prison that will be getting 3 meals and a warm bed with no worries while I'm wondering how to cope.

Allahu bloody Akhbar.

[Longbower]

Commiserations, timmytree,ive always managed to put a bit by , but it wouldnt last long .

I hope your situation and luck improve very soon.

A friend of mine 'busks' a couple of times a week to feed himself and his dog , he was an I.T.

techy. Now in a similar situation to yourself.

[timmytree]

Commiserations, timmytree,ive always managed to put a bit by , but it wouldnt last long .

I hope your situation and luck improve very soon.

A friend of mine 'busks' a couple of times a week to feed himself and his dog , he was an I.T.

techy. Now in a similar situation to yourself.

The irony is that I've just paid for insulation and cladding, If I was on benefits I could have had that for free and a new boiler as well, total cost about £7000. A prime example of working people getting screwed for being honest. Time for a rethink of morals.

[Mice!]

Might not help Timmy but you can probably get your insulation for free, if you haven't had the work done yet then get in touch and cancel it, free up some cash while you need it.

 

There are still grants available for insulating your home, you don't have to be on benefits to qualify.

 

Good luck.

[Red-dot]

£10 a day on JSA and they wonder why crime is on the rise?

[Ollieollie]

Thinking about your predicament will simply make me angry, I understand your position and believe me you are not alone! I hope you get something sorted asap mate!! Good luck

[matone]

When my neighbour was made redundant,he went to the NoJobs Centre ,only to be told by a pigeon english speaking ,E.Euro clerk that he wasnt entitled to anything & the best thing he could do was tell his wife to stop working ,so that they could claim !!!!

Needless to say ,he wasnt happy !

[bruno22rf]

Been in a very similar situation myself but with long term illness (Renal Failure) - only managed to survive because the wife was earning good money. My GP refused to sign me fit for work but the Government Appointed Doc said that I was capable of "some" kind of work. To claim Jobseekers I had to constantly apply for jobs that I knew I could not get as my Doc would not entertain me working. Ended up taking the DSS to a tribunal and with the help of John Bercow I managed to sue them for "professional negligence" and they were ordered to pay just over £4k in compensation. It was a terrible time Timmy and I feel for you.

[deny essex]

Been there and lost a lot in the past , my sympathies are with you.

[Benthejockey]

I was in a similar situation the last 5 months when I broke my leg. My insurance wouldnt pay out because I was competing when I got hurt, all of my minuscule savings had been spent paying for the wedding I was about to have and I still had horses in to pay for. Fortunately my wife works otherwise Id have been really stuffed. I tried to get ESA whilst I was off as £60 a week would at least pay for the shopping but my wifes income was too high for the one evaluation and my minimum NI contributions that Ive paid since I was 16 werent enough to qualify me for the other evaluation. I said to the bloke why have I bothered working since I was 14 (weekends and school holidays) and at times working 3 jobs running myself into the ground and paying my dues and when I need some help the government couldnt give a monkeys. I nearly would be better off not working. They didnt care that the wifes income covers the mortgage and after that and tax theres not a whole lot left. If youre a hard working, working age, white bloke in this country then they dont want to know.

 

If youre able to drive Timmy find your nearest Racing Yard theyre almost certain to need a lorry driver and theyre mostly 3.5ton van things you can drive on a car license. A bit of driving kept me from going over my overdraft most of the time!

[Mungler]

Unfortunately the welfare state is a complicated game and its only the professional spongers who know the rule book inside out and back to front.

 

At work Ive seen it all, and I am firmly of the view that honest people who need temporary assistance fair badly, and the long term lead swingers do well.

 

It is also beyond complicated in terms of the sheer quantity of forms and offices.

[steve d]

Unfortunately youre not "doing" anything wrong.

The problem is you are a white male who hasnt bred like a rabbit and you were born in this country.

Sadly, Great Britain is only great if you werent born here. Trouble is you only find this out when you ask for a bit back!

