Tories - remove benefits from offenders

It makes sense on some some level - why should law-abiding taxpayers support people who are resorting to fraud and other crimes? But it's ridiculous and simply exacerbates the problem. I don't see how the British government can remove financial support from anyone.....it's supposed to be the minimum the law says one needs to live. And if you're going to take it away from people who are already causing problems......and make them destitute and totally impoverished by removing the bare minimum needs of life.....well....what's gonna happen? Nothing? Sure. No, they are going to go to jail, after causing a shitload more problems. That's obvious - and vicious. And it's no solution.

Hilarious to hear the Tories raising 'loafers on welfare' in the current jobs climate. 1980s remix. Horrible.

They want to remove benefits from people for 3 years. How do benefit claimants survive for 3 years with no income and no home? What are they supposed to do? If they're already rioting, who thinks 3 years with nothing will ease the grief? How stupid (and vicious) need one be to support it?

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Benefit fraud - how extensive is it?

209 of the 6,300 people convicted of stealing public cash last year were locked up. Yet the equivalent figures for 1999-2000 were 445 jailed from 8,768.

SOURCE

6000 people? So they want to institute a vicious regime for everyone so as to deal with just 6000 cases.....that's madness. Why punish millions of claimants and people on the edge of extreme poverty by ratcheting up the level of oppression to deal with just 6000 offenders?

Meanwhile, in never-never land we hear

The Attorney General’s Annual Fraud Indicator report of January 2010 states that £30bn of fraudulent activity takes place each year in the UK, with benefit fraud accounting for just £1.1bn. Meanwhile tax fraud, which receives negligible coverage in the mainstream press, accounts for £15.2bn, just over half of the UK’s total fraud bill.

Personally I think most everyone in Britain undertakes fraud as a matter of routine. Most everywhere I have worked, at whatever level, everyone has been on the take to the extent they are able. And everyone criticises everyone else for doing it. One of those irregular verbs - I get perks, he takes the piss, they commit fraud.