Meandrogrog 10:37
Firstly, sincere apologies, my intention was certainly not to “accuse” you nor to “congratulate” myself.
I’ve been in quite an unusual situation work wise, where I have been fortunate enough to work within the private sector within the Insurance and Banking Sectors, mainly within people or project management, though I did start off in low level IT, (or data processing as it was then called), then having a second family, late in life, took local jobs, to be near my children, hence entering the civil service at 50 years old.
I’ve worked in this country and abroad and have been fortunate enough to acquire lots of experience/knowledge in many different sectors.
However, as you can imagine, this didn’t make me a fortune in income.
However, I was brought up in a very privileged middle class family, where my father spent much of his working life travelling and working abroad and I’m afraid as his only child, despite not being my biological father, (married my widowed mother when I was 6, and immediately adopted me), he rather indulged me.
I’ve never cared much about money or possessions, though my parents instilled their very strong work ethic, but alas (for them) not their politics. Very strong conservatives. However, like many others on here I started paid work at 13. I didn’t “need” the extra cash, but was encouraged by my parents to “earn” my pocket money (which my DF matched) and to save (ooops, failed here).
So if I come across as having strong opinions and passion for fellow humans, I make no apology for this, though I fully respect others views and opinions, I sometimes fail to fully understand them.
I’m afraid your comment re your relative’s mental health issues, being “self-inflicted” sadly did come across as lacking in empathy, however unintentional it was. That’s the issue with the written word from strangers.
Your comments, like many others, around claiming benefits, are sometimes showing just part of the full picture.
As stated several times, Universal Credit is an amalgamation of several legacy benefits, which was introduced to be paid monthly (to assist in claimants learning to budget), it incorporates both the old “tax credit” system and housing benefits.
Therefore approximately 50% of those in receipt of this benefit are actually in work, many of whom are in full time, low paid jobs, like Teaching Assistants, Nursery School Assistants, Care Workers, etc etc. even those on the two lowest levels within the Civil Service are eligible for top up if they have high private rents and children.
I understand your position re “vouchers”, in theory a great idea, in practise a terrible idea.
I remember only too well the humiliation attached to “free school meals”.
Why on earth would anyone want to see people humiliated in supermarkets etc, and vouchers could not possibly cover everything, can you imagine the admin costs involved?
Universal Credit is claimed by Working people, people working part time and full time, it’s also claimed by those out of work who cannot work, for example those with severe learning difficulties, those who are severely disabled, those who have progressive medical who might have worked but now no longer can, for example having MS, MND, etc, addicts, prison leavers, veterans, then those who are temporarily out of work, finally the groups who really should be targeted and very quickly, those aged between 18-26, never working, not in education, not in training, then the long term unemployed who still can work and do have transferable skills and those from third generation benefit claimants.
It’s so easy to be “sucked” in by various media who paint an entirely flawed and skewed vision of those people claiming Universal Claimant and this satisfies some people who just look at the numbers and the costs, but not the people.
I can completely understand your frustration with our two party government systems and both Labour and Conservatives failings. What I cannot even begin to comprehend is why you would be so drawn towards Reform.
Reform’s “ideas” and “ideals” couldn’t be further from my own moral compass if they tried and I’m really only just left of centre.
Each to his or her own, but I’d rather chop my own arm off than vote for a party which has succeeded in causing such division in our country and, like it or not, have “encouraged” groups like Patriot Platform and The Pink Ladies not only to form, but to have very loud and extremely aggressive voices.
It’s not just Asylum Seekers who cause issues in our country.
