General Election 2015

[Herr Tubthumper]

This is bitter nonsense. Unless you live and work in somewhere like the City of London, the area you live in is probably being subsidised by another. It's how functioning nations work - the areas with high concentrations of economic activity transfer funding to those with low concentrations. If you really want to end that I hope that you've got a very well paid job in Hove working for a local company that doesn't require any inputs from anywhere else in the country...

This. WellQuick's post was so ill-informed and I wasn't sure weather to reply, roll my eyes or put my head in my hands.

 

[Silk]

A little bit of education for you 2/3 of the population are overweight (as per this Guardian article)

http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/feb/04/two-thirds-adults-overweight-england-public-health

The actual real problem the (majority of this) country faces is people actually being over weight rather than underweight......including those people like White Dee (the man whom is 45 but is so fat he needs to have a motor scooter) and whose sole source of income is state benefits.

Tell me why can you get gastric band surgery on the NHS? (with a waiting list). Is this not absurd if what you believe is right? On the one hand people are going hungry but on the other hand people are having surgery on the NHS to try and reduce weight?

Are you really saying "some people are overweight, so it's OK we have thousands relying on food banks"? I utterly fail to see your point. Yes, some people are lazy, and your point is what?

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I think that was because for once no one clapped after he finished a speech....it certainly was not a biased audience, but there were NO supporters of UKIP there, contrary to the debate you hear on the streets and in local media.

I disagree. There was some clapping of his statements early in the show. But as the show progressed he started to lose his argument and shot himself in the foot. I presume his own supporters grew frustrated with him.

 

[Silk]

So why don't the people whom can't afford to feed their families take the piss out of the benefit system like White Dee does?

I look at the picture of White Dee and I do not think here is a starving person. Do you?

So YOU'RE saying that people who are struggling to eat should take the piss more.

All this thread proves is this country needs to invest more in the education system.

 

[Bold Seagull]

So why don't the people whom can't afford to feed their families take the piss out of the benefit system like White Dee does?

I look at the picture of White Dee and I do not think here is a starving person. Do you?

What is your point?

Are you suggesting we means test people on their health? Actually it's not a bad idea, but definitely going toward a Nanny State. Perhaps you can only get your benefit if you attend Fit Camp in the local park at least 2 mornings per week? For every pound you lose you get an extra £1 back! Genius!!

 

[Nibble]

So why don't the people whom can't afford to feed their families take the piss out of the benefit system like White Dee does?

I look at the picture of White Dee and I do not think here is a starving person. Do you?

No, she's a woman whose lived her life on Greggs and Iceland "food". In itself that is a societal problem. Cheap, nutritionally poor food people who lack education and money eat.

If you're asking do I think poor people should spend taxpayers money on cigarettes? No, probably not. But I don't think rich people should spend taxpayers money on themselves or spend their unpaid tax funding the Tory party. I know which damages the country more.

You are confused and have been duped.

 

[Bold Seagull]

No, she's a woman whose lived her life on Greggs and Iceland "food". In itself that is a societal problem. Cheap, nutritionally poor food people who lack education and money eat.

I've already said that to him a couple of pages back but he didn't get back to me...

Cheap food is fattening innit. Pizza's 79p each, nuggets, sausages, burgers, crips, all cheap as chips, and chips are as cheap as chips. Cheese is cheap as chips too. I've seen rich people obese too, but their's is mainly fine cuts of steak, Bollinger champagne, soufflé, and After Eight Mints....its wafer thin!

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

No, she's a woman whose lived her life on Greggs and Iceland "food". In itself that is a societal problem. Cheap, nutritionally poor food people who lack education and money eat.

If you're asking do I think poor people should spend taxpayers money on cigarettes? No, probably not. But I don't think rich people should spend taxpayers money on themselves or spend their unpaid tax funding the Tory party. I know which damages the country more.

You are confused and have been duped.

I read an article recently about how ridiculously cheap some food is. If you're skint, and can feed your family for few quid at a Chicken Cottage, what you going to do?

 

[Nibble]

I read an article recently about how ridiculously cheap some food is. If you're skint, and can feed your family for few quid at a Chicken Cottage, what you going to do?

Exactly. If you are poor and you can buy salad and some fruit for £5 or a basketful of pizza, nuggets etc that will keep your kids full ( in a very unhealthy way sadly) for the weekend you don't really have the choice.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Just been talking to someone involved in the expat vote, apparently the ex-pat vote is fast approaching 100,000.

 

[sten_super]

You have not heard of the Barnet Formula then? The one that guarantees higher public spending in certain regions than others? The formula which its own author now says was a mistaken policy?

The Barnett formula is pretty problematic, but I suspect not for the reasons you think. The biggest problem is that the initial implementation was done using incorrect estimates of population, which has lead to the current situation where government spending per capita is higher in the other nations than in the UK. This is what Lord Barnett says the problem is with it (not the current implementation). But that gap is actually coming down over time. In terms of allocating changes to budget (be it increases or decreases) it actually does a pretty reasonable job.

It also wasn't designed for the extent of devolved powers that we have now. The alternative (which has been widely suggested) is to allocate based on 'need'. The problem is that 'need' is obviously subjective (even though it will be assessed quantitatively, the things that you do/don't include in that assessment clearly affect the results). And even then we'd still end up with higher spending per person in the three nations than in England - it just wouldn't be as pronounced.

