Home—Blog—A classic example of the entitlement driven welfare state
Aug 23, 2011, 03:28
Posted byMerryn Somerset Webb
Comments (53)
A few weeks ago, I referred to the “entitlement driven welfare state” in my editor’s letter. A reader took offence (you lot do this quite a lot…). The idea that there is a sense of entitlement amongst the general population was he said “tiresome” and “trite” political nonsense. Is it? I wondered a little.
Then I got in a Twitter row with someone over the price of gluten free bread. You might remember a story a few months ago about how the average loaf of gluten free bread doled out on prescription to sufferers of coeliac disease (who can’t eat gluten) costs the taxpayer £32. This turned out not to be the case. The £32 referred not to the cost per loaf but the cost per prescription – which usually includes 10-11 loaves of bread. This still makes the cost of the loaves higher than they should be but not insanely so.
However, the real question raised by this – to my mind – was why on earth are we paying for coeliacs to have special bread in the first place? I tweeted this. My coeliac critic said I didn’t get it. He needed the free bread “to help afford life.” The prescription he said “takes a financial burden from the cost of living.” Really? Not only is gluten free bread not that much more expensive than other bread (about £2.25 vs £1.30) but it isn’t actually necessary.
Gluten free food is generally pretty disgusting. The thing that makes bread rise (and therefore be nice to eat) is gluten. Bread made without it tends to be very heavily processed and have an insanely high gylcemic index (some breads have a higher GI than a can of coke). Eat too much of this kind of stuff and a careless coeliac can easily find himself adding Type 2 diabetes to his other woes. That doesn’t seem to me to be the kind of business the NHS should be out touting for, particularly given that their own statistics suggest that one in a hundred people could have coeliac disease. It is also perfectly possible to live without gluten based grains or indeed, bread. Why can’t coeliacs after carbs eat rice or potatoes? What about cornbread or corn cakes? Quinoa, millet, buckwheat and amaranth?
Finally, a great many medical conditions require special diets and the NHS doesn’t cover them. Do diabetics get free sugar free food? No. My critic wasn’t having this. Coeliacs he said “shouldn’t be ashamed to receive help when it is offered.” If it is there, take it. And as for my views? To him my suggestion that the taxpayer shouldn’t pay for his breakfast somehow reflected a suggestion that, because I am (he assumes) better off than him, I should be allowed to live longer. It was a master class in missing the point.
But of interest, because at no point in our discussion did he recognise that getting free bread was not an absolute right but a burden on the taxpayer. He might not be on benefits of any kind or part of what we consider to be the welfare state (I have no idea) but this man (who, from a quick scan of his tweets, seems delightful on most levels) is still very much a part of the entitlement driven welfare state. And that’s one reason why making cuts is quite as hard as it is.
Published in Blog More articles by Merryn Somerset Webb
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(23 August 2011, 04:33PM) Complain about this comment
Gluten free bread on prescription is ridiculous and as you pointed out - by the same token why are diabetics not given free sugar free foods or anyone with a food allergy / intolerance given other free food?If they had to pay for it themselves they would probably just eat a bit less bread and substitute it with something else - i.e. like everyone else would.Don't get me started about NHS waste - I know someone who gets prescribed ibuprofen - rather than buying it for 16-30p a packet as I am sure many people do (1-2p per tablet) he gets it on prescription as it's 'free' - even though it probably ends up costing the NHS and 'taxpayer' far, far more.
(23 August 2011, 05:39PM) Complain about this comment
A couple of years ago my 13 year old daughter had a minor foot fracture. I brought her to the local A&E and she was looked after very well and give a pair of crutches to take home. When we had the follow up appointment she had pretty much recovered and did not need the crutches. She went to hand them back to the hospital but was told they did not want them back as they would need to be sterilised. Waste?
