I see the Public Accounts Comittee have come up with a report
concluding that 6m Britons are living in homes where no one has a job
and benefits are a way of life.

Well f"$% me sideways and call me Gladys!  If this was a competition
for stating the bleeding obvious I think we'd have a winner for 2008.

As well as spending billions on propping up a system that encourages
dependance the Gov. also waste it on reports telling them what I &
anyone who has ever worked in benefits or lived on some of the less
celubrius council estates of the UK could have told them for free!


Mike

On 7 Feb, 18:47, Mike 
wrote:
> I see the Public Accounts Comittee have come up with a report
> concluding that 6m Britons are living in homes where no one has a job
> and benefits are a way of life.
>
> Well f"$% me sideways and call me Gladys!  If this was a competition
> for stating the bleeding obvious I think we'd have a winner for 2008.
>
> As well as spending billions on propping up a system that encourages
> dependance the Gov. also waste it on reports telling them what I &
> anyone who has ever worked in benefits or lived on some of the less
> celubrius council estates of the UK could have told them for free!
>
> Mike

Yes, you could have told them about some of the problem. But could you
have told them the exact size of the problem?
Haven't received the report yet - have they suggested ways to deal
with the problem they have concluded exists in that size?

Martin  <><

On Thu, 07 Feb 2008 10:47:43 -0800, Mike wrote:

> I see the Public Accounts Comittee have come up with a report concluding
> that 6m Britons are living in homes where no one has a job and benefits
> are a way of life.
> 
> Well f"$% me sideways and call me Gladys!  If this was a competition for
> stating the bleeding obvious I think we'd have a winner for 2008.
> 
> As well as spending billions on propping up a system that encourages
> dependance the Gov. also waste it on reports telling them what I &
> anyone who has ever worked in benefits or lived on some of the less
> celubrius council estates of the UK could have told them for free!
> 
> 
> Mike

No to mention the £s the government has wasted in propping up bad 
employers through subsidising low wages via the tax credit system.

The tendency of politicians to suck up to the rich, whilst blaming the 
poor for their poverty, is all of a piece with their tendency to accept 
bribes from the rich to get them elected in the first place in order to 
secure honours and preferential treatment for their sponsors.

This report is a disgraceful commentary on the government's failure to 
govern in the interests of all the people, and not just of the rich.

On 7 Feb, 19:03, Robin T Cox  wrote:
> On Thu, 07 Feb 2008 10:47:43 -0800, Mike wrote:
> > I see the Public Accounts Comittee have come up with a report concluding> > that 6m Britons are living in homes where no one has a job and benefits
> > are a way of life.
>
> > Well f"$% me sideways and call me Gladys!  If this was a competition for
> > stating the bleeding obvious I think we'd have a winner for 2008.
>
> > As well as spending billions on propping up a system that encourages
> > dependance the Gov. also waste it on reports telling them what I &
> > anyone who has ever worked in benefits or lived on some of the less
> > celubrius council estates of the UK could have told them for free!
>
> > Mike
>
> No to mention the £s the government has wasted in propping up bad
> employers through subsidising low wages via the tax credit system.
>
> The tendency of politicians to suck up to the rich, whilst blaming the
> poor for their poverty, is all of a piece with their tendency to accept
> bribes from the rich to get them elected in the first place in order to
> secure honours and preferential treatment for their sponsors.
>
> This report is a disgraceful commentary on the government's failure to
> govern in the interests of all the people, and not just of the rich.

Ummm...how are bad employers being propped up by subidising wages
through tax credits?
Employers pay a hell of a lot in taxes, what with employer NI, tax on
profits and so on.

Have you read the report? Is it the usual boring drivel interspersed
with statistical data?
Not received my copy yet.  :)

Martin  <><

On 7 Feb, 18:59, "mart2...@hotmail.com"  wrote:
> On 7 Feb, 18:47, Mike 
> wrote:
>
> > I see the Public Accounts Comittee have come up with a report
> > concluding that 6m Britons are living in homes where no one has a job
> > and benefits are a way of life.
>
> > Well f"$% me sideways and call me Gladys!  If this was a competition
> > for stating the bleeding obvious I think we'd have a winner for 2008.
>
> > As well as spending billions on propping up a system that encourages
> > dependance the Gov. also waste it on reports telling them what I &
> > anyone who has ever worked in benefits or lived on some of the less
> > celubrius council estates of the UK could have told them for free!
>
> > Mike
>
> Yes, you could have told them about some of the problem. But could you
> have told them the exact size of the problem?
> Haven't received the report yet - have they suggested ways to deal
> with the problem they have concluded exists in that size?
>
> Martin  <><

And the report does?  I dare say they've stuck a metephorical finger
out of the window and said "ahh - 6m!".  I would have guessed a little
closer to 10m myself.

To get an educated guess would require a cross matching of the main
DWP benefit systems (JSAPS/ISCS) - reletively inexpensive process and
then comparing that to the electoral rolls to see which of the
addresses identified had adults other than benefit claimants living
there.  A bit hit and miss but it would provide a very good measure.

Mike

Mike wrote:
> On 7 Feb, 18:59, "mart2...@hotmail.com"  wrote:
>> On 7 Feb, 18:47, Mike 
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I see the Public Accounts Comittee have come up with a report
>>> concluding that 6m Britons are living in homes where no one has a job
>>> and benefits are a way of life.
>>> Well f"$% me sideways and call me Gladys!  If this was a competition
>>> for stating the bleeding obvious I think we'd have a winner for 2008.
>>> As well as spending billions on propping up a system that encourages
>>> dependance the Gov. also waste it on reports telling them what I &
>>> anyone who has ever worked in benefits or lived on some of the less
>>> celubrius council estates of the UK could have told them for free!
>>> Mike
>> Yes, you could have told them about some of the problem. But could you
>> have told them the exact size of the problem?
>> Haven't received the report yet - have they suggested ways to deal
>> with the problem they have concluded exists in that size?
>>
>> Martin  <><
> 
> And the report does?  I dare say they've stuck a metephorical finger
> out of the window and said "ahh - 6m!".  I would have guessed a little
> closer to 10m myself.
> 
> To get an educated guess would require a cross matching of the main
> DWP benefit systems (JSAPS/ISCS) - reletively inexpensive process and
> then comparing that to the electoral rolls to see which of the
> addresses identified had adults other than benefit claimants living
> there.  A bit hit and miss but it would provide a very good measure.
> 
That is a lot more complicated than you suggest. There is no common 
reference number between the electoral rolls and the DWP databases.
It wouldn't even be obvious which roll is applicable to any give DWP 
record. This could be matched manually of course, but it is a big job.
Matching addresses by computer never works as there is so much variety 
in how they are written. The govt has tried to standardise it and create 
  a national property gazeteer, but not to great success as the councils 
who are compiling it cannot agree how to do things.