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AIBU?

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Original poster

AIBU to think this country is going backwards?

72 replies

ElfBabies · 07/12/2012 11:04

George Osbournes budget .......he has left the wealthy wealthier and is taking away from the poor

He's like Robin Hood in reverse

I spoke to someone today who runs a food bank and he said that they are struggling now as so many more people are coming forward for help (this is in Scotland)

This is Britain.....a country which is in the first world......and yet there are members of our society who can not afford to feed themselves.

This is wrong .....you have power companies making millions, banks making millions

But we are going backwards....poorhouses and workhouses will be opening up soon.

Oh we already have them with the workfare scheme

I'm so angry at what this government are doing but I'm not sure what I can do to change it?

How do I make a stance and start to say 'no'

OP posts:
AmberSocks · 07/12/2012 12:53

I dont know why people get cross about big companies earning millions,is it jealousy?Should people not be allowed to be successful?

I dont see how he is making the wealthy wealthier,the wealthy already get taxed more than everyone else,i dont see why they should be penalised.

Crinkle77 · 07/12/2012 12:57

People consider themselves poor these days if they cannot keep up with the Jones' next door. There are many things which people have these days which they think are necessities but they are not like sky tv, a mobile phone, laptop and think they are poor if they cannot afford them.

People need to stop moaning. Compared to countries like Greece, Spain etc... we are much better off. I have a friend in work whose mother is ill in America and her hospital fees are currently £8000 and the insurance people are refusing to pay for her treatment. We don't realise how lucky we are

MurderOfGoths · 07/12/2012 12:59

crinkle you missed the whole thing about the food banks then? Or is wanting to eat about keeping up with the Jones' too?

DreamsTurnToGoldDust · 07/12/2012 13:05

Crinkle, I think its easy to say that but when you are totally struggling and worrying how to pay bills, food etc its not always easy to think that you have it better then people in other countries.

Viviennemary · 07/12/2012 13:08

People have never been so well off in their lives. Let's stop scaremongering. I will not be voting Labour in the next election in spite of voting for them last time. Most people I know on benefits do very well. It's the people who don't get benefits who are struggling.

SherbetVodka · 07/12/2012 13:10

Agree, dreams. Just because there are (unfortunately) people living in total destitution in some parts of the world doesn't make it ok for people in this country to have to choose between heating their home and feeding their family.

MurderOfGoths · 07/12/2012 13:11

"People have never been so well off in their lives."

Hahaha.. oh god you are serious..

RichManPoorManBeggarmanThief · 07/12/2012 13:16

Just because there are (unfortunately) people living in total destitution in some parts of the world doesn't make it ok for people in this country to have to choose between heating their home and feeding their family.

No, but we do need to think about what's stopping us going that way, and the answer is "not very much", especially as many of those countries are currently in the process of getting their shit together. We shouldn't necessarily see UK being a first world country and (e.g.) Bangladesh being a third world country as a sustainable situation- "Kingdoms rise and wane" and all that.

BoulevardOfBrokenSleep · 07/12/2012 13:17

Viviennemary - when you say, those who don't get benefits, do you mean the working poor on tax credits and housing benefit, or what..?

mam29 · 07/12/2012 13:19

Agree, dreams. Just because there are (unfortunately) people living in total destitution in some parts of the world doesn't make it ok for people in this country to have to choose between heating their home and feeding their family.

well said

energy to heat so pricey our dual fuels £110 a month
foods going up even with offers.
reduction ailses becoming scary places
to get to work if lucky enough to have job car expensive, bus or train even more expensive.

Labour are no better they proved that for 13years

none of their shadow cabinet are poor and just because they represent some nothern constituencies think it makes them understand when they spend most time london living off allowances,

It is scary but not as bad as usa yet with tent cities.
no benefits, foodstamps

Viviennemary · 07/12/2012 13:23

I mean the average person in this country. Compared to decades ago. I'm not saying that people aren't entitled to better they are. But everything has gone haywire. Like house prices so expensive nobody can afford either to buy a house or move to a better house when they find themselves with a bit more money.

RichManPoorManBeggarmanThief · 07/12/2012 13:25

Energy and food are going up because there are more people on the planet. It's not George Osbourne's fault, much as I'd like it to be.

amillionyears · 07/12/2012 13:25

I dont know much about this sort of stuff, but I got alarmed when Starbucks agrees on its own choice of payment to HMRC.
Since when , on earth, did our tax system get told what a company operating in the UK will pay it?
Corporations appear to be making their own rules!
There must be hundreds of enormous companies operating in the UK doing this, not to mention very very wealthy individuals

www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/dec/06/starbucks-to-pay-10m-corporation-tax

wannabedomesticgoddess · 07/12/2012 13:26

If you looked at how much we were getting in benefits as a family of four you probably would think "thats an awful lot of money, how generous."

