Does This Prove We Truly Are A Broken Society?

[Jim_P_Pulfrew]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-19478083

I for one am appalled at this if it is a true reflection of the state of the less well off of our nation. I must admit to being somewhat sceptical about the report, as it does have slight shades of muck raking either by the charity to realign themselves and increase their donations by whipping up a 'charity begins at home' frenzy or somebody with a political agenda to knock the current government. I commute through a very deprived area every day and don't really recognise the view that this article seems to purport, that there are places which teem with malnourished and badly clothed children reminiscent of the not so distant past.

What I am though, is a firm believer in the welfare state but with proper checks and balances to stop the idle taking the Michael. I sincerely hope that people are not slipping through the net and children are going hungry or cold. If they are and it is due to feckless parents then early intervention by the likes of social services who have been tipped off by health workers and teachers is the only answer. If these people think it is more appropriate to buy White Lightning than food and clothing to my mind they forfeit the right to have these children live in the same dwelling and draw their benefit.

If however, there are people who are genuinely in need and are being failed by the state to provide either a job opportunity or a level of state funded subsistence to meet a child's basic needs, we should all search deeply our souls and wonder whether there is more to be done either at the collection tin or the ballot box.

Jimps

 

[gemarriott]

I always think back to when I got back from Germany in 78 as an SAC, I was entitled to income support in the form of rent rebate and my folks clothed the kids as we could barely afford to feed them whilst on my fitters course. So yes there was child poverty then among low paid and there must be today considering the 3 year squeeze we are suffering.

Benefits aren't too generous for the genuine case but they are too easily granted.

 

[Sniffer]

There was a young couple on Daybreak this morning who were claiming to be in the "poverty" catagory. Baby was approx 1 year old and was sporting baby adidas trainers, Dad was also wearing branded sports wear and they were sat on what appeared to be a leather sofa. So if they are on basic minimum wage and cannot feed their kids then they really should re-evaluate their priorities. Just an observation.

 

[firestorm]

We live in a society in which the rich become richer at the same rate as the poor become poorer.
Regardless of the political colour incumbent, no one seems to have an answer.
Our politicians have failed us.

 

[gemarriott]

There was a young couple on Daybreak this morning who were claiming to be in the "poverty" catagory. Baby was approx 1 year old and was sporting baby adidas trainers, Dad was also wearing branded sports wear and they were sat on what appeared to be a leather sofa. So if they are on basic minimum wage and cannot feed their kids then they really should re-evaluate their priorities. Just an observation.

I understand what you are saying but quite often branded sports gear is the cheapest available, I know intersport is cheap as chips for last year's adidas stuff and £3 for a slazenger polo shirt compared with 16 quid at the supermarket.

 

[Sniffer]

My point being when I was poor (ie unemployed for about a month or two many years before I joined up). I had a £70 Giro to last 2 weeks and from that I had to pay gas, electric, phone bill TV licence and food. I never starved, but then again I wasnt wearing designer clothes, nor was my flat furnished with stuff obtained on the Never Never. I had charity shop furniture, I bought fresh fruit, vegetables, potatoes, cheap cuts of meat and mince. Its a massive generalisation but I think some peoples priorities are screwed up and they have an overinflated sense of entitlement.

 

[steve_k243]

We live in a society in which the rich become richer at the same rate as the poor become poorer.
Regardless of the political colour incumbent, no one seems to have an answer.
Our politicians have failed us.

They do know the answers to some extent, just neither red nor blue is willing to lose voters implementing change.
The Tories will never pursue tax evasion by the wealthy and corporations, and Liebore will never reduce handouts or bother to introduce a fair but firm system of checking the validity of claims.
IIRC Corporate tax evasion is worth some 10 to 12 times more than benefit fraud, both are crimes and should be investigated. One thing is sure though, no one solely on benefits should have a greater disposable income than someone in full time work.

 

[spike7451]

To show you the stupidity of the benefit system,take a look at the letter I received yesterday.A new medical certificate was sent off to them on 22nd August,which they say they never received,so I had to get & send them a replacement.
(I'm on ESA at the moment for my heart & after a TAI stroke last year,but am looking for work & I volunteer at a local animal sanctuary.)

Now,onto the letter...make a note of the date it was sent & the date they required a new certificate from.Now imagine the cost of sending this out to numerous people & the added stress it could cause.

 

[steve_k243]

It wouldn't surprise me if this were a deliberate and very crude tactic to reduce claims, fact is if it's deliberate or just incompetence it only stresses genuine claimants.

 

[Puma]

I went to Kenya a few years back, poverty is a word that is overused in this country, can't afford to eat I'll bet they have sky and a mobile phone though.

