My old man said follow the van...

I don't know whether I'm getting hard-hearted in my old age, but this row over housing benefit got me thinking.  If for whatever reason I found myself unable to afford to continue to live in my present home, I would have to leave and move to somewhere I could afford.  It's something I would not wish to do, and indeed it is something I would find very difficult to do on an emotional level, but it would have to be done.  I would not expect the State to come along and say "Don't worry, you can stay where you are, we'll make up the shortfall".  And yet it seems to me that that is exactly what the situation is regarding these people on housing benefit.  The cry is that if their housing benefit is capped many of them will have to move home because they will not be able to afford to live there any more.  But surely the point is that they can't afford to live there now - they are only able to do so because they are being "subbed" by the State.  If they have to move as a result of their benefit being capped it will simply highlight the reality that was always there, surely?