Ideas to get the country going again

[moggy]

Would this work?
All the people claiming jobseekers (not invalidity) be forced to work 25 hours a week for their local council doing jobs like painting railings, washing off graffiti, park and garden duties etc etc etc in exchange for their government handouts.
This will save the council thousands and put idle people back to work.
25 hours minimum will still leave them plenty of time to job search.

 

[albion534]

I always though halving job seekers after say 6 Months would be a good idea, push people to actually seek a job

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Double trouble.

 

[bravohotelalpha]

Would this work?
All the people claiming jobseekers (not invalidity) be forced to work 25 hours a week for their local council doing jobs like painting railings, washing off graffiti, park and garden duties etc etc etc in exchange for their government handouts.
This will save the council thousands and put idle people back to work.
25 hours minimum will still leave them plenty of time to job search.

Makes complete sense to me, lots of benefits - can't think of any negatives offhand

 

[Barrel of Fun]

That is all pretty much covered by current employees and community payback people.

There is a long list of voluntary opportunities Brighton and Hove volunteer search

Accomodation Host with Sussex Nightstop Plus Across town Details
Activity Group Volunteer with Care Cooperatives Ltd Moulsecoomb Details
Activity volunteer with CCHF All About Kids Across town Details
Administration assistant with Rhythmix Seven Dials Details
Administration / receptionist with Age UK Brighton & Hove Seven Dials Details
Administration Assistant with Fed Centre for Independent Living Kings Cliff Details
Administration help with Breatheasy Singing Group/ Singing for Health & Wellbeing Across town Details
Administration Volunteer with The Carers Centre for Brighton and Hove Across town Details
Administrative Assistant with MOOT Music of Our Time Across town Details
Advocate with Brighton and Hove Speak Out Portslade North Details
Amaze Transition Support Volunteer with Amaze Across town Details
Artist Liaison with Kemp Town Carnival Across town Details
Arts Charity Archive Support with MAP Foundation Across town Details
Assist with dominoes with Blind Veterans UK Rottingdean Details
Assistant scout troop leaders with 29th Brighton Scout Troop Preston Details
Assistant Job Coach with Norwood Ravenswood-Future Clean Across town Details
Back room volunteer with British Red Cross (Retail) St Peters Details
Bar volunteer with Cowley Club St Peters Details
Befriender with Fun in Action for Children Across town Details
Befriender with Blind Veterans UK Rottingdean Details
Behind the scenes multi-tasking volunteer with ABC Fund Across town Details
Bereavement volunteer with Brighton and Hove Cruse Bereavement Care Seven Dials Details
Book keeper with Earthy Women and Kids Across town Details
Books for Free: Lead/General Volunteer with Healthy Planet Seven Dials Details
Bookshop assistant with Books for Amnesty Seven Dials Details
Bucket Shaker with Kemp Town Carnival Across town Details
Business Mentor with The Princes Trust Across town Details
Cafe assistant and/or computer assistant with JAVA Community Cafe Woodingdean Details
Cafe volunteer with Cowley Club St Peters Details
Cafe Volunteers with Poets Corner Community Society (PCCS) Westbourne Details
Cafe worker with Brighthelm St Peters Details
Campaigner with Amnesty International (Brighton and Hove Group) Seven Dials Details
Chairperson with Third Eye Arts and Media (TEAM) Across town Details
Charity Shop Volunteer with The Sussex Beacon Across town Details
City Guide volunteer representative with Fed Centre for Independent Living Across town Details
Clinic Assistant with Pathways to Health Across town Details
Clothes steamer with Oxfam Vallance Details
Clothing, accessories, bric-a-brac pricer with Oxfam Vallance Details
Clothing, accessories, bric-a-brac sorter with Oxfam Vallance Details
Coffee Morning Assistant with Age UK Brighton & Hove Seven Dials Details
Collecting clothes donations from banks on van with Oxfam Across town Details
Collections/deliveries volunteer with Hove YMCA Vallance Details
Comms Assistant with Kemp Town Carnival Across town Details
Community Help Point volunteer with East Sussex Credit Union Seven Dials Details
Cook with Lunch Positive Queens Park Details
Counsellor with Brighton and Hove LGBT Switchboard Regency Details
Creative Arts Volunteer with Art in Mind (AIM) Across town Details
Creche volunteer with Brighton Unemployed Centre Families Project Queens Park Details
Crew Assistant with Kemp Town Carnival Across town Details
Crisis Volunteer Assistant with Age UK Brighton & Hove Across town Details
