Cymru/Wales: Bipolar Nation

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Saturday 21 March 2020

Carer's Pittance & Universal Discredit




I got a bit self-pitying on twitter last night. But thankfully a 'Book Early/Cheerful Chappie' from Universal Credit questions was on hand this afternoon to answer my bellow into the void. I wasn't really looking for a logical/mathematical explanation from this bot as to why the level of Universal Credit that I was in receipt of was so low so I replied
I know that there are people who frown upon those who air their dirty laundry on twitter but I thought, I need to highlight Carer's Pittance & Universal Discredit. I know that you probably don't give a shit about this BUT I have been living on poverty wages for five years now. In fact the last time that I earned £28,000 a year was in 2004. Yes I was salaried once. So perhaps I have some tips and advice that could prove of help to those of you that have had to take a pay smash because of COVID 19.



What I'd like to ask is that when things get back to abnormal at some time in the future and when you have returned to your massive fat cat salary that you think about lobbying for a Universal Basic Income because there are those in a far worse situation than me. We know of the phenomenon called sofa surfers to hide the real numbers of homeless but there are people who are falling through the so called Benefit's safety net! These are the same people who wont fight you over toilet rolls, they will let you have them. These are the same people who are not claiming what they are entitled to from the public purse 1) Because nobody tells them that these benefits are available 2) Very often people are too proud to apply.

I didn't even know that I could claim Universal Credit until I saw another Carer on television saying that he was struggling on both. BOTH? I thought, I'm only on one of them. I filled out all the forms at Aberystwyth Job Centre and bish bash bosh 'FREE MONEY' suddenly appeared like Mr Benn. It was adjusted just as Mr/Mrs Bot has said above pound for pound so I am left with approximately £100.00 a week to live on. Not to be sniffed at I hear you say. "As a single man, you have no children's support allowance to maintain so you can live quite comfortably on £14.285 pence a day. Luxury. That could buy you an awful lot of shoe boxes in the middle of the road." All I ask, whoever is in charge post COVID 19 please, please give the non toilet roll fighters in the aisle the dignity of a Universal Basic Income without making us jump through hoops, without making us declare all our offshore accounts in the Cayman Islands, without having to report to you, without having to sign on, without having to prove to you that we are good boys and girls.          



To be fair to the cheeky chappy bot they did come back with this tweet later on which I thought was a lot more honest.
FURTHER READING



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How To Be Idle
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Freud: The Key Ideas
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Going Mad?: Understanding Mental Illness
Back To Sanity: Healing the Madness of Our Minds
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I Bought a Mountain
Hovel in the Hills: An Account of the Simple Life
Ring of Bright Water
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A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose
The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
The Seat of the Soul


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