http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/hungry-britain-welfare-cuts-leave-more-than-500000-people-forced-to-use-food-banks-warns-oxfam-8636743.html

in contrast to a lot of what the media seems to be saying about the poor, the reality is that a lot of people are desperate but its fine as

David Cameron has acknowledged the work of food-bank volunteers as “part of the big society”.

so I suppose it was all part of his grand scheme

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/telegraph-view/10089413/The-politics-of-food.html

The first photo in the second link is a bit loaded.

Free food? Where do I sign up? Will I have to cancel my sky subscription first?

But yes, very much appears to be a shocking pile of crap we are in.

We are in it together.

David Cameron has acknowledged the work of food-bank volunteers as “part of the big society”. need for an underclass, dependent on the most basic charity as essential to the big blue Tory future.

😐

The current hue and cry over food banks feels like a deliberate attempt to politicise the problem

Because of course as everyone knows, economic priorities, poverty, and inequality, have absolutely nothing to do with politics !

The first priority of any government should be to decrease the gap between the rich and poor.

Everything else will follow on nicely once that’s done.

(Only no matter what successive governments do, it just increases all the time. I is disappoint that people are hungry in the UK in 2013 (excluding anyone on a calorie controlled diet))

You only had to go and mention bloody diet. You know where this is going to end up!!

Well, y’know, you mention “Hungry” and “disappoint” and some smartarse will say “what about folk on the 5:2 plan?” 🙂

So 500,000 people use something that didn’t exist before and that means that it’s the current governments fault? You can spin statistics any way you want.

BTW I’m not defending the Tories, just the statement is a bit flawed. Could just be that some/a lot of those 500,000 were struggling before Food Banks existed and this is a help to them.

These economic problems aren’t isolated to this country and started before the Tories got in.

Labour and Tories… Two cheeks of the same butt.

Until you can provide even the slightest hint of a shred of evidence that this wouldn’t have happened under the other lot, I’ll take it as an attempt to blame the Tories for yet more fallout from Labour’s tenure.

These economic problems aren’t isolated to this country

Surely it’s “more fallout from Labour’s tenure” ?

My understanding is that any economic news which is bad/embarrassing, is Labour’s fault, and any vaguely positive sounding news, is credited to Cameron/Osbourne. That’s the rule isn’t it ?

Until you can provide even the slightest hint of a shred of evidence that this wouldn’t have happened under the other lot, I’ll take it as an attempt to blame the Tories for yet more fallout from Labour’s tenure.

You’ll then be providing evidence that the present coalition government are doing something to improve their lot?
No?
Thought not.

Isn’t the UK population more overweight and obese than ever before in history with the preponderance being in lower socio econmic class ?

Yes that is pretty much it

the fact the article has charities explaining why the cut in benefits is the cause is irrelevant it is labours fault and we cannot prove otherwise

Surely it’s “more fallout from Labour’s tenure” ?

My understanding is that any economic news which is bad/embarrassing, is Labour’s fault, and any vaguely positive sounding news, is credited to Cameron/Osbourne. That’s the rule isn’t it ?

I’d say they’re both to blame. Labour for the mess in the first place, Tories for the path they’ve chosen to try and solve it. However, when I look at what’s kicking off in other countries things aren’t quite so bad here…. possibly down to Labour, possibly down to the Tories.

Isn’t the UK population more overweight and obese than ever before in history with the preponderance being in lower socio econmic class ?

Well that certainly explains the apparent increase in food consumption by the poor, thanks for clearing that up nick. I’m sure that Cameron will be relieved to know that it’s got nothing to do with him, and it’s just the fault of fat greedy poor people.

😉

Whether or not labour brought us here is irrelevant tbh- there’s a problem to fix now, and it’s the current government’s job to fix it.

I think saying “it’s all Labour’s fault” is just another way of saying “we can’t/don’t know how to fix it”.

Food banks are without doubt an embarrassment for any developed market society. But let’s get some perspective. Even if we use the high end figure of 500,000 people, we are talking about 0.8% of the UK population being in his desperate situation. At the same time , what percentage of the population are dying from preventable causes? And the headlines and focus is where? There are bigger things to beat the government with than this, as desperate as the plight is for those involved.

