Just a Cock Stride

[WickedLester]

Just a few points on some of the issues raised here. I've claimed unemployment benefit a few times over the years, but usually not for very long. The system doesn't seem to have changed that much over the years, that would involve the Civil Service actually doing a days work for their fantastic pensions, only the stupid hoops you have to jump through, or at least pretend you're going to.

For example, you have to be willing to travel up to 90 minutes to get to a job. By foot? By car? By private jet (I could probably get to Davos by then, maybe clean the toilets or work as a security guard). Give me a Tardis and I'll start work before I've even left for work.

And then you have to be willing to do any job you're capable of. I'm possibly capable of being a mental health nurse. There's a shortage in the NHS. But then it takes three years and a lot of training. Will the Government pay? They'll help. How much? They'll help. But how much? There's help available. Ok, when does my Universal Credit go in, I'll start at Davos next month.

I also worked for a time as a Data Analyst for HMRC. Plenty of training, always a week away for ten of us, plus the trainer 400 miles away necessitating a stay in a posh hotel of your choice plus generous meal allowance. The bird in charge of me, who's the same grade tells me I've got to take my fag breaks out of my flexi time when we meet outside for a fag. I get warned at interview that I probably dodged tax when I didn't pay CGT on one of my Investment properties back in the day, but I still get a job as a tax man. Asians calling blacks spear chuckers and thinking nothing of it, I call my boss Sam instead of Samantha and I'm out of order. I could go on. I only really had a couple of friends there, they were brilliant men. Their work was so complicated that no-one understood it and they were left completely to their own devices to do whatever they wanted and get well paid for it.

I hated every minute of the 8 months I spent there, still I got to cash in the pension.