Monday 8th December 2014

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adam
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by adam »

Favourite comment so far on the food bank article on the graun…
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LadyCentauria
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by LadyCentauria »

DonutHingeParty wrote:
refitman wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote:Just in case you thought our MPs and Lords are out of touch and pampered ... What was that about small state being better? Don't see why the state is providing subsidised bars to any of this lot - let alone bubbly.

And meanwhile the ever gobby David Mellor has the cheek to tell the Archbishop of Canterbury about religion and food ..
I assume he skipped the loaves & the fishes in bible class :toss: :smack:
To be fair, Numbers 11 is a pretty dick move by God - people whinge about being hungry, so he drops a cloud of quails on them, which they eat and then die.
And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this side, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth.
And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp.
And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague.
Make sure IDS isn't let anywhere near the food warehouses.
Quails from the sea ‽ What the heck were quail doing in the sea, anyway? Unless they were migrating and got knocked into the sea by this wind/hurricane/tornado, drowned, got picked up again and then dumped on the earth. Then people ate quail that had been lying dead on the ground for up to two days – having already been dashed into the sea and, um, marinated in brine for who knows how long. No wonder the people all got sick!
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giselle97
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by giselle97 »

Have you seen this one about Cameron and Twitter?

http://www.theguardian.com/media-networ ... l-campaign" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Happy to be called a Labour Party Tribalist as I don't consider it as an insult in the grand scheme of things!
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tinyclanger2
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by tinyclanger2 »

Are you wondering why 835,000 tweets have little impact on a prime minister’s job? That’s how many tweets had been posted as of 4 December – four weeks since the #CameronMustGo campaign began on 22 November, attempting to highlight government failings.
No, but I am wondering why the Guardian thinks that "more than a million" by 6 December should be reported as 835,000 on 4th December and that the time between 22 November and 4 December is "four weeks".
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ohsocynical
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by ohsocynical »

ephemerid wrote:
tinyclanger2 wrote:
Mr Snozers wrote:Having said that, the Bank of England comes to the rescue with a report that says if interest rates went up by 2% in thee years, only 480,000 households would struggle to maintain payments. So that's all right then.
I know I keep on about this, but more and more I think that the public schools have to go. It's the only explanation that springs to my mind for the complete absence of either humanity or reality that pervade (if an absence can pervade) the thinking of the modern British elite. I keep thinking of the episode of "the village" where the son is shot for desertion. The levelling effect of WW2 has clearly receded and we are really back much closer to where we started.

I agree with you, TC.

The "elites" know they are the top dogs before they even start. Their sense of entitlement seems to be imbibed with their mothers' milk.

They are told all their young lives that they are special and different and better than everyone else, and they believe it. No wonder when the rest of us have so little in comparison. They're born to rule, bred for success, and become a self-fulfilling prophecy when they end up in charge and assume that those who have nothing are just useless and have only themselves to blame for not being like them.

The days of "noblesse oblige" are long gone. The likes of Churchill and Macmillan at least had a sense of duty to the rest of us.
This new breed of Tories and aristos are not similarly encumbered.
Yes. :clap: I'd thank this a dozen times if I could.
We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office. – Aesop
AnatolyKasparov
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by AnatolyKasparov »

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:Morning!

In some ways Alexander is correct isn't he? He and Clegg always wanted to be Orange Book centre right old fashioned Liberals and if you ignore their increasingly disastrous "liberty" record that's pretty much where they are.

I still wonder where voters who in the past we would have labelled as "One Nation Tories" are and will be in May. Surely they can't be looking at UKIP, Greens or NATS. So maybe they don't really exist any more except among the over 65s, who Cameron and Osborne keep bribing to stay with them.
There are still a few of them about - my impression is that many are sticking with the Tories in the (probably vain) hope that things will get better after Cameron departs.
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PaulfromYorkshire
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by PaulfromYorkshire »

ohsocynical wrote:
ephemerid wrote:
tinyclanger2 wrote: I know I keep on about this, but more and more I think that the public schools have to go. It's the only explanation that springs to my mind for the complete absence of either humanity or reality that pervade (if an absence can pervade) the thinking of the modern British elite. I keep thinking of the episode of "the village" where the son is shot for desertion. The levelling effect of WW2 has clearly receded and we are really back much closer to where we started.