Cyclosportive event team volunteer with SRS Events Across town Details
Disability Advice Centre Form Filling Volunteer with Fed Centre for Independent Living Kings Cliff Details
Driver with Contact the Elderly Across town Details
Driver / First Aider with Brighton Homeless Service St John Ambulance Sussex Across town Details
Drop-in volunteer with Survivors' Network Seven Dials Details
Entertainment organiser for Saltdean and Peacehaven social groups with East Sussex Association of Blind and Partially Sighted People Across town Details
Entertainment organiser for Hove and Portslade social groups with East Sussex Association of Blind and Partially Sighted People Portslade South Details
Environmental project volunteer with Earthy Women and Kids Stanmer Details
Events and Fundraising with Terrence Higgins trust Across town Details
Events set up crew with Earthy Women and Kids Stanmer Details
Fast test volunteer with Terrence Higgins Trust Regency Details
Female Volunteer with Impact Initiatives: Stopover St Peters Details
Finance Assistant with Fed Centre for Independent Living Kings Cliff Details
Front of house volunteer with Fabrica Regency Details
Fundraiser with Community Empowerment project (The Gambia) Vallance Details
Fundraiser with Earthy Women and Kids Across town Details
Fundraising Event Organiser with Save the Children Across town Details
Gardener / allotment worker with Whitehawk Community Food Project Marine Details
Gardener / allotment worker with Moulsecoomb Forest Garden and Wildlife Project Moulsecoomb Details
Gardening helper with Bodhisattva Kadampa Meditation Centre Goldsmid Details
General helpers for Saltdean and Peacehaven social groups with East Sussex Association of Blind and Partially Sighted People Across town Details
Grower with Fork and Dig It Stanmer Details
Harvest garden volunteer with Brighton and Hove Food Partnership Preston Details
HealthLink Volunteer with LifeLines Queens Park Details
Help at Home Visiting Volunteer with Age UK Brighton & Hove Across town Details
Helpline volunteer with Brighton and Hove LGBT Switchboard Regency Details
Helpline Volunteer with Survivors' Network Seven Dials Details
Home visitor and befriender with Portage Service Across town Details
Home Visitor with East Sussex Associationof Blind and Partially Sighted People Hollingbury Details
Home Visitor with East Sussex Association of Blind and Partially Sighted People Hollingbury Details
Home Visitor with East Sussex Association of Blind and Partially Sighted People Brunswick Details
Home Visitor with East Sussex Association of Blind and Partially Sighted People Kings Cliff Details
Home Visitor with East Sussex Association of Blind and Partially Sighted People Brunswick Details
Home Visitor with East Sussex Association of Blind and Partially Sighted People Goldsmid Details
Home Visitor with East Sussex Association of Blind and Partially Sighted People Vallance Details
Horizons Volunteer with Age UK Brighton & Hove Across town Details
Hove and Portslade social group chairperson with East Sussex Association of Blind and Partially Sighted People Portslade South Details
Hove charity shop volunteer with Save the Children Vallance Details
Info & Welfare volunteer with Kemp Town Carnival Across town Details
Information and Advice Volunteer with Age UK Brighton & Hove Seven Dials Details
Insurance arranger with Age UK Brighton & Hove Seven Dials Details
Insurance display arranger with Age UK Brighton & Hove Seven Dials Details
Insurance promotions assistant with Age UK Brighton & Hove Seven Dials Details
Interviewer with Breatheasy Singing Group/ Singing for Health & Wellbeing Across town Details
IT volunteer with Brunswick older peoples project Brunswick Details
IT-Drop-in Centre Assistant with Age UK Brighton & Hove Seven Dials Details
Kids creative activities workshop leader with Earthy Women and Kids Stanmer Details
LGBT Youth Campaigns Co-ordinators with Young People's Voice @ Allsorts Youth Project Across town Details
LGBT Youth Peer Educators with Young People's Voice @ Allsorts Youth Project Across town Details
Lounge activities assistant with Blind Veterans UK Rottingdean Details
Market Assistants with Kemp Town Carnival Across town Details
Marketing and Media Publicity Assistant with Music of Our Time Across town Details
MEND Programme Assistant with Brighton & Hove Food Partnership Westbourne Details
Mentor with Sussex Pathways Across town Details
Mini Bus Driver with Age UK Brighton & Hove Across town Details
Newsletter distributor with SchNEWS St Peters Details
Newsletter Volunteer with MOSAIC Across town Details
Nurse (RGN or RMN) with St John Ambulance Homeless Service (Brighton) Across town Details
Occasional afternoon tea host with Contact the Elderly Across town Details
