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Original poster

Gove thinks those who turn to food banks are there because of their "own decisions"

112 replies

MurderOfGoths · 10/09/2013 22:47

Link

"I had the opportunity to visit a food bank in my constituency only on Friday and I appreciate that there are families who do face considerable pressures. It's often as a result of some decisions that have been taken by those families which mean that they are not best able to manage their finances"

I hate that this govt pulls the rug from under people and then blames them for it.

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MadameDefarge · 10/09/2013 23:35

Isn't he content with just fucking up our children's education? Can't he keep his nose out of other departments business? Bet Iain Duncan Smith is thrilled La Gove is muscling in on his territory...

LyraSilvertongue · 10/09/2013 23:40

I'm glad Gove says things like this. One more nail in the coffin for the Tories when election time swings round again. He's now lost his party the vote of anybody who's had to visit a food bank as a last resort. I'm sure nobody enjoys having to go to them.

JazzAnnNonMouse · 10/09/2013 23:43

He's a knob.

gleegeek · 10/09/2013 23:43

I'm sure this government won't be happy until they've seen the return of the workhouse and can shunt great chunks of the population who have made 'poor choices' out of society...

Wonderstuff · 10/09/2013 23:49

I'm not sure he's stupid, I think that he's playing to a section of the Daily Fail readership who are undecided between voting Tory or UKIP. Hopefully enough people will see this government fort the over privileged heartless morons they are. Though who provides a credible alternative I don't know. Everyone is being bankrolled by big business.

RubyGoat · 11/09/2013 00:10

In my case, it was because we wanted a baby. My long term unemployed DH & I missed meals every day when DD was weaning so she could have enough food, & she got homemade fresh meals, we got whatever the supermarket were selling off for 20p just before closing time. Perhaps Gove would find it more convenient if the poor just starved to death, & decreased the surplus population

CogitoErgoSometimes · 11/09/2013 07:03

In defence of Gove, some people are there because of bad decisions. Not the majority - and I don't think that's what he's saying - but we've all seen TV reports from food-banks where a few recipients cheerfully admit they've spent their money on something else. It's part of the mix and we have to be realistic about it.

ProfYaffle · 11/09/2013 07:10

Agree with webwiz, I'm a CAB advisor too and the vast, vast majority of people we refer to foodbanks are there because of benefit delays/general fuck ups.

ATruthUniversallyAcknowledged · 11/09/2013 07:11

"In defence of Gove..."??

Cogito?? Are you Mrs Gove?

FourGates · 11/09/2013 07:12

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Wheresmycaffeinedrip · 11/09/2013 07:23

Course some are there for that reason. There are people who abuse every system that's a given. But those people are the minority and in all fairness why should the kids and the wife suffer and starve because they have an idiot partner. When people have lost everything , giving them crap about their relationship and advising they leave and tear the family apart is not what they need. So absolutely for their sake they should be given what they came for.

If the kids are going hungry the reason doesn't matter.

No one decides deliberately loose it all. Maybe some decisions werent great but when your desperate you try everything, I'm sure decision was made with the best of intentions or because it was the best of a bad bunch.

None of our business tbh.

RubyGoat · 11/09/2013 07:40

"In defence of Gove, some people are there because of bad decisions. Not the majority - and I don't think that's what he's saying - but we've all seen TV reports from food-banks where a few recipients cheerfully admit they've spent their money on something else. It's part of the mix and we have to be realistic about it."

Like I said, my DH & I went because we couldn't afford enough food after DD was born. I didn't go asking about food bank, I wanted help with benefits while on Mat leave as I'd no idea what to do, never having claimed before. They asked me about food & offered it. I've worked ever since I left university, 10 years ago, but DH has severe MH issues & has been out of work so long & now all of his previous employers have gone bust so he has no references so he is completely unemployable. Sure, we could have chosen not to have a baby because we knew we'd have financial problems (it wasn't a big surprise) but surely the poor & people with MH issues shouldn't be prevented from reproducing? Don't they call that Eugenics?

