Unemployment and Benefits

[Ian]

We seem to be labeling single mothers here as the problem.

I don't believe we are.  What we are doing is trying to identify those who depend most on the state without good reason.  And it's hard not to stereotype when you're talking about teenage single mothers.  They represent the single biggest drain on the benefits system.  Housing benefit, child benefit, Council tax benefit, income support, dental care, free transport to and from hospital and GPs, heating allowance - the list goes on and on.  The real problem, however, is that those children who become pregnant are very often from families where benefit-dependency is a culture. If we're serious about tackling the benefit problem, then where do we start?

[Fester]

As Dylan Thomas said, (paraphrasing) no race or social tier is ''wholly bad or wholly good'' ... but there are trends and tendencies, which are likely to tar all with the same brush.
What I mean is, there are towns in the UK (and cities) where the vast majority of crime is perpertrated by the ethnic 'minority', and something must therefore be done to discourage that minority from coming her,  or encouraging them to work and be honest.

Like all things in life the 'carrot and stick' principle holds true here.   If it is a cushy number to have underage sex, keep the resultant offspring to avoid work and also get housed for free then it will be an attractive proposition.   If those actions draw ridicule, stigma and massive inconvenience then less of it would go on.

If the punishment for an illegal migrant stealing vodk from Asda was public flogging, followed by immediate deportment then very little of it would go on.

[Fester]

In an attempt to answer Ian's thorny question....
We start by slowly (and I mean slowly) peeling away those benefits, and therefore slowly encouraging a change in that culture.

But, as I have warned before, there will be a gradual and steady increase in crime..... just as we are reducing the numbers of police officers available to deal with that.

[Hugo]

Just what is wrong in the idea or suggestion that any able bodied person should have to work for a living rather than to expect the state to support them?
Many hard working couples have put off having children until such time that they can afford to have them and to give those children a decent start in life.
With regard to single mothers, one child may be an accident but the irresponsible ones don't learn from this and continue to produce children without any thought as to how they are going to provide for the child's future.   They have no intention of looking for work and expect the state to provide everything for them.   That cannot be  right or acceptable to the majority of people.

[DaveR]

Nothing at all is wrong with it, Hugo, everyone agrees except for the lefty hand wringing brigade, who trot out a constant stream of excuses for these people.

[Pendragon]

Sometimes the government make it difficult too for instance if you get a part time job you can no longer let family and friends mind the children unless they have child minding certs and PNCs. they have to be put into a nursery which again costs the government money, most parents including myself would rather family "sit" for their offspring.
Another question is where will all these thousands of new jobs be created.  You need to do 16hrs a week to qualify for child support any less and you get no help.  I suppose there's an element of "you can't win".  What effect would it have on the next generation of kids if both parents have to work full time and they spend most of their time in nurseries with people they don't really know.

 

[Yorkie]

Population growth must be stemmed!   There are just too many people for the available resources.  China is the only country who are doing anything about it!   Teenage pregnancies - NIL.     

[DaveR]

That's a very good point. The Earth cannot sustain the present levels of population, let alone any increase. Therefore, I propose that all Child Benefits be replaced with a Child Tax - all parents have to pay for each sprog every year. 

[Merddin Emrys]

I'll vote for that!  I've said for years that there are far too many people on the planet and now it seems they all want to go to university mainly doing pointless courses and it seems they don't want to pay for the privilege of going there, so they end up going on marches protesting  :rage:

[Fester]

Amen to that.
There are too many people on the planet, and unfortunately only a massive natural disaster will restore the natural order of things.  Z@@

Something akin to the Yellowstone super volcano (which is due to erupt anytime now)

Speaking from personal experience, there are way too many students.  My own daughter (and the children of most people I know) have contemplated university or college etc... because they don't have any real idea what they want to do with thier lives.    And they really don't fancy the world of work!

[Ian]

Something akin to the Yellowstone super volcano (which is due to erupt anytime now)

Good film, that... (2012) 

[suepp]

Parents need to instil the work ethic into their children, there's nothing wrong with a 14 year old getting a part time job,  the sense of satisfaction when they receive their first pay packet will never go away!I feel sorry for the children whose parents are either apathetic or overly protective as they will get a big shock when they enter the world of work in their early twenties. I know an employer who has tried to get an early morning cleaner for  a few hours a week months, Everyone who has applied only lasts a couple of days as they can't sustain getting up in the morning to go to work.

[DaveR]

Very true, Sue. One of Llandudno's busiest cafes has a high turnover of staff, as a lot of the staff they take on last only a week or so, they just can't handle the hard work.

[Ian]

Parents need to instil the work ethic into their children

And therein lies the problem. Tony Blair saw the nuclear family as the target for changing society's attitudes; he knew - and loathed - full well the effect of benefit dependency and wanted to tackle it at the root. When he tried, however, the Tory press - led by the egregious DFM - ran stories about how Labour were ruining families and how Blair saw himself as God.  But the cycle needs to be broken, and it won't be broken unless politicians of all shades recognise that the root of virtually all the social problems lies with the attitudes of the parent.

[DaveR]

I have to say I never saw any evidence of Blair doing anything about Benefit Dependency. He asked Frank Field to 'think the unthinkable' about welfare reform...and then sacked him when he did just that!