Office Volunteer with Prince's Trust Across town Details
Parade Marshall with Kemp Town Carnival Across town Details
Performance Area Manager with Kemp Town Carnival Across town Details
Physical tasks volunteer with Brighton Conservation Volunteers Across town Details
Pin Badge Box Scheme Area Coordinator with Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Across town Details
Podiatrist with St John Ambulance Homeless Service (Brighton) Across town Details
Positive Voices volunteer with Terrence Higgins Trust Across town Details
Post Graduate Internet Researcher with NHS Support Federation Seven Dials Details
Practical help volunteer with Earthy Women and Kids Stanmer Details
Pre-school volunteer with Brighthelm Pre-school Seven Dials Details
Production Runner with Kemp Town Carnival Across town Details
Project development and course planner with Earthy Women and Kids Across town Details
Project worker with Clocktower Sanctuary Day Centre Regency Details
Project Worker / Support Worker with Third eye arts and media (TEAM) Across town Details
Promotion with Community Empowerment project (The Gambia). Vallance Details
Promotions Assistant with Brighton and Hove LINk Across town Details
Publicity person with Earthy Women and Kids Across town Details
Publicity Worker with Third eye arts and media (TEAM) Across town Details
Puppy parent with Canine Partners Across town Details
Railway Children Volunteer with Railway Children Across town Details
Receptionist with Terrence Higgins Trust Across town Details
Receptionist with Fed Centre for Independent Living Kings Cliff Details
Retail Assistant with PDSA St Peters Details
Sales Assistant with Friends of Brighton & Hove Hospitals Queens Park Details
Scooter delivery and collection volunteer with Brighton and Hove Federation of Disabled People Across town Details
Secretary for Saltdean and Peacehaven social groups with East Sussex Association of Blind and Partially Sighted People Across town Details
Shape Up with Brighton & Hove Food Partnership St Peters Details
Shop floor assistant with British Red Cross (Retail) St Peters Details
Shop Day Leader Volunteer with Save the Children Portslade South Details
Shop volunteer with Save the Children Across town Details
Sighted volunteer to support visually impaired with City Synergy Across town Details
Sound Assistant with Kemp Town Carnival Across town Details
Speaking Out (Organisation promotion) Administrator with Save the Children Across town Details
Speaking Out (Organisation speaker) Volunteer with Save the Children Across town Details
Stage Manager with Kemp Town Carnival Across town Details
Station fundraising director with Brighton and Hove Community Radio St Peters Details
Stock Generation Volunteer with Save the Children Across town Details
Support for restoring Victorian Street Tree heritage project with Hove Civic Society Across town Details
Till operator with Oxfam Vallance Details
Transport organiser for Saltdean and Peacehaven social groups with East Sussex Association of Blind and Partially Sighted People Across town Details
Transport organiser for the Hove and Portslade social groups with East Sussex Association of Blind and Partially Sighted with East Sussex Association of Blind and Partially Sighted People Across town Details
Transport and Escort Driver with British Red Cross Across town Details
Treasurer with Brighton & Hove Arts Council Across town Details
Treasurer with Seedy Sunday Across town Details
Tree nursery volunteer with Special Branch Tree Nursey Stanmer Details
Trustee with Active Lightworks Across town Details
Trustee with Money Advice and Community Support - MACS Queens Park Details
Trustee with Grace Eyre Seven Dials Details
Various volunteer opportunities with Girlguiding Hove (Girlguiding UK) Across town Details
Video Maker with Breatheasy Singing Group/ Singing for Health & Wellbeing Across town Details
Visiting therapy with your pet with Sussex Caring Pets Across town Details
Visitor with Independent Age Across town Details
Visually impaired person's escort with Blind Veterans UK Rottingdean Details
Volunteer with Basement Seven Dials Details
Volunteer Co-ordinator with Prince's Trust Goldsmid Details
Volunteer recruitment supporter with Save the Children Across town Details
Volunteer your skills with Migrant English Project St Peters Details
Website and newsletter editor with Edward Starr Charitable Trust Vallance Details
Website and Graphic Designer with NHS Support Federation Seven Dials Details
Welfare rights and/or general volunteer with Brighton and Hove Unwaged Advice and Rights Centre Hollingbury Details
Workshop facilitators and team leaders with Get Creative (UK) Across town Details
Workshop facilitators/assistants with Creative Craze Across town Details