I agree with you, TC.

The "elites" know they are the top dogs before they even start. Their sense of entitlement seems to be imbibed with their mothers' milk.

They are told all their young lives that they are special and different and better than everyone else, and they believe it. No wonder when the rest of us have so little in comparison. They're born to rule, bred for success, and become a self-fulfilling prophecy when they end up in charge and assume that those who have nothing are just useless and have only themselves to blame for not being like them.

The days of "noblesse oblige" are long gone. The likes of Churchill and Macmillan at least had a sense of duty to the rest of us.
This new breed of Tories and aristos are not similarly encumbered.
Yes. :clap: I'd thank this a dozen times if I could.
I read a good piece on this by Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett in my paper copy New Statesman this morning. I can't see it on-line yet but one to watch for.

Also a thought provoking column from Will Self under his 'Madness of Crowds' banner on Blair hating.
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by PaulfromYorkshire »

This is one alongside bins that's not going to go down well I feel

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30378299" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Royal Mail on threat to 'universal service' deliveries
29 minutes ago
Royal Mail has claimed competitors in the UK's bigger cities cherry picking its business could harm the less profitable rural services.
And despite its modernisation programme, it said this means the universal service of a six-day-a-week service to all UK addresses is at risk.
But the Royal Mail's rivals reckon it's missing its own efficiency targets.
seeingclearly
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by seeingclearly »

As far as I can tell the Independent living Fund will close next year. They appeal failed.
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tinyclanger2
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by tinyclanger2 »

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:This is one alongside bins that's not going to go down well I feel

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30378299" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Royal Mail on threat to 'universal service' deliveries
29 minutes ago
Royal Mail has claimed competitors in the UK's bigger cities cherry picking its business could harm the less profitable rural services.
And despite its modernisation programme, it said this means the universal service of a six-day-a-week service to all UK addresses is at risk.
But the Royal Mail's rivals reckon it's missing its own efficiency targets.
Absolutely no-one with more than a tenth of a braincell saw that coming did they.
Last edited by tinyclanger2 on Mon 08 Dec, 2014 12:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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HindleA
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by HindleA »

Nigel Mills playing CandyCrush for some hours on a taxpayer funded computer during a meeting,my councillor is the PPC for Labour in Amber Valley I hope voters take note.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/to ... ht-4766665" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Last edited by HindleA on Mon 08 Dec, 2014 1:42 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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TheGrimSqueaker
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by TheGrimSqueaker »

tinyclanger2 wrote:
Are you wondering why 835,000 tweets have little impact on a prime minister’s job? That’s how many tweets had been posted as of 4 December – four weeks since the #CameronMustGo campaign began on 22 November, attempting to highlight government failings.
No, but I am wondering why the Guardian thinks that "more than a million" by 6 December should be reported as 835,000 on 4th December and that the time between 22 November and 4 December is "four weeks".
The fact that they do says much for the quality of (what passes for) journalism in the Guardian these days. :wall:
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by HindleA »

April '13-March 14 918,600 JSA sanctions.
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rebeccariots2
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by rebeccariots2 »

seeingclearly wrote:As far as I can tell the Independent living Fund will close next year. They appeal failed.
That is just awfully depressing. They really are determined to take a hatchet to all that is good and gives people some dignity and quality of life - and actually works.
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by HindleA »

rebeccariots2 wrote:
seeingclearly wrote:As far as I can tell the Independent living Fund will close next year. They appeal failed.
That is just awfully depressing. They really are determined to take a hatchet to all that is good and gives people some dignity and quality of life - and actually works.