I haven’t watched the news tonight, so missed the member of the Tories or the coalition jumping up and down about this. Is that on I-player?

if labour are so good why didnt they get re elected again? why doesnt that nice mr brown show his face if hes nothing to hide?

look around yoof unemployment 52% in spain thats more than twice as bad as here..

it could be a lot worse than it is or going to be as most of the cuts havent even started yet..

half a million relying on food handouts.. give it a break.. thats the same number of people tesco serve in thier 20 biggest stores in a week.. NO way is that amount of food being given away..

So you think this is “without doubt an embarrassment” for us teamhurtmore ?

However the good news is that there’s plenty of even worse shit for us to worry about ?

I’m starting to feel better already. Thanks.

Good, I am glad you have got some perspective.

But yes it is embarassing that in a muture developed economy that people are reliant on foodbanks. It is a source of shame for sure. But there are equally far greater sources of shame that need urgent focus.

Best ignore half a million people now dependent on food handouts then. More good news for Cameron.

I actually know three people who use local food banks.
One is a batty pensioner who apparently spends all her pension on cat food.One is a smack head and the other is some fly by night dodgy geezer who is never out of the bookies.
Conclusive evidence that this is just a left wing/BBC/Church of England conspiracy.

Given that neither are true, it’s difficult to respond. good night!

0.796% of the UK population goes a food bank. It’s not at all nice or good – but compare this to the 1.6 million in Spain who have relied on handouts from the Red Cross:

Spain info

What we don’t know is how many of those relying on food banks do so because of poor budgeting. How many have multiple vehicles, Sky/Virgin etc for example? How many go to the pub or smoke? When I lived in Milton Keynes I knew a couple with 2 kids who regularly went to the food bank, yet they had a huge TV, several computers and consoles, both smoked and both went to the pub at least once a week.

That suggests to me that actually (based on what I saw), the issue isn’t evil Tories, but poor budgeting. And that suggests vouchers for food rather than cash benefit payments is the way forwards.

how dare poor people watch tv or smoke fags!

heres some more leftie scaremongering

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22623964

I think saying “it’s all Labour’s fault” is just another way of saying “we can’t/don’t know how to fix it”.

That’s fair. It’ll take a generation to recover from the hole the last lot dug for us. Expecting results in a couple of years is beyond optimistic.

5thElefant – Member

That’s fair. It’ll take a generation to recover from the hole the last lot dug for us. Expecting results in a couple of years is beyond optimistic.

just because you are a condem spin doctors dream doesnt mean that you cant see the current policies are making things worse

Oo, is this a game anyone can play?

I blame that Thatcher woman for bringing us down to this. The last lot were just doing their best to get us out of the hole she dug for us.

Or that MacMillan. What a git – if it wasn’t for him then we’d all be sticky and smelly in that land of milk and honey.

Don’t start me on Lloyd George/Winston Churchill or Disraeli! If it weren’t for them, rant rant moan moan.

just because you are a condem spin doctors dream doesnt mean that you cant see the current policies are making things worse

I doubt labours policies would have been any different. Not ending up like Greece or Spain is the best we can hope for. A return to the boom is a fantasy.

Do they really give out packets of onion rings and mince pies in food handouts? Or is that just a Telegraph ploy?

Millions of people in this country are already malnourished, but generally on 3000 calories a day.

As a member of the Conservative Policy Forum, my latest proposal is to install a treadmill in all council houses – if you walk 10 miles, it prints you a £10 Tesco voucher. Also, Sky could develop a new box which allows you to watch a Premiership game if you feed it half a packet of tabs. Take that, Polly Toynbee!

Not ending up like Greece or Spain is the best we can hope for.

really? so you actually believe that the only thing keeping us from turning into a greece/spain is dave and gideon?

if so you really are gullible

No, as I said, I believe labour would have followed the same policies.

I don’t think any party has any choice over what to do. Having no money has removed the luxury of choice.

Gullible is believing any party offers anything different to another. They just put different spin on the same strategies.

Labour and Tories… Two cheeks of the same butt.

I think we know what that makes Nick Clegg to be…

andyrm – Member

That suggests to me that actually (based on what I saw), the issue isn’t evil Tories, but poor budgeting.

You should tip off Oxfam concerning your important observation. I’m sure they will be fascinated to learn that the amount of people relying on food banks has trebled in the last 12 months because of a sudden and unexplained increase in poor budgeting skills.

It’s a bit like when there is any sort of economic crises people inexplicably suddenly get lazy and don’t want to work.

If only someone could figure out what causes these problems.

I think we know what that makes Nick Clegg to be…

😀