Wednesday 21 August 2013

The Nonsense That Is Our Benefit System, Laid Bare…

Ces Loftus, who is currently going through a divorce, was made the Daily Echo’s Business Mum of the Year for 2012 after winning the greatest number of votes for her website Supportive Business Mums.
A successful businesswoman? Cause for celebration?

Well, not quite
Ces, who runs three successful businesses but needs £300 in top-up benefits each month, said: “It has been a living nightmare.
Yes, you read that right. She's so successful, we are paying her...
“My landlord gave us notice on our home in February as he plans to sell it. But we just couldn’t find anywhere else to live. No one would take us because I am on benefits. Despite the fact that I work ridiculous hours and run these businesses, we just got nowhere. It has been awful.”
Yes, it is awful. But not, I suspect, for the reasons you seem to be raising.

6 comments:

A said...

This must be some new definition of the word 'successful' of which I was previously unaware.

Macheath said...

But... but... she's won awards!

Her 'businesses' appear to be the kind of product placement, logo design and internet intermediary enterprises that typify today's commercial flea circus that are highly acclaimed by organisations whose names usually incorporate some permutation of 'women', business' and 'enterprise'.

There was a wonderful example recently; a young woman was given some kind of award for her business, which involved going into schools and lecturing girls on entrepreneurship.

She had set this up - on the basis of personal connections - straight out of college; her only personal experience of business ("I was a teenage entrepreneur") was buying cheap jeans and decorating them to sell for a substantial profit.

By her own account, the sequins and beads fell off after the first wash, but, in accordance with the Zeitgeist, she immediately decided this made her an excellent person to teach others about the hazards of starting a small business.

It's bad enough to think that there's a whole slice of the population out there giving each other awards basically for being women; it makes it ten times worse if they are doing it in part at our expense.

Lynne at Counting Cats said...

Oh dear. Ces seams to have fallen into a pit...

So sad. Too bad.

Fidel Cuntstruck said...

Ces, who has started new business Pretty Inspiring to raise as much money as possible to help her husband, added: “Everyone just disregarded us out of hand.

I'm confused here ... :0/

She has got somewhere to live, the story says her Mother took out a loan to pay a new Landlord six months rent up front, so she's sorted .. sort of

The handwringing tale of woe is all about her husband (or soon to be ex-husband) not being able to get a home that suits him, beggars can be choosers after all eh? No bedsit for him .. oh no! it simply wouldn't be suitable

As said earlier, her definition of "success" appears to be at odds with most peoples but begging bowls come in many forms and it works for others, so fair play to her for having a go - I won't be moved to donate of course, I won't even offer a sonata on my Violin .. because it's so tiny I often struggle to even find it :0)

John Pickworth said...

Oh dear. Ces seams to have fallen into a pit...

A large three bed detached house down a quite leafy close... some pit!

Seems her landlord has now relented too. She can stay put until she moves into her new house across town. Panic over. No word on where her ex-husband to be will be locating. I'm sure she's keen to get rid of him, it must be costing them a fortune in lost benefits while he's still around?

JuliaM said...

"This must be some new definition of the word 'successful' of which I was previously unaware."

Oh, words are redefined all the time! Just see 'vulnerable' for a start...

"Her 'businesses' appear to be the kind of product placement, logo design and internet intermediary enterprises that typify today's commercial flea circus..."

Spot on!

"Oh dear. Ces seams to have fallen into a pit..."

Ah, but John's comment is bang on the money.

"A large three bed detached house down a quite leafy close... some pit!"

We should all be that 'unfortunate'...:/