15 July 2007

Labour Wreaks Happy Families

"I cannot see how 'Dave' offering my £1000 a year to vote Conservative would influence me to get married if I wasn't already going to do it. All it is, in my view, is a cynical attempt to buy votes from those who are already married."
Thus opined Norfolk Blogger about Iain Duncan Smith's Social Justice Policy Group proposals earlier this week. He clearly misses the point that for many who are struggling to makes ends meet, the Government's present perverse policies DO result in families breaking up around the country who would otherwise seek to provide their children with the stability they need and most benefit from. The News of the World carries the story of a married couple who have chosen to split up purely because Gordon Brown's tax and benefits system encourages them to do so:
A MARRIED couple revealed how they split up —because under Britain's crazy benefit system they are BETTER OFF living apart.

Sean Ash and wife Chloe agreed to break up after realising they would lose out even MORE when he takes a new job.

They spoke in the wake of a major political row this week, sparked by Tory leader David Cameron's tax-break pledge to give married couples an extra £20 a week.

Sean and Chloe, who have both been on benefits, explained why they decided to join what Mr Cameron called "our broken society".

As a couple, they had a joint net income of £1,702 a month. But after the split, Sean now gets £1,184 and Chloe £1,396—making a total of £2,580.

That means they are £878 a month in benefits better off leading separate lives.

1 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi,

The article in the News of the world is an article about myself.

I would just like to let you know that the story I gave them (not sold them, gave them) was originally to do with Housing and how the local council failed to help house me and my family. They accused us of making ourselves intentionaly homeless and placed me, my wife and our son Dylan into a 1 bedroom flat on the milford Towers estate in Catford, SE London to where a young man named Warren Gray who in his early 20's was shot dead practically outside our front door, my wife recieved threats for no reason so we approached the council in order to get help to be removed from Milford Towers but they didn't help us which left us no choice but to rent private costing £800 a month where as people coming in after us i.e single mothers & immigrants ended up being housed before us.

I wanted to go back to work, as my wife is UNABLE to work due to not only manic depression but also self harming, being sectioned off twice (ALL OF WHICH THE NEWS OF THE WORLD FAILED TO MENTION) she has difficulty communicating with people and she is no where near recovered. She has no problem communicating with me and our son but other people including her own family she finds it difficult to talk to.

I added up the totals if I did go back to work (as you do as it is always interesting to see how much better off you will be working) and it ended up working out less to what benefits were paying.

I wanted to go back to work, I passed telephone interviews, assesements and was 1 of 7 people to pass and get the job out of 15.

Now the news of the world has been told all of this yet they focused more for there own headlines in making me and my family look like scroungers which is the last thing we want to be.. they also failed to mention that when I was diagnosed with Sciatica I did not claim ANY BENEFITS for 1 year because I did not wan't to take from the state! It was a year later when Inland revenue sent me a letter asking for tax I had not earned. Because I was not claiming benefits they assumed I was working so from that point I was forced to claim benefits.

It's amaizing how the News of the World will go to there lowest points to make me and my family with a child of 1 years old to look bad infront of the nation. Now I am paranoid to go outside as people have approached my parents today accusing me of being a grass and selling people out.

I NEVER EARNED A BEAN NOR DID I WANT A THING OFF THEM BUT JUSTICE FOR MARRIED COUPLES WITH SINGLE WORKING PARENTS TO GET LOW AFFORDABLE HOUSING FROM THE COUNCIL WHICH THE STATE FAILED TO HELP ME AND MY FAMILY WITH.

With the headlines they have used they have blackened my family name and made people think that I recieved some sort of payment for my own advantages.

That is what I get for trying to do the right thing, to be a good person, to try and bring awareness to politicans that there are people like me in the same situation who want to go back to work off the sick but need help with affordable housing.

I never asked for more money, I never wanted more money.. I asked for affordable housing, that's all.

Kind Regards

Mr Sean Ash