Child poverty

[Head Honcho]

Is the government really to blame for child poverty? If parents choose to spend all the benefits they get on booze and fags instaead of decent meals and clothing for their kids can we blame the Government?

I know it's not as simple as that, but don't we need to start educating parents instead of always blaming the government?

I mean, some parents think it's more important to have sky and mobile phones before giving the kids 3 square meals a day!

There are plenty of reasons for child poverty but the majority imo begin at home!

[Lemon Harpic]

How many starving kids do you think there are in Britain whose parents have Sky tv?

I'd guess the number is somewhere around the zero mark.

[Rincewind]

I don't think the parents in Africa have Sky TV.

As for the UK I tend to agree in some ways. I do not want to say all parents are like this. There are many who genuinely cannot afford to feed/clothe their children and many go without to provide the best they can.

But saying that my mother had five of us to raise and we always had a meal on the table at night. She bought the cheapest meat and baked her own pies. We often had bubble and squeak (who knows what that is?) for tea Banana sandwiches were a favourite as well. When I first started living on my own I made a chicken last three days. I believe that I could get by on a minimum wage. I'd buy tins of soup some bread potatoes maybe and make a stew to last a couple of days at least. I'd just keep adding to it. OK, it's not roast beef or best fillet of steak but it would save a lot of money. This is the way I was brought up so I am not too proud to do something like this. Pensioners complain about not being able to afford things but there are plenty of organizaions that do cut price dinners for OAP's. They do not need to cut down on the electric a lot of the time.

No-one these days should be in the position mentioned, but the sad fact is that for many reasons, lack of education being one, there are too many. As is always the case the ones who need help the most are the last ones to ask.

My Mother always said that if you have cheese and eggs in the house then you can make a reasonable meal.

What a cheerful topic.

[Steven]

Is the government really to blame for child poverty? If parents choose to spend all the benefits they get on booze and fags instaead of decent meals and clothing for their kids can we blame the Government?

I know it's not as simple as that, but don't we need to start educating parents instead of always blaming the government?

I mean, some parents think it's more important to have sky and mobile phones before giving the kids 3 square meals a day!

There are plenty of reasons for child poverty but the majority imo begin at home!

In your World it is always the individual at fault. They scrounge, are responsible for their own poverty. Why do we bother having a Government?

[davieG]

It all depends on your definition of poverty, by third world standards no one in the country is below the poverty line, however compared to the compared to others in this country there are a fair few.

I guess a country should judge it's relative poverty on the gap between the richest & the poorest.

[Steven]

From the BBC.

From the BBC

[Lemon Harpic]

From the BBC.

From the BBC

The easiest way for the government to eliminate poverty would be to reduce the UK's median income. The lower that is, the fewer people will be officially in poverty.

Although best not to tell Blair that - he'd probably think it's a good idea!

[Head Honcho]

In your World it is always the individual at fault. They scrounge, are responsible for their own poverty. Why do we bother having a Government?

Well educate me whose fault is it?

Any family on less then £260 a week is classed as "in poverty" that's where the problem lies!

Christ! What my mother could have done with £260 a week.

[Thracian]

Presumably because of EC directives but certainly more and more so under this so intrusive and legislative of Governments there is a whole army of late middle aged people out there who want to get work but have no chance on earth ... and of course it affects their kids.

Nowadays you need qualifications to breathe and even if you can afford to get them there's no chance under the employment legislation that lots of older recently qualified middle aged white people will get a job in competition with anyone else with a contesting CV.

The immigrants, the disabled and other protected groups will get work because of positive discrimination but the late middle aged are no better qualified than their younger, better on the eye and likely-to-be healthier rivals. Many have lost all or lots of their expected pensions and feel abandoned and in despair.

They drift into poverty and cannot afford to support their teen and twenty children who are also being skinned alive by having to work for sod all yet pay massive insurance premiums to drive, ridiculous petrol prices, even more ridiculous mortgages because of our insatiable greed and wanton waste.

As for child poverty, if this supremely arrogant, self-satisfied hypocrite of a so-called Christian Prime Minister would stop spending billions of pounds on making a mockery of the Commandment "Thou Shalt Not Kill" in Iraq and Afghanistan and directed the money instead at ensuring that he could say to kids "Thou Shalt Have a Life" then people might develop some respect for him.

As it is he'll probably close his eyes while another of his supposedly socialist but really closet capitalist ministers somehow finds yet another way to feather their own worthless nest.

[Head Honcho]

What amazes and annoys me about parents of children in poverty is the fact that most of them go on to have even more kids!

If you can't afford to look after the ones you have, don't have any more for christ sake!

[Steven]

Presumably because of EC directives but certainly more and more so under this so intrusive and legislative of Governments there is a whole army of late middle aged people out there who want to get work but have no chance on earth ... and of course it affects their kids.

Nowadays you need qualifications to breathe and even if you can afford to get them there's no chance under the employment legislation that lots of older recently qualified middle aged white people will get a job in competition with anyone else with a contesting CV.

The immigrants, the disabled and other protected groups will get work because of positive discrimination but the late middle aged are no better qualified than their younger, better on the eye and likely-to-be healthier rivals. Many have lost all or lots of their expected pensions and feel abandoned and in despair.

