Benefits Street

Rosesarered and KatyK: I agree with you.
Channel 4 make many programmes like that - unpleasant propaganda.

I should like to see programmes about:

The £25 billion lost to the economy by tax dodgers
The £16 billion in unclaimed benefits
Those people desperate for work or in poorly paid work who cannot find proper employment
The way in which 'benefits' are actually subsidies for grasping landlords (yes, I know there are some excellent ones) and miserly employers who pay disgustingly low wages.

But I strongly suspect that because that would not feed into people's prejudices they will never be made.

Grannyknot I've only just got round to clicking the link that you posted above, and looking at the drawing below the video.

I'm afraid it made me a bit ! Is there any particular reason why the character chosen to portray the unemployed was shown as a sort of "geezer" in what is known as a "chavvy" type hat? The other characters were portrayed in quite a positive way.

I'm sorry, but a lot of people ,probably a minority, but still quite a lot, of the people I see at tribunals are like the ones portrayed.
They tend to be alcoholics and drug addicts and most of them seem to be on benefit.

I haven't seen this programme but I have read about it and talked to DD who works in the media. She is incredibly critical. She says television production companies go out deliberately to make shock horror programs that cause extreme responses and persuade people to take part in them by misleading explanations of what it is about. As one of the participants said, people living in this street were told the program was to be about community cohesion and strength in difficult circumstances.

A production company could come to any community - village - town and film and interview any Gransnetter and the footage would then be edited to show that the gransnetter was either a little old lady, sad and lonely or a rampaging cougar with whom no man was safe - and neither would be true.

As most of us know the majority of benefits claimers are law-abiding work seekers, seriously disabled, or cannot work for good reason, most are only drawing benefit for a few months to see them over a gap be tween employment or while they recover from illness.

Channel 4 is laughing all the way to the bank as more people tune into the programme because of its notoriety and they put up the rates for advertising in the ad breaks.

Oh phoenix I'm sorry it made you cross! There was me posting something that (hopefully) showed that not everyone on benefits are scroungers! I must confess I read the article and looked at pic and saw the percentages and didn't take in detail of the illustrations - looked again now and I'm almost certain that is Iain Duncan-Smith in a Burberry cap. Not sure why they used that? . And I plead ignorance of what a "geezer" should look like...

MiceElf I've seen more than one programme about people who want to but can't find work - the one with Mary Portas and the knicker factory recently springs to mind ...and there have been others from time to time.

Grannyknot

Galen but as a proportion of those on benefits they are a very small minority.

phoenix I am so happy you are smiling again! [heart emoticon]

I watched the programme and it did not surprise me. One resident told a newspaper that they were told the programme was about community spirit and helping each other. Film makers are quite devious.
Weight loss ward on itv features our local hospital and they go out and about in the community filming and I cringe, please ... we are not all like that ... overweight, on benefits and eating junk food.

Oh, I forgot to mention, my JSA will cease at the end of this month, because I have not made sufficient NI contributions in the last qualifying period.

Oh happy day.............NOT

phoenix what are you expected to live on, fresh air?

Oh Phoenix what will happen then? I don't know your whole story but any of us could be in your predicament they say we are all only 3 months away from financial problems. I do wish you well and hope there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

phoenix, surely you will get benefits when your JSA ceases? Unless you have savings above the qualifying amount, or some other form of income, you will be literally penniless!

Got it in one Charleygirl - except the air isn't very fresh currently, is it. Phoenix, I wish I could come up with some positive suggestions for you and Mr P. I wish some tv channel would make a programme that reflects the difficulties ordinary folks are facing, rather than focussing on the very extreme, which seems to me to play right into the governments hands. Everyone's a benefit cheat - NOT

SAVINGS? Don't think so!

Thank you for all the good wishes, they do help. Hopefully the situation will change soon, I have an interview next Tuesday (awful pay, but better than JSA ) and there is a chap trying to contact me to arrange another interview, but I'm having a bit of a problem with orange at the moment! But that's another thread!

(The man emailed me to say he had left a message on my mobile, unfortunately I can't access it, but I will speak to him tomorrow, hopefully)

Phoenix did you have any luck with your car saga? I've been waiting eagerly to hear it's been resolved. Good luck with your next interview.

The car is sorted, still waiting for the final £50, and a bit miffed about the radio, but there.

Phoenix have you been to your local CAB? Perhaps they could help you access benefits that would help you through this difficult time. They are good at identifying potential sources of financial help.

I know it doesn't help but (((hugs))) anyway.

There are two sides to this programme

Yes it is shocking--why have no ambition?--why do they do nothing all day?

But what I also saw was a lady that cared about her community and the people in it, she tried to monitor and take care of peoples money so that they would not spend it on drink and the rest

What an amazing person to care that much.

How difficult would it be to make something of yourself if you are born to parents that chronically live on the dole.

Just saying it is not our place to judge really

I avoided the programme. I didn't think it would be good for my blood pressure.
I hope things do get better for you and soon phoenix.

Having had to spend the last 4 years applying for various benefits as our circumstances changed and having wrestled with the multitudinous forms involved I am at a loss to know how some of these people who seem to have minimal education manage to make claims at all. I presume there must be people who spend most of their time filling in the forms for them. I found some of them pretty much incomprehensible and I was several times given the wrong forms by the Job Centre anyway.

I think we are too willing to make excuses for people who choose not to make an effort to sort their lives out and get a job. It is too easy to blame it on lack of opportunity, poor education, parenting etc. My family on both sides were Irish immigrants and catholics, uneducated farm labourers who came to this country to escape the famine or as enlisted soldiers. There was no welfare state, and they experienced the kind of racial and religious discrimination that we have not seen in this country since the 1970s.

They put their minds to it and pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps. My parents grew up in households that were middle class. My family experience is not uncommon. I am sure many gransnetters can tell similar tales. The welfare state is there for those who need help not for those who cannot be bothered to help themselves and find it easier to blame their idleness on their social circumstances.

For goodness sake, these people are alive and kicking and stop putting your head in the sand.

There are always two sides to a scale. Those who are feckless and lazy and those who are genuinely trying to obtain work to provide for their family but need a leg up.

It is a fact there are those who consider 'It is their right for the tax payer to subsidise there entire life style'. I don't understand why the comment is made that there is 'not many' doing it. What' so you think that makes it OK then. No it does not.

It is not just channel 4 that can be accused of making such progs. The saintly BBC showed a prog. on Wednesday at 9.30p.m called The Hidden World of Britain's Immigrants. If you didn't watch it, give it a go. You can dispute their report too no doubt.