CogitoErgoSometimes · 11/09/2013 07:55

"surely the poor & people with MH issues shouldn't be prevented from reproducing?"

'Prevented', no. But we all make decisions in life by weighing up the pros and cons knowing &accepting that we have to live with the consequences. If you make choices knowing that things are going to be far more difficult as a result then that's valid but it also means that what Michael Gove said is valid too.

TheCrackFox · 11/09/2013 08:03

He's a cunt.

TidyDancer · 11/09/2013 08:07

Bugger me, he is so out of touch isn't he?

He wants to believe his cronies are not at least partially responsible for the need for food banks. He doesn't understand.

When I was growing up, we could really have used a food bank on different occasions. This is nothing to do with poor choices or spending the money on something else. There was no money to spend on anything.

Gove is a cock.

varicoseveined · 11/09/2013 09:28

People wondered why mainly young people were rioting a couple of years ago. With all that this government is doing to penalise the poor, I'm frankly surprised that there aren't more protests.

Then again, maybe their plan to beat people into submission and then defeat, is working Sad

Original poster
MurderOfGoths · 11/09/2013 09:50

I was lucky the other week in that I narrowly avoided needing the food bank, all because of a DWP fuck up. My financial management is pretty damn good, but even I can't find a way to "manage" an income reduced to £0.

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CharlieAlphaKiloEcho · 11/09/2013 09:57

We came extremely close to needing to use a food bank last year and it had absolutely nothing to do with my own decisions. It was purely the choice of our landlord to evict us due to the HB rule changes and also the Local Authority who would not help until the day that the eviction was granted.

I also have a friend who used one after she went back to work after huge pressure from ATOS despite being unwell. The whole mess between her job - which lasted 6 weeks before she was re-admitted to hospital - and the job centre saw her left without money for 11 weeks. None of that was her fault either.

These decisions are being made by people who probably have no idea what it is like to decide between power and food when you're down to your last few pounds.

Original poster
MurderOfGoths · 11/09/2013 10:02

"These decisions are being made by people who probably have no idea what it is like to decide between power and food when you're down to your last few pounds."

Absolutely.

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noisytoys · 11/09/2013 10:11

Sad It is only going to get worse this whole situation makes me so sad. Gove is pure evil revelling on the misfortunes of others for his own gain

DioneTheDiabolist · 11/09/2013 10:21

Is Gove really a person?Shock

I think he was produced in a laboratory and is programmed to say what human Tories really think but don't say because (being real people), they have a modicum of awareness.

HattyJack · 11/09/2013 10:23

Mr Gove says a lot of things that are prejudiced nonsense. If he was in the pub you'd ignore him. Unfortunately he has somehow managed to become a government minister, so it's much harder to ignore his ignorance as it affects all of our children.

I have never loathed any politician so much.

LadyBigtoes · 11/09/2013 10:30

I know Dione - he really is like something that's been invented to spout the worst kneejerk tory idiocy.

I just can't believe the tories don't keep him under wraps. He must have been invented and built by labour and is indestructible.

MinesAPintOfTea · 11/09/2013 10:35

To be fair to the DWP there might be a Data Protection issue with telling food banks why they have referred people (rather than collating their own internal data).

But Gove is unbelievable. No-one makes choices expecting to end up unable to feed themselves or their families, its just they ended up on the wrong side of luck.

Also has he considered that if anyone actually listens to him saying things like that could cause a reduction in food bank donations when they are desperately needed??

Original poster
MurderOfGoths · 11/09/2013 10:37

Mines I doubt it, the point is they used to supply this information and then stopped. Without consulting anyone.

And you are right, food banks are struggling enough as it is. If people listen to his shite and decide they aren't worth supporting.. I'm hoping though that drawing all this attention to food banks will increase their donations.

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