Andrew Neil getting support from main stream medai

[BCram]

Well that's interesting Deeranged.

Drug addict income.

Full personal independence payment (pip) £608.60 every 4 weeks

Employment support Allowance (support group)......£223 every fortnight.

If they have bairns.....PIP can be claimed for each bairn.....usually disability is attention disorder or hyperactivity.....around £300 every 4 weeks

They can them claim carers allowance for bairns (Yep a junkie as a carer) only once £69 per week.

Rent zip

Council tax zip.

And obligatory free food from local food bank.

Free central heating system can be claimed if they happen to own a home.

And all this done for them by a myriad of council and charity workers.

You and I may not class it as an illness but obviously others do.

By my arithmetic it looks like £1638 per 4 week period for the figures you give and there would appear to be no cost for rent or council tax. There is also the cost of the methadone programme.

[eric_sinclair]

From a personal point of view think its sad the lack of empathy by some on here. I have saw family members and friends die due to drugs, but hey ho their choice, costing doh etc etc. The thing is all have a different story and the I'm all right Jack statements on here gets on my tits. I get its a drain on resources that cud be spent elsewhere but ffs these are peoples lives and families dealing with it.

[Returnofrros]

By my arithmetic it looks like £1638 per 4 week period for the figures you give and there would appear to be no cost for rent or council tax. There is also the cost of the methadone programme.

There's also the potential for a universal credit top up if savings under 16k, child benefit payment and also if in the support group for ESA or receiving carers allowance their stamp for state pension will be credited.....not many live to pension age.....all tax free.

They also receive a free plus one bus pass, blue badge (that relatives usually use) and can give up some of their PIP for a mobility car, fully taxed, insured and serviced on a 3 year lease.

Now compare all of the above with someone earning 20k to 25k per year.....paying income tax, NI, council tax, mortgage or rent.

[BCram]

From a personal point of view think its sad the lack of empathy by some on here. I have saw family members and friends die due to drugs, but hey ho their choice, costing doh etc etc. The thing is all have a different story and the I'm all right Jack statements on here gets on my tits. I get its a drain on resources that cud be spent elsewhere but ffs these are peoples lives and families dealing with it.

I think your comments about a lack of compassion are worrying. It seems to me that there are different points of view and the concept of tough love could be applied to those who think the way we are trying to help drug addicts is wrong. You know from personal experience the appalling difficulty facing drug addicts and their families. We are spending money as part of a caring society but it doesn't appear to be working. I think something needs to change but I don't think politicians fiddling with the law is the right response.

[BCram]

There's also the potential for a universal credit top up if savings under 16k, child benefit payment and also if in the support group for ESA or receiving carers allowance their stamp for state pension will be credited.....not many live to pension age.....all tax free.

They also receive a free plus one bus pass, blue badge (that relatives usually use) and can give up some of their PIP for a mobility car, fully taxed, insured and serviced on a 3 year lease.

Now compare all of the above with someone earning 20k to 25k per year.....paying income tax, NI, council tax, mortgage or rent.

That makes it seem likely that we could afford to do something to break the cycle of drug addiction

[eric_sinclair]

I think your comments about a lack of compassion are worrying. It seems to me that there are different points of view and the concept of tough love could be applied to those who think the way we are trying to help drug addicts is wrong. You know from personal experience the appalling difficulty facing drug addicts and their families. We are spending money as part of a caring society but it doesn't appear to be working. I think something needs to change but I don't think politicians fiddling with the law is the right response.

Worrying why?
Plenty more can be done.
Tougher sentences for dealers.
More rehabilitation centres in Scotland.
Better education as has been said.
Bottom line is its gonna cost money for decades anyway so might as well do it so it works.

Surely everyone would rather help addicts than let them rot??

[BCram]

Worrying why?
Plenty more can be done.
Tougher sentences for dealers.
More rehabilitation centres in Scotland.
Better education as has been said.
Bottom line is its gonna cost money for decades anyway so might as well do it so it works.

Surely everyone would rather help addicts than let them rot??

Was concerned that you thought that the views expressed in favour of change were all in the I'm all right Jack camp. As you say there's plenty that could be done to improve things. The current supporting addicts in a life of addiction seems wrong.

[eric_sinclair]

Was concerned that you thought that the views expressed in favour of change were all in the I'm all right Jack camp. As you say there's plenty that could be done to improve things. The current supporting addicts in a life of addiction seems wrong.

I just thought its easy to condemn without knowing people's stories.

[BCram]

I just thought its easy to condemn without knowing people's stories.

Well said.

[Returnofrros]

Was concerned that you thought that the views expressed in favour of change were all in the I'm all right Jack camp. As you say there's plenty that could be done to improve things. The current supporting addicts in a life of addiction seems wrong.

Im all right jack camp is like the clique 🙄 and nazis 🙄 and far right 🙄