Also a false economy,they know it will cost jobs.I suspect I'm far from alone in fearing what would happen if I wasn't around such decisions,given they assiduously avoided the ringfenced option,only add to that fear/worry.
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rebeccariots2
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by rebeccariots2 »

George Eaton @georgeeaton · Dec 7
Three biggest UK political figures outside Westminster (Boris, Farage and Salmond) all now hoping to enter.
A little wish for the New Year ... that none of them get elected. I know, I know, - probably a pipe dream, but a pleasant pipe dream nevertheless.
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by rebeccariots2 »

Rob Merrick @Rob_Merrick · 8m 8 minutes ago
No Government minister willing to talk to #wato about devastating picture of hungry Britain in #FeedingBritain report....
The World at One @BBCWorldatOne · 12m 12 minutes ago
We asked Downing St, Cabinet Office & Department for Work and Pensions for an interview about #foodbanks but no-one would speak to us. #wato
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rebeccariots2
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by rebeccariots2 »

Chris Bryant @ChrisBryantMP · 4h 4 hours ago
Fancy supporting #CameronMustGo ? The Rhondda Labour Party is looking for a part-time organiser for #GE2015. http://tinyurl.com/mxd6xgd" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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tinyclanger2
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by tinyclanger2 »

rebeccariots2 wrote:
George Eaton @georgeeaton · Dec 7
Three biggest UK political figures outside Westminster (Boris, Farage and Salmond) all now hoping to enter.
A little wish for the New Year ... that none of them get elected. I know, I know, - probably a pipe dream, but a pleasant pipe dream nevertheless.
Johnson - Eton Oxford - Cameron's 8th or 12th (or somethingth) cousin
Farage - (Huguenot ancestry) - Dulwich College and the City
Salmond - St Andrews

(Compare with list of newspaper editors and owners the other day).

The vast majority of the country is not represented in either politics or the press.
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HindleA
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by HindleA »

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Rob Merrick @Rob_Merrick · 8m 8 minutes ago
No Government minister willing to talk to #wato about devastating picture of hungry Britain in #FeedingBritain report....
The World at One @BBCWorldatOne · 12m 12 minutes ago
We asked Downing St, Cabinet Office & Department for Work and Pensions for an interview about #foodbanks but no-one would speak to us. #wato

Too busy playing computer games
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rebeccariots2
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by rebeccariots2 »

The media giant, the cleaners and the £40,000 lost wages
The case of 35 unpaid cleaning staff at Saatchi & Saatchi’s Soho office highlights the plight of low-income workers

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014 ... es-low-pay
This is so disgraceful and unjust ... it makes me furious.
Consolidated Office Cleaning Limited (COC) won the tender for cleaning the Saatchi offices in London’s Soho five years ago, competing against four other companies. In September, HM Revenue & Customs initiated court action because the company owed more than £760,000 in unpaid tax and VAT. COC continued to invoice Saatchi for cleaning and when cleaners’ wages weren’t paid in October for the previous four weeks, COC told the cleaners this was a temporary situation caused by moving from one bank to another.

In November, COC began the process of voluntary liquidation – without informing the cleaners, who continued to do their jobs, still without payment. Some were forced to walk miles from home to work because they could no longer afford fares. One woman had to pay £5 a day on fees for a £700 overdraft. On 11 November, the cleaners organised a protest at Saatchi. “The staff organise to raise money for Africa, but for them we are invisible,” one cleaner says.
And of course they didn't have the money to pay for an employment tribunal ... a new barrier to justice put in place by this coalition. An anonymous donor has just come forward apparently.
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by tinyclanger2 »

13.32

#FeedingBritain trending in UK at #2 with 554 tweets in c. 3 hours
#CMG not trending but with 2062 tweets in same time period

understand things cannot trend for a long time due to algorithm (thanks for that info) but just so we know CMG still v active
Last edited by tinyclanger2 on Mon 08 Dec, 2014 1:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by HindleA »

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... CMP=twt_gu" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"Food banks don't solve food poverty.The UK shouldn't institutionalise them."
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tinyclanger2
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by tinyclanger2 »

HindleA wrote:http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... CMP=twt_gu

"Food banks don't solve food poverty.The UK shouldn't institutionalise them."
Yeah and:

"Putting a bunch of out of touch sociopaths in charge of the country doesn't solve anything. The UK shouldn't do it."
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Willow904
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by Willow904 »

giselle97 wrote:Have you seen this one about Cameron and Twitter?

