[G. Adams]

There is the odd person doing that. But I'm not particularly in support of the welfare state as it is. My friend has been working for two years now instead of going to college, and still isn't able to afford his own place (it's expensive as shit here to get a place). The cheapest he can find is £70 a week in rent, and its a dump, and he earns (if he does overtime and saturday's) he gets £130 a week. Then he's gotta pay for water, electricity, food etc But if he was on the dole, he'd be sorted out. He doesn't want to stop working, but having that kind of situation is just insulting. And the thing that makes it worse is that he's done his apprenticeship in trade in demand, something the government keeps asking people to get into, yet he's being fucked over for doing so.

However, the council estates around my area filled up with people on the dole when all the heavy industry closed down. Ten years before they were appealing from people around the UK and Ireland to come here for jobs, they needed the labour, and then all the jobs went. They were told back then that it was a secure job for life. And now they have nothing. They spent years, often their entire working life, usually from fresh out of school, in this job, thinking it was a decent and stable income for their family. And then the jobs went. They were all fucked. So I really don't mind paying them dole money out of my taxes, they were casualties of the capitalist system, and they deserve some assistance.