Forum Home → Discussion → Other benefit issues → Thread
Testing the Prepaid Benefit Cards now being rolled out
North Tyneside council looking for people to test prepaid benefit cards;
https://twitter.com/refuted/status/517646981129596928
and the back of the notice
https://twitter.com/ident0/status/517641448133775360
Doesn’t Article 1 Protocol 1 say something about benefits being a possession? If so the Benefit is mine to do with as I please surely? The beginnings of a slippery slope me thinks.
Also see: https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/re-think-pre-paid-benefit-cards#
Thankfully North Tyneside Council have withdrawn the card
see http://www.localgov.co.uk/Council-cancels-pre-paid-benefit-card-trial/37384
But there coming that’s for sure.
[ Edited: 10 Oct 2014 at 10:54 am by Bryan R ]i genuinely didnt think they were serious about this.
i genuinely didnt think they were serious about this.
What makes you say that? IDS was happy to spout on about it at the Tory conference: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29414565
The likelihood of the target group ‘volunteering’ for it is pretty slim though
Expect a huge increase in street begging, petty theft, shoplifting etc. As if the introduction of pre-payment cards will instantly “cure” addiction. Those with dependency problems will find other ways to finance their “destructive habits”.
As usual, the scheme is poorly thought out, and in typical IDS fashion is all about punishment and bullying. Unfortunately, IDS and his ilk have learned at Public School that the way to change behaviour is through threats and bullying.
I also find it interesting that it is such a departure from accepted Tory ideology of reducing the interference in people’s lives from central government. This is “nanny state-ism” on an unprecedented level, removing the basic ability to decide how to spend one’s meagre income!
Why not just lock them up under supervision for 24 hours a day and issue a standard food ration?
Maybe that’s the next step?
The cards are in existence but for those who are asylum seekers
[ Edited: 10 Oct 2014 at 10:54 am by Bryan R ]i genuinely didnt think they were serious about this.
What makes you say that? IDS was happy to spout on about it at the Tory conference: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29414565
The likelihood of the target group ‘volunteering’ for it is pretty slim though
i thought it was a traditional say something ridiculous at the same time as something a bit less ridiculous. pretend you dropped the more ridiculous idea in negotiations to show how you listened when your plan always was the second idea anyway trick.
These cards will be useful to scale back the need and extent of the Local Support Services Framework so I fear they are inevitable unless there is a change of adminstration next May.
It genuinely scares me the speed that these “reforms” are being applied, and that the general nastiness and bullying element is so widely lauded by so many of the general public.