Benefit fraudsters and credit reference search

Not blogged for a good few weeks. July was a quiet month and nothing really got my goat! Felt this subject deserved a few words though. I think this is a great idea. Credit reference agencies have their failings but they have a mine of information which could be used to fight and prevent the horrible losses suffered through benefit fraud in this country. I don't pay my taxes to have some bandit steal them through false benefit claims. What's wrong with comparing credit records against claimants? Those that have nothing to hide will not be worried by this. Those that claim to have very little income but spend £100's of pounds a week on luxuries should be very worried. Likewise the invalidity claimant who spends his cash on adventure holidays, garden equipment, golf clubs etc might have to think twice. Its time we no longer put up with this scum and attacked this issue head on. Some might wave the civil liberty card.... Why? I'm prepared to have any benefit claims I make scrutinised in this way..... After all I have nothing to hide and would only fill out these forms honestly.

The Pope, State visits and hard up Britain

Is it just me or could their be a worse time for the Pope to be visiting the UK for a state visit at 'our' expense? The country is on the skids and the powers that be deem it acceptable to arrange a state visit at a cost to the UK tax payer of £12 million. In my opinion all state visits should be cancelled. The Pope, Obama, Merkle should not be coming to the UK for a 'bells and whistles' visit when so many people are about to be put out of a job as government carry out the required cuts to put us back on the strait and narrow. How many civil servants and public services positions could be protected if we re-directed the cost of this to essential services? Come on PCS stand up for you members and make a statement on this..... IMO this is your duty and what your members should expect for their £12 PCM.

If the Pope wants to visit then the Vatican should be paying the bill...... They can afford it. What ever way you look at it he represents a minority group and his visit is not essential to the running of the country. He represents a private organisation and his visit will do nothing for most of us and will bring a little cheer to a few. Not something we should be wasting all this cash on.

Likewise any other state visits from foreign leaders should be put on ice. If they need to visit the UK they should be jetting in and out with absolutely no fancy dinners or events paid for by us!!

Get on your bike, cut your benefits and football overload

So IDS wants people to 'get on their bike' and move to where work is. Bloody right too. If I was out of a job but there was a chance of work elsewhere I would move to the work. CONDEM have said that if people opt to take up this offer they will be pushed to the top of the housing list in their new place of residence. What is the problem? Yes there will be a minority of people who are unable to do this because of family/caring commitments but for most this is a good offer. Households full of unemployed people who won't move for work because they will loose their council house or just like where they live must end!!! ED Balls doesn't like it...... Of course he doesn't...... He's only interested in keeping his target voters sweet.

Looks like we are going to loose our tax credit payments in 2012-2013. Don't have a real issue with this. It amounts to £10 a week and i'm prepared to give this up to help get things back on track in this country. It's not happening overnight so people have time to prepare themselves for it. Yes that extra £40 pcm is nice but is it really that big an issue for families on £30k+ per annum. The only people again who seem to be moaning about this are again the politicians looking to score some easy votes.

Football wise I'm getting to overload and we still have two weeks left. The present Mrs Bell and I have watched so much football over the last two weeks it's coming out of our ears. No doubt yesterdays England performance will have bought a smile to many a face north of the border. The 'ABE' outrage got on my wick a bit. Sure there are some mindless racists out there that really hate the English but was this not just light hearted football banter? I compare it to Clyde doing well in the cup...... I ain't ever going to support them, in fact I'll buy a round of drinks for any team that beats them. I don't hate them and their supporters. They are just Thistles local rivals and for me there is nothing more to it. Am I missing the point here? Correct me if i'm wrong..... This is being taken all to seriously..... IMO as ever.

So David Laws resigns. He had to really. I think he is a real loss to the governments front bench. He's a talented guy and could have made a real contribution. I'm sure we will see him again in the not to distant future. What I don't understand is why a multi millionaire had to claim back £950 of rent in expenses. Am I missing something here? It seems a really stupid thing to do when you have pots of money in the bank. It's not as if he needed the £950.

Further thoughts on 'Condems' position surrounding the Question Time situation. The BBC was right in telling them to get stuffed re the removal from the panel of a Mr A Campbell. I don't like the man or his opinions/politics but number 10 does not have the right to bully the BBC into who should/should not appear on a political discussion show. In the week of the 'queens speech' they really should have had a front bencher on to represent the government. What we ended up with was Mr Spok look a like J. Redwood and his right wing thoughts..... Not good and a bit of a basic mistake. I suspect this situation would not have occurred if said Ally Campbell was still commanding the message from Downing Street.

I see the British Airways slackers are back on strike again..... Did they not just finish a strike?They obviously don't care a jot for the company they work for...... It's looking more and more like a suicide mission to send BA down the drain and discredit a certain Mr W Walsh.

On another subject close to my heart my neighbor still hasn't cut his grass and his garden is slowly getting over run with weeds. Not really a surprise and a true measure of the man. This is the character that falls out with his wife and rather than doing the honorable thing and moving out so as to not upset his 2 year olds routine sits tight. The wife and the kid are put out and he spends his days sitting in a 3 bedroom house cuddling a bottle of vodka. What a waster...... Wouldn't care but we live in a semi and his tip of a garden reflects on us...... Not sure if 'she who must be obeyed' is going to put up with it for much longer..... It understandably totally rips her knitting.

Thats all for now peeps.

Thats it i've had enough of these bloody unions and their members. They go on about 5% pay increases, travel perks and continuing to finish their working day at lunch time. (Postmen you know who you are) The civil service/public service unions want to protect their gold plated pensions and massive public sector pay increases. Listen up you lot...... The countries bust, the governments bust and it's hard out there. In real terms this year i'm taking a 3%+ pay cut..... You lot have to share some of the pain too. Why should you not feel the recession?..... Do you think your better than the rest of us.

Rant over.

Work in progress..... Nothing to say yet.... Amazing for me.