An alternative Queen's speech.

I meant how do individuals feel that it is justified. I suspect that answer will come none, however.

Do you mean the report?

bit.ly/afscuts

Or do you mean how Osborne and IDS justify it?
They do not have to.

I'd be interested to hear reasoning on how this is justified.

www.centreforwelfarereform.org/library/by-date/briefing-on-how-cuts-are-targeted.html

This is how cuts to welfare affect those least able to cope, the ones that Cameron and Osborne said they would protect from the cuts.
They lied.

I think a bit of sympathy for this family would not come amiss. The youngest girl is their granddaughter. I have seen a lot of sympathy for someone on this site who wanted to keep her grandson instead of him going into foster care.

The house they have been evicted from was given to them as temporary accommodation for two years. They have been there six years. It's private accommodation, paid for by housing benefit.
Their own children were all born when the father was in work.

Oh, what a cynic you are!

I don't know ana but they may not be all Labour supporters.

Goodness, even 53% of Mirror readers are in favour of the new benefits cap! Are they all closet tories?

Wonder for the sake of fairness whether comanys who give large amounts to the Tory Party will ask their shareholders to "opt in" to the giving, just as the union members are being asked to do.

www.change.org/p/david-cameron-stop-the-11-pay-rise-for-mps-salaries

Hope you've all signed this.
1 MP = 3.6 poor families on benefits.

Ridiculous that people paid less than they can afford to live on in benefits are having to pay tax, when people earning between £45,000 and £50,000 will be given a tax refund, don't you think?

www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/first-victims-tory-welfare-cap-5780398

I'm not quite sure what you're saying is ridiculous.

It does seem rather ridiculous that people are making such a fuss about benefits being capped at the equivalent of a £29,000 p.a. salary.

Quite a few benefits are taxable, too. If someone is receiving housing benefit and jobseekers allowance up to the limit, they will be paying tax on that. Ridiculous, isn't it? Not many people actually receive the £26,000 at the moment. It's just punishing the poor more.

And other benefits I presume?

£23,000 is the equivalent of a £29,000 salary before tax - £3,000 p.a. more than the median income.

Over 22,000 signatures now on the Hunger Games petition.

I heard this morning on the local radio someone talking about the local foodbank, and having a fun day to raise funds. Sorry but fun and foodbanks do not go together in my mind.

"The bill will in effect break the link between the benefits cap and median earnings. The coalition always argued the cap was fair because it was calibrated to ensure no workless household received in benefits income more than the £26,000 earned by the median household. The reduced level would mean unemployed households’ total benefits income would be capped at a sum far less than median earnings. Given that low-paid working household income is inflated beyond £26,000 by tax credits, the income gap between households in work, and those which are not, will widen. "
A quotation about the Welfare Bill and how the Libdems used to be able to temper the Tories in the coalition. It seems strange to miss the Libdem influence.

www.theguardian.com/business/2015/may/30/hotel-workers-bullied-underpaid-few-rights-uk

Just been reading this about Trade Unions. The Tories do not need another bill. Employees in hotels do not have many rights as it is.
The people who are going on strike outside London hotels are being very brave. It seems like they do not have much to lose.

I read that, too, Eloethan.
I agree that we should be told when big companies donate to any party. Often people say it's not the company, it's the individual who donates. We need transparency in all donations.
It's easy enough to look at the theyworkforyou website to find out who donates to individual MPs, but it takes a lot of time and effort.

On the subject of trade unions contributing towards the Labour Party, in The I today was a small report which said:

"The Conservatives banked more money from donations than all the other political parties put together, the latest Electoral Commission figures showed".

"The Tories were given £15.4 million of the £30.6 million received by the parties in the first three months of this year, compared with £9.33 million collected by Labour............"

"The figures emerged as Labour braces itself for the loss of several million pounds a year following changes to trade union funding announced in this week's Queen's Speech."

Members of trade unions now have to actively authorise that part of their membership fee go towards funding the Labour Party. It would also be nice if it was incumbent on large companies such as Next, Warburtons, Betfair and Addison Lee Taxis to inform their customers that they donate to the Conservative Party, in order that their customers can also make an informed decision as to whether they wish to to take their custom elsewhere.

14 927 signatures. Wonder how long it will take to get 20,000.

If it wasn't in the contract before, it will be now, MiniMouse! Me, a cynic!

durhamj you old cynic you

They do not have to be on benefits, minimouse, just low-paid. I presume they also have to be single, as anyone who is part of a family will probably have housing benefits taking them above that amount.

If the winner has double the money in one year, they will only pay tax on it just like any other person whose pay goes up to £30,000 in a year.

No doubt they will then want to do another programme following the winner around to find out what he or she has squandered the money on!

I signed it today too - appalling!