petition link is on my picture comments, or search epetition benefits. It's a direct.gov idea, where possible hot topics are posted and if any reach 100,000 signatures the government debate the issue. The issue currently is should those rioters who are found guilty of criminal damage still be allowed to recieve benefits and not work, or should those benefits be withdrawn? I feel it's a no brainer. Thanks. (sorry it's not very photoraphy relevant) There is also a Manchester petition to sign, but I think if it's passed for London it will get passed up here.
thanks. x
Apparently it's now reached the 100,000 mark and so is being referred to the Commons backbench committee. I'm not sure what I think of it really and what about those that aren't on benefits but involved?
Sorry, but I really don't feel this is the correct forum for political lobbying.
This has nothing to do with photography and appears to be a naive, uninformed petition.
@xodiac hey lighten up Andy we're asking our ministers to discuss it not setting dogs on the criminals. Loads of the articles posted here about Australian floods, Egyptian regime changes, missing children campaigns, since I joined the website 8 months ago there's always been a social issue on the discussion page.
@chewyteeth Don't get me wrong, I'm all for discussing social issues. If you'd read my post it's political lobbying I'm not so keen on, which your post (in which, I note, you apologise for posting!) clearly is. But neither you, nor any other member of the project, have to agree with me. I am simply expressing my opinion.
I actually signed the one against them losing benefits as I feel it will only make things worse. It will make them feel more isolated and angry as well as increasing poverty which could, in turn, lead to more riots in the future. I do however, think they should be given a heck of a lot of community service!
@naomi@xodiac@tolpol
Fair enough Andy. Its interesting to see such different views, out of the few that have posted I'm certainly in the minority. Yet here in Manchester the mood is unanimous. People with more distance may be able to judge better. To those who say removal of benefits would push these people further out of society @eyebrows I hear you, but another argument is it would just make them get a job. My colleague today was telling me we need immigration because Polish workers for example are more reliable and work harder than English workers in lower level jobs. I reckon take away benefits and you might rejuvinate their work ethic?? Well it reached 100,000 anyway so the politicians will weigh up the pros and cons. Reactionary maybe, but someone just smashed up my city if we were Americans we'd be firing cruise missiles at Stretford and Brixton.
@chewyteeth well, yeah, they could become motivated to get jobs. I think given the disconnect they feel, it's a lot harder to envisage that reality, than the one where the disconnect deepens. It's hard to turn anger at the system around by the same system then harshening the same conditions they're angry about in the first place.
Not to say I'm not against some right wing action (very amusing (or perhaps merely "interesting") to me how a mainly left wing middle class all suddenly swung so far to the right over this), just it needs to be thought about, very carefully. But of course you can argue that too much lefty-lefty "thinking" about harsh actions is what's caused all this anyway, and you'd probably be right, on the balance of it.
I dunno. It's complex, this whole "society" thing.
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This has nothing to do with photography and appears to be a naive, uninformed petition.
Fair enough Andy. Its interesting to see such different views, out of the few that have posted I'm certainly in the minority. Yet here in Manchester the mood is unanimous. People with more distance may be able to judge better. To those who say removal of benefits would push these people further out of society @eyebrows I hear you, but another argument is it would just make them get a job. My colleague today was telling me we need immigration because Polish workers for example are more reliable and work harder than English workers in lower level jobs. I reckon take away benefits and you might rejuvinate their work ethic?? Well it reached 100,000 anyway so the politicians will weigh up the pros and cons. Reactionary maybe, but someone just smashed up my city if we were Americans we'd be firing cruise missiles at Stretford and Brixton.
Not to say I'm not against some right wing action (very amusing (or perhaps merely "interesting") to me how a mainly left wing middle class all suddenly swung so far to the right over this), just it needs to be thought about, very carefully. But of course you can argue that too much lefty-lefty "thinking" about harsh actions is what's caused all this anyway, and you'd probably be right, on the balance of it.
I dunno. It's complex, this whole "society" thing.