major moral dilema....

I have to say that I was under the impression that you could not get financial support unless you were fired from a job, if you willingly quit the job I didn't think you could get benefits, or atleast straight away anyways.

As to the friend I personally am of the view that there's too much being given to people who 'will not' work (and non tax paying foreigners but thats another story) when they're more than capable of doing so. I think the benefits system needs to be reformed quite heavily. Having known families who have never worked and get a lot more 'free' money than my grandparents (who had worked all their lives and past retirement), yet are far more able etc, I'm now of the view that we are at a stage where the state scroungers (sorry but they are if they've never worked but are able to) should be made to go to work, theres plenty of factory/labour type work in most places (well there was before the recession). Now obviously we need to still help those who are legitimately in need of benefits etc.

If I was of a similar age and was to stop work completely and then scrounge of the state for the rest of their life (assuming fairly young here due to first child) I would be personally (and I know my family would be too) ashamed, yes I've paid taxes etc but to me it would be kind of a sign of failure as I would be relying on others. Now I can understand a few months to spend with the baby etc but any more than that is kind of taking the p.
 
Surfer said:
interesting...

Knives is right and wrong. Who here can tell me in which ways he is right and in which ways he is wrong? (with regard to his above statement)
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I'm always right! Even when I'm wrong...

I can see that it's wrong because he's sponging off the state and really we shouldn't tolerate that kind of thing, but at the same time we can't exactly tell this individual what to do; sometimes you must leave people to their own devices. He'll eventually find if he's making the right decision or not (and in today's climate I really doubt that).

I like to think what I posted is more right than wrong.
 
It's not rocket science. Talk to him. If he feels one way about it and you feel another then that's fine. But claiming benefits (and indeed the reasoning behind it) isn't something to lose a long term best friend over. IMO that really says more about you than it does him.
 
Benefits must be insanely good these days if they're enough for two parents and a child to live on comfortably. Do these people have no mortgage? No cars? No personal loans? No debts of any kind? :confused:

My wife and I have no personal debts, but we do have two cars, a small mortgage and with a baby on the way. I honestly don't think we could manage on benefits without either of us working.
 
It's unfortunate that when I see a topic like this I come in expecting to reply with something like "smash that pasty"
 
benneh said:
It's not rocket science. Talk to him. If he feels one way about it and you feel another then that's fine. But claiming benefits (and indeed the reasoning behind it) isn't something to lose a long term best friend over. IMO that really says more about you than it does him.
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Exactly, how i see it. He's got a baby on the way, might be being made redundant and at this stressful time your considering never talking to him again because he has an option there that seems slightly appealing. If we could all get paid enough to live and spend all our time with our newborn child then we'd be very happy.

To be honest i think giving him some advice and supporting him no matter what he decides would be the best thing you could do as a best friend.
 
when i first read this i assumed that perhaps he gave up the job to be at home with the family then your friend was going to go back into work? is this not the case? has he said he's actually quiting and staying on benefits? sorry if i read it wrongly but i cant understand it.. quiting a job which provides a livelyhood for your family to take from the state..
 
desmond said:
job centre won't allow him to stay on the dole, you get benefits cut
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Since when? Im still on it after a couple of months getting the same amount I always was, I know people who have been on it even longer still claiming the same amount. Theres that many people claiming that they dont have the time to see each individual for the proper amount of time so cannot check that you have actually been actively seeking employment etc, or help you.
 
This thread says a lot more about you than it does about him. Read what you're suggesting again.
mattyfez said:
If you had taken the time to read the post, this guy is a really good long time friend, and I am contemplating just telling him straight that I think he is a scrounger and I dont want any more to do with him.
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If you let go of a 'really good long time friend' for something like that, you're not the kind of friend I'd want tbh. He'll be better off without you.
 
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peetee said:
Since when? Im still on it after a couple of months getting the same amount I always was, I know people who have been on it even longer still claiming the same amount. Theres that many people claiming that they dont have the time to see each individual for the proper amount of time so cannot check that you have actually been actively seeking employment etc, or help you.
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according to the OP your not allowed to mix with us tax payers. :rolleyes:
 
brummie said:
according to the OP your not allowed to mix with us tax payers. :rolleyes:
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Idd, even though in under 5 weeks ill be serving my country for relatively crap pay compared to what I could get doing the same thing as a civilian, contributing much more than a massive amount of disgruntled tax payers.
 
Energize said:
Wrong because it's the op's tax money that is being spent on him, so it is his business.
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Op doesn't pay for him. the government do. He may well pay the government and if he has a problem with the system should really take it up with them.

heres the address to write to:

Mr G Brown
10 Downing Street
London
SW1A 2AA
 
peetee said:
Idd, even though in under 5 weeks ill be serving my country for relatively crap pay compared to what I could get doing the same thing as a civilian, contributing much more than a massive amount of disgruntled tax payers.
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Joining the forces? Watched that program about that geezer serving in Afganistan. Hope your not going to that hell hole.
 
Energize said:
Wrong because it's the op's tax money that is being spent on him, so it is his business.
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If it was everyone's business what happens with our tax money, nothing would ever get done. It should be noted he hasn't actually started scrounging yet (he is 'considering' it), and that it is the tax he has paid over the years that will go back. Yes he is doing the wrong thing by living off the state but it's not anyone's place to tell him what to do. Expressing distate is fine but not to the point where you're going to bust friendships over it.

To the OP; you should try and explain your views to your friend on why you don't agree with people who live off the state, you gave pretty good reasons that everyone agreed with - just say those to him instead of going into a potentially divisive argument. If you two are good friends he'll probably see some sense. You can only really say what you think of the situation, and not what you think he should be doing. It might sound the same but there is a difference between 'do this and do that' and 'this is what I think of the situation'. One will bruise your friendship and is too excessive, the other won't.
 
peetee said:
Since when? Im still on it after a couple of months getting the same amount I always was, I know people who have been on it even longer still claiming the same amount. Theres that many people claiming that they dont have the time to see each individual for the proper amount of time so cannot check that you have actually been actively seeking employment etc, or help you.
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It stops after 6 months (when he says CUT he means STOPPED not decreases).
Its all computerised and you will get a letter so it doesn't matter how many people are claiming.
On the day I got my letter I had a job offer so I was happy.
 
mattyfez said:
You have utterly failed to see my point, he is not proposing to claim because he needs to, he is making an informed (and hes a clever guy) choice to become a drain on society.....that is my issue.

Ive claimed for short periods before because I needed to, theres no shame in that, that why it exists, to help people through rough patches. use and abuse are 2 different things, I suggest you go to dictionary.com and see for yourself.
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Maybe he feels he's contributed more than he's taken out (not unreasonable if he's a young guy in his last 20's or whatever who's been working for some years), doesn't like his job and feels entitled to spend some time with his pregnant wife and soon-to-be-born child. If he's a good friend I don't think it's worth walking away from him over, but I can see why you'd be annoyed.
 
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