(23 August 2011, 05:59PM) Complain about this comment
Well argued MerrynThe key lies in the "If it is there, take it" attitude. It gives entitlement a legitimacy which removes the takers from reality, particularly if underwritten by the StateI understand your comment on the difficulty of reversing the entitlement culture and growth of the welfare state, but believe it can be done relatively quickly. What we are missing is the leadership required to make it happen. And we won't get that whilst we are burdened with politicians who are in denial and always take the path of least resistanceSadly, the change will be imposed by a defaltionary depression anyway, made worse because of fudge and denial in the past
There are too many people that have been indoctrinated by socialism to think that the world owes them a living. If society sees fit to help the unfortunate, then surely the recipients should be thankful for it, rather than regarding such help as their divine right? Until such people realize that they should work for a living and earn their 'entitlements' they will have no self respect, and therefore no respect for others.
(23 August 2011, 06:32PM) Complain about this comment
Merryn. I fear you have lived too long among the privileged class,with your own sense of entitlement. The poor person you refer to just wants to eat some bread at a cost that is 25% higher than normal. Your class wants an Oxbridge education and a posh flat before they are 25 years old. Fortunately your parents purse strings usually stretch to meet that crushing" sense of entitlement" and we mere mortals no longer need to tug our forelocks in your presence.If you ever had to use the welfare state you might realise it provides just enough in a week to eat a meal for two at Pizza Express. Entitlement driven middle classes are worse.
(23 August 2011, 08:27PM) Complain about this comment
hmm Boris - the welfare state provides free housing, healthcare, education etc. Middle class entitlement? Really?I'd say the middle class are the ones that work and pay all their taxes & have lost their pensions - whilst the welfare bunch expect free everything and the rich use methods to preserve their monies which are not open to the rest of us.It is utterly ludicrous that the state pays for coeliacs bread.
(23 August 2011, 09:05PM) Complain about this comment
Good to see the classic class against class struggle hasn't disappeared completely since the 5 minute argument poked fun at it.Qu'ils mangent de la brioche!Political statement or Marxist drivel?
(23 August 2011, 10:04PM) Complain about this comment
Boris "Class War" Macdonut,I'm gluten intolerant but not coeliac, so I don't qualify for free food. Rather than bleat about it I have a breadmaker which churns out the gluten-free for less than supermarkets sell the regular loaf. Merryn is right and the poster needs to follow suit and stop tapping the taxpayer just because they can.
(24 August 2011, 10:06AM) Complain about this comment
I am a migrant. I come from a very poor background. There is no welfare in my country (India). But today I have a PhD, a job that pays much more than what an avg Brit makes! I have lived in Britain for 10 yrs now ( and yes I dont have ne recourse to public funds!) I started my life here with £200 i.e. all my life savings and still made it to where I am today. Not sure why ppl feel they are 'entitled' to ne thing!!!! the only thing u r entitled to is what u earn (and u r dreams and drive for future).Rishi
(24 August 2011, 10:22AM) Complain about this comment
The term 'entitlement' is something of a misnomer. The only thing that you are 'entitled' to is something that you have either already paid for (by installments such as a pension), or you already own. No one is 'entitled' to welfare dependency, it is something the socialist state doles out and when (not if) this becomes unsustainable, it will stop.
(24 August 2011, 10:37AM) Complain about this comment
It is true that gluten free bread is bread significantly more expensive but bread is not a necessary food.As someone who recently became intolerant to wheat, eating things that are better for you rather than the likes of bread in fact improves your life.So it seems absurd to get a prescription to replace what was otherwise a poor food type.
(24 August 2011, 12:27PM) Complain about this comment
@ Cliff Hanger. Entitlement is why we pay taxes and although I think the bread example is unreasonable, as a society, there are certain things that people should have a right to expect of their government among them basic health and educational needs and the right to live in an adequately healthy, clean and safe environment. Vulnerable people in society such as (some of) the old, the young and the infirm should be able to expect certain rights not extended to the rest of us. Otherwise what is the point of government or indeed society. The problems start when the not so vulnerable start to abuse a system that was not intended for their benefit.
(24 August 2011, 12:28PM) Complain about this comment
It's extremely regrettable, or foolish, that Welfare State Benefits have been labelled 'Entitlements' as opposed to 'Privileges'.
(24 August 2011, 01:04PM) Complain about this comment
@ 13 Critic Al Rick:My point exactly.@ 12 Ellen:You missed my point completely.
(24 August 2011, 02:06PM) Complain about this comment
I though the article was going to be about banking. They are still living (prospering to an unimagineable level) on our largesse, and remain a bankrupt industry.This op-ed is fine, but it's welfare at the top that is ripping us off.
