What planet are you on? (From York Press)

Thank you for your contribution Ann.

At the coal-face accounts such as yours, of the reality of the dire situation in the UK concerning unemployment and poverty, are a welcome relief to the right -wing rubbish spouted by, I assume right-wing Tory, contributors to the York Press letters and online comments pages.

I doubt if they will listen though.

Totally stupid letter. The wrtiter says she doesn't know anyone on benefits of £26k so they don't exist, well I don't actaly know any people from Aberdeen, but I don't dispute they exist. I am also confused how people say - no-one gets this much and at the same time a cap will be disastorous!

Micklegate wrote:
Totally stupid letter. The wrtiter says she doesn't know anyone on benefits of £26k so they don't exist, well I don't actaly know any people from Aberdeen, but I don't dispute they exist. I am also confused how people say - no-one gets this much and at the same time a cap will be disastorous!

Whats wrong with you? I did warn Ann that people like you would never be convinced.

She is talking about her caseload and in general about this benefit - she did not say some on £26,000 don't exist.

And the real life consequences for many people in the UK who are suffering through no fault of their own.

I see the disabled were chaining themselves in London today in protest against benefit cuts. What cruel politicians we have to let that have to happen!

67,000 families could have to move due to housing benefit cuts - I suppose you think necessary too along with escalating mortgage evictions and increasing homelessness.

Meanwhile in Davos top employers are warning of the dire consequences of the worlds huge youth unemployment - 23% in the UK, 55% in Spain and worse in some other countries.

Austerity has failed and the politicians don't have a clue what to do next. Apart from create a rift among the working class while the Tories rich chums become richer.

Distraction politics at its most evil.

What is your point, Newscritic ?

There are those who are receiving much more than £26,000/yr in benefits - do you not agree that they should not be able to receive more than this ?

Mr Crabtree wrote:
What is your point, Newscritic ?

There are those who are receiving much more than £26,000/yr in benefits - do you not agree that they should not be able to receive more than this ?

The point is that the letter writer has stated the reality of the cases she deals with.

The average housing benefit in the UK is I believe about £84 per week.

The £26,000 level is the rate paid to greedy landlords who are charging in some case up to £1,250 per week.

The problem is the high rents and lack of affordable housing - Thatcher removed 2 million council houses out of the affordable housing sector, which of course pushed up house prices, mortgages and rents.

If the rents for some people are very high then of course they should receive the benefits they require otherwise they could become homeless which shifts the problem onto councils.

I repeat the real problem is the greed of landlords and lack of affordable housing.

There are 5 million on the council house waiting list.

Great letter. Won't stop Bob believing every tabloid headline that comes his way though.

Here is what our politicians have done:

The banks made a massive error (for want of a word that could not be printed here) and suddenly faced going bankrupt and closing. So our government decided to pander to the luxurious lifestyles of these foolish bankers and inject billions of pounds of taxpayer money into the banks, which has now gone on the bankers giving themselves bonuses for doing 'a good job'. This has left the entire country broke.

The government now fears adding elevated taxes on the bankers in case they move ashore to tax havens and take any money the government could get with them.

So now the government has a major shortfall in cash and is looking at where to get the cash back. As most bankers are tories, the government doesn't want to upset their own and instead looks to those who can't fight back... the weak, the insecure, the poor, the disabled, the elderly.

Instead of hitting those where it wouldn't hurt, the government are targeting those they see as easy targets to make cheap money back at the expense of social mobility, and would thusly drive an even larger wedge into the already widening chasm between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots'. If the Daily Mail readers support the governments policy then perhaps they will volunteer to give up their jobs and go on jobseekers (after 6 months of nothing because of walking out of the job) of which they'd be forced into cheap labour or lose their benefits... then we'd see if they still support the government or not. Any volunteers?

Have you read about that wealthy Iranian fellow who is selling 1% of his UK proprty portfolio to clear his debts.

Apparently he owns 250,000 homes in the UK.

Greed, greed, greed.

I got that wrong.

He is maybe selling the freehold of his 250,000 properties which represents 1% of all properties in the UK.

