General Chat

Ian Duncan Smith recons he could live on £53 a week benefits


If he had to.


Boy would i like to see him try.

Don't get me started lol.

Most people could do it for a week but very very difficult for a year. Can't see him giving his lot up for a year.

We had a politician here in Australia who stated she could live on the dole quite well if she had to. Strangely she didn't put it to the test.

Go on Rach, you know you want to. lol

love him to put his money were his mouth is

Sir Jack Cohen once told a group of us that he was paying us far too much in Tesco (probably true). He said "I only need £20 a week". What he omitted was that the only time he ever needed to spend any money was to get a paper and some sweets as he was swept home in his chauffeured Rolls.

Don't these people sound silly when they say what others could live on. I have no idea what you need to live on, but there are organisations like the Rowntree Trust that should be able to work it out.

My electric bills not much less than that a week

living on that sort of money is quite easy in isolation.
A few quid a day for your food etc unless you have expensive tastes like John.
However, real life is not like that - what happens when the boiler needs fixing, your jeans have holes in them, the toaster won't work?

You are right, Errol. It's all the extras that cost money. Not everyone has a nest egg to fall back on.

I do so wish he would put it to the test

Starting with a cold spell like now ..with a prepay Electric / Gas meter

Let him have some basics in the store cupboard ie condiments &spices

but none of the "luxury goods" like toilet rolls, soap, washing pwd,shampoo (well they must be a luxury they attract Vat)

And like Mr Magoo says he may survive the first wk, so lets call it a month at the least!!

£ 10 a week gas/ and or electric
£ 15 a week food
£ 4 a week water rates
£ 1 a week clothes and shoes
£ 4 a week council tax ( assuming low banding, single person allowance)
£ 1 a week minimum life insurance
£ 3 a week building and contents insurance ( if you're lucky)

Walking to the library for internet access to apply for jobs, and walking to any interviews and the job centre, cutting your own hair( not that IDS would have a problem with that!) , mending anything that breaks yourself or doing without, not having a tv.

so assuming you have a house without a mortgage you could do it. and we all have that don't we! otherwise if you are in a bed sit/shared house and part of your rent is paid by housing benefit ( or you sleep at friends, parents, other family or in a cardboard box......

What about phone calls to DHSS. What about stamps on letters. What about running a car so you can get to shift work in middle of nowhere? :-S :-S

And this extra cold month has been a killer for those on pre-payment gas (often the poorest). It will be horrible also this year for those on monthly flat debits. Thye wil shot up and there will be a 10% increase in autumn on top of that.

Errol. What expensive tastes? I can buy a huge pack of smoked salmon for about £6 on special offer. Always very careful ;-)

you can't have a car John, try freecycle for a bike...or take two buses...

no stamps for letters you have to hand deliver those, even the ones for jobs 1 and a half hours away.

I wish I had £6 to spend on a single luxury snack like that!
For many that is half their weekly food bill - get real

£53 a week benefits,

Has anyone told IDS benefits don't come with an expense account for things like a second home and travel or groceries

Roy

the man is a tosser, it's as simple as that. You couldn't tell him anything, he is one of those smug, patronising, self congratulatory, arrogant pillocks that make me want to vomit when they inflict their opinions, their prejudices, their lack of compassion , their lack of ANY idea of how most people live, and their 'spotted ties with striped shirts' on me.

there I feel marginally better now :-)

I will remove the word tosser if asked, but I will still be thinking it!

£53 a week
i bet hes got extra bedrooms so he will have to live on less than that
and thats before his contribution to the rates he would now have to find

tosser i bet he has someone to do that for him

https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/iain-duncan-smith-iain-duncan-smith-to-live-on-53-a-week

Make him put his money where his mouth is :-)

Rose spot on
Are you talking about John or IDS lol