IDS thinks he can live on £53 per week

How I would love to see him try to do this, is he leaving out all his bills: rent/mortgage, council tax, electricity/gas, water, car costs: fuel, tax, insurance, MOT, maintenance

I think he is talking out of his backside :

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21993453

It's impossible in the long term. Surely for a while it can be managed but it would be impossible to sustain unless the person was living at home or in shared accommodation. I don't spend much at all, but the general cost of living is a lot higher than that.

they dont live in the real world do they that why i wouldn't vote for any of them

Hubby and me call them Jelly Babies - they live in a wibbly, wobbly world of their own

is all I have to say!

watch the crime shot up now if people dont get enough to live on they going make from other ways mugging fly up... place where i live it old people will be to scared to leave their home at night. there people who got plenty of money and live in a nice area dont have a bloody clue about real life.

Steve wrote:watch the crime shot up now if people dont get enough to live on they going make from other ways mugging fly up...

You couldn't be more right Steve. Some people will have to make ends meat by all means necessary.

and the people who made this mess the bankers haven't been touch!! the poorest are getting punished for their mistakes

The poorer will just more and more poor as the cost of living is so high that people can do nothing except make ends meat. Nobody can save money or try to progress because general life is hard enough as it is.

Not one of these politicians care or understand it because it doesn't effect them or anyone close to them.

they all could quiet tomoz and they wouldn't need to find a job straight away

Can't stand stuff like this. It's all very well for Mister High-And-Wealthy to say he could live on less, but would he actually do it for a decent amount of time? Like hell he would. Only cares about himself and those with large amounts of money.

No way. My parents get about double that between them and would REALLY struggle if I didn't add some of my money to theirs. No way

MatLogan wrote:The poorer will just more and more poor as the cost of living is so high that people can do nothing except make ends meat. Nobody can save money or try to progress because general life is hard enough as it is.

Not one of these politicians care or understand it because it doesn't effect them or anyone close to them.

this ^

The cost of just living is unbelievable, and having to live pay check to pay check is just hard

The cons are only interested in the rich, always have always will. But have to agree kathy they never seem to take everything into account when they come out with statements like this. They seem to forget that clothes don't last for ever. One week they will need a new pair of shoes, maybe a new top as your others don't fit cos you've lost 6 stone for not being able to eat and other things like getting a haircut etc. £53 / week is laughable

There are also things that ladies need to buy sometimes during the month that men dont, they do tend to forget about things like this though, dont forget that we tax for the privilege too.

What a load of rubbish . That would only just by food , toileteries , cleaning products for one person for a week. What about bills , phone, Internet ( can't apply for jobs without phone or Internet these days) then there are bus or train fares ... Even if you only went out to get your shopping or to a job interview public transport is expensive !
What if your washing machine broke or your vac ?
I would love them to give this guy that amount per week and see how he Manages for a few months ... Would make a good tv documentary .

Kathy wrote:There are also things that ladies need to buy sometimes during the month that men dont, they do tend to forget about things like this though, dont forget that we tax for the privilege too.

Yeah? I've bought cleaning stuff before as well you know!!!!!..........gosh so sexist

our town/city centre will start to get more and more homeless people

Steve wrote:our town/city centre will start to get more and more homeless people

Interesting you say that. A few years ago a homeless person would be a very rare sight where I live, but now there are several around my wee town, and in the bigger cities they are everywhere, all ages too. It's getting harder and harder for some people.

yea i know i think the early 90's nottingham was pretty bad now i see at least 4 or 5 beggars with their dogs

Not sure if anyone knows but there is a petition out to get him to prove it Nearly 400k signed already. It's broke records for the fastest amount of signatures in the uk. I know he will never do it but at least it tells them people aren't happy

http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/iain-duncan-smith-iain-duncan-smith-to-live-on-53-a-week

the goverment wont even take notice of that becasue it's not official one

400k signatures!
I think they will have no choice. The papers will be onto it. They will be well aware of this petition already

they only listen to the official petition website

If half a million people have signed it someone would of informed them. It is in their interest to listen. They might not do anything about it but you can count on it that they will be aware of it.

IDS is spouting the same piffle that I remember a woman MP (Conservative) spouting 30 or 40 years ago. To her credit, she issued her proposed weekly menu with costs. To her discredit, she included such things as a weekly roast joint (to last just one day) and half a pint of cream for the pudding, and had to "find" £5 for the week to cover the costs. It was never explained where this extra £5 would be "found" from (and that amount was about a third of what the weekly dole was at that time).

Until at least SOME of our MPs know what it's like to live in the real world - in recession, on the dole or on a state pension - then they will come out with idiotic un-researched statements like this.