Election Year or Fear!

[Andy_Faber]

I don't understand why people are so keen to "punch down" on those they feel are gaming the system,

If you were the hardworking (ancillary nurse) neighbour of my ‘friend’ and dragged yourself home after a shift of blood and guts and ten hours away from home, looked over the fence and saw that my friend has been sunning herself and glugging wine all afto, I think you’d want to punch down, I don’t know her personally but I have sympathy with her. And that’s the unheralded part of this equation, forget the cash side for a mo, my friend has (leisure) TIME that her worker neighbour, not on a great pay rate, will never have in her working life

[ramAnag]

As you want evidential matter - (a) credit cards, has gone thru courts, tens of thousands due, ordered to pay £1 a week as "no assets - nice car a necessity to take kids to school (both over 16)", "no earnings to attach" (b) rent - taken to court by landlord, again ordered to pay token amount as no assets/earnings (c) know works on grey market as offered to do cleaning for me! "if could fit it in" for cash. I declined.

Was ‘cleaning’ a euphemism?

What I really don’t understand is how this person Andy speaks of remains, in his own words, a ‘friend’.
You seem genuinely, and understandably, contemptuous of her, AF. Personally I don’t have friends I am contemptuous of. Contempt disqualifies friendship.

[Andy_Faber]

Was ‘cleaning’ a euphemism?

What I really don’t understand is how this person Andy speaks of remains, in his own words, a ‘friend’.
You seem genuinely, and understandably, contemptuous of her, AF. Personally I don’t have friends I am contemptuous of. Contempt disqualifies friendship.

I have many imperfect friends rA, and as imperfect myself I am grateful for the tolerance and friendship of others. If you only seek perfection in your friends you must be a lonely chap. I have no contempt, she’s a nice person, doing nothing illegal or immoral, in the same way that I, a tax payer, do nothing illegal or immoral in paying no unnecessary tax. My point is that ‘the system’ is allowing her to live the relatively leisurely life she lives, and that same system deprives her hard-working public servant neighbour that same luxury

On a related subject, reading Swale’s last long response again, I note that he suggests providing what I think is a ‘flat rate’ cash award to everyone, workers or not, and yes that would be great but I don’t see how it could be afforded so it’s a bit idealistic.

[Geoff Parkstone]

No, although the local talk is that additional services are availablr

[Andy_Faber]

Aaaand…we have The Tories potential secret weapon as first news item on the ten oclock news

[ramAnag]

I have many imperfect friends rA, and as imperfect myself I am grateful for the tolerance and friendship of others. If you only seek perfection in your friends you must be a lonely chap. I have no contempt, she’s a nice person, doing nothing illegal or immoral, in the same way that I, a tax payer, do nothing illegal or immoral in paying no unnecessary tax. My point is that ‘the system’ is allowing her to live the relatively leisurely life she lives, and that same system deprives her hard-working public servant neighbour that same luxury

I never mentioned perfection, AF, neither have I ever claimed it for myself - far from it - and I’m equally far from being lonely…thanks.
Just seems strange to me that you can refer to someone as a friend and a ‘nice person’ while simultaneously using her behaviour as an example of something you find wrong, if not illegal (immoral is a more complex question), within society. Someone who ‘plays the system and avoids honest graft’ was your phrase if I remember correctly.

[Andy_Faber]

I never mentioned perfection, AF, neither have I ever claimed it for myself - far from it - and I’m equally far from being lonely…thanks.
Just seems strange to me that you can refer to someone as a friend and a ‘nice person’ while simultaneously using her behaviour as an example of something you find wrong, if not illegal (immoral is a more complex question), within society. Someone who ‘plays the system and avoids honest graft’ was your phrase if I remember correctly.

Maybe it’s the Christian in my rA. Perhaps you should try it some time before it becomes illegal

[ramAnag]

Maybe it’s the Christian in my rA. Perhaps you should try it some time before it becomes illegal

Maybe…or maybe it’s that fence you need to climb down off. I’ve not got a lot of time for the ‘she’s a lovely person/he’s a really nice fella…apart from…’ school of thought.
You’ll have to remind me of any parables advocating ripping off the system and never working for a living.

[Andy_Faber]

Maybe…or maybe it’s that fence you need to climb down off. I’ve not got a lot of time for the ‘she’s a lovely person/he’s a really nice fella…apart from…’ school of thought.
You’ll have to remind me of any parables advocating ripping off the system and never working for a living.

You continue to misunderstand, and I think deliberately so, so I’ll withdraw from the conversation

[Geoff Parkstone]

rA, if it helps I think the doctrine is "I don't like what you do but I respect your right to do it" to sort of paraphrase EB Hall