http://www.theguardian.com/media-networ ... l-campaign" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Why do the media keep wasting entire articles on something they are convinced is meaningless?
But perhaps more revealing was that it was nowhere to be seen in Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Belfast or Bristol.
I have a Bristol postcode. I appreciate I can't trend on my own but I resent the implication that my part of the world doesn't care if Cameron carries on hammering the poor or not. Are all these articles a bit weirdly passive-aggressive or is it just me? "Social media's great! - but not when people we don't agree with use it, then it's a pointless waste of time!" Journalists are chumps, basically. #CameronMustGo has been a huge morale boost for those on the left, it's put them in touch with like-minded people and Labour are, in fact tapping into it. They are using the hashtags and they're using the opportunity twitter provides to make it extremely easy for anyone who wants to donate to Labour or volunteer their time. I notice not one of these anti#CameronMustGo articles have ever mentioned the enormous amount of specific information and links that have been attached to this hashtag - it's a veritable library of all the things this government has got up to.
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citizenJA
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by citizenJA »

tinyclanger2 wrote:It's almost like the Tory focus has shifted simply from getting us to hate each other to help them achieve their self-serving ends, to simply getting us to hate each other for their entertainment.

The likes of Big Brother (sensu de Mol not Orwell) are at the heart of this resurgence in gladiatorial mentality.
Well said, my friend.

I love you, people, my friends, here especially is a good place. It's usually easy to love my friends here.

I love you, people, my friends, aren't just words I write. It's work. I have to work to remember I will love, I won't hate or worse, become indifferent. I work to remember to love friends I don't like very much at all. As much as I love all my friends, I'll not vote for some of them or support their policies, I'll not sit still or remain quiet when what is said or done causes harm to people, life & land.

We all come from a lot of different places not merely geographical. We may not all agree with each other on some issues - sometime on issues of significance. Good, I say, I continue to love you. That's a good life, that's democracy, citizen engagement, community cooperation. We hold together or we break our society & it all falls apart.

Everyone falls when we don't maintain our society infrastructure; including those currently holding resources that can act as a buffer against reality for too many suffering friends in this country alone. Ultimately, some material assets can't save individuals or little groups if they fail to cooperate. What happens to people elsewhere can happen to me - literally.

Find the common ground, find together what we can agree upon & please have patience with others - more importantly, first have patience with yourself. None of us are perfect but you have my word I'll not fall upon that as an excuse to not fulfil my potential.

Help others fulfil their potential - it's in my best interests to support everyone to achieve their best. I can't make society good on my own - no one can no matter how well-intentioned.

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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by ohsocynical »

Rebecca wrote:Re the 'some poor people can't cook' thing.
Well,this is true.And some people who are not poor cannot cook,but can afford not to be able to.
When I was a health visitor in Tower Hamlets ,going back to the late 80s,this problem wasn't so pronounced,though this maybe because of the high bengali population,also small pockets of vietnamese.There was terrible poverty,but the children were fed on (delicious) home cooking.Simply walking down the streets made me feel hungry.
Move on to the 2000s in Sunderland.I was astounded by the number of families who could not cook,and had no cooking skills to pass coo down to their children,which was people learnt to cook when I was a kid.
Yet my kids at school had cookery,food tech it was called.They made apple pie one day.With ready rolled pastry and apple pie filling.NO basic skills required.
So.not poor bashing,but having the knowledge to put together a cheap and nutritious meal would help.And I don't think it helps to get offended by the idea that people can't cook,but to do something about it.Though god knows what fresh ingredients would be found at a foodbank.
Eldest granddaughter had the same experience with 'Food Technology'. Came home and said they would be having cooking lessons but it was putting together store bought stuff and zapping it in the microwave. And that didn't last.
Youngest granddaughter is at the same school, and now they are teaching basic cooking and baking, but it's after school. So is technically a baking club. She also has after school sewing club.
When I was at school we had a whole day of cookery and half a day at sewing.
After 70 years, I can honestly say in terms of being daughter, wife, mother and now grandmother, those two skills have been the most useful.
Yes I picked up a lot from my mother and grandmother who lived with us, but I learnt a lot at school and that was where made my first Christmas cake and bread.
I must have saved a fortune over the years.
It was extra tiring when I was working - but a woman's work - :roll: :D
We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office. – Aesop
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rebeccariots2
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by rebeccariots2 »