Greed and avarice, he who sows the wind reeps the whirlwind, and in the end the first shall come last, and the last first. Praise the Lord. Amen

Far too many people in this country the cause of most of this grief.

newscritic wrote:

Mr Crabtree wrote: What is your point, Newscritic ? There are those who are receiving much more than £26,000/yr in benefits - do you not agree that they should not be able to receive more than this ?

The point is that the letter writer has stated the reality of the cases she deals with. The average housing benefit in the UK is I believe about £84 per week. The £26,000 level is the rate paid to greedy landlords who are charging in some case up to £1,250 per week. The problem is the high rents and lack of affordable housing - Thatcher removed 2 million council houses out of the affordable housing sector, which of course pushed up house prices, mortgages and rents. If the rents for some people are very high then of course they should receive the benefits they require otherwise they could become homeless which shifts the problem onto councils. I repeat the real problem is the greed of landlords and lack of affordable housing. There are 5 million on the council house waiting list.

Then surely a cap would be a good thing to stop these landlords getting these rents?

Big Bad Wolf wrote:

newscritic wrote:

Mr Crabtree wrote: What is your point, Newscritic ? There are those who are receiving much more than £26,000/yr in benefits - do you not agree that they should not be able to receive more than this ?

The point is that the letter writer has stated the reality of the cases she deals with. The average housing benefit in the UK is I believe about £84 per week. The £26,000 level is the rate paid to greedy landlords who are charging in some case up to £1,250 per week. The problem is the high rents and lack of affordable housing - Thatcher removed 2 million council houses out of the affordable housing sector, which of course pushed up house prices, mortgages and rents. If the rents for some people are very high then of course they should receive the benefits they require otherwise they could become homeless which shifts the problem onto councils. I repeat the real problem is the greed of landlords and lack of affordable housing. There are 5 million on the council house waiting list.

Then surely a cap would be a good thing to stop these landlords getting these rents?

Unless of course the vacated properties are handed over to more affluent people.

It could involve a type of cleansing of poorer people in affluent places.

I note sadly though that you ignore the problems that have caused this predicament in the first place.

newscritic wrote:

Big Bad Wolf wrote:

newscritic wrote:

Mr Crabtree wrote: What is your point, Newscritic ? There are those who are receiving much more than £26,000/yr in benefits - do you not agree that they should not be able to receive more than this ?

The point is that the letter writer has stated the reality of the cases she deals with. The average housing benefit in the UK is I believe about £84 per week. The £26,000 level is the rate paid to greedy landlords who are charging in some case up to £1,250 per week. The problem is the high rents and lack of affordable housing - Thatcher removed 2 million council houses out of the affordable housing sector, which of course pushed up house prices, mortgages and rents. If the rents for some people are very high then of course they should receive the benefits they require otherwise they could become homeless which shifts the problem onto councils. I repeat the real problem is the greed of landlords and lack of affordable housing. There are 5 million on the council house waiting list.

Then surely a cap would be a good thing to stop these landlords getting these rents?

Unless of course the vacated properties are handed over to more affluent people. It could involve a type of cleansing of poorer people in affluent places. I note sadly though that you ignore the problems that have caused this predicament in the first place.

I think that you are reading far too much into this....
The main issue is that there shouldn't be anyone at all getting more than £26,000 in benefits no matter what their circumstances.... if the landlord is asking that much the person/family should be moved as we as a country cannot afford it.

newscritic wrote:

Mr Crabtree wrote:
What is your point, Newscritic ?

There are those who are receiving much more than £26,000/yr in benefits - do you not agree that they should not be able to receive more than this ?

The point is that the letter writer has stated the reality of the cases she deals with.

The average housing benefit in the UK is I believe about £84 per week.

The £26,000 level is the rate paid to greedy landlords who are charging in some case up to £1,250 per week.

The problem is the high rents and lack of affordable housing - Thatcher removed 2 million council houses out of the affordable housing sector, which of course pushed up house prices, mortgages and rents.

If the rents for some people are very high then of course they should receive the benefits they require otherwise they could become homeless which shifts the problem onto councils.

I repeat the real problem is the greed of landlords and lack of affordable housing.

There are 5 million on the council house waiting list.

Why do you think that these greedy landlords are charging up to £1250 per week?
Its because it will be paid by the housing benefits office. Excessive benefits skew the market, hiking the rents and the follow on of this is that house prices increase and price people out of the market, forcing them to rent and claim more housing benefit.
The Loony Left need to realize that there is a difference between having to move to a more affordable house and becoming homeless.
Yes we need more council houses being built, so why didn't Blair and brown build them when we had money?