They drift into poverty and cannot afford to support their teen and twenty children who are also being skinned alive by having to work for sod all yet pay massive insurance premiums to drive, ridiculous petrol prices, even more ridiculous mortgages because of our insatiable greed and wanton waste.

As for child poverty, if this supremely arrogant, self-satisfied hypocrite of a so-called Christian Prime Minister would stop spending billions of pounds on making a mockery of the Commandment "Thou Shalt Not Kill" in Iraq and Afghanistan and directed the money instead at ensuring that he could say to kids "Thou Shalt Have a Life" then people might develop some respect for him.

As it is he'll probably close his eyes while another of his supposedly socialist but really closet capitalist ministers somehow finds yet another way to feather their own worthless nest.

The EC have been at the forefront of introducing anti-Age Discrimination legislation. Yes we do pay far too much for so many things in this country like housing that erodes any benefit from having marginally (and it is marginally lower taxes) that the net effect is you are better off in countries with higher taxes as they have things like Mortgage Tax Relief for example.

Of it is true that the UK's median income is going down for many. That is the effect of "Globalisation".

Perhaps one way of stopping people in poverty from having Children is to eat their babies in Swiftian style.

[Hullfox]

Why not take the burgers off fat kids in McDonalds and hand them out to the poor chav families at car boot sales.

Sorted.

Just working on a solution to the Middle East's problems now.

[Rincewind]

It will never be resoved because if you took all the money in the world and shared it around equally within six months the same people will have the majority of it that have it now.

Some people know how to make money work for them and others just work for money.

[Guest]

In your World it is always the individual at fault. They scrounge, are responsible for their own poverty. Why do we bother having a Government?

Of course the individual is at fault. If you can't be arsed to get off your backside and do something about things, then you deserve everything you get (or not as the case may be). Sitting around waiting for someone else to come and sort out your problems takes away resources that people who genuinely need could benefit from.

That's one of the biggest problems with this country, it's always somebody else's fault.

[Head Honcho]

It does seem bizarre that a family considered to be in poverty could also qualify for a £50k mortgage!

[Dr The Singh]

Of course the individual is at fault. If you can't be arsed to get off your backside and do something about things, then you deserve everything you get (or not as the case may be). Sitting around waiting for someone else to come and sort out your problems takes away resources that people who genuinely need could benefit from.

That's one of the biggest problems with this country, it's always somebody else's fault.

Agreed, people in this country don't know how fortunate they are, this country provides benefits and hand outs for majority circumstances. The issue for me lies with the individual, and how they spend there benefit money or get off there arse and get what benefits they are entitled to or get a job (if possible)!!! As my gather would say, as long as there is a roof over your head and food on the table and you are healthy, what more would you want!!

We have become a society where material goods are seen as essential and without those are seen as poor, and that people say is increased living standards, what a load of tosh!!!

I agree with other post about the govenrment spending resources in areas that they disagree ie War etc, but IMO they are investments for cash generation ie Oil, and redevelopment contracts!!

[Nationwider]

We have become a society where material goods are seen as essential and without those are seen as poor, and that people say is increased living standards, what a load of tosh!!!

I couldn't agree more. What's annoying me at the moment are those ads featuring Carol Vordaman (loans) and Melanie Sykes (electrical goods on HP). The basic premise of these companies is: "You're 15K in debt and defaulting on the mortgage? **** it! Seen a nice wide-screen TV?...You can have that!!! Not a problem."

I don't know what angers me more: the fact that our society makes people think they have a divine right to material goods, regardless of the financial consequences, or the fact that rich and apparently intelligent celebrities pimp this financial fantasy.

[Guest]

We have become a society where material goods are seen as essential and without those are seen as poor, and that people say is increased living standards, what a load of tosh!!!

When commercial breaks feature adverts for cars/luxury holidays/gadgets/etc and then are followed by easy loan options, you have to wonder. Whilst the banks and loan companies are exploiting this demand for anything and everything, at some point people have to take responsibility for themselves.

I can remember seeing on the TV the 'harrowing' story of a 19 year old chav, who had been 'forced' to bankrupt himself because he'd spent over £20k on blinging his crappy little car. His mother was in tears blaming the bank for sending letters saying "get your easy money here", but at no point did someone give the other view. Nobody from the bank had forced this lad to borrow more than he could afford. Nobody made him use his credit cards. At what point do people think "hang on, I've had a significant part to play in this disaster"?

People will argue that lenders should vet their borrowers better, as it is clear that a lot of people end up borrowing more than they can afford. However, it can't be as risky as it sounds; HSBC has made record profits. They don't appear to have struggled much with losing money on bad debts.

[lcfcalan]

Well your right of course, but child poverty to me , means , my children have managed to keep ME poor from the day they were born . But of course , I am so rich for having them.

The arguement is vast, generalisations dont really help , (sat tv owners,fag smokers , dole scroungers etc)

easy to put tags on people, many people struggle to bring up their children and are hard working honest and generally good people , but they may not be able to afford the top trainers etc for their kids, or the trips to footie etc, this may in statistical terms make them 'poverty' cases, but many are just falling into the govt jargon.

Those that just cant be arsed to look after their kids ........and do spend the benefits they receive on booze and fags etc.........before ensuring the childs welfare, they are criminals.