To have cried!

[7dayslater]

I'm 19. DS is 18 months.

I live with DP & DS. I work hard, I have 2 jobs. DP works too. So, no we don't just sit on our arses, but we still need UC help to pay the bills. I want(ed) to train and work in the NHS. I'm also interested in politics.

So yeah, when I woke up this morning and saw the election result I cried. Austerity is very real, it's not a joke or a fictional story. With the way it is right now, I cannot afford an education. I cannot afford to study for a career. I'm stuck where I am.

Sadder still, others have it far worse. There are children in poverty, a homelessness crisis, the NHS is crumbling when people need it more than ever. I can respect democracy. I can respect the vote. But I have to ask, for people like me - what now?

A few members of my family have done OU courses. It took a while, but has been very worthwhile and they went into good jobs.
There are opportunities. I agree with pp that studying is much easier when dc is at nursery. I had to reduce my hours when dd started school, but I had managed to get my studying and training in beforehand.

@Elphame Yes a very low interest loan that gave many young people the opportunity to go to uni- that never would have had the opportunity to do so without!
That did not cripple me with debt when i began to work and make my contributions so that another young person could do the same.
So that then we could also earn money to help those who didn’t find their route quite so straightforward . You see that’s how society works.
You need a helping hand society can provide it and ergo you become a valuable member of society and the cycle continues .

sauvignonblancplz because there isn't a bottomless pit of money to fund it. While I agree education itself should be the first priority with spending, there are lots of other priorities that go over and above lifelong education - healthcare being one for starters

OP what would you want to do in the NHS? If nursing, they have started apprentiships here, if you are interested in something else, you can actually get a lot of support if you have dependents. Its 85% of childcare costs I believe, and a loan is only paid back when you are on over £20k+ (it's slightly higher now but can't remember exactly); it is potentially within reach. If you do a humanities degree then contact hours are fairly low, it's potentially possible to work alongside it but with little ones you'd likely be exhausted. Are there any other careers you'd like? Quite a few offer training on the job, if you were keen to get something like CIPS.

@Thestinkycheeseman Thank goodness there were benefits and a council house for you. That’s what society should be doing.

Why don’t you think they would have done it?

churchandstate The cost alone would be astronomical, that automatically rules out them doing it. Setting up such a big system like that would be far too costly, problematic and take up too many resources and too much time.

Not to mention, they have no ability to set up anything “lifelong”. No government is in power forever.

Thestinkycheeseman

What are your blessings? Are you clever? Are you attractive? Are you healthy? Did anyone ever do you a favour? Did you manage to avoid domestic violence, family substance abuse, war, prison?

People sometimes need a leg up. That’s what I want my representatives to give people.

This is why you should've made better choices, frankly

WTF is this? You people are so awful. And so selfish. With the benefit of hindsight I am sure most of us will have done things we now regret or wish we had done differently

I think you need to get yourself back into education ASAP OP. Set a good example for your child. The world is still your oyster at 19. Do any local colleges have creche or childcare facilities?

My friend did an OU course alongside bringing up her baby. As a single parent. It can be done. Good luck

The cost alone would be astronomical, that automatically rules out them doing it. Setting up such a big system like that would be far too costly, problematic and take up too many resources and too much time.

Garbage. The Tories borrowed £46 billion this year and count that as affordable. Don’t pretend we have no pennies.

There would be more than enough if our government was not corrupt and not totally committed to keeping the rich richer!
If people still believe the benefit culture is to blame they need to have a closer look at the budget!
Stop looking down and stamping on those who struggle!
Look up at the bigwigs! They are the ones lining their pockets whilst the majority blames the misfortunate minority.

@sauvignonblancplz I am grateful that I had a roof over my head as a child.
As a adult I've always provided my own and never had to claim benefits.
I think they are needed by people far worse off than me

I also cried, with relief that Corbyn and Momentum won't be leading us into a communist state.

From what I've read on MN over the last week, those who voted for Labour did so because they expected to be handed money on a plate. The real world isn't like that, adults are expected to be self sufficient and benefits reserved for those who are sick or disabled or those in temporary difficulty. We all make choices in life and have to live by them.