Such A Heartbreaking Call: The Man Too Poor To Eat
http://audioboom.com/boos/2713731-such- ... oor-to-eat
James O'Brien retweeted
David Lammy @DavidLammy · 3h 3 hours ago
Heartbreaking on @LBC just now with @mrjamesob. Listening to a grown man cry because he desperately want a job. Hope Osborne was listening.
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citizenJA
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by citizenJA »

Willow904 wrote:
giselle97 wrote:Have you seen this one about Cameron and Twitter?

http://www.theguardian.com/media-networ ... l-campaign" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Why do the media keep wasting entire articles on something they are convinced is meaningless?
But perhaps more revealing was that it was nowhere to be seen in Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Belfast or Bristol.
I have a Bristol postcode. I appreciate I can't trend on my own but I resent the implication that my part of the world doesn't care if Cameron carries on hammering the poor or not. Are all these articles a bit weirdly passive-aggressive or is it just me? "Social media's great! - but not when people we don't agree with use it, then it's a pointless waste of time!" Journalists are chumps, basically. #CameronMustGo has been a huge morale boost for those on the left, it's put them in touch with like-minded people and Labour are, in fact tapping into it. They are using the hashtags and they're using the opportunity twitter provides to make it extremely easy for anyone who wants to donate to Labour or volunteer their time. I notice not one of these anti#CameronMustGo articles have ever mentioned the enormous amount of specific information and links that have been attached to this hashtag - it's a veritable library of all the things this government has got up to.
Jeepers, Willow, you're a good writer. I've never read a bad Willow post. It's not because I agree with you all the time, though most of the time, I do. You communicate information beautifully.
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by Willow904 »

HindleA wrote:http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... CMP=twt_gu

"Food banks don't solve food poverty.The UK shouldn't institutionalise them."
I wonder how many people, like me, would refuse to donate if foodbanks ever became anything other than a completely charitable effort run by church volunteers. Even the more professional upper echelons of the Trussell Trust leave me a little uneasy.

The foodbank that closed in Nottingham because it felt it was being used by the council to save on welfare is to be commended in my opinion. These people volunteered their time to help the homeless and needy, not to do the DWP's job for them for free.
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seeingclearly
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by seeingclearly »

Beeb link to the ILF decision. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30374254" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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rebeccariots2
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by rebeccariots2 »

Willow904 wrote:
HindleA wrote:http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... CMP=twt_gu

"Food banks don't solve food poverty.The UK shouldn't institutionalise them."
I wonder how many people, like me, would refuse to donate if foodbanks ever became anything other than a completely charitable effort run by church volunteers. Even the more professional upper echelons of the Trussell Trust leave me a little uneasy.

The foodbank that closed in Nottingham because it felt it was being used by the council to save on welfare is to be commended in my opinion. These people volunteered their time to help the homeless and needy, not to do the DWP's job for them for free.
I would stop contributing too in those circumstances. I don't want food banks to become the norm ... the expectation ... how it is ... the first port of call because it is the only port of call. It allows the state to have a bloody great big hole in their safety net ... with no remorse.

I've felt quite angry at the the way today's narrative on food banks and poverty has been so diverted by the media to the waste from supermarkets and how much more they should be doing to redistribute ... yes, they should ... but the main issue here is the increasing poverty being experienced, the inability of working people to be able to afford to put food on their tables, let alone actually 'live' in the fullest sense of the word.
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by ohsocynical »

Should have said of course that in those long ago days we didn't have convenience foods. If we couldn't put a meal together from scratch, we starved.
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by Willow904 »

Timms said there has been a tenfold increase in the amount of money saved from benefits being withheld through sanctions between 2010 and October 2012. In October 2012 the sanctions regime became even tougher, and the Department for Work and Pensions stopped publishing these figures, he said. He also said he was “very critical” of the way the DWP had responded to the report. There was “no doubt” that its policies were “a major cause” of food poverty, he said.
From Andrew Sparrow's lunchtime summary. Is it just me or is this incredibly damning?
"Fall seven times, get up eight" - Japanese proverb
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rebeccariots2
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by rebeccariots2 »

Please follow the link through ...
James O'Brien retweeted
ARTIST TAXI DRIVER @chunkymark · 28m 28 minutes ago
Just want you to know @mrjamesob as that man was crying this morning just a short drive away this was happening
and if you haven't listened to the man crying because he can't find a job and feed himself (LBC call to James O'Brien) that Artist Taxi Driver is referring to ...