Maquis wrote:

newscritic wrote:

Mr Crabtree wrote:
What is your point, Newscritic ?

There are those who are receiving much more than £26,000/yr in benefits - do you not agree that they should not be able to receive more than this ?

The point is that the letter writer has stated the reality of the cases she deals with.

The average housing benefit in the UK is I believe about £84 per week.

The £26,000 level is the rate paid to greedy landlords who are charging in some case up to £1,250 per week.

The problem is the high rents and lack of affordable housing - Thatcher removed 2 million council houses out of the affordable housing sector, which of course pushed up house prices, mortgages and rents.

If the rents for some people are very high then of course they should receive the benefits they require otherwise they could become homeless which shifts the problem onto councils.

I repeat the real problem is the greed of landlords and lack of affordable housing.

There are 5 million on the council house waiting list.

Why do you think that these greedy landlords are charging up to £1250 per week?
Its because it will be paid by the housing benefits office. Excessive benefits skew the market, hiking the rents and the follow on of this is that house prices increase and price people out of the market, forcing them to rent and claim more housing benefit.
The Loony Left need to realize that there is a difference between having to move to a more affordable house and becoming homeless.
Yes we need more council houses being built, so why didn't Blair and brown build them when we had money?

Hey up another of the blue rinse brigade has turned up.

Told you Ann you will never change these fools.

The rents of the properties concerned are unlikely to reduce. All that will happen is that the poor will have to move to other areas where it would be slightly cheaper for the benefits office, but not by much though.

It is a form of ethnic cleansing based on poverty.

The loony right are as loony as ever!

newscritic wrote:

Maquis wrote:

newscritic wrote:

Mr Crabtree wrote: What is your point, Newscritic ? There are those who are receiving much more than £26,000/yr in benefits - do you not agree that they should not be able to receive more than this ?

The point is that the letter writer has stated the reality of the cases she deals with. The average housing benefit in the UK is I believe about £84 per week. The £26,000 level is the rate paid to greedy landlords who are charging in some case up to £1,250 per week. The problem is the high rents and lack of affordable housing - Thatcher removed 2 million council houses out of the affordable housing sector, which of course pushed up house prices, mortgages and rents. If the rents for some people are very high then of course they should receive the benefits they require otherwise they could become homeless which shifts the problem onto councils. I repeat the real problem is the greed of landlords and lack of affordable housing. There are 5 million on the council house waiting list.

Why do you think that these greedy landlords are charging up to £1250 per week? Its because it will be paid by the housing benefits office. Excessive benefits skew the market, hiking the rents and the follow on of this is that house prices increase and price people out of the market, forcing them to rent and claim more housing benefit. The Loony Left need to realize that there is a difference between having to move to a more affordable house and becoming homeless. Yes we need more council houses being built, so why didn't Blair and brown build them when we had money?

Hey up another of the blue rinse brigade has turned up. Told you Ann you will never change these fools. The rents of the properties concerned are unlikely to reduce. All that will happen is that the poor will have to move to other areas where it would be slightly cheaper for the benefits office, but not by much though. It is a form of ethnic cleansing based on poverty. The loony right are as loony as ever!

Blue Rinse Brigade eh? And you are what....A young economics expert are you?
Just read your post through.... If these landlords have empty properties they will reduce the rent, if they know there is an upper limit to benefits they will reduce them to that level.
Its fools such as yourself who think that we can just keep paying out and never stop to think that there are consequences .... The country is in financial trouble and we cannot keep paying out this sort of money.FACT.

Big Bad Wolf wrote:

newscritic wrote:

Maquis wrote:

newscritic wrote:

Mr Crabtree wrote: What is your point, Newscritic ? There are those who are receiving much more than £26,000/yr in benefits - do you not agree that they should not be able to receive more than this ?