[Hamster]

This is one of the very reasons I despise the uber capitalist system which chews and spits out humans lives all in the pursuit of profit. Sadly for us they are meticulous in their thieving endeavours and since they also own the msm and everything you and I get to see and read from birth till death they will make sure you end up pointing the finger at other equally hapless, dispossessed groups rather than the actual source of inequalities. If you don't believe me re-read your own post where you (at least think) race and colour has a bearing and that foreigners are "responsible" for your plight. This is despite the FACT studies and factual records show "foreigners" (on the whole) bring their own investments and make a net contribution. Look around you with an open mind, do they ALL live on hand outs or milk the system or are most working jobs and creating them by opening businesses and paying taxes. What colour was the 13 plate career holiday merchant ?

 

The stats are freely available and make interesting reading such as the fact that 8 people own as much wealth as the bottom 50% in the WORLD. Whenever these things are mentioned people start laughing (because the msm has conditioned them to) and start hurling their favourite put downs like "resident socialist" or "libtard" or "Guardian reader" little aware they are spewing out the exact thing their capitalist parasite masters have conditioned them to say and think. I personally abhor injustice in society and metaphorically weep every time I see poverty, regardless of whether the victim is down on his/her luck or a so called pro scrounger.

 

We do have problems of poverty, social housing, runaway costs on utilities, high rents and near impossibility of getting on the housing ladder in many places but the guy washing your car for a fiver is not the cause. The cause is wealth is not divided anywhere near equally and by that I don't mean everyone should get a lump sum of £25000 or some other bizarre swipe which I await eagerly from some resident professional capitalist zombie.

 

They always have money for war but they never have it for the NHS, roads, trains, infrastructure, housing, pot holes, etc, etc, they'll also chase you for taxes but let corporations off with billions (because they create jobs and will go elsewhere if we upset them) .

Edited October 3, 2017 by Hamster

[Lord Geordie]

£10 a day on JSA and they wonder why crime is on the rise?

Yeah! £10 a day in disposable income! On top of your rent being paid £100+ per week) council tax being paid (£25+ per week) dental and prescription charges paid saving a small fortune, and access to food banks is possible to some, saving a further £50+ per week! Just on housing, council tax, and JSA that's £195 a week. Oh and free bus travel used to be available! Not sure if it still is though!

 

Granted! If they are living with mum n dad you could forget the help for council tax and rent! But that's still £70 a week help that timmytree doesn't get! I am surprised you weren't entitled to some form of further help than just the food bank Timmy! That is shocking to be fair. I don't have a lot, but if you need a hand give me a shout fella! Sure I can spare a few pound if you need

[JDog]

Hamster, I confess to having to go back to bed for a while after reading and digesting your post, such was the effort needed to get my limited brain round the contents, views and implications.

[guzzicat]

Hamster, I confess to having to go back to bed for a while after reading and digesting your post, such was the effort needed to get my limited brain round the contents, views and implications.

+ me too,!

[12gauge82]

This is one of the very reasons I despise the uber capitalist system which chews and spits out humans lives all in the pursuit of profit. Sadly for us they are meticulous in their thieving endeavours and since they also own the msm and everything you and I get to see and read from birth till death they will make sure you end up pointing the finger at other equally hapless, dispossessed groups rather than the actual source of inequalities. If you don't believe me re-read your own post where you (at least think) race and colour has a bearing and that foreigners are "responsible" for your plight. This is despite the FACT studies and factual records show "foreigners" (on the whole) bring their own investments and make a net contribution. Look around you with an open mind, do they ALL live on hand outs or milk the system or are most working jobs and creating them by opening businesses and paying taxes. What colour was the 13 plate career holiday merchant ?

 

The stats are freely available and make interesting reading such as the fact that 8 people own as much wealth as the bottom 50% in the WORLD. Whenever these things are mentioned people start laughing (because the msm has conditioned them to) and start hurling their favourite put downs like "resident socialist" or "libtard" or "Guardian reader" little aware they are spewing out the exact thing their capitalist parasite masters have conditioned them to say and think. I personally abhor injustice in society and metaphorically weep every time I see poverty, regardless of whether the victim is down on his/her luck or a so called pro scrounger.

 

We do have problems of poverty, social housing, runaway costs on utilities, high rents and near impossibility of getting on the housing ladder in many places but the guy washing your car for a fiver is not the cause. The cause is wealth is not divided anywhere near equally and by that I don't mean everyone should get a lump sum of £25000 or some other bizarre swipe which I await eagerly from some resident professional capitalist zombie.