here's that link again
LBC @LBC · 2h 2 hours ago
This emotional call from a man too poor to eat is just heartbreaking http://l-bc.co/yyXMuw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; @mrjamesob
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by citizenJA »

rebeccariots2 wrote:Such A Heartbreaking Call: The Man Too Poor To Eat
http://audioboom.com/boos/2713731-such- ... oor-to-eat
James O'Brien retweeted
David Lammy @DavidLammy · 3h 3 hours ago
Heartbreaking on @LBC just now with @mrjamesob. Listening to a grown man cry because he desperately want a job. Hope Osborne was listening.
That thirty-five year old man made redundant - lost everything - just wants an opportunity, doesn't want charity. He wants to work. A message in a bottle, that, people have to know the truth, he said, weeping - government doesn't give people enough when they need help, not enough to eat properly, live decently.

I don't know the radio interviewer. I like the radio interviewer's words at the end, a kind human being, a real person.
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by rebeccariots2 »

Willow904 wrote:
Timms said there has been a tenfold increase in the amount of money saved from benefits being withheld through sanctions between 2010 and October 2012. In October 2012 the sanctions regime became even tougher, and the Department for Work and Pensions stopped publishing these figures, he said. He also said he was “very critical” of the way the DWP had responded to the report. There was “no doubt” that its policies were “a major cause” of food poverty, he said.
From Andrew Sparrow's lunchtime summary. Is it just me or is this incredibly damning?
No, it's not just you - it's damning alright. But nothing seems to happen to this government as a result of exposure of their cruelties - they are not capable of being shamed - utterly impervious. I'm just praying there is a seething mass of disgust within the electorate that is going to show them what they really think of such measures come May 7th 2015.
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by ohsocynical »

Willow904 wrote:
HindleA wrote:http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... CMP=twt_gu

"Food banks don't solve food poverty.The UK shouldn't institutionalise them."
I wonder how many people, like me, would refuse to donate if foodbanks ever became anything other than a completely charitable effort run by church volunteers. Even the more professional upper echelons of the Trussell Trust leave me a little uneasy.

The foodbank that closed in Nottingham because it felt it was being used by the council to save on welfare is to be commended in my opinion. These people volunteered their time to help the homeless and needy, not to do the DWP's job for them for free.
I hope I never have to make that decision. How could I turn my back and see children starve which is what would happen. I know they are modelling our Social Security on the American model and food banks are classed as income when money is allocated to the equivalent of our councils.
As it is when I take my donation, Mr Ohso has to tell me to keep my mouth shut, because it's a wealthy charismatic church that runs our local food bank and I always get the feeling there's a little bit of do-goodery about it. Sort of storing up points for when they get to heaven and I get the strongest feeling a lot of them still vote Conservative.

What can you do when people are in need and the State has stepped back which is what they depended on when they came up with their evil cuts. They know there would be enough people who couldn't turn their backs.

It stinks. The whole sorry kit and kaboodle
Last edited by ohsocynical on Mon 08 Dec, 2014 2:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by LadyCentauria »

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Rob Merrick @Rob_Merrick · 8m 8 minutes ago
No Government minister willing to talk to #wato about devastating picture of hungry Britain in #FeedingBritain report....
The World at One @BBCWorldatOne · 12m 12 minutes ago
We asked Downing St, Cabinet Office & Department for Work and Pensions for an interview about #foodbanks but no-one would speak to us. #wato
Not surprised, sadly... However, IDS and his team will – or should – be in for some tough questions during Live Work & Pensions Questions at 2.30pm on BBC Parliament and Parliament Live. (For those who cannot watch live transmissions, it will be available afterwards on iPlayer and via http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Live.aspx.)

In the Lords this afternoon, the third question will be:
*Baroness Pitkeathley
to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any recent assessment of the financial contribution of unpaid carers to the national economy.
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by citizenJA »

Willow904 wrote:
HindleA wrote:http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... CMP=twt_gu

"Food banks don't solve food poverty.The UK shouldn't institutionalise them."
I wonder how many people, like me, would refuse to donate if foodbanks ever became anything other than a completely charitable effort run by church volunteers. Even the more professional upper echelons of the Trussell Trust leave me a little uneasy.

