EU referendum, brexit and the aftermath

yah

Sarc?

Actually no - I think you are right, and a play around with something like this seems to support what you are saying.

So edited :)

GF is self-employed, earns below the threshold for dental care, but as she's been saving for a house, has too much cash so has to pay. As soon as that cash is gone, problem solved?! #wtafigo

....eh? O_o

It's hard to get such benefit systems right, it seems they want you to eat up savings first. Which is fine, but then how do you think people will be able to buy a house/afford uni for their kids? Perhaps ear marked savings are the way forward, but those also need audited maybe...auditing costs £££

She can't put it into a savings type that won't count? No idea if such types exist (ISA?) but yeah savings means you get nothing.

Put your money where your mouth is.

Closest to a savings type that won't count is something like Stamps or art.

Physical, and hard to track. I suspect that Stamps might be much better than gold, as they're much much harder to value.

Nothing that's easily valuable is ignored (eg shares are easy, gold would be relatively easy, but harder to trace).

^ it's all this kind of bollocks that makes a universal income look so attractive

I would have to say that I wouldn't advocate dealing in either art or stamps unless you really know what you are doing. And I'd especially not use it to try and avoid declaring savings, you may well lose more than you would gain.

Having said all of the above, paying off debt with your savings is fine for benefits, so make sure you are debt free (or as close as you can be) before doing so, as you won't be allowed to offset debt vs savings. Also, if you have any large purchases you need to make (a car, or a bike), go ahead and do it, as long as you can show some evidence that you did it for $ReasonThatIsntToAllowYouToClaimBenefits. If you've done it just to decrease your capital to allow you to claim, then it can still be counted as capital. If you've done it for $OtherReasonableReason then that's OK.

--edit--

Don't take the above as absolute advice, it's been a good while since I was dabbling in benefits, and things may have moved on more than I think.

I think it may be a good idea, but as one commenter on theReg noted, it could lead to erosion of worker rights as if you get fired, well there's an income waiting anyway.

But it will still be peanuts, so unless it's done along with rent caps/social housing we might be worse off. Waiting to see what the data we are getting will tell us...

ISA is where they currently are.

Should be ready to buy somewhere soon though.

https://www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/jobs.cgi?jcode=1520800

Head of Communications
Department for Exiting the European Union

From the candidate pack:

There are lots of opportunities to work closely with Ministers as part of a small central department, and to test new ideas and approaches to communication on a topic that everyone is talking about!

Be interested to see if they can find someone who does anything more than intone the mantra 'Brexit means Brexit'

Christ. Imagine having to work closely with David Davis.

I know somebody who is applying for that Job. He's a fucking scum bag too.

'a friend'

I'm told he is quite a nice guy if you get to know him but I've only encountered him professionally and I find him unbearable.

I won't say who it is on here for fear of being libellous.

What I will say is that he seems to have no principles at all and joins dodgy causes who are willing to pay him lots of money.

It sounds like the sort of job that if you really want to do it, you are possibly not suitable.

I get a headache just thinking about how it could possible be done... :)

What I will say is that he seems to have no principles at all and joins dodgy causes who are willing to pay him lots of money.

I've always wondered this. Apart from enjoying my job (sometimes) I don't really 'believe' in it. No one would die if I stop doing what I do. Is 'believing' (while enjoying and getting paid) requirement of public service jobs?

Depends what it is surely? Would you take a position at leave.eu?

I have worked on tobacco, alcohol and gambling clients .. isnt the whole idea based on 'if I won't someone else will'? Maybe I am wrong then again I've never worked in public sector.

I know what you are saying. Its a tough one.

In this chaps case he will reverse his opinions and principles to chase a pay check. Does that make him a bad person? Probably not. I dislike him most because he can be quite bullying and manipulative of people he works with.

I think it would be quite a good thing to have people of mixed opinions in a role like that.

I had this last week. My company was in the news. I won't say their name again here but due to my role I am able to see certain things. Me and two other people on my team had a little Mitchell & Webb look moment where we had to ask ourselves, "are we the bad guys?"

I don't really 'believe' in it. No one would die if I stop doing what I do.

I don't think"believing" in your work is really dependent on saving lives...

I guess I find my work much more enjoyable if I feel like I'm helping someone somewhere. But I'm under no illusions - it's about how it makes me feel, not the objective good. If I didn't have that I'd need something else - money, lifestyle, colleagues, social prestige, getting the job done *just right* - I guess it could be any of those things.

I would hope somebody in the civil service would at least try to keep the greater good in mind.

Of course you need dissenting opinions/a diverse team, but "position on difficult issue for sale" makes me wonder if the person has mostly their own interests in mind or is able to take the interests of others into account also.

isnt the whole idea based on 'if I won't someone else will'?

To what ends, though.
Are you doing it better than someone else would? In what way better?

I guess if you're contracting or freelance you're much more likely to work for unsavoury clients every now and then. I've been lucky that the place I've been at for the last few years has a genuinely good reason to be in business and our growth is symbiotic with our user's.