Really easy to find some voluntary work if you are able to click a mouse a few times.

There are opportunities to add to your CV and add to the community, if one wants.

 

[terryberry1]

Would this work?
All the people claiming jobseekers (not invalidity) be forced to work 25 hours a week for their local council doing jobs like painting railings, washing off graffiti, park and garden duties etc etc etc in exchange for their government handouts.
This will save the council thousands and put idle people back to work.
25 hours minimum will still leave them plenty of time to job search.

Some people just don't want to work and are just happy plodding along on state hand outs. I'm sure there would be an increase in incapacity/disability claims if the government implemented such a system. I'm not saying i disagree with it, I just doubt it would work

 

[Leekbrookgull]

No work no pay. Sorted. Leave to Ed Balls.

 

[moggy]

Without quoting you BOF, I thought if you do voluntary work, you lose all benefits......I stand to be corrected

 

[Gwylan]

Would this work?
All the people claiming jobseekers (not invalidity) be forced to work 25 hours a week for their local council doing jobs like painting railings, washing off graffiti, park and garden duties etc etc etc in exchange for their government handouts.
This will save the council thousands and put idle people back to work.
25 hours minimum will still leave them plenty of time to job search.

Not really feasible: it will save the council money but will cost the state more as the council workers who have been made redundant will then claim jobseekers allowance.
But because they'll have less to spend, there'll less spent in shops, restaurants, pubs etc, so there'll be more people claiming jobseekers allowance. On top of this, tax revenues will fall, so we'll have more government spending and less income.
And that gets the country working again?

According to classical Keynesian thinking, we should be doing the exact opposite. Rather than laying more people off, we should be employing workers in the public sector so that their income boosts spending. We're in a recession because no-one's spending anything and urgently needs some stimulus.

 

[northstandnorth]

How about we shoot all the thieving lawyers that are bleeding the country dry.Think human rights lawyers that put in endless appeals so they can screw us out of millions.
The politicians that can claim a second home allowance despite living in commuting distance of london.
Think Francis Fraud who lives in the same area as the sheep (doing the Train trip whilst he kips on us in London)who vote him in every time.
Think Dodgy Lords who can claim an overnight allowance to save on the trip all the way home to Wembley
How about the Bankers who earn fabulous bonuses for making massive profits,pretty easy when you borrow at 0.10% (interest on Bank accounts)and lend at 17%.
Shoot them f***ing accountants that are screwing manufacturing by asset stripping and outsourcing.by buying companies with money borrowed from themselves and charged to the company at extortionate interest rates.
Shoot the payday loan scum and that git who is part owner,his latest wheeze is to try and end the 90 day consultation period in major redundancies.that would have saved him a fortune, 2 months pay times the hundreds of workers he put on the dole just so he could make a greater profit when he sold Summerfield on.

Shoot them all

 

[Taybha]

Bloody Romans

 

[StonehamPark]

Every jobseeker should have to do 'volunteer' work to earn their benefits however this would never work. People wouldn't turn up, claim to be ill, fein injury and so on...

