[Sky Captain]

Say it isn't so, the leeches may ahve to work now?

Some people collecting for 6-7 years!
Geez. How in the hell can the government collect enough taxes to support this?

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Sky Captain 

Some people collecting for 6-7 years!
Geez. How in the hell can the government collect enough taxes to support this?

That small hardcore of doleys costs next to nothing compared to the other benefits they hand out to all and sundry.

I've no idea what they're playing at here, but I figure it's not going to be good. They've been stopping dole handouts for those who don't go on "back to work" training courses already (and have been doing for some four to five years) so I've no idea what's new about this latest announcement.

The only sure thing is that it'll screw the country up in some way.

[Doofy]

Oh, and Hutton says:

If workers from Poland can take advantage of these vacancies in our major cities - why can't our own people do so as well?

That's 'coz the blokes from Poland are sleeping 15 to a room, you stupid tw@t. It's almost impossible to buy or rent your own place (which most natives would want to do) on the wages that these blokes earn.

[ghporter]

How charitable of you, Doofy, especially the last line of your first post. We are talking about a "government" after all-doesn't is go without saying that they'll goof it up? Oh, that's right-a lot of people actually BELIEVE that their government is concerned about them and really wants to HELP them!

I am 100% in agreement with you on that particular sentence. They goofed when they set up the program to start with, and they cannot untangle their mess. This is probably an attempt to get someone elected/reelected by recycling someone else's ideas, or (this is what I think) just restating what's already going on as a "new initiative."

As for rent, hasn't this been a problem in England since, oh, 1400? Too many abodes are owned by too few people with absolutely no market management (New York City has a large number of "rent controlled" properties to address this very problem), so the landlords can charge what they damn well please and "the blokes" (all of them) can either pay or live on the street. Lovely.

[Sky Captain]

Those apartments are propably taxed so heavily that the rent is outrageous.
All to pay the dole taxes.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by ghporter 

I am 100% in agreement with you on that particular sentence. They goofed when they set up the program to start with, and they cannot untangle their mess. This is probably an attempt to get someone elected/reelected by recycling someone else's ideas, or (this is what I think) just restating what's already going on as a "new initiative."

I dunno. This current government are insidious bastards who I wouldn't trust to look after my pet rock for five minutes. There's more to this than meets the eye, for sure.

It's pretty much accepted that we need that hardcore of about 100,000 doleys there to prevent inflation going through the roof. So this just makes me wonder what they're up to - which bit of the smoke and mirrors (set up to hide how bad the economy really is) is this intended to hide?

Originally Posted by ghporter 

As for rent, hasn't this been a problem in England since, oh, 1400? Too many abodes are owned by too few people with absolutely no market management (New York City has a large number of "rent controlled" properties to address this very problem), so the landlords can charge what they damn well please and "the blokes" (all of them) can either pay or live on the street. Lovely.

We have a number of council owned properties everywhere for this purpose. But there's a huge waiting list for them and if "Sandra" decides to become pregnant or a family of immigrants turf up you get bumped to the back of the queue. So all the little Sandras become pregnant at 15/16 to secure housing for themselves and a load of immigrants turn up in order to do the same.

But, the housing problem at the moment is such that I've actually heard newly-qualified/hired lawyers moaning that they can't get a place of their own (even a place that you wouldn't actually want to live in because it resembles a dog kennel - in both size and facilities).

[Sky Captain]

So why not live outside the cities?
Isn't rent/real estate more affordable?

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Sky Captain 

Those apartments are propably taxed so heavily that the rent is outrageous.
All to pay the dole taxes.

No, really - it's much more complex than that.

Dole payments are a drop in the ocean. There's the pension credit, integrated children's tax credit, employment tax credit, the working families' tax credit, children's tax credit, etc., etc.. The system is so screwed you wouldn't believe (all with the aim of getting everyone dependant on government, I suspect).

Not to mention all the money we give to French farmers for sitting around on their asses or Africans for not keeping their pants on.

Heck, we could save $5,000 per person per year just by leaving the EU. And for the English, another $5,000 per person per year not giving handouts to the Scottish.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Sky Captain 

So why not live outside the cities?
Isn't rent/real estate more affordable?

No, it's way more expensive (at least around this neck of the woods).

While you guys have an urban/rural property price divide (with rural being cheaper), what we have is a north/south divide. The only real way to get cheaper housing is to move north. But then you're faced with a 200 mile commute in a country where the government is doing their utmost to ban private transport and public transport is less than stellar.

[Sky Captain]

Geez.
So they want to keep you all clumped into the city?
That's nuts.
I'd go crazy in the city.

[moodymonster]

they're probably doing something else right now and want us to look the other way.

like when Blair was interviewed by the police last week, lots of other things happened:

Princess Diana's investigation report was released

news came out that the Paras will no longer be parachute trained - neither will anyone else.

the dropping of the BAE/Saudi SFO investigation

the announcement of the VC and GC awards

could be coincidence...

then once whatever else they were doing has been done, they'll quietly drop this.

I am not a cynic.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Sky Captain 

Geez.
So they want to keep you all clumped into the city?
That's nuts.

Well hey, if folks live in rural areas they might start getting ideas about freedom and capitalism and stuff. Cities serve the hive better.

Originally Posted by Sky Captain 

I'd go crazy in the city.

Me too. I start getting itchy if my neighbour's closer than a quarter mile.

[nath]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

Heck, we could save $5,000 per person per year just by leaving the EU. And for the English, another $5,000 per person per year not giving handouts to the Scottish.

And for the Londoners, around £7 billion per year not giving handouts to the rest of the UK.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by nath 

And for the Londoners, around £7 billion per year not giving handouts to the rest of the UK.

The rest of us would be quite happy if there were perimeter wall around the M25 and the Republic of London minded their own business. As long as you keep Ken in there, that is.

[nath]

Originally Posted by Doofy 

The rest of us would be quite happy if there were perimeter wall around the M25 and the Republic of London minded their own business.

So we can have all the aforementioned money back then?

Because much as I think it's best that you live in something approaching utter isolation, I'm f*cked if I can see why I should subsidise your local services.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by nath 

So we can have all the aforementioned money back then?

The very moment our money stops flowing through W1, yes, no problem.