(24 August 2011, 02:15PM) Complain about this comment
Navhmm Boris - the welfare state provides free housing,---------------what century are you living in? Even the low rent council house system has been sold off. This younger generation has no affordable housing either to buy or rent. And yes, too many seek the entitlement of housing benefit, but only after realising there are so few half decent or reliable jobs compared to the cost of living.Make work pay! A living wage, more social housing, and lower rent/house prices.Problem is that those who bought years ago feel an entitlement to the bubble price of housing of 2006/7, even though it caused the banking meltdown we continue to live with to this day. Turn that judgmental mirror on yourselves!
(24 August 2011, 04:50PM) Complain about this comment
I owned a pharmacy and employed a dispenser who was a coeliac. The main issue for coeliacs is the problem of dealing with processed food or eating out where they don't know what they are getting. On the issue of entitlements - there were those who ensured they had everything that was 'allowed' - bread, biscuits, pasta, flour, pizza bases etc - too much was given and used to feed the family. A case of the few abusing the system. There need to be clear guidelines for quantity.The issue of 'is it necessary?' is important because if I swap my weetabix for corn flakes I don't seem to eat gluten at all. I don't eat bread, cake, biscuits,pasta etc. I get fat if I start down that road.Grain is starch and that can also be supplied by rice, potato and corn.Solution - give coeliacs a small means tested?? voucher quota to buy just the bread, flour or pasta?? Any suggestion will be met by an emotive barrage, but we have some very hard choices to make in the western world.
(24 August 2011, 04:51PM) Complain about this comment
More generally, we're being ripped-off right, left and centre by 'parasites' (rich, poor and intermediate) be it via undeserved level of bonus, exhorbitant fees and salaries, fraudulent benefits, etc.And it's so ingrained they all see it as their respective Entitlement; and despite the dire straits of the Economy. The Looters and Rioters aren't the only ones short of a 'moral compass'.If we don't fettle the 'parasites', they'll work in tandem with Inflation to 'kill' our Freedom.Are 'parasites' and Inflation there by design or incompetence?
(24 August 2011, 06:53PM) Complain about this comment
Privliged people like Merryn lecturing the little people about trivial sums spent on welfare is abhorrent.The crucial point she misses is that for the want of a few pounds extra to such disabled people she would condemn them to a range of Victorian problems, including; anaemia,miscarriage,osteoprosis,dermatitis and liver failure alongside the diabetes she so cavalierly dismisses.I thought a sensible NHS would be in the business of preventing illness. A few quid for some gluten free bread seems a bargain compared to a lifetime of insulin dependence,blood transfusions,bone weakness and hepatitis.
(24 August 2011, 06:55PM) Complain about this comment
1st of all, you keep referring to free bread, it is not free in any way 'People with coeliac disease in England do not receive prescriptions free of charge, unless they are exempt for another reason (for example, based on age or income).'The above is a quote from: http://www.coeliac.org.uk/healthcare-professionals/prescriptions I suggest you read this before you get on your silverspoon bought high horse. My girlfriend is a coeliac and while she has never needed to get items on prescription (as we are both lucky enough to be in jobs that pay above the national average) its easy to see how some lower income family's need the extra help this provides, especially if they are a large family and need to provide GF food for one and 'normal' food for the other.There's a lot more worthy causes out there if your looking for one, as an example, stop benefits for 3rd,4th, 5th etc children. If people choose to have a large family they should pay for that privilege, not us.
(24 August 2011, 07:15PM) Complain about this comment
Boris/Darren, Keeping to a GF diet is very simple and doing it is all that is required to prevent any of the medical problems above. There are plenty of naturally GF foods one can replace gluten foods with. Rice instead of pasta. Cornflakes not Weetabix etc. There is no need for a GF diet to be expensive or difficult (I can say this with some confidence as I have been on one for 20 years). GF foods are entirely unnecessary - and in many cases are damaging. So they should not be free or (in the case of those not entitled to free prescriptions) very heavily subsidised. Anyway this post is not about the bread itself but the idea that anyone thinks they have a right to the unnecessary.
