'Should we starve the jobless back to work?' poll discussion

A question about : 'Should we starve the jobless back to work?' poll discussion

Poll between 26 April - 4 May 2010:

Should we starve the jobless back to work?

Lord Jones, former head of business institute the CBI (and for a while an independent Labour minister), recently said we should 'starve the jobless back to work' by making benefits not pay in a discussion about the young unemployed.

Yet others say that's both against human rights, and if there aren't the jobs we'll simply see more crime if benefits are cut.

What would you say is roughly the right benefit to give an able single person seeking work? We'll assume rent is Ј50/week to reduce regional variance.

(Vote based on the overall level of benefit for all payments including rent/mortgage and living)

A. Nothing. 12% (2282 votes)
B. Ј25/week (Ј1,250/year). 7% (1365 votes)
C. Ј50/week (Ј2,500/year). 12% (2263 votes)
D. Ј75/week (Ј3,750/year). 26% (4892 votes)
E. Ј100/week (Ј5,000/year). 28% (5237 votes)
F. Ј150/week (Ј7,500/year). 10% (1903 votes)
G. Ј200/week (Ј10,000/year). 3% (506 votes)
H. Ј300/week (Ј15,000/year). 1% (145 votes)
I. The same as average full-time earnings - c. Ј25,000/year. 1% (243 votes)

Voting has now closed, but you can still click 'post reply' to discuss below. Thanks

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Best answers:

