Child poverty +

[Dave H]

I find it hard to take that in a 1st world country as rich as we are childrens poverty is over 2 million and soon will get worse , ten times more food banks since Cameron took over and will get worse. This week the disabled in their wheelchairs protesting of cuts were in the parliament building. I have never under any government seen so much cruelty where these people have to march on parliament.

 

The figures were put to Cameron and he totally dismissed it with his usual arrogance and non feeling. Who would believe he has a handicapped kid himself?

 

 

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Whether rich or poor we should be ashamed of such actions to hit the needy no matter who you support on both sides of the house.

[snakey1]

Ah the "relative" poverty bit again

[Steve Walker]

The figures are 2.3 million children living in families which have less than 60% of the average household income before housing costs.

 

It's a statement about inequality of income distribution. That is something as a society we should discuss, but defining it as "poverty" is begging the question.

 

Using this definition of poverty, what would happen to the number of children in poverty if we doubled the state pension?

[Steve Burke]

The current definition of poverty just highlights why the civil servants and politicians who framed it don't understand basic maths.

 

By this definition even if the entire country were immediately 10x richer they'd still be 2.3million children in poverty!

 

It's high time the definition was changed to something that more accurately reflects the situation.

[kirisute]

well working on a rough average household income of 2 adults with 1 child (42,000)

60% of that is 25200 ish

that would put my missus and I virtually on the poverty line if we had a child.

I live comfortably well: I don't drink or smoke, I have some minor debt and credit

 

maybe if the people that come out with these figures actually looked at real figures instead of making them up from something based in London then "poverty" might get defined somewhat differently!

im not saying there are people out there that genuinely need help...but the definition of "poverty" vastly differs from reality to the spin we hear in the media

[Vagabond]

The current definition of poverty just highlights why the civil servants and politicians who framed it don't understand basic maths.

Right. Another piece of genius is the statement that "half the children in our schools are below average performers"

[Dave H]

You can work child poverty however you like but the fact is there are more kids in poverty now because if you cut benefits many will fall into that catagory and this lot have been cutting benefits for 5 years and it will continue.

 

This govt stated that by 2020 child poverty will be wiped out and that was a legal promise so doing all these cuts is not aiming towards it is it and thats because in 2015 or even when it was said they already knew that it was just not possible and i hope in 2019 this govt will be legally held to their promise and voted out of power

 

The saddest fact of all is a friend of my wife works for childline and the amount of sexual and physical abuse to children in two years has doubled and that is partly to do with a increase in poverty and from someone who is on the frontline that is a real fact not crap you get fed by the govt.

 

Our nation as a whole is deviding more so than in any other time since the victorian era to a gulf between rich and poor and yes the economy might get better like it did in the industrial revolution but who were the real people driving the economy it was the working class working 18 hours a day for peanuts and its heading that way again for sure.

I care for this country as i have fought for it and seen some die for it including relatives in past wars and you can argue on whether immigration is just how the world is evolving but child poverty in this country should be a thing of the past and it is not acceptable ( i think Cameron said something similar )

[chesters1]

what is poverty is it based on victorian standards when 40% of kids died before 5 ,most went without meals in the day and shared shoes (one foot a plimsole the other a high heel then vice versa the other day?

i can remember going without meals and certainly nothing at dinnertime and my shoes holes had holes and that was the fifties

 

my kids got the christmas list toys but two years later and usually second hand ,they at times didnt starve but food was short

 

is poverty today only owning an playstation 3 ,just a 32" tv and only one pizza at dinnertime each?

 

we often note wandering around sainsburies how cheaps kids clothes are and there was no primark when we raiswd ours ,some people dont know what hard living is ,probably the tyical mother is blaming everyone else whilst smoking her fags and supping on her white lightning and crying she cant buy the brat the xbox it deserves so it doesnt get some "ism" or brain tumor because all the other kids have one and hers may get bullied

Edited June 25, 2015 by chesters1

[chesters1]

Right. Another piece of genius is the statement that "half the children in our schools are below average performers"

perhaps that could be put as half the kids are not taught well enough ,in my day there were rouges that spoilt it for everyone else but despite that we learned to spel and writ and spook proper ,you see some posts on youtube and its pre school stuff being posted.

i am certainly not perfect and i prefered history and chemistry to english and maths but we got punished if we larked about to much

and its not just schools either some of the writing and reasoning in british students doing electronics was staggeringly bad ,i guess rather than real general knowledge exams modern kids are taught answers ,once the questions change it all falls apart

Edited June 25, 2015 by chesters1

[Ken L]

"Poverty" is a useless term.

Having a household income that is less than 60% of the median does not denote poverty in any meaningful way.

There are of course families in this country where the children are experiencing very real hardship but often this is due to parents who prioritise their drugs, drink, gambling, swanky mobile phone, sky sports package or whatever over the health and wellbeing of their children.

Even if we exclude the bad parents, there are still some folks that are in a desperate situation.

The problem is how to help the latter group without giving the parasites yet another handout and how do you coerce the bad parents into better managing their lives - taking their kids of them might be a good start.