AIBU to be sad and shocked by this article? part 2

[FAQinglovely]

Moondog - that's the reporter that said those things - just pointing out what I should imagine were some pretty obvious things to the naked eye

The same article says that

"Louise is not inclined to blame the government for her difficulties. She is grateful for the money she gets every week and doesn't think her life would be much enhanced by increased payments."

FAQ, come on.If you are fat, you are not starving.
People in Bangladesh are starving.I have seen them and will see them when i go there again next week.

chelle, how would an immigrant be illegal over here and get benefits...?
Illegal immigrants are either supported by someone who is legally here or they work illegally....for a low wage/long hours/and usually hard labour....

well these people were shoveling a chicken (one of the few they owned) into their mouths, had no running water in their house, 6 people crammed into 3 rooms (one of which was a "bathroom" (although with no running water it was kind of a pointless room), and they had no jobs

Yes with places such as Ethiopia which we see flashed on our screens regularly at certain times of the year there is abject poverty - but I can assure you that people that both you and I would deem to be living in poverty are not always the skinny, ribs sticking out kind that we see on the TV.

moondog, you get fat on the wrong diet , generally high in refined carbs and saturated fats...food which is nutritionally pretty shite....you can actually be obese and still suffer from malnutrition....

lol at illegal immigrants getting benefits.

FairLady - the cheapest Maize meal is often refined.

You are not starving if you are fat but you can still be poor. You can also be malnourished.

I doubt very much that the young lady in this article would compare herself to starving people in Bangladesh.

I dont really get the connection. We know that no one in this country will starve unless they are too ill to access services and fall through the net. But it doesnt meant they are well off.

Do we only help those who are deserving and how do we decide who are deserving and who are feckless? If we cannot do that then surely we can only provide a welfare service for all?

and they fry ALL their food in Zim (and put buckets of salt on it) - even poor DH (who was born and bred there - but had vastly reduced his salt intake and started eating less fried stuff) struggled to eat some of the meals presented to us when we went out in 2006.

che...not sure if that response was to my post?
I didn't explain it well, I think....what I meant is more a very long term slow process, of reducing the people who claim benefits because they have grown up with it and it is the way of life....because that is what they see/what they are surrounded with in their environment....
by no means would I want to see anyone who is dependent on benefits to go without...it is more about changing the attitudes and way of thinking of those that wouldn't necessarily have to claim benefits....it's utopian thinking, I know....

stewie you said that nutrition thing far more eloquently than me....

FFS Stewie, do you think I can't tell the differnce between someone who is fat, and someone who is starving??
I was also born and brought up in developing countries.

but I thought we were talking here about being poor not whether someone was starving or not??

Or is starving now a requirement for being poor???

I just don't like people who are poor as being portrayed as desperately needy, because they aren't.
I hate the Guardian for peddling and perpetuating these myths.

when I was living in a high rise flat, a private housing association, I was considered to be a priority to be moved into a house as had small child and 13 floors up. They told me that we were not meant to be living in a high rise flat above floor 2 and would have to be moved to a house. Gues what they also said that all the new houses being built were taken by the immigrants -they wernt even in the country yet.

And my friend who was homeless went to the council for help. they told her that they could not help her. she asked why, 'why cant we get a council house, theres some down the road that are empty' and the woman replied 'they are all empty because we are waiting for the illegal immigrants to take them'

Not a benefit?

you've lost me now MD

so if the poor aren't desperately needy - what are they??

Chelle - that's rubbish - illegal immigrants do NOT MAKE THEMSELVE KNOWN TO THE AUTHORITIES.

Aslyum seekers are (by default) illegal immigrants when they first arrive in the country (given their passage here), but once classed as Aslyum Seekers then they do get some benefits. Currently set at just 70% of income support, they are also NOT allowed to work until they have been granted refugee status (and therefore leave to remain in the UK),

Aslyum seeker housing is not allocated by the council, it comes from a central government fund and they usually use private lettings. So the new builds may not even have been council/HA property.

Oh right, thanks for putting us straightthere Chellesgirl.

Cos when I was homeless with a young DS I was put onto a priority housing list and homed within six months (which I understand is PDQ).

Guess my council had their priorities all wrong!

I think we are all trying to get at the concept that in developing countries poor people often have inadequate macronutrition and in developed countries poor people often have inadequate micronutrition.

Either way the health consequences are bad.

sorry meant also to add - once given leave to remain (ie get refugee status) they are then treated like any other person who is legally entitled to be a resident in the UK.

chelle...I'd say it was highly unproffessional of whoever told you that all the new houses were booked up for immigrants, tbh....

and I should add - that they are the "lucky" ones - the rest get banged up in places like Yarls Wood for ad infinitum.........

Malnutrition symptoms

fatigue and low energy (not seen)
dizziness (not seen)
poor immune function (which can hamper the body's ability to fight off infections) (not seen)
dry, scaly skin (seen)
swollen and bleeding gums (seen)
decaying teeth (seen)
slowed reaction times and trouble paying attention (both)
underweight (seen)
poor growth (seen)
muscle weakness (not seen)
bloated stomach (seen)
osteoporosis, or fragile bones that break easily (not seen)
problems with organ function (not seen)