Rincewind Posted 12 January 2015 Posted 12 January 2015 Not sure where to post this. A caller to LBC breaks down live on radio describing how he has to use foodbanks. He was made redundant then his marriage broke up. He is out every day searching for a job. The presenter offere to send money but he said definitely not as he did not want charity. He said he has no TV just a small radio and batteries for that is an extravagance. There is also a video with someone saying the root cause for the use of foodbanks should be tackled. The radio recording is on this link too. OK it is the Independent so some may disbelieve the story but the I do not think this bloke is acting. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/feeding-britain-lbc-radio-caller-shocks-listeners-by-describing-how-he-cant-afford-to-eat-9911138.html . I agree that some play the system but this man is not one of them and there are many in a similar position. The cheats are in the minority and their stories overshadow the genuine cases.
MooseBreath Posted 12 January 2015 Posted 12 January 2015 Well he shouldn't have been using the phone while driving in the first place.
yorkie1999 Posted 12 January 2015 Posted 12 January 2015 Its the throwing away of 3 1/2 million tonnes of food a year to keep prices high, which in turn is the measure the government use to set inflation, which is disgusting. Like the guy says, he doesn't want charity and food banks, he wants to be able to afford to buy his own food.
Guest MattP Posted 12 January 2015 Posted 12 January 2015 The main cause of people using food banks is the fact they know they are there now. As I've said before I know people who have used them and they are never short of a few bob to have a few beers. Sure they'll be a few genuine cases obviously and we should have sympathy for them
Soar Fox Posted 12 January 2015 Posted 12 January 2015 Sainsburys 500g beef mince Can of chopped tomatoes Red kidney beans Colman's chilli co carne mix White rice 1kg bag. Chilli con carne made for £5.60 and would last you around 5 days if you froze it. I'd be very surprised even if someone is jobless if they couldn't afford to make that.
yorkie1999 Posted 12 January 2015 Posted 12 January 2015 The main cause of people using food banks is the fact they know they are there now. As I've said before I know people who have used them and they are never short of a few bob to have a few beers. Sure they'll be a few genuine cases obviously and we should have sympathy for them Sainsburys 500g beef mince Can of chopped tomatoes Red kidney beans Colman's chilli co carne mix White rice 1kg bag. Chilli con carne made for £5.60 and would last you around 5 days if you froze it. I'd be very surprised even if someone is jobless if they couldn't afford to make that. But what about the 200 tins of chopped tomatoes that get slung in the skip because the corner of the box is damaged. And that does happen on a regular basis. Why the fvck has that replied to 2 posts?
Buce Posted 12 January 2015 Posted 12 January 2015 Post edited to reflect the non-adversarial, kind and caring MooseBreath of 2015. Well he shouldn't have been using the phone while driving in the first place.
Soar Fox Posted 12 January 2015 Posted 12 January 2015 But what about the 200 tins of chopped tomatoes that get slung in the skip because the corner of the box is damaged. And that does happen on a regular basis. Why the fvck has that replied to 2 posts? I thought most stuff like that get puts on a sale shelf?
yorkie1999 Posted 12 January 2015 Posted 12 January 2015 I thought most stuff like that get puts on a sale shelf? My mates lad works in a distro and reckons the amount of stuff that gets thrown away through damaged boxes is frightening.
Guest MattP Posted 12 January 2015 Posted 12 January 2015 Admittedly it was over ten years ago but when I worked at Sainsburys I didn't see much get thrown away, was often reduced or just taken home by staff. As SteveWalsh alludes too, you can cook very cheaply if you know how, just read Melissa (a girl named Jack) Monroe in the Guardian, she can feed a family of five for a tenner a week. An MP a few weeks ago had a point when he said a lot of poor people simply can't cook properly. But instead of acknowledging the problem and starting to do something about it we all just said how disgusting and offensive it was and that he shouldn't say it again. Which really helps of course and should really go some way to solving the problem.
AspectFox Posted 12 January 2015 Posted 12 January 2015 Admittedly it was over ten years ago but when I worked at Sainsburys I didn't see much get thrown away, was often reduced or just taken home by staff. As SteveWalsh alludes too, you can cook very cheaply if you know how, just read Melissa (a girl named Jack) Monroe in the Guardian, she can feed a family of five for a tenner a week. An MP a few weeks ago had a point when he said a lot of poor people simply can't cook properly. But instead of acknowledging the problem and starting to do something about it we all just said how disgusting and offensive it was and that he shouldn't say it again. Which really helps of course and should really go some way to solving the problem. Yes people couldn't wait to get all incredulous about the comments and in doing so didn't really " hear " what was being said. It is true, poor people would rather have a phone contract than eat sensibly!
Buce Posted 12 January 2015 Posted 12 January 2015 Yes people couldn't wait to get all incredulous about the comments and in doing so didn't really " hear " what was being said. It is true, poor people would rather have a phone contract than eat sensibly! She said poor people don't know how to cook properly; she made no mention of phone contracts.
AspectFox Posted 12 January 2015 Posted 12 January 2015 She said poor people don't know how to cook properly; she made no mention of phone contracts.Oh how we giggled!