(24 August 2011, 07:18PM) Complain about this comment
And Boris, one last thing. Adults with coeliac disease are not disabled. They have an easily treatable medical condition. That's all.
(24 August 2011, 07:37PM) Complain about this comment
Merryn, I disagree with your view that coeliacs should have no other options but to replace the food they love e.g pasta with something else (as an FYI most brands of cornflakes contain barley). Please could you provide some details of what GF foods are damaging, preferably backed up with scientific proof as I would be very interested to read this. Although you state your post is not about the bread itself and more about the 'me,me,me,mine' state that I agree we seem to live in it does come across as an attack on coeliacs and, to the masses who display internet rage on a daily basis, paints the majority of them as bludgers out for what they can get. I agree it isn't hard to follow a gluten free diet, especially if the majority of your food is home cooked, however, it is more expensive. How would you explain to a small child that he cannot have pasta or bread for the rest of his life (and yes, it is for life) and has to have rice or potatoes instead? Good luck with that!
(24 August 2011, 09:12PM) Complain about this comment
Merryn, I have been following the twitter feed regarding this, (and im actually sat in the same room as one of the participants) and while your aim may have been to highlight one of the issues in our society, anyone who has spent any time at all online should know if you single out a specific group you will raise strong feelings against that group. Especially you have painted all coeliacs with the same brush of freeloaders and while many couples/family's can 'manage' without the help that the NHS obviously decided they needed (why else would it have ever been made available if not?) there are also many who cant.In my view, the anger being shown towards this issue is your seeming unwillingness to concede that just because you choose not to have pasta, bread et al that noone else should either.One more question, if you have managed for 20 years without 'special' food how do you know they all taste horrid?
(25 August 2011, 10:08AM) Complain about this comment
I am a coeliac, diagnosed about 3 years ago, I am also a 'pensioner' so I can get 'free food' on prescription. I currently am able to get rice/corn pasta which is absolutely equivalent to wheat pasta, but just needs more careful cooking, and corn/rice crispbread that I use as a substitute for GF bread. I do not bother asking for the GF bread that is available as I think it is really unpleasant, I have been told by coeliacs diagnosed many years ago that the longer you go without 'proper' bread the better GF bread tastes!I could afford to buy these GF products as indeed I often do and I prepare and cook 95% of my GF food myself, but I do feel that as I worked for well over 40 years in a well paid job during which time I willingly paid all my taxes and made no claims on any benefits that I am entitled to obtain help, managing my coeliac disease. from the current tax payers.
(25 August 2011, 10:17AM) Complain about this comment
This is my last comment on this issue. This blog is not about coeliac disease. It is about the fact that the welfare state as it stands is not sustainable. That is because so many people believe that they have a "right" to taxpayer funded goods and services which are unnecessary. As long as that sense of entitlement exists (and anyone in any doubt need only read the comments above) we will not be able to reduce our deficit or to introduce any degree of common sense into government spending policy. How GF food tastes or doesn't taste is entirely by the by.
(25 August 2011, 11:31AM) Complain about this comment
#26 Merryn . I suppose wheelchairs are an unecessary burden on the taxpayer too. Surely disabled people could cobble together some kind of basic cart from items left in skips and their overly generous invalidity benefit.The welfare state is something Britain should be rightly proud of. A mark of our immensely civilised approach to protecting the vulnerable.Not a cheap sound bite for the right wing press.
(25 August 2011, 12:19PM) Complain about this comment
@Boris. Rather than focus on left and right wing attitudes, I think the argument is about which need should be fulfilled by the state and which should not. A rich man should have to buy his own wheelchair, if he needs it. The state steps in to help the poor man who cannot afford his wheelchair. When I was pregnant, my doctor asked me if I wanted indigestion relief on prescription - as pregnant women get prescriptions free of charge. The prescription charge would have cost more than the over the counter remedy and I was well able to pay anyway. This is another of the many examples out there.There does seem to be problems in the public sector about distinguishing between necessary and unnecessary expenses and some individuals seem to take the view that anything they need should be paid for by the state and their own income is purely for recreational purposes.
