I have just watched this on BBC.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-43507747/mummy-s-not-got-money-the-children-in-poverty-in-oldhamWatching it breaks my heart, the poor children have no control over what is happening to them or understanding on how it is potentially setting out their future without them knowing.
I am very lucky, I am not rich, far from it, but very thankful that I have not had to worry about feeding my kids or having to decide whether we can have the heating on.
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I don't care about the politics of it but food, heating and a home should be a right in this country that every child is entitled to have.
Whilst I gladly donate to our local food bank at the supermarket every week, I hadn't realised how dependent some families and individuals are on these donations. But the food is only the tip of the iceberg for them.
How can these children concentrate in school or aspire to higher education to better their lives? Made me so sad and very angry watching it.
Meanwhile HMRC estimates tax evasion cost the UK economy £34billion.
This vilification of the poor and immigrants needs to stop. Vodafone have stolen more from the UK economy than all the benefit cheats combined!
In my over 60 years I am yet to suss out what that is.
and i didn't mention just eu immigrants - i clearly said immigration
again lets not change it to suit the argument.
as per my opening post on this thread i said these were factors? not the only factors - but they are issues that add to the mess this country is in.
Cutting foreign aid and banning immigration won't be magic wands. The reasons behind the poverty, as Leroy listed above, are far more complex and deep rooted and so need long term solutions like more social housing, better transport, better schools, industry and jobs, better health care, price controls on essential items like gas and electric, properly managed benefits.
It will take more than the little extra money saved from foreign aid to achieve all that. It needs a long term plan and the political will to implement it but neither party has offered that while the both the mainstream and fringe parties just offer sound bites like "£350m a week for the NHS" "No magic money tree", etc etc or try to blame "them" for all the problems.
I do think all those featured in that item would hugely benefit from some sound financial and household budgetary advice. There are many, many more families in similar circumstances who manage to cope on the same level of support
They were all living in nice homes - though the single dad's was a tip, not sure why he cannot at least keep it tidy, especially as he knew the cameras were going to be there - and all the children were well clothed. I'm pretty sure a few tweaks in their lifestyle would benefit them - even if it only makes them better off by 2 or 3 quid a week. Could make all the difference.
No way should we touch our overseas aid budget. It is exactly what this Country should ring fence and it's something I'm proud of, despite the clamour to reduce it. I'm really pleased the Tories have decided to leave it as a percentage of our GDP.
Just because you live in one cosy room of a house, doesn't mean you can forget about all the other rooms.
It's clearly no comfort from those below the poverty line in the UK nor is it an impact to belittle their suffering, but as a frequent visitor to (and former resident of) the USA, the deprivation over there is quite extraordinary.
I received my yearly tax statement this week. On the back page it lists exactly what my tax went on down to the pound. Overseas aid was second to bottom I think. I need to check it again.
It's an interesting read - is that a new thing as I've never noticed it before?
The man with FOUR kids had his benefits capped at £20,000 !!! and they said that he would get more if he worked 16 hours a week. I can't believe he can't work 3.5 hours a day whilst his kids are at school - they didn't look like babes-in-arms & even the youngest would get free nursery place for that amount of time. Of course, no mention of where his wife his & why he has FOUR kids.
Gutter rags like The Sun and the Daily Mail, just a couple of examples. And it's part of their agenda.
People read this stuff and believe it to be true.
It's like saying all football fans are hooligans.
There might be a percentage, but it only will be a tiny percentage of true fans.
Likewise, those on benefits.
A tiny percentage may be shysters - but then, most of those couldn't get past the interview process, let alone keep a job.
Others are disabled, sick or have hit hard times which they cannot mentally cope with.
But the biggest number of claimants are those working, with young children.
I'll say that again, the biggest number of claimants are those working, with young children.
aside from providing affordable social housing, there would need to be some incentive to provide jobs, for a workforce that is unskilled, possibly poorly motivated ad educated, and try to bring about cultural change to cause a long term beak in the poverty cycle. This will involve joined up efforts amongst government sectors, employers, and the charity sector. It can be done I reckon.
Like large scale tax evasion by huge corporations, you mean?