The Tories planning to get Britain back to work

[Simster]

BBC NEWS | Politics | Tories spell out benefit cut plan

They seem to think they'll do this by slashing incapacity benefit. Will it work? According to the article, they seem to believe 2.6m people are genuinely incapacitated, and the rest ought to work and the Tory party will help them.

Labour have described this as "callous" - which as far as I'm concerned, goes to show how out of touch they are. Something needs to be done IMO. The questions we have to ask ourselves are a) is it really possibly to identify those in real need of the money for the right reasons and b) do you trust the Tories to *really* help get the "scroungers" back to work?

I'm sceptical - this is a problem that has stemmed from a culture of allowing the state to pick up the tab and certain people absolving themselves of responsibility. It seems to me that either you cut it completely or not at all. Half measures might be possible but they won't change the culture of no responsibility and they certainly won't produce any sort of real savings.

I believe that if any government wants to save money, they should pull the armed forces from Afghanistan and reduce the size. Difficult decisions need to be made I think; pandering to stereotypes in the form of pretending to nail benefit scroungers just won't cut it.

 

[janee]

Typical tories - huge tax cuts for inheritance tax paid for by hitting the weakest. Am I surprised? - not at all. We need some smart thinking about the economy not same old

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

BBC NEWS | Politics | Tories spell out benefit cut plan

They seem to think they'll do this by slashing incapacity benefit. Will it work? According to the article, they seem to believe 2.6m people are genuinely incapacitated, and the rest ought to work and the Tory party will help them.

Labour have described this as "callous" - which as far as I'm concerned, goes to show how out of touch they are. Something needs to be done IMO. The questions we have to ask ourselves are a) is it really possibly to identify those in real need of the money for the right reasons and b) do you trust the Tories to *really* help get the "scroungers" back to work?

I'm sceptical - this is a problem that has stemmed from a culture of allowing the state to pick up the tab and certain people absolving themselves of responsibility. It seems to me that either you cut it completely or not at all. Half measures might be possible but they won't change the culture of no responsibility and they certainly won't produce any sort of real savings.

I believe that if any government wants to save money, they should pull the armed forces from Afghanistan and reduce the size. Difficult decisions need to be made I think; pandering to stereotypes in the form of pretending to nail benefit scroungers just won't cut it.

i'm all for stopping the fraudsters , pandering to "stereotypes", you sound like one yourself i'm allright jack springs to mind.

 

[keaton]

And with with their public spending cuts, they'll be thousands more unemployed

 

[Tony Meolas Loan Spell]

I hate to use the term "means testing" but it would be a start.

Now BEFORE anyone starts banging on I would say that it needs to be fair and reasonable (it isnt at the moment) however I do have a friend who works for the job centre plus (and yep they deal with incapacity benefit etc) and she agrees that there is the need for a massive shake up, whole families ARE brought up to believe in the sponging off the state in some form or another.

So FAIR PLAY to the Tories for speaking about it, thing is thats how Labour gets its support. Vote Tory and your benefit gets cut. Its quite clever to guarantee votes - well those that are "well enough" to vote.

 

[algie]

Thats counts me out voting Tory then.

 

[xenophon]

Vote Libertarian

http://lpuk.org/

 

[clapham_gull]

Any economic bods out there who can tell me whether there is an effect on wage levels in periods of high unemployment ?

 

[El Presidente]

Any economic bods out there who can tell me whether there is an effect on wage levels in periods of high unemployment ?

Yup, wage levels are a function of scarcity and bargaining power.

When there is high unemployment there tends to be less scarcity, so wage rises tend to be lower.

If the Tories are successful in getting those on benefits back to work, then these people will have to displace others who are currently employed.

The money saved will be the net of:
£
Incapacity benefit saved x
Less: Increased unemployment benefit (x)
Less: Increased costs of checking the
suitability of those on incapacity benefit (x)
Less: Costs to NHS for increased stress induced
medication for those on incapacity benefit (x)

 

[Peter Grummit]

Any economic bods out there who can tell me whether there is an effect on wage levels in periods of high unemployment ?