I dont really understand what the "I was raised in a council estate with a parent on benefits" posters are trying to get at? Do you want to deny other children of the same right you had?

FWIW I was raised on a council estate, by a single mum who did work but we struggled from time to time. I know my DM was thankful after fleeing DV, that society helped her.

@sauvignonblancplz I don’t live in a Disney movie. I’ve worked hard for my nice life. it’s called being accountable. I’m sick of people making stupid and irresponsible choices then expecting to be baled out.

There are loads of posts today on here (understandably) panicking about the Tories being in for another 5 years at least. Did people seriously think that Labour would solve all their problems for them overnight? I didn’t vote Tory and was hoping for a hung parliament at least but I wasn’t counting on Corbyn to wave a magic wand and make it all better
Fro anyone who’s life is a bit shit, I’m genuinely sorry about that but it’s only as shit today was it was yesterday, nothing has changed. Maybe things will get worse for people, if there was any justice especially for the working class Labour supporters who voted Tory in The North to “get Brexit done”, but nobody knows exactly what will happen now so wait and see.

I don't for a second believe it is benefit culture that is to blame for the problems we currently have. Those that need it don't receive enough in benefits, however a balance needs to be found between keeping those that contribute the largest amounts to the economy happy and spending.

Tackling corporation tax would be a brilliant start but until there is more money available, funding a lifelong education goes much further down the list of priorities of things that need to be sorted in this country. Healthcare and helping the vulnerable has to be prioritised over it

Tackling corporation tax would be a brilliant start but until there is more money available, funding a lifelong education goes much further down the list of priorities of things that need to be sorted in this country. Healthcare and helping the vulnerable has to be prioritised over it

It’s not a choice. We can have both.

No I think people wanted hope! And not a continuation of austerity.
You shouldn’t have to live through such hardship to understand that is happening . Happening right now.
Labour believes in helping. Trying to make things better.

Garbage. The Tories borrowed £46 billion this year and count that as affordable. Don’t pretend we have no pennies.

churchandstate It’s not just about the money, though. That’s only a small part. Jeremy Corbyn would not have had the time and resources or even the organisational skills to put something like that together. He couldn’t organise an orgy in a brothel.

Funded hours childcare and SureStart schemes struggle as it is, there’s no way anything on such a scale could work.

Jeremy Corbyn would not have had the time and resources or even the organisational skills to put something like that together. He couldn’t organise an orgy in a brothel.

Not sure I’d want to be anywhere near that brothel, but come on, organisational skills aren’t a reason not to put social services in place. Corbyn wouldn’t be writing the curriculum himself.

Without investing in free education past the age of 16 you are committing people to life of minimum wage & quite frankly a continued cycle of low self esteem and uneducated life choices.
You are denying so many people a voice.
People need more options and that starts with education.
If the OP could study now for 3/4 years with a support network she would be contributing to society on a much more substantial level than should she continue working two jobs. This culture will then be perpetuated in her own children and so the cycle continues.
It should not be difficult to understand how to help
Those who need the help.

All it takes is being made redundant (especially the older you get) an accident or cancer leading to weeks off work and losing a job or the break up of a relationship to lose one’s comfortable middle class lifestyle.

I feel that I have been very fortunate in life so far but I believe very much in “there for the grace of God go I.”

@InsertFunnyUsername the point I'm getting at is that o took accountability for my life choices.
I expect others to do the same!
Everyone's life has been hard at some point .
I didn't wake up the day after a general election and expect my life to dramatically change.
The elite haven't voted the conservatives in the working class have.
If your life is shit then moaning on social media won't make it better but then I doubt Labour would have either

It’s not a choice. We can have both.

I'm not a tory supporter but I know that having both is not possible and labour's sums just don't add up. They are so far from reality that they alienated those who should and would have voted for them. I'm sad to see the outcome as they could have won if they had come down to reality

I'm quite shocked by the responses. I'm at work so I'll have to reply quickly for now.

Firstly, I do take responsibility for myself & my lovely DS. That's why I work. I work because I want to earn. Please refrain from commenting on my situation, as you just don't know.

I'm interested in paediatric nursing. But I have also been looking into OU and doing a degree in politics, philosophy & economics. I have had a look at apprenticeships but I live quite rurally, so there aren't many.