Standing Up for Low Income Families in Parliament
Posted by Laura Sandys, MP for South Thanet, at 16:03, Wed 10 November 2010:
In a debate in the House of Commons earlier today I highlighted the real struggle that low income families in Thanet face.
Thanet has the second highest number of low paid workers and throughout the election, I met a lot of families on low wages who highlighted the injustice of them putting in a hard day’s work whilst others seem better off on the dole. In a bid to put an end to this unfairness, I pledged to stand up for the hard working people of Thanet and put an end to the previous system.
I will press the Government to ensure that never again will we have a system where it does not pay to work. During the debate, I stated:
“It has taken a lot of courage to address housing benefit. It has not been done early enough, but the coalition can now deal with what has become a ludicrous and highly inflationary system.”
“The current situation has fundamentally distorted housing in my area. The average wage in Thanet is £17,000 and housing benefits for the unemployed stand at more than £8,000 a year. Most working families cannot compete in that market.”
“Our system is broken. Those who want to work know that work does not pay. Those who work get less than those who claim and those who do not work often receive the most.”
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Posted by John Smart, 18:36, Wed 10 November 2010: (Is this post abusive?) #
I have worked as has most people all their lives and paid their insurance stamp, mine for 46 years, well qualifying for my pension. Yet the Tory government still regards my pension as a charity handout.Why should I work and pay in to a pension fund all of my life to see a dosser who has never worked get the same or more with his tax credits.I am now disabled, and I don't mind seeing the fraudsters kicked off of the disability benefit system, but you are taking genuine people down with them. We all know that to allow unlimited immigration into the country will break the back of the welfare state, and the successive governments since real labour have done this for this reason. All of our industries are now in foreign hands, even the water that the Lord Our G-D pours down upon our heads for free, I have to pay a Frenchman to drink. The sell-out is almost complete. The only thing left now to sell is the land from beneath our feet. Ooops, sorry, I forgot, that's where the European Common Market comes in. I have no objection to anybody working hard and getting on in business, they deserve it, but could you imagine the Germans letting Mercedes go to India, or the yanks letting Ford go to China. No the British are unique, give them a bit of power, and as sure as hell, they will sell you out, Yours ever so sincerely' John Smart
Posted by Mrs L F Quarrell, 23:52, Wed 10 November 2010: (Is this post abusive?) #
I am really pleased that AT LAST someone is making a stand against the ridiculous culture that has been allowed to go on and on. Many of us who were taught that by getting an education and going on to find a job and work you forged your own way in life and reaped the benefits of your labour and are the same ones who foretold where it would lead us by encouraging and rewarding those who just don't want to do anything but feel they are owed, in fact government do not live in the real world, most certainly labour continued to buy their voters by giving money away left right and centre to those who put nothing into the economy, pay for nothing but get everything seemed to be their motto. I am from working class back-ground was proud of it, but now there are only 3 classes, working, non-working and the very rich !! Since when has it been right that someone on benefits can afford plasma TV's, holidays, have the up-to-date techno. equipment in their homes, run cars, drink & smoke, they are even allowed to get credit & credit cards when they are on benefits !!! when to most people this life-style is what they strive for when they go work a better standard of living for themselves, to afford luxuries if they are lucky enough to be able to save once rent & bills have been paid, and yet these hardworking people are the ones that when they have made their own way in life to achieve a decent standard of living and go onwards have a comfortable retirement, are again the very people that get means tested and hit over and over again, take take take from the worker/tax payer/retired worker.
I wrote to Roger Gale about year ago, saying that I would like to see means testing in reverse, what you pay in is what you get out and of course get help if you should fall on hard times through no fault of your own, or if disabled or become disabled later in life (genuinely and diagnosed as such by hospitals, not GP's who seem to sign people off at the drop of a hat because the scammers in society have become good actors/actresses) and those workers who cannot pay mortgage/rent because of redundancy or other unforeseen circumstance (that can be proven), these are the people that should receive help. But it seems that from cradle to old age, those that input nothing, get everything, in fact more than everything. The Welfare system should be a safety net when you fall on hard-times, not a 'right of passage to have a good life style' without working for it. It is obscene that this culture has continued to grow. No wonder immigrants want to come here, I do not have a problem with anyone wanting to make a better life for themselves, but who speaks English, has a job to come to and able to pay for their own mortgage/rent, see how many immigrants would flock to our shores, if the gravy train was made an exclusion zone for them - we should take a leaf out of Australia's book and only make sure it is entry for workers only, not those seeking to take advantage of our NHS and welfare system/pensions when they have paid nothing in they get nothing out. We don't get free treatment or welfare when we go to other European countries or anywhere in the world, we have to take out insurances and pay our way, so it should be the same for visitors coming here. This culture of child benefit for children not living or have never lived in this country is also a disgrace, a benefit that is not and cannot be policed who on earth in their right mind thought this one up...I suspect it had to have been labour. I agree with Mr Smart past governments have sold all but the land beneath our feet but suspect they will eventually get there, only recently they wanted to sell off the Dover Port, what on earth has happened that we have sat back and allowed this take-over.
I wish you well with this campaign, but there are many injustices going on that need to be championed, which would save the country billions, just ask the workers and those in society that pay their way, it is about time the worker/tax payer made a stand. We all have to pay for this big black hole in some way or other, but workers have always paid their dues, until they die in fact and even after, and these benefit scroungers or those who deliberately have loads of children as they know they will receive help and scammers have the cheek to moan about their lot, even if VAT goes up, it is not their money they are paying with and they are the first to moan about increases. When I was young I wish someone had given me £26,000 to stay at home and be with my children (this amount is a joke for capping, it should be even lower), I paid quarter of my wages in childcare, but then I thought that 3/4 of my wages was better than having no income at all, it helped with household bills and afforded us a few luxuries, there was no free money back then and I earnt just £2,000 per year part-time, but it was the norm to work and work was easier to come by, but our governments seem to be hell bent on overcrowding this country with migrants and making it difficult for those already living here. Incidentally, we had a small flat back then, no bathroom and an outside toilet and we did not consider ourselves poor, you were rich if you had a roof over your head and food in your mouths and anything extra was a luxury that you worked for !!!