Yes, most of the private sector have had zero rises in the past 12 months. Local authority staff got 1%.

The last time the Toreis said Britain Isn't Working (1979) they doubled Unemployment to 3m+, so don't believe the rhetoric. The problem is aggregate demand in the economy so even if more people are willing to work - which they are trying to achieve by reforming IB - then there aren't likely to be the jobs available. Public sector squeeze will make this worse. Tories are doing this for political rather than economic reasons. They think you have to pay poor people less to get them to work harder but - suprise suprise - you have to pay rich people more to get them to work harder. Hence they will probably backtrack on the proposed 50% higher rate tax on the amount anyone earns above £150k pa.

Unemployment is a lagged indicator which means it will continue to rise for at least another 12 months.

PG

 

[Simster]

i'm all for stopping the fraudsters , pandering to "stereotypes", you sound like one yourself i'm allright jack springs to mind.

I'm afraid that's because you're a simpleton who didn't read my comments although the fact that you're also an embarrassing scrounger probably influenced your retarded reply.

Thats counts me out voting Tory then.

You were never counted in. You've always said you're voting BNP.

 

[Silent Bob]

Vote Libertarian

http://lpuk.org/

No.

 

[Milton Keynes Seagull]

My view is that there are a minority of people who are on incapacity benefit who are capable of work, which would be beneficial to themselves and the country. However, the Tories stance comes from their age old belief that the unemployed and the ill are a "burden" on society. Presumably that includes some of the lads who have had their limbs blown off recently in Afghanistan.

Means test for incapacity claimants already exists by the way, though there are some feckless and workshy abusing the system and they should be rooted out.

The Tory party of which I was once a member, drove me out with their compassionless and cruel views against the genuinely vulnerable and sick in society. I believe little has changed for decades in this regard.

 

[El Presidente]

My view is that there are a minority of people who are on incapacity benefit who are capable of work, which would be beneficial to themselves and the country. However, the Tories stance comes from their age old belief that the unemployed and the ill are a "burden" on society. Presumably that includes some of the lads who have had their limbs blown off recently in Afghanistan.

Means test for incapacity claimants already exists by the way, though there are some feckless and workshy abusing the system and they should be rooted out.

The Tory party of which I was once a member, drove me out with their compassionless and cruel views against the genuinely vulnerable and sick in society. I believe little has changed for decades in this regard.

Fair play to you for that MK

 

[Don Quixote]

No policies, no ideas. What a load of shit from David Cameron. I wonder if it is possible to actually be in the driving seat, coasting to win the general election and then lose. If he continues flapping around he will not be the next prime minister.

 

[El Presidente]

No policies, no ideas. What a load of shit from David Cameron. I wonder if it is possible to actually be in the driving seat, coasting to win the general election and then lose. If he continues flapping around he will not be the next prime minister.

He can't lose. Manchester is full of the braying hordes at Conference this week, and if they have any sense they will take the Boris Johnson approach and say as little as possible and will be elected.

 

[coventrygull]

Hasn't dodgy Dave just nicked the idea off the BNP with their “workfare not welfare” and twisted it. Just a thought

 

[Milton Keynes Seagull]

Hasn't dodgy Dave just nicked the idea off the BNP with their “workfare not welfare” and twisted it. Just a thought

Well Labour nicked the British Jobs for British Workers campaign slogan!

 

[clapham_gull]

Hasn't dodgy Dave just nicked the idea off the BNP with their “workfare not welfare” and twisted it. Just a thought

They don't want to pay all single mothers to stay at home anymore then....

 

[coventrygull]

Well Labour nicked the British Jobs for British Workers campaign slogan!

And the Tory and Labour Voters claim that the BNP are a party of no ideas

Labour also nicked the slogan "Operation Fightback" Muppets