to think that workhouses definitely have a place in today's society?

[expatinscotland]

if people are poor, it's their fault.

if they just worked hard they wouldn't be in such a state of penury.

'the poor' by definition are lazy and feckless.

and those who won't fit in the workhouse definitely require some indoctrination!

they should never be allowed indoor plumbing, central heat, food other than rice and pulses or toilet paper.

this will inspire them to achieve more.

My grandfather was born in a workhouse in Ireland, his mother was unmarried and had to leave him there as her family would not accept her back home. He was brought up by a couple that worked there ( as in were emplyeed there.)
He remembered his father being beaten up by the police for getting in there way, as anyone who had anything to do with the workhouses were considered scum.
Nice eh..

I'm all for compulsory sterilisation, we do it to cats ffs, so why not the lazy feckless chavs? At least cats are soft and purry.

And compulsory sterilisation will cut down the population and save the world

Also poor people should not be allowed to have carbon footprints.

Actually poor people can be quite environmentally friendly as they don't have cars or take many flights, if fed little are not too flatulent and can be used to weave hempen sacks etc. in the workhouse

If they're deserving poor, can they have Fred Flintstone cars so they don't hvae to spend any money on fuel? They''d have to promise to pull their feet in when idling at a junction though

I have 6 dc would any of the Gentry like one of them for chimney sweeping maybe? .

SPB they can carry the rest of us fine citizens around on sedan chairs and count themselves lucky to go where we direct. And carry a brush to sweep up their footsteps behind them.

Funny as we often plan joke to send DS down the pit as soon as he's old enough to get him contributing to the household expenses. After all he is 2. Maybe chimney sweeping would be less hazardous?

Stealth - I'm planning on sending DS3 up the chimney to sweep it some time soon - he's just turned 2 so I think as we both think 2 is a good age I might do it at the weekend

Oh my word, are those people who clean my david lloyd gym changinig rooms so well, are they...poor?

well is that a good plan? Do many people have functioning chimneys any more? (Maybe the rich do?). Suppose down the pit isn't much better!
Maybe they could pluck and iron rose petals to be scattered on bedding?

I'm reading this at the moment, it's absolutely fascinating.

We have a chap to do our chimneys - he's jolly fun - the children sing along and dance around him..

Stealth we have a functioning chimney (desperately needs cleaning as it wasn't cleaned last year don't really want to do 2 winters without cleaning it).

snoooooooooort. Top thread.

Just to be even handed, can I suggest the reintroduction of debtors prison for the feckless middleclasses? Bailiffs would thwack them over the shoulder with a tipstaff and haul them off to be ministered to by Little Dorrit (a punishment in itself)

"if fed little are not too flatulent" - not if their diet is mostly pulse-based. We need a think tank for this, and perhaps we should charge hefty perfectly reasonable consultancy fees.

of course we all have functioning chimneys. I have several. After all, we are not savages.

just us then! I don't actually even know if our house has a pretend chimney on top - will have to have a look

send your smallest cub up there to check SPB

The workhouses were fucking hellholes, where people were forced to do dangerous work for no pay and appalling food rations. Kids were separated from their parents and from their siblings, disease was rife and untreated, and punishments for rebellion of any type were barbaric. They were far worse than prison is today.

People of all backgrounds should be taught about this - I only know it because I bought a book about it. It should be part of our school education.

I wonder who thinks that workhouses actually should be brought back? I haven't seen anybody on MN say they should or even hint in that direction.

I was taught about workhouses at school (in primary 6) and we did a bit about the history of workhouses (and other lovely institutions) in one of the courses I took at uni.

My DS has to do some holiday homework about rich and poor Victorian children, so he's going to hear about workhouses too.

'I wonder who thinks that workhouses actually should be brought back? I haven't seen anybody on MN say they should or even hint in that direction. '

Plenty of people have more than suggested that people on benefits should do unpaid work, be sterilised, leave their children at home unsupervised when they are under the legal age at which you can do this so the parent can work, etc.

We have a chimney; we send hte cat up. It's gradually getting cleaner but I'm not sure she'll have finished by winter. Perhaps I could borrow a boy from someone? Small preferably as I won't have to give him a whole bowl of lentils in payment.