• no i dont i think its wrong and unfair
• Benefits are supposed to be so that no one should have to beg or steal to live - but they should not allow or be, a way of life.
  My personal opinion is most benefits should be by vouchers so that the money is spend on rent, utilities, food, clothes etc and NOT cigarettes, alcohol, take away food etc.
• I voted for Ј100/week, as that covers rent, food, utilities etc - what I would consider the basics - thereby allowing people to survive but at the same time encouraging them to work.
• I reckon that at some point in receiving benefits, people should go on a course for basic money handling. I work with unemployed people. I see some who apply for 1 or 2 jobs a month, because they have lots of benefit payment; where as I see some single mothers who struggle. At lunch I have sandwiches, value soup etc to save money. My customers all buy KFC, and convenience food from the local shop...All of them! Either they are not struggling (and they should be motivated to some extent), or they are very naive about money saving and budgeting, and so need a course to help them.
  I managed to live as a student a few years ago on far less than the average in this poll...it kind of feels a bit unfair that I had to live on barebones and I have to pay it back through the studentloancompany and others feel that it is their right to live a life with some luxuries, and not pay it back.
  For those that voted Ј25,000 - Can I get a few thousand more too so that I get the average pay? (I live in London too). Also, what incentive should I get to stay in this job, if I could get it all by living on benefits?
• Anyone think benefits should only be paid for a certain amount of time? Not sure what the repercussions of this would be, just food for thought...
• In other european countries like Spain, Germany you have to work for a peroid of time before you are eligible to claim any benefits. These only last for a short duration to tide the claimant over til they can find employment.
  This method of paying benefits only once a contribution has be made into the system , could in my opinion work very well to motivate people back into work.
• I think there should be reductions on JSA as time goes on. If people are not finding work then imo they are not looking hard enough.
  The is nothing unfair about motivating people with lack of money to get back to work
• I have a lot of time for Digby Jones. He is a solid,non nonsense,successful businessman. I can therefore do no more than agree with his comments though of course,i doubt he meant them literally whereas I do. The trouble is...who will employ the unemployable and those who have no will to work? Answer>no one..my answer>workhouses.
• It shouldn't be about starving people to make them work, it should be that people on benefits are never better off than those that work.
  Whether this be achieved by tax credits, benefit vouchers or whatever, it should never be that someone on benefits needs a job of over Ј20,000 to match their benefits.
  It should always be worthwhile working.
  Of course the downside is that those who can't find a job for a variety of reasons will truly have a subsidence lifestyle through no choice of their own.
  Sou
• As someone currently in receipt of jobseekers' allowance who struggles to find the money to eat, let alone have any luxuries (I am a teetotal, non smoker who hates fast food by the way), please do not tar us all with the same brush.
  I have been applying for anything and everything I can to get some self respect back as I hate walking down the street knowing that every working person I pass is paying for me.
  There are not many jobs available in my region, and so I am looking as far as the next big city althoughI admit that in order to work there, I could not accept a minimum wage job as it would cost about Ј30 a day to commute.
  However, I know someone who has been unemployed for 9 years and is proud of it; she does nothing to find work and has turned down jobs the jobcentre has offered her and to be honest I think her benefits should be stopped.
  In answer to your question:
  My rent of a single room in a shared flat is Ј52.50 a week.
  I receive Ј50.95 a week JSA and it's not enough.
  I'd say Ј150 (to include rent) would be more manageable.
  The fact that the poor are marginalised and penalised by being forced to use meters for utilities pushes the cost of living still further upwards...
• I replied Ј10,000 pa, this works out less than working full-time on National Minimum wages. Out of that I would make them pay for everything themselves, rent, dentistry, opticians etc.
  I believe that you should get more for working full-time on a National Minimum Wage job than you should get in benefits.
  I would raise the Ј10k to say Ј12.5k if you have children, but that's it. Again, what's the point in going out to work at a McJob if you can stay at home, have another kid and get paid money for it.
  I know that those getting huge houses paid for by LHA and those receiving Ј40k on benefits are the minority, but even if it is it really shouldn't happen.
  All the time benefits pay more than NMW people how can't be bothered to work won't and those that want to but are trapped due to the loss of money will take the hard decision to stay on the dole.
  As for those saying "Where are the jobs?" if the government had to pay less in benefits, maybe they could make jobs by repairing roads, building new schools etc.
  M_o_3
• i don't think we should 'starve' the unemployed back to work - there are many reasons why someone may be out of work - not all unemployed people are happily sitting around claiming benefits cos they can't be bothered to get a job. i and many of my friends have been temporarily unemployed in the past, when leaving uni, and when i finally finished my training and was looking for a job in london, i was pathetically grateful for my unemployment benefit, as i really would have starved without it.
  however, i do think the benefits system needs looking at. when i was training (ie a student) in london, and living with my now-husband, he was temporarily unemployed, having left his job in our university town to be with me (aaah!!)
  as we were 'living together as if married' according to the benefits people, i was classed as his dependent (as i could not work,as in full-time education), and although we were poor, our benefits covered our rent, council tax and medical and dental care (i took the opportunity to get my wisdom teeth done for free!!). when my husband got a job a few months later, we were dismayed to find that we would actually be a lot worse off, as his pay was rather measly, yet we lost all our benefits, ie had to pay own rent, council tax etc. this surely can't be right - that people are financially penalised for getting a job?
  to add insult to injury, my husband worked in the job centre, signing people on who turned up in flash cars, with designer watches, while we could barely afford to eat....
• Yes to a benefit system however it should not be free or easy!
  Those on them should give something back to the community they live in by working for local charities and projects. Fail to do this and all benefits should stopped.
  I believe those made unemployed who normally had a job and became unemployed by no fault of there own should be given a salary based on the minimum wage which decreases after 18 months, unless they are willing to retrain and attend college/ training beyond this deadline for a further 24 months maximum.
  Anyone leaving education at 18 who cannot obtain work should be supported by the family, with Ј50 a week IF they conduct voluntary work in the community or enter further adult education.This benefit should last until the 20th birthday to be cut to Ј35 lasting until the 21st birthday. Failing to attend further education or conduct community work following the cut or at any point gets a big fat NOTHING!
  Anyone who has been on benefits never having a job in the past 2 years and is 21 and over should have benefits stopped! UNLESS THEY ARE IN THE PREVIOSLY EMPLOYED CATEGORY when benefits last from date of unemployment as stated above.
  The old saying Beggars cant be choosers is so true!
  I also believe that unless you have worked and have a baby whilst unemployed then there should be no state help other than for baby vouchers to be exchanged at participating chemists for baby food. I believe once again the onus should be put on to family's to carry the burden and not the tax payer!
• In an ideal world there would be jobs for everyone, in an ideal world you could get free (useful) training after 3 months out of work, in an ideal world you wouldn't need to do 2 jobs to get a decent income, in an ideal world all employers would let you know the outcome of interviews..............
  in an ideal world people would leave JSA alone instead of thinking all who claim do not want to work
  average applications for a full time permanant job in my area is 120 apparently