Haven't seen that film, I admit (I know it's set in a prison but that's about it). I'm showing my lack of culture now.

Mind you if you're going to make people work for benefits, better raise the amount of benefit people get. Otherwise you'll just have a sneaky way of getting work done for less than the minimum wage.

Took me months to recognise my tosser too! They can do very good impressions of charming people (all the better to undermine you). On the upside, I can now spot a manipulator at 60 paces.

I've read a thesis from the Netherlands that was graded as Summa cum Laude, which I think translates as "with the utmost honour" and is used to indicate a work of extreme brilliance, but I don't think we have such a way of distinguishing brilliant theses here. Unless it's just that I don't know anyone who's got one...

Well said Sylvester. As for me, I've called a "time-out" (as the Americans say) on this topic. There is a potentially interesting debate to be had here, but we can't have it as long as people are getting emotional.

Go back to work, Golfpro! If I'd known you were so sensitive I would not have said anything. I'm sorry. Better now?

Try to be original, Golfpro. That's exactly the same argument that you've used with everyone you've disagreed with.

And the other people on the list were joking: you were being serious.

"It Wasn't Me" by Craig David...for all those b***ards that leave dirty glassware all over the bench and then feign innocence - despite their name being written in glass pen over every bloody bit of it

Zelda: sounds like he's a real jerk - who takes pleasure in making other people feel small? Manipulator is the right description: those sort of people use the "for your own good" excuse to be spiteful under cover of "concern". Tossers.

Sorry, something of a spleen-vent...I had a bad experience with a passive-agressive manipulator once and I'm still wound up over it

Golfpro: Most European countries have signed an agreement to provide asylum for persecuted individuals, and besides which I think rich countries have an ethical obligation to provide support in extreme circumstances such as those which drive someone to seek asylum far from home. I didn't like the parochialism implicit in your argument: lots of people - not just asylum seekers - are educated in one country and then move to another. Everyone benefits from this transfer of skills in the long run.

Nowt wrong with the Nederlands, but sometimes it's necessary to move abroad to do the specialism that you want to do. Many people in my field of plant science go to the Netherlands cos it's the leader in this area; similarly people may come to the UK or US for another subject.

Well, I think you've done really well to get an MSc after being forced to leave your home in what were probably very unpleasant circumstances. And having to deal with the anti-asylum seeker crap that was so well illustrated by one member of this forum. I don't have an answer to your question but I wish you the best of luck in the future.

Yeah, I had to bring cut-outs of jobs that I'd applied for...but to be honest most of the staff are not that interested. What a lousy place that jobcentre was. By the way you should be able to get Housing Benefit too.

You should be fine: anything less than 15 hours a week means you are still "looking for work" and therefore eligible. I assume you're not being paid for your part-time writing up?

But from experience get the JSA interview arranged now - today if possible. You won't believe how incompetent the system is. When I was made redundant it was 6 months before they looked at my case, and only then cos I got my local MP involved.

Sorry to hear about your father. Yes, you should never say never I guess; I think everyone should be like you and really stop to think about what's best for them and their potential children before leaping into anything.