(25 August 2011, 03:49PM) Complain about this comment
It would seem you're in good company Merryn, that Jesus bloke struggled using parables to get his point across if the last 2000 and years are anything to go by.Tullet Prebon have a more graphic explanation (available on line) of the pitfalls awaiting the UK that might help the non believers find enlightenment. The point misser's might want to comment about the lack of colour in the black and white photographs. I personally think they could have used much more grey in the pictures as it depicts precisely the bleak future ahead regardless of any deckchair shuffling.
(25 August 2011, 03:52PM) Complain about this comment
How about stopping methodone for drug takers; nicotine replacements for smokers; gastric band surgery for those who have eaten too much, bearing in mind that drug taking, smoking and being overweight is totally self inflicted, whereas being coeliac is not. There are many many other things that the NHS pays out for each year, such as hair replacement treatment for those who feel bad that their hair is thinning, which cost a lot more than gluten free foods.
(25 August 2011, 04:31PM) Complain about this comment
Merryn - Do you ever think 'why do I bother'?The point is not whether celiacs, fat people, bald people, smokers etc should get a certain treatment or not. Merryn is raising the point that we all believe we are entitled to such things as gluten free bread rather than thinking we should fend for ourselves. How can anyone truly believe that the way things are run now is sustainable?
(25 August 2011, 04:58PM) Complain about this comment
Coeliac disease is a medically diagnosed condition, the only tretment for which is a lifelong, strict gluten-free diet. Therefore gluten free food on prescription is the medication required for a coeliac to stick carefully to that diet. If the diet is not adhered to then there are higher risks of acquiring other autoimmune conditions, as well as problems with fertility, increased risk of osteoporosis and bowel cancer, as well as malabsoption including anaemia. A diabetic does not need to have special food to live well. I know because my youngest son has both conditions. He was diagnosed diabetic first, and what he needs on prescription for that is insulin - other diabetics need tablets. He also needs items to enable him to keep a check on his blood sugars. He does not however need special foods. Diabetes UK would agree with that. I'm afraid you are not comparing like with like.As usual coeliacs seem to be an easy target - what a shame you had to pick on them.
(25 August 2011, 05:17PM) Complain about this comment
Owen, if she had raised that point I, and im sure many others, would have wholeheartedly agreed with her, however she made a blanket statement about one specific group of people. It wasn't even one example among many, or aimed at free/subsidised prescriptions in general, it was coeliacs through and through. They don't choose to be coeliacs, nor is there any way they can stop being coeliacs.Of the 'freeloaders' I personally know who get their bread (and only bread, they don't take advantage of it) on prescription only one of them is under 40, the rest are near retirement age and have been paying their taxes and N.I. all their lives. Based on that they do have an 'entitlement' to help with medical issues, and as coeliacs is an auto-immune disease this does count as a medical issue.
If she wanted to raise the issue without getting sidetracked this way it would have been much more effective, but less 'controversial' to zero in on the use of NHS funds for purely cosmetic issues, e.g. hair loss, voluntary obesity. Shame that a majority of the people in favor of this blog post have probably never tried living on 12-15k a year, if they had things might not be perceived as black and white.
(25 August 2011, 06:19PM) Complain about this comment
I too cannot eat wheat products, I do not get any funded by the tax payer, I buy my own. Wheat free bread is horrible, I never eat it, but oat cakes etc are fine.The welfare state pays for too many things - there should be a limit for the number of children you can claim payments for 2 - is quite sufficient for anyone. Gastric banking and breast enlargement for example should never be paid for on the NHS.
(25 August 2011, 06:41PM) Complain about this comment
@ Darren. Nobody is targeting colliacs in isolation. The article just illustrates a wider problem with attitudes towards entitlements in general and the emotive NHS in particular. Health services are famous as 'the black hole' of the economy and you could spend the entire of GDP on it, and it still wouldn't be enough, even in the best of times. One thing though. The use of prescriptions to get foodstuff, nicotine patches or over the counter drugs require the services of two professionals, the doctor and the pharmacist, that would not normally be needed in the purchase of these items. That alone represents a waste of tax revenue.
