AIBU to not understand luxerys these days and poverty.

[milton2591]

what do you class as luxury's ?
what do you class as living under the breadline?

cats - If you and your friends have always been poor, you are more likely to live close to each other probably.

But if the State actually provided a batter public transport infrastructure, as in other Northern European countries, in return for our taxes, it would benefit a far larger swathe of society.

Here working on a temporary contract in Belgium, its not necessary to use car to commute to work at all. I live 3k from a station, cycle there on bike paths separate from the road, put my bike in station bike parking, get train them tram to work.

Often in the UK it was a dilemma how to get to work at all. Public transport and walking the 8 miles took 1 hour 30 minutes. driving was faster and more reliable but it cost £16 a day to park! Here its 13k and it takes me 35 mins and 4 Euros

Doesn't the Rowntree Foundation's diagnostic criteria guarantee that a certain percentage of people will always be in poverty?

Sorry, but I think it has a vested interest in categorising people as being in poverty, and find it stigmatory.

Less - Rowntree talks about relative poverty. Relative poverty matters.

Relative poverty and the Rowntree Foundation are different things, as ate taking effective measures to tackle poverty and constantly highlighting the existence of a charitable think tank and pressure group...

I think their diagnostic criteria is more towards pushing the government and corporation to notice the harm and stigma they are causing rather than stigmatizing it themselves.

If the government were to take measure to make being on low income less isolating through the measures you discussed and open more access to all of our needs, then the JRF or other related thinktanks wouldn't be needed at all. Having a large group that can do research and has access to media and others to speak is far less stigmatizing than the silence faced most of the time.