The point is that the letter writer has stated the reality of the cases she deals with. The average housing benefit in the UK is I believe about £84 per week. The £26,000 level is the rate paid to greedy landlords who are charging in some case up to £1,250 per week. The problem is the high rents and lack of affordable housing - Thatcher removed 2 million council houses out of the affordable housing sector, which of course pushed up house prices, mortgages and rents. If the rents for some people are very high then of course they should receive the benefits they require otherwise they could become homeless which shifts the problem onto councils. I repeat the real problem is the greed of landlords and lack of affordable housing. There are 5 million on the council house waiting list.

Why do you think that these greedy landlords are charging up to £1250 per week? Its because it will be paid by the housing benefits office. Excessive benefits skew the market, hiking the rents and the follow on of this is that house prices increase and price people out of the market, forcing them to rent and claim more housing benefit. The Loony Left need to realize that there is a difference between having to move to a more affordable house and becoming homeless. Yes we need more council houses being built, so why didn't Blair and brown build them when we had money?

Hey up another of the blue rinse brigade has turned up. Told you Ann you will never change these fools. The rents of the properties concerned are unlikely to reduce. All that will happen is that the poor will have to move to other areas where it would be slightly cheaper for the benefits office, but not by much though. It is a form of ethnic cleansing based on poverty. The loony right are as loony as ever!

Blue Rinse Brigade eh? And you are what....A young economics expert are you?
Just read your post through.... If these landlords have empty properties they will reduce the rent, if they know there is an upper limit to benefits they will reduce them to that level.
Its fools such as yourself who think that we can just keep paying out and never stop to think that there are consequences .... The country is in financial trouble and we cannot keep paying out this sort of money.FACT.

I just love it when fools come together as with yourself and Maquis.

Hundreds of billions in tax is not taken from the wealthy and you nitpick about 67,000 poor people claiming housing benefit - you are a typical blinkered Tory.

If these people have to move it will not improve the public finances one jot.

Even if the proposed reduction in benefits comes in the state will still be handing out just about the same.

Its all window dressing to appease the blue rinse brigade and to divide the working class and distract what the Tories are actually doing - making the wealthy wealthier at the expense of the poor.

newscritic wrote:

Big Bad Wolf wrote:

newscritic wrote:

Maquis wrote:

newscritic wrote:

Mr Crabtree wrote: What is your point, Newscritic ? There are those who are receiving much more than £26,000/yr in benefits - do you not agree that they should not be able to receive more than this ?

The point is that the letter writer has stated the reality of the cases she deals with. The average housing benefit in the UK is I believe about £84 per week. The £26,000 level is the rate paid to greedy landlords who are charging in some case up to £1,250 per week. The problem is the high rents and lack of affordable housing - Thatcher removed 2 million council houses out of the affordable housing sector, which of course pushed up house prices, mortgages and rents. If the rents for some people are very high then of course they should receive the benefits they require otherwise they could become homeless which shifts the problem onto councils. I repeat the real problem is the greed of landlords and lack of affordable housing. There are 5 million on the council house waiting list.

Why do you think that these greedy landlords are charging up to £1250 per week? Its because it will be paid by the housing benefits office. Excessive benefits skew the market, hiking the rents and the follow on of this is that house prices increase and price people out of the market, forcing them to rent and claim more housing benefit. The Loony Left need to realize that there is a difference between having to move to a more affordable house and becoming homeless. Yes we need more council houses being built, so why didn't Blair and brown build them when we had money?

Hey up another of the blue rinse brigade has turned up. Told you Ann you will never change these fools. The rents of the properties concerned are unlikely to reduce. All that will happen is that the poor will have to move to other areas where it would be slightly cheaper for the benefits office, but not by much though. It is a form of ethnic cleansing based on poverty. The loony right are as loony as ever!

Blue Rinse Brigade eh? And you are what....A young economics expert are you? Just read your post through.... If these landlords have empty properties they will reduce the rent, if they know there is an upper limit to benefits they will reduce them to that level. Its fools such as yourself who think that we can just keep paying out and never stop to think that there are consequences .... The country is in financial trouble and we cannot keep paying out this sort of money.FACT.

I just love it when fools come together as with yourself and Maquis. Hundreds of billions in tax is not taken from the wealthy and you nitpick about 67,000 poor people claiming housing benefit - you are a typical blinkered Tory. If these people have to move it will not improve the public finances one jot. Even if the proposed reduction in benefits comes in the state will still be handing out just about the same. Its all window dressing to appease the blue rinse brigade and to divide the working class and distract what the Tories are actually doing - making the wealthy wealthier at the expense of the poor.