We are in such a nanny-state, we can't force anyone to do anything anymore without lawsuits and rags like The Sun shitting all over the ideas.

The only thing that will ever work is to dish out Tesco/ASDA vouchers instead of cold hard cash. Make benefit less appealing.

 

[Goldstone Rapper]

We need a war so we can build up our manufacturing base.

 

[northstandnorth]

We need a war so we can build up our manufacturing base.

Good idea,lets combine this and the other thread and bomb the Israelies.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Without quoting you BOF, I thought if you do voluntary work, you lose all benefits......I stand to be corrected

I've signed on three times in the last three years.

I can't remember what they told me, but I am certain you can do as much as you like, as long as you are looking for work.

This explains it a little better... Volunteering while on benefits : Directgov - Home and community

There is no excuse to not do something, whether it be part time or verging on full time.

 

[Barrel of Fun]

Not really feasible: it will save the council money but will cost the state more as the council workers who have been made redundant will then claim jobseekers allowance.
But because they'll have less to spend, there'll less spent in shops, restaurants, pubs etc, so there'll be more people claiming jobseekers allowance. On top of this, tax revenues will fall, so we'll have more government spending and less income.
And that gets the country working again?

According to classical Keynesian thinking, we should be doing the exact opposite. Rather than laying more people off, we should be employing workers in the public sector so that their income boosts spending. We're in a recession because no-one's spending anything and urgently needs some stimulus.

Just to add to Gwylan's post.

I work in Preston Park, fee collecting. All bases are covered when it comes to gardening/painting/grafitti/litter etc. The gardening team get extra help from community payback people. Currently a fighter and a tax evader.

 

[Flex Your Head]

Ideas to get the country going again?

Get rid of all these worthless political parties and let's have an anarcho-syndicalist revolution. Hurrah!

 

[Raleigh Chopper]

Would this work?
All the people claiming jobseekers (not invalidity) be forced to work 25 hours a week for their local council doing jobs like painting railings, washing off graffiti, park and garden duties etc etc etc in exchange for their government handouts.
This will save the council thousands and put idle people back to work.
25 hours minimum will still leave them plenty of time to job search.

If they are working (paid or unpaid) how does 25 hours per week calculate in respect of working tax credits. I thought the idea was to get people off the dole and out to work in return for tax credits. Maybe pay them the minimum wage, stop the dole and give them some extra help on top. Especially yoofs. Unemployment figures go down, people get back into the swing of work and towns and cities look great.
There is enough of this type of work in Plymouth to cut the unemployment figures in half and why not get the lags out of dartmoor prison to give a hand as well (no money though I,m afraid)
I am not really up on this type of thing and probably very wrong but i've had a stab.

 

[beorhthelm]

According to classical Keynesian thinking, we should be doing the exact opposite. Rather than laying more people off, we should be employing workers in the public sector so that their income boosts spending. We're in a recession because no-one's spending anything and urgently needs some stimulus.

the problem is classical Keynesian thinking forgets that someone has to pay for all that public sector spending. as a stimulus it works but the economy soon becomes addicted to the injection of extra money. we are in this predicament precisely because too many governments followed this policy over the long term and didnt worry about the consequences if the injection wasn't available.

if one reads the financial press, they are slightly befuddled why we are in "recession" as sentiment and order books are strong, unemployment hasnt changed significantly (went down last quater?), the high street is improving and companies have cash. that last point will be the key, years of cash held back will be spent as equipment and technology is replaced. of course politicans will claim their policy done it, but reality is it will just be the background economic cycle.

however, we will have to go though an officially declared recession as GDP will be kicked in the nuts by the Olypmics as London firms reduce productivy because they have staff working from home unable to do full 8 hr day, deliveries are restricted and constuction shuts down.

 

[Raleigh Chopper]

No one slated me yet theres no way I could have talked sense on this subject.
Ive got another idea to get unemployed people back to work (or at least trying) BAN FISHING, I thought they had moved our job centre down to the harbour wall, thats where you will find them and the authorities could ask them where they get the money to buy ragworm everyday.