(25 August 2011, 07:31PM) Complain about this comment
There are a lot of myths about the prescription service on gluten free foods, perpetuated by people who dont really know the trus sitaution. If your script goes through certain wholesalers..they charge £40 per line for delivery. So 3 x loaves, 2 x rolls, = £80 on top of the actual cost of the goods....multiply by the number of scripts...thats a lot of money....This payment is recovered from the NHS...your pockets, ladies & gents. Thats what really takes the gluten free biscuit....If the same is ordered direct from at least one firm...delivery is FREE. (nowt, zilch, free....FREE!!!!! delivery)Now if the NHS is a NATIONAL service, how and why are those suppliers who deliver free....banned?? Its enough to make you choke on your cornflakes (not Kelloggs, they arent safe)
(25 August 2011, 08:05PM) Complain about this comment
Seems you hit a raw nerve Merryn. A clear indication of just how out of touch your kind are with the real world.To try and highlight an obscure cul de sac of the welfare system fails to address the proper issue and simultaneously to make any valid point.To echo other commenters.What a shame you felt the need to raise this at all. Go back to your day job dear.
(26 August 2011, 06:45AM) Complain about this comment
I am a twice diagnosed coeliac (plus associated conditions) HLA-DQ2 positive, I am a coeliac that cannot eat anything that contains gluten or is derived from a gluten source so live without bread and many other foods that I once enjoyed. Because of the food labelling laws of the EU & UK I am in the position of ill health because of undeclared by law gluten. I get very little support or assistance because of my condition from any government body or charity as my condition is considered "rare". If a coeliac can eat prescription bread there is plenty of choice on supermarket shelves it is those that cannot eat any bread that need the help and I am not alone.
(26 August 2011, 08:56AM) Complain about this comment
The majority of prescription bread is washed wheat that still contains traces of gluten so it is not a healthy option it is also not suitable for all coeliac. as there are coeliac who are intolerant to these traces of gluten. Not all coeliac can eat oats and yet oats are now classed as gluten free. When we are diagnosed with coeliac disease we are told not to introduce oats at first and to introduce them slowly and not to eat more than 50g per day. A very good article and why shopuld the tax payer subsidise these foods which are just a bulk filler which many coeliac can not tolerate, me included. A real gluten free diet devoid of all wheat barley and oats is a very healthy option and easily affordable to anyone.
(26 August 2011, 09:40AM) Complain about this comment
It is said in the article :{other } ... medical conditions require special diets and the NHS doesn’t cover them. Do diabetics get free sugar free food? No....The reason people with carbohydrate-metabolism disorders (diabetics) do not get prescription foods is because , as DoH says:...‘there is no scientific basis on which to develop specific compositional requirements for this category of food..’This is in contrast to coeliacs who, DoH say, require;‘...dietary foods for special medical purposes’ ...
(26 August 2011, 10:03AM) Complain about this comment
It is said in the article:... have a higher GI than a can of coke). ... too much of this kind of stuff and a careless coeliac can easily find himself adding Type 2 diabetes to his other woes...One way of helping anybody cutting down cans of coke and other high calories non-essentials .Then there would be fewer cases of self-inflicted obesity.
(26 August 2011, 02:24PM) Complain about this comment
I think Merryn was taking one recent issue in the news and using it to point out entitlement. i.e. I CAN have that, so I WILL have it, regardless of the NEED. The problem at the moment with cuts is EVERYONE thinks they are a special case, eg the police after the riots, 6th formers with the EMA, teachers, nurses, etc with their pensions and retirement ages, obese people who want a gastric band and so it goes on...Simple economics of opportunity cost. We should all be looking at what we can cut back on, personally and at a national level, or we will never get the debt down and grow the economy.
(26 August 2011, 11:55PM) Complain about this comment
The example group used to illustrate the point of this article was unfortunate.However, the article's underlying message was accurate.Entitlement is the root cause for creating a welfare state that is financially unsustainable - that is the reality.Changes are inevitable despite public resistance unless the UK wants to end up like Greece - governed (if that's the correct word) for many years by a socialist/communist coalition which 'defended' the welfare state to the end.