So you are the only one who can see it eh?
Doesn't that tell you something...
.
So just for the record, what in your very well informed opinion should the maximum that any person can claim be?

newscritic wrote:

Big Bad Wolf wrote:

newscritic wrote:

Maquis wrote:

newscritic wrote:

Mr Crabtree wrote: What is your point, Newscritic ? There are those who are receiving much more than £26,000/yr in benefits - do you not agree that they should not be able to receive more than this ?

The point is that the letter writer has stated the reality of the cases she deals with. The average housing benefit in the UK is I believe about £84 per week. The £26,000 level is the rate paid to greedy landlords who are charging in some case up to £1,250 per week. The problem is the high rents and lack of affordable housing - Thatcher removed 2 million council houses out of the affordable housing sector, which of course pushed up house prices, mortgages and rents. If the rents for some people are very high then of course they should receive the benefits they require otherwise they could become homeless which shifts the problem onto councils. I repeat the real problem is the greed of landlords and lack of affordable housing. There are 5 million on the council house waiting list.

Why do you think that these greedy landlords are charging up to £1250 per week? Its because it will be paid by the housing benefits office. Excessive benefits skew the market, hiking the rents and the follow on of this is that house prices increase and price people out of the market, forcing them to rent and claim more housing benefit. The Loony Left need to realize that there is a difference between having to move to a more affordable house and becoming homeless. Yes we need more council houses being built, so why didn't Blair and brown build them when we had money?

Hey up another of the blue rinse brigade has turned up. Told you Ann you will never change these fools. The rents of the properties concerned are unlikely to reduce. All that will happen is that the poor will have to move to other areas where it would be slightly cheaper for the benefits office, but not by much though. It is a form of ethnic cleansing based on poverty. The loony right are as loony as ever!

Blue Rinse Brigade eh? And you are what....A young economics expert are you?
Just read your post through.... If these landlords have empty properties they will reduce the rent, if they know there is an upper limit to benefits they will reduce them to that level.
Its fools such as yourself who think that we can just keep paying out and never stop to think that there are consequences .... The country is in financial trouble and we cannot keep paying out this sort of money.FACT.

I just love it when fools come together as with yourself and Maquis.

Hundreds of billions in tax is not taken from the wealthy and you nitpick about 67,000 poor people claiming housing benefit - you are a typical blinkered Tory.

If these people have to move it will not improve the public finances one jot.

Even if the proposed reduction in benefits comes in the state will still be handing out just about the same.

Its all window dressing to appease the blue rinse brigade and to divide the working class and distract what the Tories are actually doing - making the wealthy wealthier at the expense of the poor.

It odd the way people like you rather than substantiating any claims, instead choose to make wild personal assumptions about the people who disagree with you. You also seem to ignore many of the factors involved and only picking out the points which you may be able to make something negative out of whilst also bringing in totally different issues as rationalization for your views.
Example: Reducing the amount paid in housing benefits will not reduce the amount paid out??? Where is the logic in that?
You claim that rents will not reduce if they are not paid by the government, the landlords are running commercial ventures, supply and demand dictates that they will.
Did Brown and Blair build enough houses in their 13 years where we had a stronger economy? - No they didnt that it an acknowledged fact, even by the Labour party.
The unpaid taxes are a problem to be sorted out, but are not relevant to this debate, they are a totally separate issue.
I'm surprised that you have not yet blamed bankers bonuses for it. Maybe you could tax them and pay for everybody else's rent too, or is it just Ed Balls who wants us to believe that it can be spent over and over.

"you are a typical blinkered Tory".
Never once has Newscritic's 'opponent' resorted to name-calling.
Typical purile lefty, maybe?

Ann, with your expertise, what proprtion of paid benefits is paid to fraudulent claiments?
I wonder if Newscritic is worried about their benefits being stopped... ;-)

Gone fishing for the blue rinse brigade - my net is over-flowing.

Reel these fools in boys!

newscritic wrote:
Gone fishing for the blue rinse brigade - my net is over-flowing. Reel these fools in boys!

AAHHHHH how we all laughed....
You certainly showed us you young scamp...
.
Fool.

Splish, splosh, splash, in the back of the net - get in there!