MooseBreath Posted 12 January 2015 Posted 12 January 2015 I'd be really interested in hearing more about this chaps situation. On face value it sounds awful of course, he has got so little money that he is living off a single can of spaghetti and sometimes not eating at all. That's real poverty, right there. But what can we make of the article without knowing how and why it has happened. He has no job, we know that much. We can assume his accommodation is paid for by the tax payer. We can assume he is getting job seekers allowance. What is he doing with that money? Until that question is answered there is nothing else anyone can say and sympathy should be suspended until it is shown he isn't gambling his money away or spending it on drugs or booze. Something is happening to that money, for that article to be anything other than totally pointless then it needs to give us some more information. I won't hold my breath.
Buce Posted 12 January 2015 Posted 12 January 2015 Oh how we giggled! Do you actually know any poor people? Your thread in the other forum would imply not, so how do you get to be such an authority on their spending habits?
Rincewind Posted 12 January 2015 Author Posted 12 January 2015 Its the throwing away of 3 1/2 million tonnes of food a year to keep prices high, which in turn is the measure the government use to set inflation, which is disgusting. Like the guy says, he doesn't want charity and food banks, he wants to be able to afford to buy his own food. Totally agree. There is a vast amount of stuff wasted. Thrown out for little things like a dented tin. This bloke is likely to be using a PAYG phone and not a contract.. And to apply for jobs they expect you have a phone and internet. If you have to call the DWP to chase a late payment or other reasons it is a premium rate and you are passed from one department to another. You still have fuel bills to pay and if using a card meter because your bank refuses DD you can pay a lot more. It is not only the unemployed using food banks. There are many low paid and part time workers using them. To use one you have to be referred to on by the job centre or a doctor/social worker. You cannot just turn up and take stuff away. There is a limit to how many times you can visit then you are given information to help your situation. There is a video on the page with someone saying similar.
AspectFox Posted 12 January 2015 Posted 12 January 2015 Do you actually know any poor people? Your thread in the other forum would imply not, so how do you get to be such an authority on their spending habits?I know of poor people. They refer to benefit day as pay day or wages. They have also got a new two year contract on an iPhone 6 plus. £65.00 a month!! To say I was staggered was an under statement.
Guest MattP Posted 12 January 2015 Posted 12 January 2015 To use one you have to be referred to on by the job centre or a doctor/social worker Vicars can refer you as well and they are the best to go to, they turn nobody down from what I hear (although the mainstream media won't tell you that).
Jon the Hat Posted 12 January 2015 Posted 12 January 2015 The solution to this really isn't increasing benefits to the point that people can seamlessly move from employment to benefits without any pain or difficulty. The solution is to help people through that difficulty. This guy clearly needs some help to sort himself out to a point where he can make ends meet. To be honest, as someone with a lot of expenses, I can imagine it would be bloody hard to step from spending £4-5k a month to under a grand in a short time. Clearly while benefits may be adequate, the system providing them is not. People are being sanctioned etc and the admin is a nightmare. I seriously think if you stopped all that shit and invested the resources in helping people learn how to live on their benefits as well as how to get skills and find work you would have a far more effective benefit system.
Rincewind Posted 12 January 2015 Author Posted 12 January 2015 I know of poor people. They refer to benefit day as pay day or wages. They have also got a new two year contract on an iPhone 6 plus. £65.00 a month!! To say I was staggered was an under statement. Then he will be up shit creek if he keeps it. Not a clever thing to do. How did they get a phone on a contract? You need a good credit rating and a DD set up so they would need to have a certain amount in the bank meaning they were not poor or desperate. We are talking about people that have a low income and very little in the way of savings most likely because of their job which could be low paid. They may have learning disabilities or mental issues which prevents them from getting a high paid job that needs qualifications or a degree.
Rincewind Posted 12 January 2015 Author Posted 12 January 2015 The solution to this really isn't increasing benefits to the point that people can seamlessly move from employment to benefits without any pain or difficulty. The solution is to help people through that difficulty. This guy clearly needs some help to sort himself out to a point where he can make ends meet. To be honest, as someone with a lot of expenses, I can imagine it would be bloody hard to step from spending £4-5k a month to under a grand in a short time. Clearly while benefits may be adequate, the system providing them is not. People are being sanctioned etc and the admin is a nightmare. I seriously think if you stopped all that shit and invested the resources in helping people learn how to live on their benefits as well as how to get skills and find work you would have a far more effective benefit system. Spot on.
AspectFox Posted 12 January 2015 Posted 12 January 2015 Then he will be up shit creek if he keeps it. Not a clever thing to do. How did they get a phone on a contract? You need a good credit rating and a DD set up so they would need to have a certain amount in the bank meaning they were not poor or desperate. We are talking about people that have a low income and very little in the way of savings most likely because of their job which could be low paid. They may have learning disabilities or mental issues which prevents them from getting a high paid job that needs qualifications or a degree. Since when has having a good credit rating and a bank account been the preserve of the wealthy. What a ridiculous statement.
Buce Posted 12 January 2015 Posted 12 January 2015 I know of poor people. They refer to benefit day as pay day or wages. They have also got a new two year contract on an iPhone 6 plus. £65.00 a month!! To say I was staggered was an under statement. You know of poor people? Priceless.
MooseBreath Posted 12 January 2015 Posted 12 January 2015 12/01/2015 - the day Rincewind finally admitted that people on benefits don't need any more money.
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.