Carol was claiming benefits. She was off sick but chose to go back to work because Bianca took out a loan that they couldn't pay back.

You can only claim carers allowance if the person you are caring for is disabled. It doesn't apply to cancer patients. At least it didn't when my cousin tried to claim it last year when he was looking after my aunty. I guess they have to draw the line somewhere or else everyone would be claiming it.

Mein Fuhrer IDS ensures that people get the absolute minimum possible to survive despite what the Daily Heil says.

Ah benefits, your favourite subject.

This is what happens when you have 4 children each with different men and no money, or when you take out massive loans you can't pay.
I feel bad for Carol because of her cancer but do I feel bad for their money issues? No, wish I was more sympathetic but I'm not.

My understanding is the only bailiffs are ones from the court. IE if you have taken out a loan and don't pay the only way the bailiffs come is if it has been taken to court and you haven't paid a court order.

Any one else who turns up claiming to be bailiffs are just chancing their arm by scaring people and are just debt collectors who don't have the same rights as bailiffs.

In the real world a thicko like Bianca , single, with all those kids would be sponging off the state, not standing at a market stall all day just to earn a few quid. I don't know much about market stalls, but it puzzles me how you can earn enough out of it to keep a large family and pay bills, surely she would better off on benefits, but obviously soaps like to show all people to be hard workers. Also, in EE if you lose your job, just set up a market stall selling rubbish and live hand to mouth, instead of looking elsewhere for work.

That's because no one in Eastenders is willing to leave the square to find a job so they're limited to working on the market, in the few eating establishments, at The Vic, launderette, and now the funeral parlour.

Yes, and Carol should know that at her age, or ask Max or one of the neighbours.

Whitney - not her daughter
Liam - Ricky's son
Tiff - Ricky's Daughter
Morgan - Ray' s Son

Why should anyone be entitled to more than the minimum ?

I'm also referring to Carol

And she didn't even know Tiffany was Ricky's daughter until she was 7/8ish

Even though the story is ridiculous I could tolerate it if it was interesting. But its boring. Cant the writers recognise that. Does anyone at all think it is interesting?

I'm far from an expert but as I understand it you are obnly eligible to claim a carer's allowance of the person you are looking after is incapacitated to such a degree that they can't do fundamentals like getting to the toilet, cleaning, feeding themselves. Basically that tgey need somebody there to do all these things and if a member of the family was not doing it the NHS would have to send somebody in several times a day. So basically, the member of the family is getting part of the salasry that NHS employee would have. I would imagine that some Cancer sufferers in their last few weeks or months would fall into that category (certainly my grandfather was bed ridden for the last few weeks at home and nurses came in) but although Carol is probably in pain and suffering sickness and her condistio is serious, she is not in a state that she can't look after herself to a certain extent - she is mobile, capable of getting to the toilet etc. She can evidently be left on her own in the house so I very much doubt anybody would fulfill the criteria to be considered a carer.


I really think those weren't 'legitimate' bailiffs. Refusing to show identification, give a breakdown of charges, even a receipt not to mention continually trying to gain admittance to the property. I'd say that they were just the loan companies own debt collectors that were acting illegally by claiming to be debt collectors. Sadly that does happen with some companies and let's face it Bianca is likely to have used one of the dodgier loan companies as most reputable ones that assessed her income would h?e known she'd be unable to pay it back and refused the loan.

Well now she's turned all Breaking Bad she'll be storing her hoards under the floor boards and getting Bianca to launder it on the stall

I don't get why they don't call David - I understood him taking the money out of the car lot but surely he wouldn't want his daughter, grandkids and the great love of his life starving.

Didn't they say he wasn't answering his phone the episode after he left. I assume he still isn't.

Sorry to hear about your friend.
It sickens me how normal folk are treated.
People is coma's , seriously ill , severely being declared fit to work. Whether a mistake or not gets me angry & upset.
People who need help & support being treated like crap.

EastEnders is unrealistic with this , but they are hardly going to give us a breakdown of earnings.
But they should not be as bad off as they are.
Bianca being stupid & getting a loan doesn't help. I would be selling things before i resorted to that.
They do have multiple people working , child benefits. They should make it.

