There are plenty of highly paid disabled people.
I've worked with many.
A disability doesnt necessarily stop people making a contribution and earning a salary
Frank Williams is one example.
Stephen Hawkins is another

Extortionate fees to the nonsense that is the EU, sorry couldn't resist

So does ITV and Sky

Depending on the nature and severity of disability people can be incapable of paid employment or effectively incapable of paid employment. For such people more than just welfare in a emergency is needed. They need income replacement for life and funding for any care needs, which can mean income replacement for a family member of friend to act as their full-time carer.

Agreed.

If we stoped doling out money to wasters, there would be more available to support those genuinely in need.

You think every disabied person can work? Where are all the jobs going to come from?

Hawkins gets a lot of help which he pays for, how many disabled people can do that?

If they spent their all their TV licence money on VAT-able products that would increase the exchequer's income by approximately £24 per household per annum.

Yes, I know that. I was making a perhaps rather bad joke based on your "own 2 feet" reference, but trying to make the point that disabled people do sometimes need extra help. As do many others - scrapping all benefits does not sound like a good idea.

No, I dont think that
But I do think that there are many able bodied people who should not be receiving benefits

I agree with an earlier poster.
All benefits should be means tested

Middle class welfare is a complete waste of money.

Not really, because means testing costs money, whereas universal benefits are relatively cheap to administer.

Defence procurement is a biggie.

Whether it's on things we don't really need such as the qe carriers or things that are monetary black holes the new f35.

Items not fit for purpose such as the new destroyers or lynx helicopters.

The admin cost of the DWP benefits system is only 3.5% of DWP expenditure.
The admin cost of HMRC administered tax credits system is only 3% of Tax credits expenditure.

Of course means testing costs money
Most worthwhile things do cost money

But we need to get away for the idea that the world owes us a living
People need to take responsibility for their own lives
This dependency by so many on state handouts is toxic.

Brexit rubbish. Take your blinkers off!

Yes, agreed. Supporting a failing, out of date vanity project.

Means testing is not necessarily worthwhile though.


I'm not sure the problem is as huge as you seem to think. Do most people really think that "the world owes us a living" and don't take responsibility for their own lives?

By the sound of it, you would be well placed running a Victorian work-house. You depend on public-sector workers yet revile them. You should be ashamed of yourself.

How exactly is the EU a "vanity project"?

I don't think it was meant seriously.

Most goes to in work benefits.

Low wages get topped up by tax credits.

Maybe a blind person ought to look harder and a deaf person should keep their ears open


..... I say this as someone with a visual impairment and simply note that only 25-30% of blind or partially sighted people of working age are in employment, not helped by less that 10% of employers saying they would ever consider employing such people

Because of the nature of the income curve any means test has to be set very low to save money thus creating savings disincentives for most people on or near average salaries.

The easiest way to retain a means tested benefit is to spend any money you get

I used to work for a company supplying products to Coeliacs and the Free from Market viw the Supermarkets

Some of these products are available on prescription, which involves at least 2 or 3 "middlemen" before they get to the consumer. These middlemen jack the cost up to extortionate costs to the NHS

This leads to headlines in the Daily Mail of "Gluten free bread costs £25 per loaf".
This threatens Coeliacs getting the products they need to live.

Simply, if instead of writing prescriptions which have to be redeemed at pharmacies, they gave GP's vouchers for supermarkets which could ONLY be used for free-from products, the UK would save a huge amount of money. The Coeliacs would also be able to get what they need at much reduced cost to the taxpayer.

But things like that are obvious and simple and apply all over the UK in state run organisations.

The Civil servants and Unions, scream "Privatisation" !!
Where most of us would say : "Common sense"

The problem is things in the UK are still run by "those in charge"
My son did a sport which was based at a local venue.
The photographer at the local venue was an old guy who was dreadful - all his pictures were out of focus and underexposed (dark).

My Wife refused to buy any of the ones of our son - she was the only one who didn't buy - despite the pictures being complete rubbish.

People in the UK "do what they always do" even if it is expensive and poor quality - they also object to ANYONE pointing this out.

Do you think that its right that the Queen gets free prescriptions and the Winter Fuel allowance?

I not sure in some cases it is a 'world owes us a living'.

The government take tax off of people and companies and it is not unreasonable to expect certain things in return such as welfare, Heath and education.