indiepanda

Well, the study I saw showed that most people who were out of work were considerably less happy for it, so could argue it's our duty to help people go back if they can. Though I agree when all is said and done the government's main concern os getting the benefit bill down! I visited a friend of mine at the weekend who is registered disabled due to spine problems - she's got a rod in her back. On top of this, she fell down stairs earlier on this year and still can't drive, only just able to dress herself properly, in a lot of pain. Despite that she can't wait to get back to her teaching job, she really loves it and I can see if she couldn't get back she'd be really miserable

The story I read on BBCi said they are looking to get 1 million out of 4.5 million on "out of work" benfits back into work over a 7 year period. Which isn't the same as trying to cancel everyone's benefit. I'm sure there is a lot of pain caused by the process and it could be improved considerably, but if you try to go through the same process with an insurance company you'll find that isn't exactly easy either. I've been treated like a criminal for daring to claim on my private medical insurance this year as it was the first year I was insured via my current employer, even though I've had cover via previous employers for over 10 years and never claimed. National Insurance isn't really insurance anyway - no insurance company would get away with changing the rules as often as the government do. It's just a tax by a nicer name.

Good point Sean. I don't know how the mix of people really breaks down, though from some comments I've heard, I think class 2 may not be as small as you think. Probably more than just retraining to help though - some therapy too. It's hard, the more money we spend on people who shouldn't really be claiming, the less there is for the deserving cases, but then if we spend too much money trying to reassess people to find out who is really deserving long term, we don't end up saving any money and end up putting people through a lot of humiliation in the meantime.

Sad story, but I don't think these people are the people who the benefit reforms are being aimed at - it's not those with demonstrable medical conditions they are trying to get off benefit. It's those who are in the more subjective catagories - e.g. people who have been signed off with work related stress and could retrain to do do something less stressful rather than claim benefit for many years. I gather (from having seen a presentation by a doctor who has been working with the government on getting people back into work) that a large number of people on benefits have conditions which all of us suffer from to some extent but most of us manage to work with - like stress, back and joint pain etc.

SeanMacGabhann Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I've decided to reply to neither thread lest I > appear to be favouring one over the other > > oh wait... darn! > > To answer the question, of the two of us I spend > most of the time cooking. I also try and do the > "tidy as I go" thing to avoid the worst excesses > of cookageddon. cookageddon, I like it. Sounds exactly like what I used to face every evening after the ex cooked dinner. Would rather live on microwave meals than deal with that mess on a daily basis again!

Got a couple of numbers already strawbs so should be fine, but thanks for the offer :-)

More importantly, do they do the washing up afterwards? Having previously lived with a boyfriend who enjoyed cooking, but used to manage to leave the kitchen like a bombsite afterwards and me with a much bigger clean up job than his cooking job was ("I cooked so you should clean up"), I'd think twice before getting together with a gastrosexual!

Let's Dance - David Bowie

Yes issi noho was part of thIS SIde up NO HOoks

Love to Love you Baby- Donna Summer

well, not sure I'd be scaring them... I'm planning on leaving my whips and chains at home for my first night out with the forum ;-)

I can remember things from when I was really little, like Issi Noho (the one about the panda - don't suppose many people remember it now), Mr Ben, Bagpuss and Jamie and the Magic Torch. Can still remember that Bagpuss episode with the chocolate biscuit factory where they keep rolling the same digestive biscuit round again and again. Though was a suprise in adult years to see the bright pink Bagpuss toys - we had a blakc and white telly till I was about 10. (Made watching the snooker entertaining!) When I was bit older, I remember liking Rentaghost and Grange Hill and the Hanna Barbara cartoons like the Flinstones and Scooby Doo and Top Cat

I always have a book on the go (if there's any spaces left in any of the bookclubs in ED please let me know :-). Currently I am reading Two Caravans by Marina Lewycka. In the last week I've read Sepulcure by Kate Mosse, Wish You Were Here by Mike Gayle and The Woman in the Fifth by Douglas Kennedy which were all pretty good, though in different ways. Generally I read a mix of modern fiction, chick lit, crime, travel, occasional bio and the odd psychology / management type book. Hard to pick a favourite writer, there's lots I will automatically buy everything they write, which does create one or two storage issues... If it weren't for the occasionl charity shop purge I would have a job to get through the front door.

Oooh, this looks like good timing - will be my first Saturday living in ED and I'm sure I'll be ready for a break from the unpacking. Anyone willing to give a newbie their mobile number so I can track you down in the pub? I won't recognise anyone and I'd rather not make an arse of myself asking random people in pubs if they happen to be on the ED forum pub crawl.

house

I agree and road tax wouldn't be as high if everyone paid the going rate. And even with road and fuel tax I suspect we're not paying the cost of the environmental impact and cost of new roads / repairs, traffic police and wardens etc, though I could be mistaken. It's not like we can all even claim a car is a really necessity living in London. I brought mine with me when I moved to London last year, and have driven about 4,000 miles since I moved here, most of which has been going out of town to visit old friends. I have a sneaky suspicion if I were organized enough I could get rid of my car and rent one for the weekends I needed it and save myself money. I'm a bit too lazy for that so while I can afford it, I accept I get stung for tax/mot/insurance for the convenience of having one.

Secret Smile - Semisonic

Make me smile (come up and see me) - Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel

Well, mum is a Catholic, they do like their guilt trips... Seriously, there have been times when I have really found it hard to forgive her for that, and I do find myself feeling envious of people who have a really warm and relaxed relationship with their parents. Mine is cordial enough these days, probably as good as it ever has been but I don't totally trust them to be supportive. I deliberately keep some of my problems from them because I know it would worry them, and it's easier to deal with on my own than have to take the stress which comes with them being worried on top of having to deal with the situation myself. I don't want to be the one responsible for my mum's latest trip to the doctors for more antidepressants. But, compared to kids who have been abused or beaten up or have alcoholic parents etc etc, I'm still pretty lucky. She only got so anxious, and dad was only so over protective because they loved me and my sister, just their way of showing it was rather hard to deal with for me. Some of what mum did was only what her parents did to her - gather her mum was also the anxious type. It isn't an excuse, but understandable all the same. And my dad was over-protective because his younger sister married a drug addict who murdered her (well techincally manslaughter, but same difference as far as the family was concerned) and was worried we might also fall in with a bad crowd. So they didn't maybe have the best backdrop for being great parents, but in those days it was expected you got married, you have a family, especially as a Catholic. And when all is said and done, I can't exactly look at my own life and say I always make the best decisions for me either, I guess on some level we are all muddling through trying to do the best we can with the resources we have, none of us are perfect.

I always enjoy books more if I can identify with the main character. Never happens with super heros or anything like that though, just more believeable characters. As a kid I always loved Anne of Green Gables, even though I wasn't an orphan so couldn't really say my life was similar. I think it was that desire to find a kindred spirit that she has, and the way she is so excited by new thing. Probably still one of my favourite fictional characters, re read the books as an adult and watched DVDs and certain bits still reduce me to tears every time, even though I know exactly what is coming.

Light my fire - the Doors

I remember that, don't think that makes me THAT old though!

Are you blue or are you blind? The Bluetones

Wake me up before you go go

Ready to Go - Republica