An interesting take on "benefits"

[Bayleaf]

As always, this is a hot topic, and more so at the moment with the current talks of UC of £20 per week being withdrawn from the poorest families in the UK (When one Tory MP who voted for this withdrawal complains he can't live on a mere £82k/annum! )

Anyhoo, an interesting comment I saw kind of turned this whole thing around for me. You can be pretty sure that vital extra £20 per week is spent on buying something from nearby - whether to help buy some food, or towards an household bill, put some fuel in the car, etc, thus being ploughed straight back into the local economy. In total contrast, to those at the other end of the scale, who generally take their wealth out of the country and stash it in some offshore account, which does the opposite of helping the economy of it's origin.

I'm sure someone will shoot me down for this thought, but whatever - I still think it's an interesting concept, and I think it could change how some people look upon those needing financial help through no fault of their own.

[niemeyjt]

I think given the hike in energy costs, completely outside the control of UC claimants, the underlying exceptional causes for the uplift still exist.

However, given said increasing energy costs, I am not sure much of the uplift will go on local expenditure - more likely into the pockets of the energy suppliers.

[MAD87]

I'm sure someone will shoot me down for this thought, but whatever - I still think it's an interesting concept, and I think it could change how some people look upon those needing financial help through no fault of their own.

You are quite right of course! What gets me is that the electorate seem to admire the off-shorers who "spaff" far more of the nation's hard-earned wealth than the so-called benefit scroungers.

[Spardo]

And all this nonsense that they keep spouting about paying for the pandemic is just that, nonsense, especially if families go to the wall as a result.

What about the war? We fought that on money borrowed from the Yanks which took till 2003 to pay off. Did you notice that? I certainly didn't, I didn't even know about it till it was announced that the debt was fully paid. So, if that is what it takes, borrow it, and pay for it later. Not much point fighting such a dangerous disease if the result is death and misery elsewhere. Fight it, then sort it, over time.

[Doug]

I will add[mention]Spardo[/mention] that the yanks shipped masses to Russia at the start of the war for free.
Pa-in-law was in the navy and on the escort runs to Murmansk a number of times before d,day when he was invalided out.
If the weather turned very bad, which it did often, the yanks turned back to Scapa leaving them to it.

[Spardo]

I will add@Spardo that the yanks shipped masses to Russia at the start of the war for free.

And to Germany etc afterwards.

Coming from a long line of Merchant Seafarers the Arctic Convoys struck a real chord for me. Fortunately our only personal loss was my Uncle, 2nd Mate, who went down with his ship off Newfoundland after being torpedoed. I traced the U-Boat involved and once, when waiting to unload at St. Nazaire, stood very probably on the same spot in the U-Boat pens that its commander and crew must have crossed several times. It, and they, met a similar fate later on in the Med. What a waste. Let's not repeat it here at home.