Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum'

Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum'
[ Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum' ]

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Can this continue?????????????

Posted by norman on 27/3/2026, 11:46 am

This was sent to me to publicise. I know we tend to divert a bit too much now but surely we cant keep things like this secret?

Re: Can this continue?????????????

Posted by AJG on 27/3/2026, 9:38 pm, in reply to "Can this continue?????????????"

Don't believe everything you read on Twitter, especially now that it is owned by Elon Musk!

I look up Rob Moore online and he seems to be selling some kind of get-rich-quick scheme so I'd take what he says with a generous pinch of salt...

Re: Can this continue?????????????

Posted by Norman on 27/3/2026, 10:10 pm, in reply to "Re: Can this continue?????????????"

I CHECKED what the UK welfare costs will be for 2026 Andrew and its 233 or 234 billion.

Re: Can this continue?????????????

Posted by AJG on 28/3/2026, 2:57 am, in reply to "Re: Can this continue?????????????"

That's a LOT of money but still £100 billion short of what he is claiming.

Re: Can this continue?????????????

Posted by Mac Cummings on 28/3/2026, 10:53 am, in reply to "Re: Can this continue?????????????"

No it can't continue BUT the post by Moore is an example of how figures can be deceiving and ignore the full story.
Bear in mind that nearly half of the figure for welfare spending (Approx 140 bn) is State Pensions.
The income figure is personal tax only. Add to that another £200bn which comes from business taxation.
But generally Welfare spending is out of control and needs some painful surgery!!

Re: Can this continue?

Posted by Brenda on 28/3/2026, 2:44 pm, in reply to "Re: Can this continue?????????????"

It can't continue nor should it but look what happened when the government tried to reform pension increases. We heard a wailing and a gnashing of dentures from a group of society who have done very well over the years.
Yes -the oldies who come from a generation who had access to jobs with pensions, free health benefits by virtue of their age, so many of them with access to subsidised cars because of a minor disability. If they'd have lived post-war they'd have seen genuine disabilites. Older Hebburnites may remember a cobbler called Mr McMurchie who was short of a limb but still managed to carry on working in his shop in Tyne Street if memory serves.
And why do they need the larger, more expensive vehicles which many claim are necessary? Cars these days are taller and wider than in previous times. I know my neighbour has one and he boasts about the fact that he can take all his mates who chip in to the costs when they go fishing and it's no cost to him.
Then there's free or subsidised public transport, free blue-badge parking and I'm sure that all of you can think of other benefits..
Look in any garden centre / supermarket restaurant at lunch times and it's full of 'poor' pensioners -yes I know that other sections of society are probably at work then if they're lucky enough to have a job. Heating allowance? Again another denture-grinder and how many times have I heard my aquaintances say that it helps pay pay for their grandchildren's Christmas/birthday present!
My children are now grown up and in senior positions but they recognise that their children and grandchildren may have a pretty bleak future. Yet how many times do I hear these panpered old souls complain because they may have to sell their homes to pay for care in old age. Their children don't want the chore of looking after them but they're happy to take their money.
At 83 I accept that I am in a privileged position in many ways yet the selfishness of my contempories appals me at times.

Re: Can this continue?

Posted by Stan Wears on 28/3/2026, 9:35 pm, in reply to "Re: Can this continue?"

Unfortunately I am related to a state "sponge" who is 69 creaming off benefits who has had a very hard life dodging work. I stopped speaking to him years ago because of that. People like us have morals which some plonkers havent got. Yet here we are in a society whereby the idiots in parliament pick on genuine disabilty cases. They need to go to Specsavers and get wise to the rats....

Re: Can this continue?

Posted by Malcolm on 28/3/2026, 10:15 pm, in reply to "Re: Can this continue?"

Hi Stan, that actually shocks me, as your relative is the same age as me: 69...

My mistake, as I, now wrongly assumed, that these scroungers were of the "younger" generation!

So he is the same age as me....THAT's a worry...as I (now wrongly) assumed that people of "my" generation had that work ethic, that my Dad demonstrated: Basically you work for a living, and you don't get anything for nothing.

A mantra that I have kept to. In simple terms: You don't get anything, given on a plate, you have to WORK for it.....

Re: Can this continue?

Posted by Stan Wears on 28/3/2026, 10:59 pm, in reply to "Re: Can this continue?"

Malcolm I was on my way to work once and he asked where I was going. Fool! I replied " to get your wages off the DSS" ! We parted company! For good!

Re: Can this continue?

Posted by Carol in hampshire on 29/3/2026, 10:54 am, in reply to "Re: Can this continue?"

Stan it happens in lots of families.
We had a relative who was as you say was a sponger
He was offered work which he refused to take as his wife wanted new spectacles, if he took the job she would have to pay, she got her free glasses

Re: Can this continue?

Posted by Stan Wears on 29/3/2026, 9:26 pm, in reply to "Re: Can this continue?"

I agree Carol. I retired 15 yrs ago and looking back, I'd do it all again given the chance!

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