erm, thanks FAQinglovely, poverty is relative is it? thanks for the enlightenment I had no idea... oh, and poverty affects every country too does it?
I don't understand why people are feeling so sorry for this family and anyone else who is on benefits. Benefits aren't designed to be a way of life, they are stop gap to save the lives of people who have fallen on hard times and to lever them out of it. This means that this article should only be a snapshot of a small part of her life.
We are all affected by hard times in our lives and even when we are up we will be blind sided when we least expect it. Personally I sleep better at night knowing that we have an excellent benefits system in place to catch us if we fall. This family are fine, they have all their basic needs met. I would hope that they don't stay in the situation for ever and the mother gets herself together to get her and her family to a better place, but if she doesn't it's no-one's responsibilty or fault but her own.
There's no hiding from the recession which has affected everyone and has made employment more unattainable... so be grateful the benefits are there to help us through; children will continue to educated, the sick will treated, the government ensures that families have rooves over their heads and generously hands out free money every week. Who can complain that are given free money when others have to work so hard for it?
FYI, grew up in a family of 5 on a hideous council estate, the only household income was benefits. I was the poorest kid in class, wore trampy clothes, ate crap food from Iceland.... but I fought and I got out and I made a life for myself. I looked at my life and made the choice to make it better and to be as far removed from the lazy, bitter people around me despite not having a degree as I was unable to afford to put myself through UNI (I left home at 16).
I put myself out there and worked my ass off, built up my own company, travelled the world and ate in the best restaurants. Last year my long term partner (7years) had a baby, we split up and the recession has swallowed up my business leaving with tens of thousands of pounds of debts and no home.
I am SO GRATEFUL for every penny the state kindly hands out to me, I am SO GRATEFUL that my baby sleeps in a warm clean room and I have food in my fridge and running water.
I assume I am on roughly the same money as the woman in the article, I owe far more than her... yet I do not live like her at all. My house doesn't look like hers, I have a cupboard full of food ( I walk a 6 mile round trip once a week to a cheap grocers that sells dried lentils, beans and fresh fruits and veg for a fraction of the price of the supermarket).
For me this is simply a dip in my life, I won't stay like this. Granted it is harder because I have a baby and until he is two I will be a SAHM as I refuse to put a baby into childcare.
I just don't understand why everyone feels so sorry for people in this article, if she wants to she can get out of it... not without a fight, but she can and what has she got to lose.
Just because I am pragmatic it does not mean I am not compasstionate, I simply think my compassion would be wasted here and isn't needed.