David Cameron: It is your fault if you are fat and poor.

[FairyMum]

Has anyone commented on the David Cameron-speech on moral neutrality? He is a price-dick, isn't he?

blaming others gets you nowhere excpet causes you to feel depressed and im not saying ive never blamed anyone or anything else because i have. Even now sometimes i make excuses for things BUT at the end of the day im the only one who can sort things out. I have to take responsibility or else i will be bitter and resentful. My mum spent her life blaming everyone else for everything and never got anywhere, thanks to her i am determined not to be that way.

I think it links in with the ideals of the NHS - it is a great institution, but can't survive under current conditions. If we want an NHS we do need to pick up some of the slack where we can - like on personal responsibvility for health, drinking and smoking especially.

Winky - so unless you are fat/thin, rich/poor, live North/South, man/woman etc you cannot learn about the other side? You cannot read about? Meet people and learn? Be educated about it? Meet professionals and be briefed by them?

I don't think that being poor is a totally personal responsibility though.
It is a product of society, of which we are all part.
A lot of people aren't in the position to choose everything that happens to them, sometimes it is down to generational culture and lack of aspiration.
As I said in a previuos post, there is a poverty of choice for many people.
Being poor an obese must be a miserable existence.
Good old David Cameron? Oh please

lol Herman!

I mean certain city workers such as investment bankers, hedge fund managers, etc - some of them can get literally millions as a bonus.

David Cameron doesn't have a clue, claricebean.

Most politicians don't but David Cameron especially is far removed from the realities most families face in the UK today.

He belongs to a snotty little social clique.

He's a man who wants to get rid of the minimum wage.

He's such a good egg.

Ahem, personalities can win or lose elections. They matter.

winky, i think that is the thing though. I grew up on a council estate with a mum who was a single parent and lived on benefits. My mum had no eduaction and didnt push me to go to school or do well, There was no motivation in our family to do well. I took the road that meant i went to college and got a career and actually left home at 16 because my mum didnt understand why i wanted all this and she branded me a snob! My sister didnt go to school and has only ever had one job in her life and that only lasted for 3 months! She lived on benefits for 11 years until my mum died and than suddenly she realised she had dug herself a massive hole, she thought she was stuck in a rut and couldnt see a way out of it. Well its taken her 3 years BUT im so proud of her, she has started working part time, her DH now works full time, she has completely changed her attitude to education and is studying computers which has had an impact on her 4 children and there outlook on life. She is now moving out of the town we both grew up in to start a fresh near me. For years she blamed her upbringing and the area she lived in and the benefits trap for her life BUT she has got out of all that and is now taking responsibility for herself and her family!

cb- It's a bit different reading about poor people from your nive big house and with space and support.
On paper, it is easy to make judgements, but as an old Etonian from a very privelidged background I don't think he is qualified to talk about why people are poor

Ah Winky, the voice of reason...

Please let us not forget how the man of the people Tony Blair went to Fettes - very open to all, no cliques for him

Mmm. Well I didn't listen to the whole speech but I agree with 99.9% of what is quoted in the article below.

My nice big house?
Space and support?

You know me so well.

Well, I agree with him. So long as there is a system in place to help those who really need it (and there is) everyone else who is able to should take full responsibility for themselves and their actions. That includes making sensible decisions and accepting the consequences of bad decisions.

It is NOT all about money (i.e. this being the beginnings of him saying "look how much fat/lazy people are costing all you taxpayers...") - rather, I think he is genuinely concerned about the society we have created today with too much leeway for people who are selfish and lazy. Parents who don't take their responsibilities seriously and end up with wayward children. People who do not care for their elderly relatives so we end up with lonely isolated old people. etc etc.

I think it is about time people stop moaning about their lot in life and get on with it themselves without expecting things on a plate.

(BIG PROVISIO though: This is only fair in a society where everyone has the chance to succeed with hard work etc, so we do need accessible and free healthcare, decent schools etc etc. On the whole I really do believe we have this in this country - it's not perfect, but it's a darn sight better than any other country I can think of...)

I think Winky is the voice of reason, actually

Thought you might

I can't find anywhere it says they'll keep the minimum wage. Please show me. Seriously.

In fact, I'm hard pushed to find David Cameron committing himself to much.

riven, i dont believe he said anything about those with disabilities being at fault

'most sport is expensive'

Walking is cheaper than using your car.
Jogging down the road is free.

I don't think that it is stupid to consider a candidate's personality and backgroung before voting for them.

Er,I meant David Cameron, not you cb.

Clarice, I did say most politicians don't have any idea but DC is particularly far removed from the pressures faced by so many in the UK.

Tony Bliar is someone else I'm certainly not enamoured with but we weren't discussing him, were we?