Benefits britain

[missk1989]

Im sat wondering when we will be able to afford to have a second child, taking in the childcare costs when returning to work, and these people have arrived with all their kids and are openly rinsing the system so they can return home and enjoy life. How is that fair? How can the government not see this and reconsider their regulations?

 

[sue_88]

Please bare in mind that this is a channel 5 program and dramatised for the sake of television. The majority of people come to the uk to work and make a better life for their family. Many British are living off the system without good cause either.

They've moved to the uk legally (common misconception is that people think it's illegal immigrants that get all these benefits - wrong. Illegal gets buggar all.), and MOST will work. Ever been to a factory.....English isn't the first, even second language!

Help is there for those that do require it, yes I think things need to be a little tighter I.e Universal credit, but overall we're an excellent country who cares about who's legally within our walls.

 

[emyandpotato]

This entire show is a (slight) remash of a previous Channel 5 show on Roma Gypsies. Literally 90% is the same footage.

 

[lau86]

This entire show is a (slight) remash of a previous Channel 5 show on Roma Gypsies. Literally 90% is the same footage.

Ahhh I was wondering why it looked like a repeat, but slightly different! Ha ha channel 5 you naughty people

 

[tina3747]

I don't know if its the same show but I saw one last week that pissed me off far more.
The skinhead guy who's said recently that he's upset hes been portrayed as a racist ( the guy with swaztikers and hitler tattoo'd on him saying he hates foreigners and black people) that hasn't worked for 20 Years as he can't find a job . Really??? Our country is THAT bad there isn't one job you can get???
What pisses me off more is our country lets it happen! Unemployment should not be a lifestyle choice, you should be given work to do at this level of time if a job isn't available ...or the money should stop. End of!
And it's funny, alot of these kind of people on the shows that haven't had a job for years moaning immigrants are taking the jobs... Yes the job that was originally available for you to apply for!!
Controlled immigration isn't a problem for this country, it's people that are fit to work that have been claiming unemployment benefit for 20 years that are!!

 

[MrsEngland]

The whole benefit system is flawed and open to abuse from people. The fact that people can just keep having children and not working yet they are far better off than people who do work and actually pay for their children is wrong.
I think the benefit should be in place but if you cant find paid work you should have to do volunteer work to earn your benefits. Of course there is a place for benefits for people who really need and really cant work but it is abused far too often and until its sorted it us tax payers who foot the bill.

 

[Natasha2605]

I don't know if its the same show but I saw one last week that pissed me off far more.
The skinhead guy who's said recently that he's upset hes been portrayed as a racist ( the guy with swaztikers and hitler tattoo'd on him saying he hates foreigners and black people) that hasn't worked for 20 Years as he can't find a job . Really??? Our country is THAT bad there isn't one job you can get???
What pisses me off more is our country lets it happen! Unemployment should not be a lifestyle choice, you should be given work to do at this level of time if a job isn't available ...or the money should stop. End of!
And it's funny, alot of these kind of people on the shows that haven't had a job for years moaning immigrants are taking the jobs... Yes the job that was originally available for you to apply for!!
Controlled immigration isn't a problem for this country, it's people that are fit to work that have been claiming unemployment benefit for 20 years that are!!

It was the same show. Makes for very sad viewing

 

[missk1989]

Im not bothered about the fact that they are immigrants, it just so happened that this show was potraying a particular family of immigrants, i just hate that some people (the minority maybe but still) can live a full life on benefits while others will never be able to afford the same through working. My DH is currently doing radiotherapy but doesnt really like it. He cant afford to leave and get a different job as we would loose the childcare subsidy we currently get from the NHS. We cant afford to live on one wage but if we had two wages we wouldnt get childcare help and so would loose most of he wages through costs for that. I sometimes wonder why we even bother.

 

[kmbabycrazy]

The problem in this country is the misunderstanding of people on benefits. It does suck that some poeople are better off on benefits but it is a small amount. I have lived on benefits and I seriously don't understand how anybody does it. We really scraped by in a tiny house with the cheapest food we could find. No luxuries for us. We couldn't afford proper internet we had to get a dongle as we couldn't afford to pay line rental too.

Unemployment benefits is only actually only just over 2% of the benefit budget. And the majority of people do go back into work. And not as many foreign nationals s you think come into this country and claim benefits straight away. 6% claim within the first 2 years. And they actually, on average, pay more tax than nationals do.

 

[Noodlebear]

I dislike programmes like that because they feed into this confusion about immigrants. It's either 'they're scroungers' or 'they're taking our jobs'....how can it be both? immigrants who claim over here are in the minority, the vast majority come over here for better career/pay opportunities and we need them to because there's a real job snobbery in this country as well as our aging population ie more pensions being paid.

We both work and the vast majority of my salary goes on childcare, that doesn't bother me because that's the way it should be (although cheaper childcare would obviously be nice). We don't have much money but I don't want to be on benefits, I just think a system where someone can be better off on benefits than someone who works full time is pretty messed up in general.

 

[maryp0ppins]

A small minority of immigrants can claim benefits, any from outside the EU cant. I had a huge stamp in my passport that said no public funds.
I do know people irl who live solely on benefits and they are ttc their third child.....I find things like this far worse, very irresponsible!

 

[KayBea]

The problem in this country is the misunderstanding of people on benefits. It does suck that some poeople are better off on benefits but it is a small amount. I have lived on benefits and I seriously don't understand how anybody does it. We really scraped by in a tiny house with the cheapest food we could find. No luxuries for us. We couldn't afford proper internet we had to get a dongle as we couldn't afford to pay line rental too.