My mom has cancer at the moment & if it got as serious as Carol's & my dad had to take time off work they wouldn't be able to go from his 35k or so salary down to a benefits & carer's allowance pittance.
They some how struggle as it is (Smoking )
So i can see how some could not survive on it but hopefully it won't come down to that.

But seriously ill people don't get enough anyway that is for sure.

I couldn't agree more with this. I don't have much experience with the benefits system but what I have had (when i've been signed off for sickness and when briefly unemployed after losing my job in the recession) I have found it very hard going to get anything due to my husband having a job. We by no means live extravagantly and did factor in a contingency when buying a house but due to rising prices like electricity, gas, petrol, food, road tax, insurance etc (all things you can't not pay) we do need both incomes and what you get from the system is not enough to make ends meet. Luckily my father had some money put aside so was able to take over our mortgage for a few months whilst I was sick (we fully intend to pay him nack when we can), if he hadn't there is a very real possibility we would have had the house repossessed or had everything else cut off. I have had the horrible experience of bailiffs turning up for the council tax after missing only 2 months payments and them having ignored my proof of sickness including doctors notes and evidence I'd lost my job whilst signed off.

My mother is currently very sick in Hospital and now declared bed ridden for the rest of her life so if discharged we are going to be having to look at how to get carers in or an allowance in detail.

It is sickening the way people are declared 'fit to work' - I've heard some real horror stories from friends that have been through it either themselves or for relatives - some of whom were terminally sick. I'm sure there are people that cheat the system and that needs to be addressed but frankly I think they are in the minority and in trying to catch and stop them it is the honest people that genuinely need help (usually short term) and have been paying into the system for years that get penalised.

But I didn't mean to turn this into a monolgue about the benefits system.
$sadly, Bianca is just as thick as ++++ and will never be smart about how to get the most money or spend it wisely.

Oh dear, big IDS fan are you?

You should the horror stories on General about ATOS.

People driven to suicide and despair by Bullingdon Boy and his Eton chums.

Oh and IDS is a functioning psychopath - of that I am in no doubt.

This is in danger of going off topic but because IDS admits to having been a cheat when younger (not declaring he was living with his girlfriend as the rent would go up as one example) he believes everyone is as morally corrupt as him and will always cheat any system if they can and the fact is a lot of people won't. For example, my mother is a blue badge holder. We have been told by hosptal staff to just put it in the car when visiting as nobody will know but don't because it isn't fair to people that have got a disabled person in the car at that time to take a space they need or to not pay car park charges that everybody else has to when we are able bodied, albeit visiting a disabled person. That is a fairly small example but does prove the point.

I've heard of people being driven to suicide and am not surprised just from hearing what a couple of friends have gone through. To a certain extent the criteria seems to be that if you can make the meeting for your iability to work assessment then obviously you are capable of getting to work so don't need any money from the state. If you don't turn up, you are not co-operating and breaking the benefits 'contract' so won't get any money.

You'd get on well with my Mum Keyser - she firmly believes Cameron, Osborne and IDS and the devils answer to the Holy Trinity!

Lol!

It is a very serious subject though, the right wing rags like the Daily Heil and the rest of the media have been demonising the poorest and most vulnerable in society for years.

Whilst those that caused all the economic misery throughout the world - the bankers and financial speculators - continue to sip champagne award themselves millions in bonuses and laugh at the plight of all the proles.

Wanting ti think the best of humanity and those that coose to seek public office, i'm not sure they are actively laughing at those less fortunate. I do think that most of the people in government (all parties but especially the Conservative cabinet) come from such affluent backgrounds that they really don't understand poverty. Their idea of 'tightening our belts' o's to only have 3 foreign holidays a year, a couple of bespoke saville row suits each season etc. I think they know they're better off than most they really don't get that people don't have money to. Fall back on, usually from parents because thet have never ever had to struggle. It's like the Pulp 'Commom People' song "they will never understand...because Daddy can stop it all". that's not their fault but it does make it very difficult for everyone else who their policies actually hurt day to day.

What happened to Morgan's dad? He was decent and would pay his share of child support despite Bianca having initially kept him secret, and two of those kids are Ricky's and he must support them or they can go live with him if she can't cope.

And shouldn't Carol have thought things through a bit before dumping David the way she did?

On the whole even the rich dont go out and have so many kids. Why have so many children that you know you will never be able to support.