Out into the cold, cold snow ...

[Stig of the Seaton Dump]

How can anybody trust greedy deceitful millionaire bankers and politicians when they call people scroungers for working hard to scrape by on the meagre percentage of their wages they are allowed to keep. Housing benefit for many is effectively paying a little less tax so the landlord or the landlord's money lender can line his pockets ...not winning the lottery. 

The common working man is treated like dirt and a fool in this country. There is every excuse for a revolution.

It is not as though any of the major parties will bring significant change as they are all led by millionaire toffs.

We have our Hartlepool food bank now, what is next for the town ?

[mk1]

We do not have to look far to find out how this 'ruling class' line their own pockets at our expense. We have our own band of robber barons looting the public purse whilst at the same time  proclaiming their support for the downtrodden masses.
Look at Angie. She is  making money hand over fist whilst at the same time moving far away from the people she pretends to represent.
First chance she gets she moves up the park to escape her 'social housing' roots. No chance of her present  dog starving as it has a solid gold feeding bowl.
The biggest (in all senses of the word) looters have to be the F*atty Belchers. Those two had perfected the art of expense claims/donations/compensation payments looting to a fine art. This is an activity they learned from Mandy. Who can forget the F*atty Belchers comment to the Sunday Mail reporter who doorstepped them about the money Mandy fiddled  them for 'gardening' work. The famous 'how did you find out' followed by the sound of a slamming door!
They have a combined income  that  others can only dream of.  Their every waking moment is spent promoting themselves and their charidee work. 'Donations' are requested and  Pariah firms (noting the low  5000 price of  facilitating the hospital closure) fall over themselves to help them build their empire. It is only a matter of time before they are running a firm that will be awarded huge council contracts in some 'yoof' related scheme that requires demonstrations invoving prophylactics, bananas and lubricating cream.

[steveL]

A few quotes from the Guardian article from a 'spokesman' occupying the Department of Work and Pensions:

Question: "How will people's use of bedrooms be monitored?
Answer: "It is a responsibility of the claimant to inform us of the size of a property and those living in it,"
Question: "And what of the chronic shortage of smaller properties in such places as Hartlepool?
Answer: "We acknowledge that most people will not move. There are other options available such as taking up employment, increasing hours worked or taking in a lodger".

I think the revolution is somewhat overdue.

[Inspector Knacker]

You can have absurd situations where some people will be forced out of cheaper 2 bed houses into dearer (and much much scarcer)1 bed flats.
I see many boarded up terraced houses coming down the path.

What a load of bollocks! A typical knee jerk scaremongering from MK1. What you are saying is that people will be forced out of two bedroom houses/flats and forced into more expensive 1bed flats because of £12 difference?

Your whole summary, Freds too I must add, is completely untrue. Its bugger all to do with landlords or driving down rent prices.

Personally I won't defend the bedroom tax because as its name clearly points out, its another tax. I don't oppose the bedroom tax despite being a Conservative, I oppose it because ,unlike Mr Cameron, I am a Conservative and believe in CUTTING taxes, not making new ones up which hits the strivers. That's Labours forte.

If it's only a piddling twelve quid, why bother charging it in the first place?  A tax or the dalek like logic of people with no concept of other peoples lives?

[SRMoore]

You can have absurd situations where some people will be forced out of cheaper 2 bed houses into dearer (and much much scarcer)1 bed flats.
I see many boarded up terraced houses coming down the path.

What a load of bollocks! A typical knee jerk scaremongering from MK1. What you are saying is that people will be forced out of two bedroom houses/flats and forced into more expensive 1bed flats because of £12 difference?

Your whole summary, Freds too I must add, is completely untrue. Its bugger all to do with landlords or driving down rent prices.

Personally I won't defend the bedroom tax because as its name clearly points out, its another tax. I don't oppose the bedroom tax despite being a Conservative, I oppose it because ,unlike Mr Cameron, I am a Conservative and believe in CUTTING taxes, not making new ones up which hits the strivers. That's Labours forte.

If it's only a piddling twelve quid, why bother charging it in the first place?  A tax or the dalek like logic of people with no concept of other peoples lives?

I guess all of those £12 quids add up to a lot when you look at it nationally. Still doesn't make it right though. 

[Stig of the Seaton Dump]

What is a bedroom ?

If you take the door off a room is it still a room or an extension of the outer space ?
If you place a sofa in the room instead of a bed, is it still a bedroom ?
I believe a bedroom has to have a window to be classed as such, so if you board the window up does it break the law if it is classed as a bedroom ?

[steveL]

I think we're looking at a 2013 baby-boom........