What about people disabled from birth, don't they deserve help because they havn't paid in?

Yep, or young people who are unemployed.

I don't need or want your sympathy. All I want in my time of need is a bit of help from the government which is what I was promised way back in the 40's when the welfare state was born. I paid my NI in full every month without fail so why can't the government reciprocate?

Do you think I gave up a good full time job for 96 quid a week because I wanted to?!!

The defining factor of a civilised society is one which collects a levy from it citizens in order to provide a mutually agreeable level of public services (water, power, drainage, communications, roads, etc) as a bare minimum, the starter pack if you will.

The USA fits this description, they bought into the starter pack.

As a top up pack you can also add to the provisions a health pack (cradle to grave, free at the point of service), a pension pack (a basic state provision topped up by additional benefits), and a safety net of out of work benefits for when you hit those unforeseen moments in life, like your employer goes bust for instance.

The UK bought into all of those top up packs.


A civilised country should measure its esteem by the way it values its social provisions, supports its weak, and helps out those who are temporarily unemployed.

I find the USA model of "small government" very difficult to reconcile, I correspond with several American artists and find that they are all of the same opinion, that they will help themselves when in dire straits and they don't want a government to meddle in their affairs, even to the extent where they do not expect to receive medical treatment as a citizen right and if their neighbour dies because they didn't have enough or the right or kind or any medical insurance, then that is simply their fault and no-one elses concern - these are otherwise normal, kind, sharing folk and when I point out to them that if they come to the UK and are taken ill then they will be treated for free they all state without hesitation that they would refuse treatment, they will pay their way or have none at all.


Right now we have a perfect storm, rising unemployment coupled with three years of falling output and subsequent loss of tax revenue, and a government determined to use the American model as a "go forward" position either from dogged political belligerence or because they think its a quick fix to a financial position that is often exaggerated, over-estimated or simply invented for the sake of the next round of dogma.

I can't think of one week so far into this coalition's term when they haven't had a lie exposed, or done a U-turn, or just said stupid ill-conceived things, its like you're working for a company being managed by Mr Bean and as time goes on the gaffs will get bigger and the resentment will grow, either against their political parties, or from their supporters towards sectors of society who they have carefully presented as the cause of all evil, there are very similar undertones to that of Germany in the 1930s.

Ah. That.

Nope. Still entirely relevant.

Whinging that someone had made a "death threat" against you is entirely relevant to the Twitter joke trial.

You just announced that, if she could get to a PC, she could do some work.

Talk about leaping to conclusions based on your prejudices, and without bothering about facts.

Oh and have a load of this before you whinge on about 'benefit fraud'.



And if you wish to challenge the stats represented simply here, then feel free – with evidence.

Another very good post.

And just to reiterate what I mentioned a couple of time, from privileged brats who wouldn't know what a proper day's work was if it stood up and hit them very firmly across their wobbly, spoilt faces.

I prefer a lie-in to hard work, it doesn't mean that when the time comes to work I don't work hard.

But it was aimed at me. It was meant to cause distress and was abusive because it labelled me a ''.

Absolutely valid point. And I'm sure that's widespread. 1.671875:10