 

[8:15fromOdium]

There was a young couple on Daybreak this morning who were claiming to be in the "poverty" catagory. Baby was approx 1 year old and was sporting baby adidas trainers, Dad was also wearing branded sports wear and they were sat on what appeared to be a leather sofa. So if they are on basic minimum wage and cannot feed their kids then they really should re-evaluate their priorities. Just an observation.

Get yourself down to TK Maxx or Matalan, as Gem says you can pick up some very cheap branded gear if you know where to look.

I think the government should switch focus from suspected benefit avoiders to known tax dodgers (see UK UNCUT website) - far better return on investment.

 

[busby1971]

A lot of these food assists are whilst people go through a bit of welfare trauma and are short term.

Debt is probably a bit of an elephant in the room, wonga and others are kicking out loans to people who really shouldn't be given the money because it makes their situation worse, benefits are to live on not pay interest on.

 

[needsabiggerfuse]

My current Kindle read is 'The Ragged Trousered Philanthopists' by Robert Tressel, first published 1914. It's a Kindle freebie LINK. Set in the fictional town of Mugsborough over 100 years ago, but based on the factual life of the author. It seems that very little has actually changed since then.

 

[vim_fuego]

Briefly caught BBC Breakfast this morning where some women was saying how she often went without food so her kid could eat...She was the wrong side of 16-17 stone...

One of my biggest bug bears is cigarettes...People who say they are on the breadline, have nothing to wear or food for themselves or their kids but they are still puffing on a cigarette taken from a pack of 20 that cost in the region of £6-7...And they get through a few packs a week.

My wife, who grew up in one of the poorest parts of the valleys of South Wales, told me how as a child often went to school without any lunch or money to buy lunch...I was quite shocked by this but knew her mum has always tabbed (even now after surviving cancer recently) so that means that she put her habit before her kids eating...quite shocking when you think about it...

 

[Mag2grid]

Just wait until universal credit comes in! All the benefits including housing benefit paid directly to the claimant ( at present it's paid to the landlord in most cases). Then you'll truly see how broken Britian is.

 

[vim_fuego]

If kids are truly starving then lets get some feeding stations going...I don't trust every parent to spend any extra money given on food and not trackkys, fags, cider etc etc so lets get to the nub of it and make the parents parade at a soup kitchen every evening where their kid will get a hot meal and we can see that it is occurring...A bit of shame may just be the lever to get people thinking that working is a better option...

 

[Max]

Food and Clothing vouchers are the only way to make these people change, they can be given enough to eat and dress but without access to the luxuries that they consider essential such as 2 cars per family(which I can't afford) Sky TV (I binned because of the cost) and all the other crap they might want to actually do something about it.

Stigma? against their human rights? F**k them I struggle to afford a house and can't go out all the time so why should they?

 

[firestorm]

Briefly caught BBC Breakfast this morning where some women was saying how she often went without food so her kid could eat...She was the wrong side of 16-17 stone...

Well, kind of. Her smoking is indefensible but the weight issue is easier to explain. Cheap food is very often of poor nutritional value and high in fat. Many poor people think of full bellies rather than healthy eating.
I agree in part with Max (Captain Sunshine) has to say, food and clothing vouchers, redeemable on decent products, not junk, are the way forward whilst people are trying to get on their feet. Benefits should be seen as a stop gap, a safety net. Not a lifestyle choice.

 

[propersplitbrainme]

I agree in part with Max (Captain Sunshine) has to say, food and clothing vouchers, redeemable on decent products, not junk, are the way forward whilst people are trying to get on their feet. Benefits should be seen as a stop gap, a safety net. Not a lifestyle choice.

So do I agree, but the 'if they don't like it 'F**k 'em' approach Max proposes kind of ignores the realities of the attitudes of the benefits for life culture. The desire to have Sky TV, smart phones and other consumer goods genie is out of the bottle and it isn't going to be re-corked for those on benefits simply by saying 'eff 'em'. The result will inevitably be that they will be given victim status by the usual whingers, whiners and hand-wringers, they will latch onto that and see themselves as victims of an oppresive state preying on their vulnerablity (b0ll0cks though that may be) and look for alternate forms of cash income that don't involve work; drugs, crime etc etc.
Its a long, long road to turn these attitudes around incrementally but yes, vouchers for essentials is a way ahead but a last resort.

 

[spike7451]

I was talking to a friend who owns the local butchers, about these vouchers everyone says is a good idea & he,as a business owner,say's it's a bad idea.For one,they would have the added hassle of redeeming the vouchers back off the government plus the delay between the vouchers being used & the payment made to the retailer,and the retailer would still have to pay his supplier on time,the would also be the added complications of tax returns,book keeping & other costs involved.For example,the papershop in the town refuses to take any of the money off coupons printed in the paper as they are often not worth the return & they often,when they did accept them,didn't get back the amount they claimed,so ended up out of pocket.