LBC Call: The Man too poor to eat
 

http://www.lbc.co.uk/heartbreaking-c...-to-eat-101623

This is obviously just one person on a radio call but it's pretty horrible to listen too. :(

Re: LBC Call: The Man too poor to eat
 

It's ok really Damien, we don't need foodbanks, if that man stopped spending his benefits of booze and fags he'd be fine, it's be hilarious if it wasn't so pitiful that this breaks as the lords refuse to save money on catering because the quality of champagne would suffer :(

Re: LBC Call: The Man too poor to eat
 

Sadly some people in this country close their eyes and pretend that these problems don't exist.

Re: LBC Call: The Man too poor to eat
 

I agree but for every person genuinely on the breadline, there seems to be 5 who are taking the **** and that makes the whole issue cloudy.

Re: LBC Call: The Man too poor to eat
 

The benefit system can be incredibly harsh and difficult for some people but a lot simpler and more generous for others. The guy on the radio exemplifies the plight of many single men who, when they hit hard times, find their needs come way down at the bottom of the system's list of priorities. Make him a female with children and he'd automatically qualify for housing, be getting child benefit etc. I believe this is largely why there are so many more men sleeping rough (as he was forced to do) than women.

For those living right on the edge who qualify for minimal help, it's easy to see how even a delay in their payments would be a very serious problem and quite possibly result in them becoming homeless and on a very slippery downwards slope. For others, the range of benefits (e.g. automatic or non-means tested) and support available to them would mitigate the temporary loss of a few of their payments.

I have every sympathy for this guy and all those like him who, through no fault of their own, find themselves in serious difficulties with no way out. For them, 'life on benefits' amounts to a stark and thoroughly miserable existence whilst for some at the other end of the spectrum it amounts to a lifestyle choice.

Re: LBC Call: The Man too poor to eat
 

Actually benefit fraud is a lot lower than you would imagine..but then you are talking perception here I suppose..I suspect that it's really for every 5 genuinely on the breadline there is one person extracting the urine.. ;)

Re: LBC Call: The Man too poor to eat
 

Indeed so :tu:

Re: LBC Call: The Man too poor to eat
 

aye the tories do that they hate the poor

Re: LBC Call: The Man too poor to eat
 

What, all 10,703,654 who voted Conservative in the 2010 General Election?

Re: LBC Call: The Man too poor to eat
 

I will tell you the hardest part of life. This Government does not give a damn about the poor guy on the radio.

And sadly, Radio stations live on sob stories like the guy. If its true, then l feel very sorry for him. But in true life. Cameron or Clegg is typical of the High life people.

Food banks are on the increase, We have emplpyers that are taking on staff at zero contracts, paying slave labour wages. Agencies make a mint out of the Unemployed, paying cheap wages.

The reason why people cannot get proper paid jobs, is because they are all taken by migrants that accept any job, as they can get more wages here than in the own country - and this isn't me having at dig, its the truth.

When we get recycling teams coming down our road - not one of them speak in English.
You get builders, not one speaks English.

You can no longer get a decent paid job in the UK, because the flood gates are open for all.

There are many organisations that say Supermarkets, fast food shops could easily give out of date food to the poor, or food banks.

I will never forget the day, l will was cleaning Bakers ovens at a Tesco store in the North of England, l had to walk past the waste bin area. And they were throwing baskets full of eatable food into the bin. And then l saw an OAP being walked away by police, as she stole a loaf of bread - Tesco's policy is, they always throw away food.

Yes, some companies are worried if that person gets food poison - BUT this is still food that can be eaten

When l was a kid, l used to wait at local markets, and wait for food being thrown away, take it home and we would eat it - l am still around 50 years later.

I read in a recent paper, that in the day of The Jarrow March, it was a Tory Coalition that caused the Hunger March due to a deep recession by the Conservatives at the time.

Its true the Tories HATE the poor. God help if they get in next year - they have already said they will make drastic cuts still

Re: LBC Call: The Man too poor to eat
 

Actually it isn't in terms of numbers, just because the percentage is low doesn't mean the figure is, just like with the underground ticket offices closing, only 5% of passengers used them but it still equates to many thousands of people a day. I'd rather deal with the actual figure rather than percentages, gives people a clearer view of how big or small a problem actually is.

---------- Post added at 00:41 ---------- Previous post was at 00:41 ----------

They were all poor?

Re: LBC Call: The Man too poor to eat
 

At worst most Tories have a different view in how to bring prosperity. This view isn't as 'fluffy' as many would wish and can go very, very wrong. This doesn't make them evil, and a case could be made for the approach.

Statism isn't the solution to every issue, even if it's a populist one a lot of the time.

Re: LBC Call: The Man too poor to eat
 

It is the perception and not the reality that will make people vote for a political party that will cut benefits and services for the poor and needy

Re: LBC Call: The Man too poor to eat
 

I don't accept that it is that simple. The reason that migrants can accept any job is more likely that they come over in a group and can save on accommodation costs etc. compared with one individual. Its more a breakdown of support within the family that's causes the problems.

Re: LBC Call: The Man too poor to eat
 

Here's an article that claims that foreign workers are used only because there are no UK workers for this particular skill (bricklaying):

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30390005

As usual, the reality is far more complex that the headline writers want you to believe: EU migrants steal all of our jobs, sizable minority of the poor are scroungers, etc.