Poor Raymond :(

[kingcook]

BBC News - Family life on benefits

He's currently only on £30K in benefits, but this could drop even lower to £26K.

I guess he'll have to give up "24 cans of lager, 200 cigarettes and a large pouch of tobacco" every WEEK now

[doomage]

BBC News - Family life on benefits

He's currently only on £30K in benefits, but this could drop even lower to £26K.

I guess he'll have to give up "24 cans of lager, 200 cigarettes and a large pouch of tobacco" every WEEK now

Maybe the lager & ciggies are for the kids?

But yeah, he can f e c k off. Although apparently the market for his skills -educational software writer - dried up 10 years ago. I'm crapping myself about adding a skillset in the next few months before this contract ends!

[NotAllThere]

""I see eight people here having to choose between eating or heating."

I'd've thought eight people would keep things quite cosy.

[AtW]

"Raymond, a former educational software writer, has been jobless since 2001."



One would have thought he'd at least try Plan B from home writing edukational web stuff like our own xoggoth ...

[Notascooby]

FFS - this type of "the world owes me a living" attitude fks me off.

If there's no market for your skills - eeerm re-skill or take an unskilled job. The fact they chose to have more kids despite both being unemployed is their fkn choice too.

You know what their cut is called....Nae luck!
Toughen-up buttercup.

[d000hg]

Hardly sounds an excessive lifestyle to me, it's the cost of cigarettes which sound like the killer... don't begrudge them £15 on booze.

IF it was accurate, that is:

• £20 a week on entertainment is really not a problem for a family... but apparently their entire entertainment budget goes on the dad's weekly pub trip. Either not true, or very selfish.
• £90 a week on 'other', listed mainly as school stuff. No way.
• Mobile phones for the teenage kids and both adults? Having a laugh.
• Sky... £15 a month I'd say OK but a week? Get freeview like the rest of us and treat yourselves to Blockbuster once or twice a week.

I don't hold being on benefits should mean you have absolutely no luxury or entertainment in a civilised country. Learning to budget is what they need more than anything else.

[MarillionFan]

I love the fact they've carried on having kids considering he's been on the dole for 10 years. And Sky FFS! Plus mobiles!

It is not a hooman right to have a mobile or Sky.

[AtW]

[*]Sky... £15 a month I'd say OK but a week? Get freeview like the rest of us and treat yourselves to Blockbuster once or twice a week.

£60 a month Sky is all movies, sports packages (with possible exception of tulipy ESPN).

[OwlHoot]

BBC News - Family life on benefits

He's currently only on £30K in benefits, but this could drop even lower to £26K.

I guess he'll have to give up "24 cans of lager, 200 cigarettes and a large pouch of tobacco" every WEEK now

Sounds a lot, but it isn't for a smoker (or a drinker come to that).

Good luck to him, I say. He is only an early adopter of the lifestyle practically everyone will have in thirty or so years (or whenever, but sooner or later inevitably) when we're all being waited on hand and foot by robots.

Sneering at people on benefits is like hunter-gatherers scoffing at those eccentrics who decided to stay in one place and plant their own food and raise animals. We workers are the people with an endangered lifestyle.

[BrilloPad]

""I see eight people here having to choose between eating or heating."

I'd've thought eight people would keep things quite cosy.

They will probably starve the kids so they can keep smoking.