AIBU to be sad and shocked by this article?

[LittleDorrit]

Have just been reading this:

www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/mar/18/child-poverty-labour-eradicate-promise

and I am shocked by the conditions this family is living in, but in particular how little/what sort of food they are able to afford.

It's not so much an AIBU issue, but just wondered whether others in similarly difficult circumstances think this is typical, or whether the mother could try to buy other types of food (e.g. rice, lentils, etc.) or perhaps be able to afford to spend a bigger proportion of her budget on food... £20 is very little.

"If he stopped illegal immigrants being able to come into this country, all working immigrants and gave british people the jobs back."

and at the same time we'd bring back the millions of British expats working abroad so that the "natives" can have their jobs back and then we'd be in the same sorry mess we're in now.

"and also stopped making any more cars wed all be fine."

and unless ou hadn't noticed large numbers of people have in the last few years become unemployed after car manufacturing plants have closed. Many of them having worked in that industry all their life and having not many "transferable" skills - many of them still on benefits now.

I think that's pretty good going in terms on MN SGM

Those posts about immigrants are the pits.

Shouldn't get drawn in again but....why are people begrudging her a TV and phone? These things are (often literally) a lifeline for single parents.

those posts about immigrants - my god - how ignorant. our recession and unemployment rate has nothing whatsoever to do with immigration and absoutely everything to do with those greedy (overwhelmingly white, male, british) wankers in the city taking huge risks and making huge profits with all our money, charging us for the purpose, and then getting bailed out by our tax money when it all went tits up. I would chuck out all the bankers in the morning, but keep the immigrants thanks. particaulrly since if you go far back enough, that is every single person in the country. even those pukey vile bankers i suppose...hmm, suppose we could make some exceptions.

o and by the way - there is no legal way t ocome here as an asylum seeker, as by necessity you come here without a visa and often with a false passport as you don't have one yourself, and then claim asylum at the airport, often - HA - expecting to be granted refuge and sympathy from civil war / genocide / military rape etc, but instead being greeted with scorn and racism.

och don't worry about that Janos - we've got onto the immigrants now

Oh right, it's all the fault of johnny foreigner now? Right-o.

Does that mean poor Louise gets a break, at least?

although it should be said that since the last debate I was embroiled in about "dem pesky immigrants taking our jobs/leaching our benefits system" DH has ended up on benefits.

damn - he's always been on of my "well he's never claimed a penny since he's been here" examples LOL.

oh well still got my pharmacist BIL to use as an example

o and chellesgirl, David CAmeron is already IN parliament.

his is the party of business, of greed, of low taxes for the rich and correspondeingly shite services for the poor, low redistribution and a country in an appalling state of 'me first and sod everyone else'.. and your tax suggestions are realy just beyond belief - do you think if we all paid less tax but had to pay for our own helath care, education, street cleaning, rubbish colleciton, firemen, police, prisons, social care, etc -we'd be better off? what about children like Louise's who don't pay any tax and who would see a massive reduction in their household income under your frankly other worldly tax proposals? what would happen to them?

I hope you are only allowing him to eat bread, water and potatoes, in keeping with his new status, FAQ.

Maybe let him read an improving book now and then.

lol PSCMUM - didn't get that far in her post to see her suggesting the DC got inot parliament (I got as far as the immigrants bit and was spitting blood)

well actually I thnk that is pretty much what he's eating the moment, and 2 weeks after moving into his house he finally managed to get a bed off freecycle so he'll no longer be sleeping on the floor.

(we're seperated - have been just over a year, but started "dating" again at the end of the year - hence my referring to him as a DH incase you're wondering

Xenia why would a couple with children who lived in a house with two bedrooms pay for a live-in au pair rather than buy a bigger house? You do make me laugh

Where is Xenia's post about au pairs?! Feck, it's on the other thread isn't it?

lol winnie - don't worry - it just helped fill the thread up to "full" a bit quicker so the latest spewings about immigrants will get lost as the thread disappears out of active convos

Oh heck is he FAQ? I feel bad for joking about it now. Sorry.

I've not yet read this thread (apologies) but have read the article.

Poverty?
This?
What a fucking joke!
Poverty is the tin hut my dh has decribed to me tonight (he is working in Bangladesh) which houses 3 goats, 7 people, some cooking pots and a sleeping platform.

I thought Xenia was a troll. Is she for real?

well not quite - but pretty much - he (finally) got his first JSA payment on Thursday - but unfortunately £60.50 doesn't quite stretch to food, bills, mortgage so he's kind of in the financial poo right now.

And as he's had to move back into his house (otherwise he'd have ended up owing rent as well as having mortgage arrears) he's got virtually no furniture - I've been watching freecycle like a hawk for him and have finally got him a bed today (which he picked up earlier)

We aren't living in Bangladesh though moondog.

Maybe people would be less self righteous if she WAS living in such atrocious conditions. Then again probably not.

They'd be wondering why she didn't keep the floor of her hut cleaner,because it isn't that hard, is it...and wouldn't it be cheaper to keep 2 goats instead of three?

Etc.

I happen to drink tap water and when our oldest children were little we couldn't afford to buy them orange juice and I don't watch TV so some things I regard as unecesssary obviously some other people don't. One person who babysits for us sometimes she lives frugally and does not have a mobile for example. There are lots of things people think they really need but you can live a much much simpler life.

ahh - so you aren't stuck at home every night then Xenia - you get to go out and see people.