The work and pensions secretary, Iain Duncan Smith, has been challenged to prove that he can fulfil his claim that he could live on £53 a week in benefits.
Defending the vast array of welfare reforms being introduced this week as part of the government's deficit reduction programme, Duncan Smith was asked on BBC Radio 4 whether, following an example of a market trader David Bennett, he could survive on £53 a week — the amount Bennett claimed he was left with to live on and roughly equivalent to the lowest rate of jobseeker's allowance given to adults under 25.
"If I had to I would, "Duncan Smith replied. His claim prompted an online petition calling on him to prove it that chalked up 25,000 signatures in its first day.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2013/apr/01/iain-duncan-smith-live-benefits
Further evidence MPs are far from connected to or understanding of the people they serve.
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I might have to give up smoking and drinking, hand back the car,cancel the Sky sub and wear pullovers rather than set the thermostat at 20deg, and not be able to have relatives to stay in their own room, but I agree, I could live on £53 a week...if I had to, but I work so I can add the above (no sky here and 16deg is fine,thankyou) to the basics. And don't tell me £53 includes rent/mortgage and rates.
If anybody wants to send me the dough for a holiday or cigs or presents for the kids or designer clothes, please let me know and you might even be able to make it TAX deductible,
"My advice to him - sack every single adviser & civil servant connected to this latest piece of idiocy and employ people with brains or you are finished as a politician."
As overseer and coordinator of the policy he should go first. If IDS can let advisors convince him these welfare reforms are workable then he really doesn't have a clue.
I managed to live on about £50 a week for most of my final year at uni (2008) but I grow alot of my own food so costs were kept down. That said its only just do-able until the temperature drops.... Me and my flatmate used to look at ice on the inside windows sometimes..... Adjusting for inflation, I'd expect you need at least £70-£75 to survive like that now.
What scares me the most is, their is simply not enough money to pay for decent welfare.... Whats on offer is not enough, but theirs no money to pay for it, and taxing the rich, even to 100% of their income would not cover half the shortfall.
In my role we help a lot people who are trying to live on basic state benefits, as an advisor part of what we do is help people to budget and we are quite tough (we need to be). Even so a budget has to be realistic and "sustainable" (to use a buzzword).
Most of us, if we cancelled the smartphone contract and the Sky subscription, ate tesco value meals and never went anywhere could live on £53.00 per week but one of two things will happen:
1) you will watch daytime tele and eat unhealthily, never go anywhere, get depressed, take to drinking lager in the middle of the day to numb the pain of remembering what you used to be, lose all self respect, lose your confidence & become (to the outside world) one of the workshy shirkers that we are hearing so much about.
2) you will keep just enough of your lifestyle to keep your self respect, for example you will buy your Mum a Birthday present or go to the launderette so you have clean clothes and to do so you will fall into debt, debts that will spiral because no bonafide creditor is going to lend money to someone who gets £53.00 per week so Wonga here I come!Next you use your housing benefit to pay back Wonga so you get evicted and end up sleeping in the subway.
In case you are in any doubt I do not belive that anyone can live on £53.00 per week, what happens when the fridge breaks down, you need to go to a funeral, your shoes fall apart, your hair needs cutting.
I am posting this as me, Lins, not as Perennial as it is a bit political however we are gearing up at Perennial for an influx of job seekers & low earners who can no longer cope and with the demise of the social fund (replaced by some woefully inadequate and poorly thought through local authority run support schemes)there will be nowhere to go for help.
I have seen how the mighty can fall, we have helped people who have had glittering careers & ended up quite literally in the gutter, no-one lives like this out of choice. I will agree that some people live like this because it is all they know, they are the second & third generation legacy of the high unemployment of the 80's.
Increasingly we are seeing Local authorities being told to look to charitable agencies as an alternative source of help for individuals in need, "partner organisations" is another way of saying "passing the buck" as far as I am concerened. Currently we are welcoming any initiative that identifies individuals in our industry that need our help, but we are a charity and our money has to come from somewhere ......... Rant over
Nice reply Lins.
I know people who are experiencing exactly what you have said. Its not their fault and most if not all have been productive members of society in their time and with the right help and support and a pick up in the job market will be again. Yes we can all recall the cases which hits the headlines such as the single mum with NN kids getting thousands in handouts but the majority of people are genuine and should be treated with respect and a fair support system in the moment of need.
The saying, for there go I but for the grace of God (or something similar) springs to mind. It can and will happen to anyone of us and hopefully there will be a support system in place that allows us to get back on our feet. And for us in the Landscape trade, very reassuring that we have Perennial to call upon for help, advice and support and we should all actively support this charity.
well said Lindsey ,I am sure IDS could do it for a week but empty his bank account and make him try for 6 months,I dont think so some how.
The man is a tit just like the rest of the guff spouting half whits that run the country Mps on all sides are clueless
This is a very emotive subject, but the fact remains that something HAS to be done and it has to start somewhere. I don't believe for one minute that genuine claimants will be hit, they may need to jump through a few more hoops, but the system has been abused - almost 1m sickness claimants apparently coming off the list before the new test starts must prove something.
The various governments/councils and public servants have been asleep on the job for many years and this is where we are now.
Agree totally,
Those deserving and in need of help should and will continue to be supported.
But I think we have become a society divided to some extent between those who want to work and who will try to get a job no matter what and those who are comfortable on benefits.
I am not a die hard conservative but I do support the view that any one working should always be better of than remaining on benefits.
Colin Hunt said:
"If I had to I would," Duncan Smith replied
But you don't have to do you Iain, so you just carry on as you are mate,
They are not interested in a damned thing except feathering their own nests, and I am refering to all of them not just Torys or whatever he is.
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