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AIBU?

to think GB has no sense of society of human kindness any more?

26 replies

Marchbirthday · 06/09/2008 19:09

I hope you all say I am wrong. Right now all I'm hearing is that due to cuts and crunches GB can't help the GB humans that fall on hard times. We'll reach into our pockets to help people overseas, dogs, cats or bulls in Spain but no young people in GB. My experience is the london boroughs and outer london greater authorities can't or won't put their hands into the gov's pockets to help.

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Twiglett · 06/09/2008 19:10

what exactly are you talking about?

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SqueakyPop · 06/09/2008 19:11

Why do you think this?

I think I give a lot via taxes, and also via my contributions to the local church.

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fryalot · 06/09/2008 19:12

I think you're getting confused between local authority funding and charity, tbh.

The London and outer London boroughs presumably don't fund bulls in Spain, or charity for overseas folk, and probably not cats and dogs either.

Charity is a personal choice, and I am sure that you will find people who give generously to charities relating to people.

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tiredemma · 06/09/2008 19:13

who/what is GB? Gordon Brown or Great Britain or both.

Im confused by your post

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allgonebellyup · 06/09/2008 19:15

eh????

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MaureenMLove · 06/09/2008 19:15

Hmmm.... what?

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HonoriaGlossop · 06/09/2008 19:17

exactly squonk.

I think if you were simply to google the london councils you would find huge amounts of projects being funded and run to help young people in all sorts of ways.

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Takver · 06/09/2008 19:20

Lots of human kindness and society in Wales, can't speak for the rest of Great britain . . . or indeed for Gordon Brown . . .
Actually come to think of it I am always pleasantly surprised by how nice and well mannered people are when I go to London, giving up seats on underground to hassled mums with too much luggage (country bumpkin emoticon here)

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MaureenMLove · 06/09/2008 19:20

Marchbirthday, can you explain what you mean, so that we can have a good old fashioned heated debate about it!

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Overmydeadbody · 06/09/2008 19:22

What Squonk said.

But tbh I don't really understand your post. Who/what is GB?

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Marchbirthday · 06/09/2008 19:26

Well some of us who are very involved with London Borough's and London Authorities are always aware that the internet is not private and so we cannot give specific reference to events, incidents or lives ....
Let's imagine that a neighbor of yours got pregnant and she was under the age of 16. We would automatically assume she would get benefits if she chose to keep the child.. Wrong.
Let's imagine that a young person under 18 (with or without a child or their own who needs to go to college to get skills) would automatically get his/her entrance fee to the college paid...Wrong. Does this make it any clearer?

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HonoriaGlossop · 06/09/2008 19:28

she's under 16 and comes under the care of someone else, that's why! If the parents/carers won't care for her, social services will.

No welfare state is perfect but I think we do very well indeed in this country.

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tiredemma · 06/09/2008 19:29

er. No- sorry.

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fryalot · 06/09/2008 19:29

um... no, not really!

As I said earlier, people reaching into their pockets to help people overseas, dogs, cats or bulls in Spain would come under the umbrella of charity

What you are talking about is local authority funding which is an entirely different matter.

I don;t think that there is any hard and fast right to benefits, I think it depends on your own personal circumstances, so someone not being entitled to something that you would imagine that they would be would be a matter for them to sort out with the relevant authority.

You could perhaps suggest that they write to their MP for assistance/advice

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TheFallenMadonna · 06/09/2008 19:29

So it is the benefits system that you are objecting to?

I don't think the money that might have been spent on young parents is being spent on bulls in Spain TBH.

But yes, I probably would expect a young person under the age of 18 to have access to free education. Was it a specific course? A private college?

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Marchbirthday · 06/09/2008 19:30

GB is not Gordon Brown... It is Great Britain. I was inspired by Team GB to think UK/GB does have vision and there still is a sense of society even in London and the home counties (why do we call them home counties, there is nothing homely about the counties I work in) ?

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Marchbirthday · 06/09/2008 19:30

GB is not Gordon Brown... It is Great Britain. I was inspired by Team GB to think UK/GB does have vision and there still is a sense of society even in London and the home counties (why do we call them home counties, there is nothing homely about the counties I work in) ?

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Twiglett · 06/09/2008 19:30

Surely the adult in the household where the under 16 raises the child will get the child benefit for said child until the mother reaches the age of 16

Why should college be automatically paid for if it is a paid-for course? We have a free school system up to 18 which incorporates vocational study in many instances.

You really aren't very clear in what you wish to discuss, could you try again?

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tiredemma · 06/09/2008 19:33

Marchbirthday- I really want to join in with your discussion, but im clueless as to what you are actually discussing.

Im out.

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Twiglett · 06/09/2008 19:34

Home Counties .. counties bordering London where people can travel in to work and still go 'home' in the evenings .. hope that helps

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Twiglett · 06/09/2008 19:35

MarchBirthday is English your first language?

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Blu · 06/09/2008 19:38

I am amzed by the ampunt of human concern and kindness shown by people within the toughest communities.

Take the street I used to live in. In central Brixton a mix of all sorts of housing, a representative Brixton demongraphic. Every year, the street pulled together and held a street party = free food for everyone, everyone conributing wat they could - bike workshops, food, activities, dancing, giving everyone a real sense of belonging - important amongst Brixton teenagers...people worked year-round, planning it - it was the highlight of the year for many families and acted as a natural focus fo dealing with many other issues. A 'LETS' scheme arose out of it, a childcare co-op, people looking out for each other.

THEN the council started to enforece licensing with a really HUGE licensing fee. It was a totally non-funded, non-commercial event. It was not a road with any wealthy folk in it.The year the council introduced the licensing fee - and a huge raft of red-tape and burocracy - was the first year there was no party for a decade That was about 10 yars ago...and there has never been one since. Last year there was one of the high profile Brixton teen shootings in the road.

Make of that what you will - but yes, March I hear you.

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Blu · 06/09/2008 19:39

Ahem - demographic, not demongraphic - despite what you commonly read in the papers about Brixton

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Twiglett · 06/09/2008 19:42

and yet over the borough border from Brixton, is Southwark which arguably has some of the worst areas in London and offers grants to help roads run street parties

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Blu · 06/09/2008 19:52

Well yes - apply for a grant - a whole extra layer of admin and effort - and use the grant to pay fo the license, the CRB checks fo everyone involved, the street cleaning, the road people to come and do official blocking off, the auditing of your acounts...you can get a grant for all that in Lambeth, too . The point is, it ran on no money at all - just community energy and concern.

My organisation runs on grants and donations - the staff needed simply to service the management of grants and burocracy has tripled since I joined the organisation.

Look at Southwarks relationship with KIds company...grants are good - but councils frequently prescribe what THEY want rather than suporting what snall community-based organisations thrive on. There is human kindness...but locl authority support is ofte as obstructive as it is helpful.

In a borough near you the demands for a license and a fee and all sorts of risk assessments nearly did for the 'Mile for Maude' - only guerilla action and the smuggling of pink balloons enabled us to do it!

The greta creaking weight of government can sap the energy fom individuals who care.

But doubtless not intentionally.

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