The bedroom tax is despicable, made doubly so by its conception! A soft, spiteful, bunch of pansy-assed rich kids, who could house the homeless in THEIR spare rooms alone, came up with this idea! And the poor, stupid, fucking public don’t give a shit cos they think it will never apply to them. After all, THEY’ve been good, THEY’ve worked, THEY bought THEIR houses – worked hard to get them too – so that after a lifetime of paying tax and insurance they can sell those homes to pay for their care? Wouldn’t want to be one of those dreadful scroungers, doncha know?
What is National Insurance for, again? “Care from cradle to grave” I was told when I entered into this contract. We kept our part but the government have not kept theirs. Sounds like obtaining money under false pretences to me…
My two sons live in North Devon. They have always been hard workers. The work there is seasonal, from March to October and three or four weeks over Christmas. It is the seaside. Neither one of my sons has had a Christmas off for years, not since before they started work. My eldest son got a job in a gastro-pub – which was permanent and all-year-round – several years back and they trained him as a chef. He still works Christmas.
My youngest son has not been so lucky- for about twelve weeks of the year he is unemployed. There is no social housing but he rented a nice, two-bed flat a few years back when he split with his daughter’s mother, so that he could have his daughter over as often as possible. He works hard, sometimes working two jobs, to support himself and to support his daughter. He is a model citizen.
His life has gradually been ruined by the benefit cuts. He was suicidal a few weeks ago. First they cut his housing benefit in half because he is under thirty -five! No matter he has a five-year-old daughter. No matter catering and hotel work are almost all minimum wage. There is no way one can save for the winter. That winter he got 12wks behind with his rent. Sixty pounds does not cover a one-twenty rent. £720 in debt. He spent the next Mar-Oct working double shifts to catch up with his rent.
NOW they will be taking money off me for my spare room! No matter my carer sleeps there, no matter I have two sons and two granddaughters who would not be able to come and stay if I only had one bedroom – I’m in Bristol – no… Fuck ’em! is all I get. If I have to pay extra for that room I cannot help him financially when he needs it. The odd tenner I can give him is all that stands between him and starvation most weeks until he’s working again. He pays his stamp and taxes too. Just like all the morons that think he must ‘deserve’ it!
CAROLE ANNE ROGERS 
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I’m sorry but I disagree. This will make a lot of people destitute. The unemployed only get seventy pounds per week, how will they pay it. I couldn’t get a one-bed council place so I took a two-bed because I was homeless after my ex-partner tried to kill me last year. Now I will not be able to eat half as well if I have to start paying more cash out. I am an ex-civil servant. I paid my tax and, more importantly, I paid my full National Insurance stamp so I would be covered if I became ill. I feel the Government is breaking every part of that agreement and if I had the cash I would sue them for breach of contract. I, personally, will pay the extra if I have to. I am lucky. I could rent the room out and it would not affect my ESA or DLA because I am contribution based, but next they are taking that off me and than I shall be desperate, radicalised, starving, possibly homeless. What will I do in that situation. Turn to crime? That’s what most people do who are destitute. I’m sixty. I worked and paid my dues. I should be retired now and not having to worry about any of this poor-bashing because I would have magically turned – overnight – ino a senior citizen. As it is I am now a scrounging, lying, overpaid shyster. Thanks a lot!
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