To say that if I hear the Tory cliche "hard working families" once more

[DreamingofSummer]

I'll personally nail Osborne's scrotum to the floor

YANBU

Although I think you'd need a hefty magnifying glass to find them first....

There are only so many hours in the day. It doesn't matter how many of them you spend working (hard or otherwise) if you work in a MW job as far as I can see.

YANBU, although I think I've probably heard this from politicians across the parties - so not particularly blaming the Tories for it.

It just affirms the notion that only middle-class professionals are "hard-working families" . No "hard-working family" could possibly be claiming benefits of any sort could they? . Not people working long hours on NMW for example? .

I'll happily help you nail all of their scrotums to the floor .

Eew, it means having to touch their scrotums.

Absolutely agree, what a ridiculous cliche. Absolutely meaningless.

Does anyone else get the feeling they are only talking about themselves though?

If you go by the cuts they have made this is supposed to make eveything fairer for the "hard working families". The only people who haven't had cuts are the rich and very rich and I'm including the ill thought out child benefit cap in that too.

Maybe when politicians use the phrase 'hard-working families' they intend that we should return to the days of child labour and no retirement age. How could a family be described as hard-working unless all members are in paid employment?

"How could a family be described as hard-working unless all members are in paid employment?"

I think I'm pretty hard working, tbh. I care for DD1 who has SN, DD2 who quite probably has some SN, and DD3.

I volunteer in two primary schools. I am a Governor at two schools (parent Governor at one, Local Authority Governor at another). I sit on panels for the Independent Admissions Appeals Service and am a co-opted member of the Select Committee for Children and Young People for my LA.

My 'income' is an allowance for the Select Committee role and Carer's Allowance for caring for DD1.

Neither of those are defined as 'paid employment' so I wouldn't fit OhGoveUckYourself's definition of hard working, but I think I fulfil it in other ways.

My DH works two jobs, both part-time, but equates to full time hours. He isn't on a good salary, but his job is important to the well being and safety of children so again, I think his role is worthwhile.

Why does 'hard working' = 'earns lots'?

What pisses me off most about this is that they don't think we are clever enough to notice. It's not as though it's subliminal is it?

Are these the same hard working families the Tories wish to fine and chuck in jail if they have the audacity to not be able to afford school holiday holiday prices?

Yeah they really do want to help hard working families.

From a recent BBC article

"In the US, the term middle class is used to mean what the working class has traditionally meant in the UK, he says. British politicians have in the last decade or so adopted "hard working families" instead. It's code. In both the US and UK it means people who are not on benefits but are not bankers either, Lawrence says.""

www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25744526

Political cliches are annoying in general, I don't think there's any need to pick on that particular one. Low and average paid workers are getting quite a rough deal at the moment, they have to be able to refer to that group of people somehow.

No more irritating than 'cost of living crisis', which is especially getting right up my nose, or 'bedroom tax', or 'squeezed middle'.

What about those 'agoodlifeworkbalanceismoreimportantthanslavingmyfingerstothebonetotrytosortoutthefinaicialmesscasedbythegovtandbanksfamilies'? Are they not in equal need of consideration?

YANBU to be annoyed. It's such a bloody cliche.

YAB a bit U to talk about nailing his scrotum to anything (even though I know it was not a serious threat). If a man posted equivalent about a female politician they'd get a pasting (and rightly so).

I'm sure Gordon Brown was always saying 'ordinary hard working families'. Used to get my goat.

Actually I hate all the 'on message' stuff that the different parties spout. They're all at it.

I had to turn QT off in the end because it makes me want to hit the people on it things.

That Tory tosspot can go on about 'hard working families' all he likes - in the end they'll still end up fucking everyone over in favour of their rich mates.

And increase in minimum wage? HA! Why thank you so much, you magnanimous little cunt, do I have your permission to eat the scraps from your bin, too?

"I did vote Labour last time but absolutely will not be voting for them again for a very very long time."

Oh yes - because things were VASTLY worse for middle income and poor families for 10 years under the last labour government than they've been under the Tories, weren't they?

And you can be 'hard working', and still be an utter useless, parasitical cunt who contributes fuck all to the UK - as evidenced by many of the richest people and corporations in the country who expend massive energy on not paying an equal proportion of their wealth in taxes as the rest of us.

Osborne trotting out the "we're all in it together" line actually brings me out in a murderous rage. DH had to turn the news off last night as we were worried we'd wake DS up with our swearing.

Couldn't really give a toss what they say but agree they are all the same and capable of absurd clichés.
Nobody believes a word they say anyway, bunch of lying cunts.

Being a hard working family means you tax us to oblivion and remove our CB. Scrotum nailing is far too good for them.

OddFodd

Do you have a little bell that goes off on your computer every time the Tory party are mentioned, flatpack?

No. And I have absolutely no idea who you are. Do you have something to contribute?

Sorry lougle it was actually a tongue-in-cheek comment as per my previous posting on same thread.

It's a Gordon Brown phrase that the Tories have adopted.

What gets me is the 'and more women are working now than ever before' line that I've heard from the Tories on the past two Question Times.

IMHO this is only a positive if the woman wants to be there - I work full time and would really rather be at home with my 3 and 5 year old children, and I can name at least a dozen female friends and colleagues who feel the same way. Unfortunately, dh hasn't had a payrise since 2007 and the cost of living has rocketed in that time. As I've always been the higher earner it made no sense to even think about giving up my job so I've just plodded on and now find myself being diagnosed with depression and hypertension within a fortnight of each other.

Women should be given more support to stay at home if they want to, and I say this as a former Tory who joined the party primarily because in 2006ish DC was promising to roll out tax credits to all parents regardless of income, and I wanted to support that idea as it meant women like me who had always ben the breadwinner might just have got a chance to be a SAHM for a while.

Hey ho, he's clearly changed his mind. . . . .

You have no idea who I am? So what?

I've jus noticed your painful defences of the Tories every time they come up. And I've made a contribution, thanks - I've offered to bring another hammer

OddFodd

You have no idea who I am? So what?

So I just wonder what your sudden interest is in my point of view.

I've jus noticed your painful defences of the Tories every time they come up.

What I'm usually doing is correcting the misapprehensions of the ignorant. As we've seen in this thread, blaming the crappy phrase on Osborne when it was Brown's was wrong.

If helping ill-informed people to learn something they don't know is 'painful' then so be it.

And I've made a contribution, thanks - I've offered to bring another hammer

How amusing. Ha. Ha. Ha. Truly, left-wingers are comedy gold.