(28 August 2011, 08:46AM) Complain about this comment
Gluten Free food should it be bread, crackers or pasta is available as an over the counter medicine and is available at nearly all supermarket outlets, what lets it down is the price. For the majority of coeliacs a prescription is not necessary and there are coeliacs living on a budget of less than £10K who cannot buy from free from suppliers. This country's resources are needed for those who do not contribute and require TV's, Computers, designer clothes, mobile phones for the children of single parents plus a car for the school run.
(29 August 2011, 05:49PM) Complain about this comment
Gluten free bread - on prescription - another great example of the welfare state gone mad. Two thoughts come to mind 1) it's always easy to spend someone else's money ( i.e taxpayers) 2) Wasn' the welfare state in part invented to secure votes for the politicians. Nail Ferguson's book has a great section on this very point.
(30 August 2011, 06:26AM) Complain about this comment
I have a neighbour, a 40 year old female and her boyfriend who are off to the States this week-end for a nice long holiday courtesy of the Tax payer, working the mental health card has kept all her bills paid, money in the bank and great holidays, next she plans to marry her carer boyfriend paid for by the tax payer. They would pass every medical in the system, but they know how to work the system. Requiring a mental health team to keep money in their pockets yet this service is not required while out of the country. Typical of todays society and its not just coeliacs and their foods.
(31 August 2011, 09:10PM) Complain about this comment
@ BorisBoris, can you please explain to me why I should be forced by our government on threat of imprisonment (e.g. by refusing to pay my taxes due to disagreeing with how they are re-distributed) to pay for your GF bread. Please convice me in a way that would make me want to send you £10 of MY v hard earned money. If you can't convince me, then Merryn wins the argument as far as I'm concerned. (FYI I've just spent the last 3 years living in a shipping container in South Sudan clearing landmines, so my sympathy for Western entitlement and what quantifies 'need' is currently lower than most people's here) - Good luck matey! :-)
(01 September 2011, 10:35PM) Complain about this comment
#48 Damian. Income tax is voluntary and HMRC rarely imprisons anyone. I am not coeliac, I merely seek to defend them against ideological assault.Helping coeliacs is part of the wider provision of welfare that supports the nobler side of human nature,to help the vulnerable. It has a social and psychological pay off in binding people as a community. It underpins the generosity ,compassion and concern we have a moral imperative to show others and limits the selfish side that you sadly display in suggesting not paying tax . Food and medical care are basic needs that help people participate productively in society. Withold your taxes and you end up like Greece.
(02 September 2011, 08:48PM) Complain about this comment
#48 Damian. When can I have my £10?
(03 September 2011, 11:08PM) Complain about this comment
@ 49. BorisIt's a great pity this laudible 'moral imperative' you speak of is not a genuine property of politicians but more a tool of corruption, a tool to procure votes.If it were both a genuine property of politicians and a typical moralistic example set by them, then maybe the beneficiaries en masse would behave in a less corruptive fashion and be less of a burden upon the rest of Society.As would the politicians!
(29 September 2011, 10:40PM) Complain about this comment
I wholeheartedly agree that subsidised food for gluten intolerance is unnecessary and arbitrary. I have a coeliac condition myself but rarely use prescription products. Years ago when labelling was non-existent it was very helpful to find safe alternatives. Now, not only is there a wealth of readily available, well-labelled, food at reasonable cost but it's obvious that companies are taking huge advantage of an NHS funded monopoly. I think that prescription food should only be offered in exceptional cases of multi-intolerance.
(01 February 2012, 01:43PM) Complain about this comment
Coeliacs is a Disease!!! Gluten is everywhere e.g sauce, pre grated cheese, juice, pasta, bread, biscuits in fact gluten is in most of our foods. I have a 4 year old who has this condition which can be more serious that a lot of ppl may think it can go as far as cancer if not diagnosed and is linked to diabetes type1. The fact that the nhs prescribe this food such as pasta bread, and biscuits is a god send to my family it is soo expensive to buy from shops retailers completly milk the fact that ppl with coeliacs have no other choice but to buy there products this is why they charge so much. Makin gluten free bread is not an easy job at all believe me ive tried it. Bread and other things we get on prescription is basically a medication for my daughter .It makes me really angry when ppl have no clue wat so ever about the disease and criticize wat they dont know wat they are talking about. I could go on all day about all the other things that waste tax payers money.
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