The Right Hand Has No Idea What the Left Foot is Doing

You may dissolve into hysterical laughter or cry in sympathetic pity at the report of Britain’s latest tippy-toe move down the dark tunnels of dhimmitude:

Husbands with multiple wives have been given the go-ahead to claim extra welfare benefits following a year-long Government review, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal.

Even though bigamy is a crime in Britain, the decision by ministers means that polygamous marriages can now be recognised formally by the state, so long as the weddings took place in countries where the arrangement is legal.

The outcome will chiefly benefit Muslim men with more than one wife, as is permitted under Islamic law. Ministers estimate that up to a thousand polygamous partnerships exist in Britain, although they admit there is no exact record.

This article say “the outcome will chiefly benefit Muslim men”…I wonder how many Mormons there are in Britain and if they have plans to come out of the closet…except Mormons don’t live on welfare, so maybe they don’t count.

The decision has been condemned by the Tories…

Gee, I wonder why? Maybe they share a brain among them, which is more than we can say for their honored assemblages on the other side of the political fence.

Here’s the nitty-gritty:

New guidelines on income support from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) state: “Where there is a valid polygamous marriage the claimant and one spouse will be paid the couple rate … The amount payable for each additional spouse is presently £33.65.”

Income support for all of the wives may be paid directly into the husband’s bank account, if the family so choose. Under the deal agreed by ministers, a husband with multiple wives may also be eligible for additional housing benefit and council tax benefit to reflect the larger property needed for his family.

Please note the oxymoron: “valid polygamous marriage.” It’s known as bigamy by real people, but bureaucrats have their own separate lexicon…which yields terms like “valid polygamy.” Next there will be “obligatory honor killings,” and government will pay for the burial expenses.

The Telegraph estimates:
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The ruling could cost taxpayers millions of pounds. Ministers launched a review of the benefit rules for polygamous marriages in November 2006, after it emerged that some families had benefited financially.

The review concluded in December last year with agreement that the extra benefits should continue to be paid, the Government admitted. The decision was not publicly announced.

Four departments - the Treasury, the DWP, HM Revenue and Customs, and the Home Office - were involved in the review, which concluded that recognising multiple marriages conducted overseas was “the best possible” option. In Britain, bigamy is punishable by up to seven years in prison.

But not if you’re Muslim. For British Muslims, it’s not gaol, it’s government gold.

And Mohammed scores another big one against the British government. Way to go, Mo!

For the byzantine regs on how to actually get away with this chicanery read the whole article. Then line the birdcage with it.


Hat tip: TR