Unemployment benefits is only actually only just over 2% of the benefit budget. And the majority of people do go back into work. And not as many foreign nationals s you think come into this country and claim benefits straight away. 6% claim within the first 2 years. And they actually, on average, pay more tax than nationals do.

im currently on benifits due to splitting with FOB due to violence.
its very hard!
after all my big bills are paid, rent, water, electric, council tax etc etc im left with £120 a month to do my food shop including nappies, wipes shampoo & well everything.
£24 of that £120 is gone straight away on LOs meals at nursery.
hate how these programmes make us all look like scum!
xx

 

[mummylove]

Its governments fault for giving them the money

 

[missk1989]

The problem in this country is the misunderstanding of people on benefits. It does suck that some poeople are better off on benefits but it is a small amount. I have lived on benefits and I seriously don't understand how anybody does it. We really scraped by in a tiny house with the cheapest food we could find. No luxuries for us. We couldn't afford proper internet we had to get a dongle as we couldn't afford to pay line rental too.

Unemployment benefits is only actually only just over 2% of the benefit budget. And the majority of people do go back into work. And not as many foreign nationals s you think come into this country and claim benefits straight away. 6% claim within the first 2 years. And they actually, on average, pay more tax than nationals do.

im currently on benifits due to splitting with FOB due to violence.
its very hard!
after all my big bills are paid, rent, water, electric, council tax etc etc im left with £120 a month to do my food shop including nappies, wipes shampoo & well everything.
£24 of that £120 is gone straight away on LOs meals at nursery.
hate how these programmes make us all look like scum!
xx

They don't make people like you look like scum. I don't think it is the fault of these people despite my post. I blame the government. If you need the help then that's fair but it shouldn't be the case that people only work just enough to get benefits and no more. I have taught a lot of people on benefits through no fault of their own and also a few who have spent their lives on benefit with no intention of doing otherwise. This shouldn't be the case.

 

[kmbabycrazy]

Unfortunately we have to live with the few that do it so that we can help people who really need it.
The papers and programmes like that do make it seem like it's easy to fiddle the system, when the real numbers are a lot lower than the country perceives them to be. Less than 1% of benefits are claimed fraudulently. Often owing to a mistake with the official granting benefits, but equally their errors cause people to be underpaid as well. There is far more tax fraud from working people than there is benefit fraud. However strict they make the system there will always be a way to fiddle it. And even in attempting to make it stricter with the changes to employment support benefit there are now people that should be receiving benefits and are genuinely unable to work being told they can't have them and to look for a job. I think those scroungers are the lesser of two evils tbh. Have scroungers whilst helping people in genuine need or not help anybody.

 

[mummylove]

I am on benefits for my disability and have been since i was 16 and been on dla since i was a young child. Programs like this make everyone else look bad that claim. British money should be for british people. I think foreigners that come over here shouldnt be aloud to claim for at least 6 months. How do they even get over here that must need work permits or visas

 

[smallpeanut]

Me and my other half brought our house after deciding that was what we wanted to do. We sold our assets, we saved every penny and we did it. We worked all the over time we possibly could. We fell pregnant with our dd. At the same time, my partners best friend got a girl pregnant accidentally. They decided to make a go of it. They rented.

Two years later. We have another baby and we are struggling to get by. We do not get any help other than child benefit. We don't get working tax credits because we are just over the amount. We have no support if we can't pay our mortgage. We are on our own. Our friends have decided to split up. I said oh no, what are you going to do! Thinking she must be terrified. She replied saying it's ok, she will keep the house, the government will pay nearly all of her rent so all she has left to pay for bills etc is £50 a week. She complain that after all bills and food, she would have £100 to get her through the month and how can she go out on that?!

I cried inside. I have about £30 to get me through the month after everything is paid... And that's petrol money.....

The rich continue to get rich, the poor continue to get by on a wage given to them, and the grafters, have to graft even harder then them all to keep what they worked so god damn hard to achieve.

I know it's channel 5 crap, but there are plenty of people like that. Just as there are greedy tax evading MPs.... Everyone's ok, everyone gets help... Bar the true working class.

 

[lhancock90]

Honestly, i wonder what channel five paid them to spew out all of that rubbish? They should be cautioned for trying to incite racial hatred.

I agree with everything Sue said, its a very small percentage and its a cleverly constructed programme to make you feel angry. When you add up the benefits, including rent its about 9k a year. I certainly couldn't live of that, the fact is that a huge majority of people on benefits cannot live on them and are desperate to work.

 

[TTCabundle]

I HATE programmes like these, it makes everyone who receive benefits look like scrounging idiots. I'm embarrassed to even write this but.. Up until February this year I worked full time, I then started to get ill and was unable to carry on working, I had to quit my job my OH then lost his job and we had to start receiving employment and support allowance to live on and housing benefit to pay our rent. Honestly, it's horrible. I'd much rather prefer to be able to work, I hate being on benefits. The worst part of it is the judgement from other people. I've even had comments off of people that work in the benefits office Implying that I am a scrounger and too thick to get any job, when actually I am educated and come from a slightly well off background where my whole family have worked all their lives and have never received any benefits. It's 100% different to what these shows make out. People seem to have some idea that people on benefits have a lot more money than people who work, I can tell you now that that is definitely not true. I have a LOT less money than when I was working, we barely have enough to cover the basics but untill I am well again there's nothing I can do. Just to add - I am definitely not moaning, i am very greatful to receive the money that we do! I just cannot wait to work again!

 

[Aidan's Mummy]

I hated the one in hull. We live in hull and work so it was frustrating to see our city being made out to be awful. The couple that were trying for a baby whilst on benefits . I wanted to scream at the TV x