 

They always have money for war but they never have it for the NHS, roads, trains, infrastructure, housing, pot holes, etc, etc, they'll also chase you for taxes but let corporations off with billions (because they create jobs and will go elsewhere if we upset them) .

Very very good post, I think the UK is slowly waking up to these issues but your right, the world is full of sheepeople Edited October 3, 2017 by 12gauge82

[Scully]

A sad state of affairs to be sure.

Being self employed I have been in a similar state twice unfortunately.

It can make one very cynical and coldly calculated, but having morals and standards I refuse to let go, there is no option but to struggle on as best you can.

I wish you well.

[Davyo]

For the past 2 months I have been working compliance cases for Child Tax & Working tax Credit.The cases I work are classed as High Value claims,i.e £15,000 -£36,000.This is without their Child Benifit and believe me 90% are UK residents (white)

[ditchman]

i was awarded £65/wk for carers allowance by the DWP....3 weeks later got a letter that my wifes (dementia) allowance had been reduced by £30/week...so i care for her 24/7 for £35/week.................have now been informed that my housing benifit has been withdrawn...i am at my whits end now...........

 

everything is just sooo not right................no wonder labour are on the up...when Hammond spouts off that he will look after the capatalists...during his speech at the con' conference yesterday..

[timmytree]

Thanks everyone,

Particular thanks to some remarkable people who have offered me financial help, no names mentioned but I'll always remember your kind offers.

I'll be ok thanks to family and unexpected help which came out of the blue. Hopefully I can get back to work in 3 weeks.

Thanks again

Tim

[clakk]

Total sympathy Timmy ,when my first wife was laid off the kind people at the what jobs said she,s your wife u support her .Total bumcleaners said as married no kids =no benefits get a job .Dumb enough to pay all your taxes and bills get a big fat zero when u need help

[Newbie to this]

When I had an operation, I was off work for three months and being self-employed couldn't get sick pay, so the only help I could get was employment support allowance. I can't remember the exact amount but the total came to around £360, I then had to declare it as eanings and pay income TAX on it @20%.

It was hardly worth doing but my thinking was I've payed TAX my whole working life, why shouldn't I!

[Bigbob]

I know that feeling mate ive been on half wages since july , ive felt for a bit i should be back at work on a phased return works doctor wont here of it , And now they want me to see a shrink i really think im getting depression being off that long anyway they have been taking my holidays to top up my pay but im going to be out of holidays next month so the Hr department letter gave me a government site to get my pay made up and said you might need to go to citizens advice get a free app with a lawyer and get the form filled in , So i phoned the 0800 number to be told unless i have a SSP1 form from my work its a waste of time , so last tuesday phones the Hr department im still waiting a return call i think if it was there wages i would of had the call back .I think there waiting till i have my meeting later on in the week and hit me with everything . What they dont know is my sister in law runs one of the biggest Hr dep in Scotland and i can run everything past her i think that might get dropped into the meeting .

[yod dropper]

Welcome to the Well-Unfair system, it's encounters such as this that will shape your politics. Generally, if you are single, childless, fully-abled and not already in the subsidised housing sector then you get a raw deal. When a government tries to make it fairer phrases such as 'nasty, vicious, vile, ideologically inspired cuts' (a previous poster missed this once common phrase from the regurgitated diatribe) are rolled out and reform is opposed. The fact is, many people are better off on benefits and in all honesty you can't blame them for taking advantage of what the state gives them. Except the state has no money of its own, it's the taxpayer who provides this money. This has been you timmytree but now you need it you don't (barely) get it.

 

We have this situation where a person once on harder times but now doing well gets subsidised housing but his neighbour who earns less has to pay the full market rate. How is this fair? Or right? In the eyes of some it is 'nasty' to stop this anomaly and they somehow claim the moral highground. Now we could level down, which is then seen by some as an act of class war, or level up, which would have huge economic and social consequences.

 

We can tax more, spend less, change spending priorities or spend better. Or of course borrow more, have our cake today and pass the burden of repayment onto our children and grandchildren. In a few years we'll have our first real chance in decades to choose between what we consider right and fair.

Edited October 3, 2017 by yod dropper