Edwina Curry attacks struggling mum

[bkgirl]

Edwina Currie reduces struggling mother to tears live on the radio by putting her debts down to living 'a very good life indeed'

Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2102478/Edwina-Currie-reduces-struggling-mother-tears-live-radio-putting-debts-living-good-life-indeed.html#ixzz1mdxnvGWV

Eggwina obviously did well on her back, ask John. It doesn't mean she should lecture people who have kept their knees together at work.

I wonder why the BBC invited Edwina Currie onto a phone-in like that. Is she supposed to be some kind of expert on financial hardship? Was she the best person they could find to offer advice?

But surely all tories think like this????

dont think ive ever heard a good word said about edwina curry

Is anyone surprised by this? It's Edwina Currie ffs, what were you expecting her to say.

The woman is a nasty, snobbish bitch who would have any of us "serfs" in a workhouse if she could. I mean, it's a roof over your head innit? I really wish for people like that to lose their money, oh what a magnificent turn of events that would be.

Well the government don't think that. They know that people are suffering and losing jobs in the worst financial crisis since the 1930s, which was not of their making.

That's why there is an attempt to freeze council tax increases, why Cameron called the energy companies in for a summit to discuss their prices, why they scrapped bin fines etc.

'Is anyone surprised by this? It's Edwina Currie ffs, what were you expecting her to say.'

Which is why I ask why the BBC chose her for that phone-in?

Were the BBC surprised when most others don't seem be?

She earns over half what we do. Our mortgage is double hers and I have twice as many children. We eat fine, live well and aren't In mortgage arears.
Plus they've not included Chb and she'll almost definitely be getting CTC too so is probably better off than we are.
Not a huge fan of Edwina but £1000 isnt that bad a wage when your mortgage is only tuppence ha'penny like theirs. .

I think claig has got it right! EC is not liked and is hardly known for being able to keep her mouth shut either. Whoever invited her on was perhaps hoping for some kind of showdown...

Looks like the BBC have invited Edwina on before as well and a similar storm occurred.
Just as Cameron was meeting energy companies to see if they could reduce their bills to help struggling people out, the BBC had Edwina on and she said she didn't believe that people in Britain were starving.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-15336931

And yet the Daily Mail has published articles about food banks to stop people starving
and about some of our elderly starving in our hospitals of all places

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1366062/A-shocking-snapshot-Britain-The-small-town-50-families-rely-free-food-handouts-dont-starve.html

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2090332/Four-patients-die-thirsty-starving-EVERY-DAY-hospital-wards-damning-new-statistics.html

Some of our elderly are suffering from malnutrition

www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-165222/One-million-elderly-risk-malnutrition.html

Why don't the BBC invite on some real experts who can offer real help and advice, not Edwina who might sometimes perpetuate the false stereotype of "uncaring Tories"?

Edwina Currie is a self righteous idiot. Totally silly and self absorbed.

I think Gordan Ramsey summed her up best.

"Bloody hell Edwina, you always two time people, first you shag the PM and now you're shagging me from behind".

He also referred to her as "pathetic" and, my favourite, "a poisonous bitch"!

Could not have put it better myself Gorden.

When I read this I did wonder if Edwina was a mumsnetter as you read opinions like that on here every day.

Nothing to do with Edwina or the story (which I haven't read), but a different comment, and that is the split (in attitude) within British society:

who on one hand want welfare benefits reduced;

and on the other, defends mightily benefit recipients like the one described.

You know, guys, you can't have it both ways.

The growth of the underclass was predicted in 1948, when the welfare state was set up - that people would become trapped in poverty.

Margaret Thatcher squandered a huge opportunity given Britain by North Sea Oil royalties, by increasing welfare payments and redistributing income, instead of building a central fund along the lines of Singapore.

Labour racked up huge and unsustainable debts increasing the public sector in its drive for justice and fairness.

Public opinion does show a recognition of 'deserving' and 'undeserving' poor, and would like the welfare system reformed.

So, no conclusion folks, just setting out a few facts and pointing out that ALL actions have consequences. What do we want? Because we can't have both.

abitwobblynow, I think you're not quite on board here - on the 5live broadcast, the woman who phoned in was one of the working poor and was not actually on benefits. Edwina made the assumption that she was managing her money poorly and had run up big debts in the past and was having financial problems now as a consequence. This is because Edwina didn't listen to what the woman was actually saying.

The real issue with this family is that the mum is on maternity leave having just had a baby, and her husband has just lost his full-time job and has only been able to find part-time work at the moment, leaving them struggling. Any debts they are dealing with are things like recent council tax and utilities arrears, brought on because of this situation.

The reason this is hitting the press is because the family represents something a lot of people can relate to - people doing an honest day's work, or trying very hard to, and yet having to struggle beyond the point that could be thought reasonable because of circumstances beyond their control.

If there's one question that needs to be asked, it's why society is prepared to tolerate and reward rentaquotes like La Currie, at the expense of people that keep the country together and working, like window fitters (aka the husband of Hayley Sanderson).

It's not rocket science and it's got fuck all to do with being poor, I grew up on a council estate, I never got sent to school, I feed me and my son with £30 a week and still have a bit to save

Genuinely, can you post your shopping list/meal list (or an example of) that allows you to shop for £30 a week.

Does this include all 3 meals a day? I do packed lunch for myself and DD, breakfast is cereal (weetabix/muesli) and toast, and a cooked meal every night. I shop at either Aldi or Iceland (dependent on access to my dad's car).

I have pets too, but they came along prior to me hitting the skids financially, can't really chuck them out on the street so they are on cheap-as-chips food.

How about cleaning products - washing powder etc? Where do you shop?

Genuinely, need to save money and if i can feed myself and my DD for £30 a week I'd be happy. At the moment, I'm looking at £50 a week.

TIA.

Ryoko (sp?) also manages to afford a pc/laptop whatever - good budgeting I say!

I am really good at budgeting, so good in fact that I have a blog telling everyone how to do it in a sustainable way (amongst other things). And the only way I could feed the family healthily for £30 would be by spending the entire day, most days, and a lot of shoe leather, endlessly prowling the supermarkets for marked down food before other people saw it, supplemented with skip surfing and negotiating for free leftover fruit and veg from market stalls like some kind of MN bag lady. I certainly couldn't do that and hold down a job or have any kind of normal family life.

The bottom line in the current climate is that if you are spending less than £50-£60 a week on food for a family of three to four (assuming you don't get donations of food from other people's allotments and so on), then you aren't eating healthily enough. £100 a week for four people is what is optimum, to include toiletries, toilet rolls and cleaning materials.

BrianCox You can probably save £5-£10 on your grocery bill if you check out coupon sites. My favourites are beforeishop and hotukdeals, as well as Moneysavingexpert, Tumbletots and Change4life. Over on the Jan/Feb no spend thread we are all Approved Food fans as well. Much more advice over there for you so I'll link rather than hijack further.

thread here

swc, the BBC evidently don't have to look very far in order to find idiots to represent the Conservative Party. These compassionate, open-minded One Nation Tories, please bring them on whoever they are

As for living in a 'comfortably prejudiced world' -

1. It is arguably a bit rich to accuse anyone on MN of such a thing in the context of a thread about the vile Edwina Currie.
2. We all tend to gravitate towards people with with similar views, don't we? Or are you friends with loads of socialists?

BitchfaceCurrie says, you have debt..."
Hayley says no..
She says.. "erm, yes"

Apparently she knows better than the caller what her financial situation is.