The foodbank that closed in Nottingham because it felt it was being used by the council to save on welfare is to be commended in my opinion. These people volunteered their time to help the homeless and needy, not to do the DWP's job for them for free.
(my bold)

Exactly!
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by TheGrimSqueaker »

LadyCentauria wrote:Not surprised, sadly... However, IDS and his team will – or should – be in for some tough questions during Live Work & Pensions Questions at 2.30pm on BBC Parliament and Parliament Live. (For those who cannot watch live transmissions, it will be available afterwards on iPlayer and via http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Live.aspx.)

In the Lords this afternoon, the third question will be:
*Baroness Pitkeathley
to ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any recent assessment of the financial contribution of unpaid carers to the national economy.
Surely The Sparrow will be liveblogging it ..... sorry, can't keep a straight face! :rofl:
COWER BRIEF MORTALS. HO. HO. HO.
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by citizenJA »

HindleA wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote:
Rob Merrick @Rob_Merrick · 8m 8 minutes ago
No Government minister willing to talk to #wato about devastating picture of hungry Britain in #FeedingBritain report....
The World at One @BBCWorldatOne · 12m 12 minutes ago
We asked Downing St, Cabinet Office & Department for Work and Pensions for an interview about #foodbanks but no-one would speak to us. #wato

Too busy playing computer games
Oh, do they realise what they've done? Disgrace. All that power & what have current government done with it? Disgraceful.
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by PorFavor »

HindleA wrote:
rebeccariots2 wrote:
Rob Merrick @Rob_Merrick · 8m 8 minutes ago
No Government minister willing to talk to #wato about devastating picture of hungry Britain in #FeedingBritain report....
The World at One @BBCWorldatOne · 12m 12 minutes ago
We asked Downing St, Cabinet Office & Department for Work and Pensions for an interview about #foodbanks but no-one would speak to us. #wato

Too busy playing computer games
Assuming that "no-one would speak to us" is a verbatim quote, it's damning. It's a bit different from the usual "no-one was available" (however loaded that latter may be in intent).


Good afternoon, everyone.
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by tinyclanger2 »

Willow904 wrote:
giselle97 wrote:Have you seen this one about Cameron and Twitter?

http://www.theguardian.com/media-networ ... l-campaign" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Why do the media keep wasting entire articles on something they are convinced is meaningless?
But perhaps more revealing was that it was nowhere to be seen in Manchester, Birmingham, Liverpool, Edinburgh, Belfast or Bristol.
I have a Bristol postcode. I appreciate I can't trend on my own but I resent the implication that my part of the world doesn't care if Cameron carries on hammering the poor or not. Are all these articles a bit weirdly passive-aggressive or is it just me? "Social media's great! - but not when people we don't agree with use it, then it's a pointless waste of time!" Journalists are chumps, basically. #CameronMustGo has been a huge morale boost for those on the left, it's put them in touch with like-minded people and Labour are, in fact tapping into it. They are using the hashtags and they're using the opportunity twitter provides to make it extremely easy for anyone who wants to donate to Labour or volunteer their time. I notice not one of these anti#CameronMustGo articles have ever mentioned the enormous amount of specific information and links that have been attached to this hashtag - it's a veritable library of all the things this government has got up to.
http://www.rt.com/uk/210983-cameron-uk-must-go/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
willow - the map at the bottom of this seems to suggest a diiferent story from the G
LET'S FACE IT I'M JUST 'KIN' SEETHIN'
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by LadyCentauria »

rebeccariots2 wrote:Such A Heartbreaking Call: The Man Too Poor To Eat
http://audioboom.com/boos/2713731-such- ... oor-to-eat
James O'Brien retweeted
David Lammy @DavidLammy · 3h 3 hours ago
Heartbreaking on @LBC just now with @mrjamesob. Listening to a grown man cry because he desperately want a job. Hope Osborne was listening.
Thank you for finding that, RR2! The first hour of his programme was him at his very best and I spent much of it in tears. It then took him and his team more than ten minutes into the next hour (and that after the ads, news, more ads, on the hour) to persuade people to clear the phone lines for the next topic because the screens were full and every time a line came free (and they have many, many, many lines on that system!) it was filled by yet another person offering help.

