Is it time to demollish the welfare state in the UK

by Gill 136 Replies latest jw friends

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  Gill

  It's an unfortunate fact that the UK is gradually slip sliding away in the ranks of great achieving countries.

  Our tennis players aspire to greatness but slip at the last, and often first hurdle. Our National Health service though catering to all, is NO WHERE near the quality it should be. I can vouch for that fact from last weekends experience, having to call an emergency doctor out to see my son, he missed totally what was wrong with him. The same service missed a friend's daughters appendicitis.

  My neighbours 15 year old daughter is pregnant. Father unknown. Her 17 year old sons girlfriend, who is 15, is pregnant. Non of these kids have education or jobs, and are unlikely ever to. By the way, this is no dig at the neighbour who is a hard working single mum.

  The streets are roamed during the evenings by gangs of youths, drunk or drugged up and abusive, and we live in a very 'nice' area.

  Young people in general are not striving for education, good jobs, money, only for quick fixes. Win the lottery! Steal a car! Don't worry about saving money, there's no point! The state will bail us out!

  Hence my question: If the UK abolished the welfare state and National Health Service, after the first ten or so years would the country be a better place to live in?

  If people had to face the real costs of their behaviour would they be more likely to gain ambition to work hard and support themselves and save for the future if they saw their fellow man struggling to survive scouring the rubbish tips and living on the streets.

  Now I wouldn't want to see people in those terrible situations but does the fact that we have a safety net mean that people are willing to survive on government handouts and never seek education or 'good' jobs for themselves?

  We have the highest rate of teen pregnancys in the world. These girls automatically qualify for a meal ticket for life.

  Their boyfriends, if they're still with them, also qualify just to make sure that the baby has enough to eat and a roof over its head. Is it time to stop ALL benefits, except for serious illness benefits?

  I think, it might be the best thing for this country and give the people back their drive for self sufficiency and ambition.

  Am I being extreme, or do you agree, more or less, especially you fellow Brits?!
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  Fe2O3Girl

  Are we talking about abolishing all benefits here - unemployment, child benefit, old age pension and so on, or just benefits to people who don't fit into a certain social class and behaviour?
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  PaulJ

  Well i had this idea a while ago. I see no problem in people receiving benefits, families etc, but its the unemployed with no intention of working that really bother me.

  Ive been unemployed and i worked bloody hard to find a job. However when you go to sign on i was never asked to provide proof that i had been looking for a job, even tho they are supposed to see this. People can too easily cheat the system and live off benefits.

  I think those capable of work should work for their benefits. Im unsure of the logistics but getting these people to do menial council jobs- picking up litter, gardening, cleaning graffiti etc. Supervised obviously. Many of the areas need this. Give them something to do from 9am to 5pm that helps the community- many might respect their community more if they have to work on its upkeep. If they dont like it, tough, if they wont do it then fine, they wont get paid- their choice.
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  mtbatoon

  Good point Fe, I've had to rely on benefit at times but that didn't make me a bad person or stop me trying to better my life. People who abuse the benefit system are easier to spot than the majority that need it. Your are right though Gill that some are becoming dependant on handouts but I'd put this down to poor education and poor family/social roll models. You could take away there benefits as a kindness in the long run but what are the short term consequences? More crime, more homeless, unsanitary living conditions resulting in the spread of disease. It would be taking a step back to Victorian times and Victorian troubles.

  PJ: Problem is we have so many employment laws this is unworkable. I know a great many people who have never worked and now they're raising kids that will never work, but boy do they know how to claim.
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  PaulJ

  I just hate how some people 'cheat' the system... if i think about it it makes me mad.... cos they are laughing all the way to the post office with their giro's.
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  Crumpet

  On the whole I agree.

  It makes me sick that we give all these women cash for babies all the time! I should be given a bonus payment for not contributing the over population of this country.

  Teenage girls who have babies so they can get a council flat should have their babies forcibly removed and sent to middle class infertile couples to bring up, not rewarded with a house and a life of staying at home watching chat shows. Lads who dont use protection and are found to be father should be given a two counts and your castrated penalty.

  Benefits for the elderly should be increased. They bloody well deserve it. They should be able to live out their lives in nice homes and in comfort.
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  mtbatoon

  Right then, now we've formed up the forced labour gangs, decided on enforced sterilisation and adoption of children born to the unworthy, shall we sort out the darkies and other foreign types? They weren't born here so they don't deserve our money.
• 

  scotsman

  mtbatoon

  You read my mind, but I was thinking that those bastard children sould be put to work in the mills again.
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  PaulJ

  Crumpet

  It makes me sick that we give all these women cash for babies all the time! I should be given a bonus payment for not contributing the over population of this country.

  Teenage girls who have babies so they can get a council flat should have their babies forcibly removed and sent to middle class infertile couples to bring up, not rewarded with a house and a life of staying at home watching chat shows. Lads who dont use protection and are found to be father should be given a two counts and your castrated penalty.

  Benefits for the elderly should be increased. They bloody well deserve it. They should be able to live out their lives in nice homes and in comfort.

  So. when are you going to run for PM? Id vote for ya!!!
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  mtbatoon

  those bastard children sould be put to work in the mills again.

  Aye, it's amasing what fine work they do with those little hands, thats if they don't lose them that is. Now where's my stove pipe hat.