Too Many Cuts...come join the #Frothers and have your say

sad fact though that when we say, 'that people can empathise with', we mean able bodied, married, economically able people. all the rest of us are obviously people too.

the ostrich thing makes sense - it's like people believing rape myths like 'she was asking for it' so that they don't have to face the fact that it could happen to anyone, even them, their daughters etc. much easier to believe a lie such as bad things only happen to bad people than deal with reality.

I used to help run a Sure Start centre. Absolutely brilliant idea, fantastic resources, expensive resources, dedicated staff, interesting activities and plenty of funding.

For a client base that was predominantly wealthy, white , middle class housewives enjoying the baby massage, toy library and breastfeeding support.
In many areas these centres were simply not utilised by the target groups at all, certainly not in the area in which I worked. Seeing director's wives having free soft play passes was pretty sickening to be honest.
I don't know why women from teh target demographics failed to attend month after month, year after yearm but they did. No matter what we tried to make it accessible for them.

important stuff

Absolutely Kate: I firmly beleive that much of this media- assault on claimants panders not to 'nasty' people as some think but to people's instincts to self protect by playing ostrich.

Santa it's really important we have the real life stories too, interspersed with those that people can empathise with a bit more easily. Once people start opening their mind and their eyes it is easier to show them the reality.

And education. That's another one people can identify with.

Much of this is really hard to understand because of the vast swathes of red tape and the various definitions. It's also hard to understand what life if like for those who are carers or disabled unless you've lived it or seen it at very close-hand.

Nobody wants to think their partner will leave them or they could get ill or die. Nobody wants to think they could get ill or become disabled or lose their job. So they pretend it isn't happening.

yep it's kind of why i'm a bit wary of writing for the blog on single parents because sadly most people don't give a shit about single parents and will switch off.

Yep, I agree: if nothing appears about SureStart I might look at it at the weekend, good if someone else did as my experiences outdated (obv. will research) but my last 'proper' (ie not student) job was based within a surestart building and funded by them (for a charity).

You're right Peachy, we need more stories on the blog about things that affect people that can be easily identified with.

NHS, SureStart and student fees tend to push the buttons for more people than perhaps the benefits stuff.

Obviously we need both but if we are to prick the conscience of those who think it'll happen to someone else.

I am livid at EDF today. As far as I'm concerned the point of DD payments is that you pay the same amount all year around and it evens out over summer/vs winter.

We switched to them at the beginning of winter so have used up all our credit already and they have rocketed our DD payments (because apparently we aren't allowed to be in debit to them?! Even though the other way aorund is fine?!)

Bastards.

LOL Knotty

Kate, doubters will realise when and if it affects them. And it's little things too- for example we can;t afford to heat properly this year (and have an exceptioally draughty and leaky rentedhouse) and we notice that the boy's sickness attenndance days off have increased threefold already.

It's in AIBU. About Tories not being thick (now if that doesn't say "STEP AWAY FROM THE THREAD!!" I don't know what does!)

Anyhoo, I've re-customized so I can just hide stuff straight from active convos. I think this will be very useful to avoid future increases in BP.

I actually think there may be a bit of sock puppetry on that thread. Some of the posts feel the same but have different poster's names. I'm probably completely wrong.

Knotty I like your blog post

Lame knickers are perfect for Christmas. If I could work out how to put an accent on that last e.

opps thats flame not lame

meh the DM readers would probably be greatly improved by a bit of acid. maybe we should get into the dm factories and impregnate the paper with lsd?

oo where is it KAte , i may go post have my lame proof knickers on

Again, Kate

Bloody hell. I best avoid that thread too. I am very hormonal!

I've just posted on the blog. It's a bit different in style to the other posts. Hope that's ok. Let me know if it's not.

Don't look Peachy. It's like the DM on acid.

Not even going to look at other thread!

we don't stand a chance!

then theres the choice whether your disabled or a carer as apparently you can not be both .

Well unfortunatley i can not quit being either , so guess either way the goverment wins from me .

and yet im apprentley one of the deserving poor according to Dm readers the sort Cameorns tryinmg to protect my fecking arse is he

Lordy some people are unpleasant aren't they! I am being personally attacked on the other thread. I'm not sure why - I've not been particularly Bolshie.

Is anyone else having trouble getting this thread to load and posting on it? Anything I write on my phone is getting frozen and disappearing.

Yes, I think this year we will be about the 2 year limit if you take into account when it satrted before that it was a few hours on top of working FT, then a few more on top of FT study.

I would say that sounds about where we are- a year or two will tell either way.

For random reasons, I know a lot about small business and 3-5 years is a good guesstimate for how long it will take a business that can succeed to get going. Business that are 'instantly' successful need huge amounts of start-up capital behind them, there are ways to get that but obviously it's pretty limited, and most have to build up slowly. If the business is going to fail it usually will in that timescale also.

It is ridiculous not to give people and their businesses that chance.