Seriously, Mike is far more typical of someone struggling with unemployment than any of the misguided/easily-misled people who populate the claimant-bashing shock tv programmes and newspapers. He is one of the many trying as hard as they can to hold on to the threads of his dignity even as the ignorant and callous hack away at it.

Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way...
...and the Scottish, Welsh, Irish, Cornish, Yorkshire, human...
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by HindleA »

The police have dropped charges against the "Freedom Riders"

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/re ... el-3897425" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by HindleA »

To pretend food poverty isn't political is just crass IMHO,but what do when obvious forseen consequences of Government policy are denied by them?Serious question.
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by ohsocynical »

rebeccariots2 wrote:
Willow904 wrote:
HindleA wrote:http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfre ... CMP=twt_gu

"Food banks don't solve food poverty.The UK shouldn't institutionalise them."
I wonder how many people, like me, would refuse to donate if foodbanks ever became anything other than a completely charitable effort run by church volunteers. Even the more professional upper echelons of the Trussell Trust leave me a little uneasy.

The foodbank that closed in Nottingham because it felt it was being used by the council to save on welfare is to be commended in my opinion. These people volunteered their time to help the homeless and needy, not to do the DWP's job for them for free.
I would stop contributing too in those circumstances. I don't want food banks to become the norm ... the expectation ... how it is ... the first port of call because it is the only port of call. It allows the state to have a bloody great big hole in their safety net ... with no remorse.

I've felt quite angry at the the way today's narrative on food banks and poverty has been so diverted by the media to the waste from supermarkets and how much more they should be doing to redistribute ... yes, they should ... but the main issue here is the increasing poverty being experienced, the inability of working people to be able to afford to put food on their tables, let alone actually 'live' in the fullest sense of the word.
I fear it's gone too far already. We should have refused from the start.
We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office. – Aesop
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by LadyCentauria »

One of the Work & Pensions Questions was about youth unemployment and, naturally, the Ministers and SoS (IDS) told us how wonderful things are. It set me looking for the answer to my own question of what effect the raising of the Participation Age (used to be School-leaving age) has had. I found this report http://www.bath.ac.uk/ipr/our-publicati ... yment.html from the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Bath (March 2014):
...we are seeing a sustained fall in the numbers of 16-17 year olds who are NEET (not in education, employment or training); down to just 4.5% in the period October to December 2013, which covers the new commitment for the start of the academic year. In general, there has been a welcome decline in NEEThood, from a peak in the middle of 2011, because young people have delayed leaving education. The knock-on effect of this is the appearance of lower unemployment. Whilst those in education can be actively seeking work, and therefore counted as unemployed, they are far less likely to do so when compared to those out of work after leaving school. The unemployment imbalance would look far worse but for the increase in education participation.
(My bold)
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Re: Monday 8th December 2014

Post by ohsocynical »

Future of Circuit Lane surgery more certain

Published: 5 Dec 2014 22:150 comments

Four of the five family doctors whose mass resignations placed the future of a surgery in doubt have pledged to stay, it has been revealed at a meeting tonight.
Patients were told that after Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust stepped in to become interim provider, four of the five GP's have decided to continue to practice.
More than 100 people turned up for the meeting at Southcote Primary School on Friday night to find out the future of Circuit Lane Surgery.
The Trust will be taking over the surgery on February 1 next year to bridge the gap before a permanent provider is found.
It has also declared an interest in becoming the long term provider of services for the1400 patients.
Dr Horne, Dr Jarman, Dr Garside and Dr Adams have all agreed to continue to practice.
Matthew Tait, Director for the Thames Valley region at NHS England provided an outline of what NHS England had done so far in the commissioning process and provided an overview of the timetable for securing a long-term provider for the surgery.
In September the five doctors told NHS England they were all resigning and would not be renewing its contract as of January 31, 2015.
The mass resignation prompted fierce debate over the future of who should provide family practice care in the Southcote area.

http://www.readingchronicle.co.uk/news/ ... e-certain/
Posted the whole thing because you get irritating pop up surveys when you go to the web page.
We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office. – Aesop
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