Two men, 40 years apart - one in England, the other in Wales - but they share the same daunting experience of unemployment.

Their downbeat mood is palpable: a smile is rare, and their softly spoken voices convey a lack of confidence and hope after years of sitting on the subs' bench.

In the town of Royal Wootton Bassett in Wiltshire, 25-year-old Ben Gillet is in his cramped room lighting up a hand-rolled cigarette.

The window is ajar and a crisp cool breeze forces its way through, blowing the curtain into the side table.

He hasn't slept all night - a common recurrence when you're without work, he says. The last time he was employed was in 2008 - and now his days mostly consist of playing video games and consuming vast amounts of tea.

"I've played all my games to death, I watch TV series that I've watched three or four times through," he says.

"My confidence is practically nil. I have no reason to be confident these days - I don't know why I'm failing to get a job, because I get such little feedback that it just amounts to none."

He doesn't have a plethora of experience. Short stints at factories and restaurants make up the bulk of his CV, along with low-grade A levels in sciences and IT.

Pessimistic
Ben lives in a clammy rented flat with a friend. The kitchen is swamped with dirty plates and cutlery, some of which have been there for weeks. Mould lines the mug from which he drinks tea.

bbc.co.uk

Get rid of the beard for a start...

I don't. Fair fucking play to them - they're working because they want to be out there earning themselves money.

And I think you'll find that the majority of benefit scroungers are the ones complaining about the foreign.

I was generalising. I will strongly disagree with your second comment. It is people both people working, and benefit scroungers who say that. The latter say it as an excuse. Whereas the other people who say it are usually the archetypal working class, and those that have lost their jobs because their employers are looking for cheaper labour both here and abroad.

That's your opinion. But you did contradict yourself.. Both working and scroungers.. Well you've just said those that have lost their jobs.. Archetypal working class? I've not heard that many people who work, complaining about the foreigners, other than their lack of English, which is no great problem, as by continuing working in this country will help them better their English.

I concur.

Agreed :-)

So actually actioned not a massive load but hopefully more in the future.
What rubbish. There is 70m people in this country with a 2m unemployment list. Do you honestly think that 2m is goi8ng to make that much of a difference?

No, there is space for everyone in this country to work for sure.

Archetypal working class; builders, factory workers, plasterers et cetera. The man that reads the Sun on his ten minute tea break.

It's on going. I'm trying to raise the money for a concrete freesports facility through funding applications but have been waiting for the planning permission. Everybody has said I cannot complete an app without the documents. Understandable, of course.

And therein lies your problem.

But still, I refer back to this; . My dad worked in the building trade right up until last year, and he said there was a massive influx of foreigners, but him and his team didn't complain because they were there to do the jobs, and did them efficiently and quickly, without wasting resources or time. The only problems was the broken English.

Different strokes for different folks really. I've got examples which differ.

Inb my line of work, I hear of this a lot.

Conveniently.

Much like yours, yes.

I agree with that one. I do payrolls for many foreigners. Also do accounts for foreigners that employ mostly foreigners. They have come over and rather than join the job queue, have created companies and trade themselves.

Your problem is you like fighting the masses. Always have to be against the majority, because it's the cool thing to do. It's like you have a very conceited and warped view of the world.

I have lived in various places across the country, and have experienced the same views in every place I have lived - those who grow up in an environment where they live off the state, go on to follow that road. Those who grow up working for what they want do so. Those areas of trade which have a high ratio of foreigners, have all said there is no problem with them, other than the broken English, because they are willing to work, and want to earn their money.

He's just come on Radio 1's Newsbeat.. His introduction; "Hi I'm Ben Gillet, I'm 25, I'm a smoker and I'm unemployed.... The last time I left the house 2/3 days ago.. I would have probably left just to go and get some rizla."

Give up smoking, that should save a few quid as well.

Just don't understand what he felt the need to state that. If anything, what with the whole smoking ban and smoking changes, the views this country has on smoking has shifted slightly, and it's slightly less acceptable, so by stating that he's unemployed and he smokes isn't going to win him any brownie points is it - "if he's got money for baccy then he's not that bad off".

Seems like every thread gets jacked these days by Brapples.

I can't even be bothered to read half of this now.

Might want to close the window, and bring down his heating bill