But then think of how high rents are, how much electricity and food now costs, how much petrol costs etc etc and you would soon see that no one on benefits is "doing well" or having a decent lifestyle.

Only this week we gave a tenner to DPs mate to buy electric and food. It was wednesday night. He hadnt eaten since monday and was sitting in darkness while it was minus temperatures outside. He has LDs but hardly any support.

DP and myself had to discuss whether we could do without that tenner as we only had just enough to scrape through until next week.

This is the reality for people on benefits.

OhDearNigel · 07/12/2012 13:27

I can clarify the position on foodbanks as the Eastbourne foodbank came to one of our rotary meetings. It's pretty much means tested and you have to be referred by a statutory agency. Even in "affluent" Eastbourne they cannot deal with the huge demand.

The popularity nowadays is as much to do with free food as it is to do with people 'starving'
They don't exactly dole out smoked salmon love. You get economy products, no fresh foods and it's very much the basics to allow you to get food on a plate. Think value porridge, cheap cereals, mince.

noddyholder · 07/12/2012 13:27

yanbu.

OhDearNigel · 07/12/2012 13:28

eastbourne.foodbank.org.uk/how-it-works

amillionyears · 07/12/2012 13:28

Viviennemary, you are comparing 5 years ago with 45 years ago.

Not much good to a lot of people right now.

Bakingnovice · 07/12/2012 13:29

YANBU. It's scary. I know lots of people who have to choose between heating or food. There are many desperate people out there struggling, those on benefits and those who aren't. The only people who seem to be unaffected are wealthy, erm, Tories.

5dcsandallthelittlesantahats · 07/12/2012 13:35

YANBU. I live in a really poor area the last year things have been visibly getting worse. One of the most shocking things was when the school asked £3.50 for a trip outside normal school hours and had to offer the ability to pay in instalments. It is shocking to me that there are families who really dont have £3.50. As for food, children who get free school meals at least have one (albeit ridiculously tiny) meal but the bar is so low to qualify and the cost of the meal quite high for what is provided. There are thousands of family just above the line for free school meals who really seem to struggle and this meal a day could make a huge difference.

vitalite · 07/12/2012 13:37

yeah cos tories are the only wealthy politicians in this country!

YerMaw1989 · 07/12/2012 13:42

what about the refuges. funds being cut in care etc the vulnerable as always are being made more so.

impty · 07/12/2012 13:47

I don't live in poor area. I could easily bury my head in the sand and think that everyone in the country is ok, because Im not confronted with the daily struggle some people have.

But Im not an idiot. I have eyes and ears. I can read the papers. I am terrified too.

Frankly, blaming the poor for being poor is horrific. As is claiming that they are not poor enough. I don't know how those that think these things sleep at night.

mam29 · 07/12/2012 13:53

we dont do school meals every day as too pricey outs is £1.75 a day 2miles over border its £2.15 so best part of £40 a month-which could buy quite a bit if we careful.

I dont always cost up packed lunches but try aim for £1 therefore making packed lunches half the cost.

we are fanily not on benefits other than cb, hubby works fulltime a lot of people we know in same position

when dd does have school meal she comes home starving portions are so tiny.

breckfast club is £2 a day which includes juice, cereal, hot choc and toast. dd has 1school meal and 1breckfast club once a week.

I think you have to be on income support or highest level of tax credits to be eligible for free school meals.

Also notice as worked on many deprived run down estates.
The choice of retailers iceland/co-op , spar are costly.
Most supermarkets out of town so asda is not very accessible by bus.
bus costs are huge, taxis are pricey.

BelieveInPink · 07/12/2012 13:55

Totally agree - Viviennemary.

And:

"If you looked at how much we were getting in benefits as a family of four you probably would think "thats an awful lot of money, how generous."

But then think of how high rents are, how much electricity and food now costs, how much petrol costs etc etc and you would soon see that no one on benefits is "doing well" or having a decent lifestyle.

Only this week we gave a tenner to DPs mate to buy electric and food. It was wednesday night. He hadnt eaten since monday and was sitting in darkness while it was minus temperatures outside. He has LDs but hardly any support.

DP and myself had to discuss whether we could do without that tenner as we only had just enough to scrape through until next week.

This is the reality for people on benefits."

No. This is also the reality for people NOT on benefits. It makes me so angry that people assume that those on benefits are the only people suffering in this climate. Let me tell you that both myself and my husband work, but we have many a time been in the exact situation you've described. £10 to last the week.

Not everyone on benefits struggles. I know plenty who don't. In fact I know plenty who say how much better off they are not working and use it as a career choice. There is only one party to blame though and that's the government.

I'm not saying there are some people on benefits who don't struggle to make ends meet. But there are many who don't get any support who are also struggling.