Originally Posted by
Argonautical
Stop paying some benefits with money. Why can't the unemployed be paid with food/clothing vouchers ? These could be redeemed at any shop/supermarket but would not include tobacco, alcohol or electrical goods. If the unemployed wants to watch TV on a 42 " plasma then they will have to find work to earn the money.
Nah, been tried. They are just flogged off on the black market for beer, booze, fags or some other sin at below face value.
Same if you actually gave them out as tins of food or clothes; they would finish up on eBay.
Now if you introduced mass catering of good quality, non-fattening foods, then they would have to eat or go hungry. Do clothing like clothing stores: cheap unfashionable clothing on a one-for-one exchange basis.
Clothes could have a catchy little logo (competition entries for the logo prize
£1 each) such as
Freebie Fashions or
Coalition Casuals
Maybe even a Freebie 26 inch flat screen TV that only operates after 6pm.