 

[Machiavelli]

No, she's a woman whose lived her life on Greggs and Iceland "food". In itself that is a societal problem. Cheap, nutritionally poor food people who lack education and money eat.

If you're asking do I think poor people should spend taxpayers money on cigarettes? No, probably not. But I don't think rich people should spend taxpayers money on themselves or spend their unpaid tax funding the Tory party. I know which damages the country more.

You are confused and have been duped.

This needs to be read by more people. There are arguments, such as the one articulated by [MENTION=11499]simmo[/MENTION], that simply regard issues to be one of individual responsibility. It would be silly to diminish the import of these, but also it would be silly to ignore other factors too, and these include:
-- for the first time in human history, over the past half a century, we're moving slowly and gradually -- if unequally -- towards abundance, and away from scarcity, in terms of food
-- for various factors, there are different levels of education that affect people's diet
-- certain foods are cheaper than others -- these tend to be the ones that are mass-produced and contain high levels of fat, carbs, sugar and salt
-- such cheaper foods are heavily advertised
-- there is next to no advertising for healthy foods. The medical community do their best on this front, but the Coalition has absolved themselves of responsibility on this front

 

[simmo]

No, she's a woman whose lived her life on Greggs and Iceland "food". In itself that is a societal problem. Cheap, nutritionally poor food people who lack education and money eat.

If you're asking do I think poor people should spend taxpayers money on cigarettes? No, probably not. But I don't think rich people should spend taxpayers money on themselves or spend their unpaid tax funding the Tory party. I know which damages the country more.

You are confused and have been duped.

Your very first photo was about food banks in the UK. Surely the thing that matters is not if there is or isn't food banks (a worse photo would be if there as no food at all anywhere in the UK shops as happens in true food crisis). What matters is are there a vast number of people in the UK that are starving (caused by the present govt policies). Do you think so yes or no?

If yes, then why then are there so many overweight people (the majority of the population according to the Guardian) in the UK in 2015? Including some on benefits? To Bold Seagull It's not the diet of what makes Dee so fat (I couldn't care less what she eats). It is the very fact that she is not malnourished that matters (and that in her case the present govt. has not let her starve).

 

[Nibble]

http://www.trusselltrust.org/foodbank-figures-top-900000

Utterly, utterly shocking figures for a first world country in the 21st century. Anyone who reads these and still thinks the Tory party is good for this country is either heartless or dense.

These folks are having a morning down the food bank for shits and giggles are they Simmo?

 

[Dave the OAP]

I disagree. There was some clapping of his statements early in the show. But as the show progressed he started to lose his argument and shot himself in the foot. I presume his own supporters grew frustrated with him.

Very possibly. I came in around half nine where milliband was being butt ****ed by Nicola fishy

 

[Deleted member 22389]

Someone define to me what poverty is? Poverty to me is the people you see on the street, homeless, sleeping rough.

 

[Nibble]

Your very first photo was about food banks in the UK. Surely the thing that matters is not if there is or isn't food banks (a worse photo would be if there as no food at all anywhere in the UK shops as happens in true food crisis). What matters is are there a vast number of people in the UK that are starving (caused by the present govt policies). Do you think so yes or no?

If yes, then why then are there so many overweight people (the majority of the population according to the Guardian) in the UK in 2015? Including some on benefits? To Bold Seagull It's not the diet of what makes Dee so fat (I couldn't care less what she eats). It is the very fact that she is not malnourished that matters (and that in her case the present govt. has not let her starve).

Right. Two things. There is most definitely not a food shortage in this country, food is everywhere. There is a shortage of money for poor people to buy said food.

Secondly, just to indulge you as you stupidly seem to think White Dee somehow represents every poor person in England, she is very likely malnourished. She will not be receiving essential nutrients in her diet I can assure you.

Now, all this has been explained to you very well by several posters so I can only assume you are thick and will never get it or just want to rant about poor people. Either way, no thanks.

 

[gregbrighton]

Someone define to me what poverty is? Poverty to me is the people you see on the street, homeless, sleeping rough.

And there are plenty of homeless sleeping rough here in shop doorways in Brighton thanks to the Tory policies and the Green council.

 

[Machiavelli]

Your very first photo was about food banks in the UK. Surely the thing that matters is not if there is or isn't food banks (a worse photo would be if there as no food at all anywhere in the UK shops as happens in true food crisis). What matters is are there a vast number of people in the UK that are starving (caused by the present govt policies). Do you think so yes or no?

If yes, then why then are there so many overweight people (the majority of the population according to the Guardian) in the UK in 2015? Including some on benefits? To Bold Seagull It's not the diet of what makes Dee so fat (I couldn't care less what she eats). It is the very fact that she is not malnourished that matters (and that in her case the present govt. has not let her starve).

White Dee is malnourished in the sense of eating poor quality food, but not in the sense of eating too much food. White Dee is in no way representative of those that are using food banks. In fact, most that use them are in (some form of poorly paid, insecure, erratic) work.

 

[Greyrun]

Christian Lagarde head of the International Monetary Fund said"It's obvious what happened in the UK has worked" she then added"UK authorities had managed to provide the right balance of spending cuts and revenue".There was more good news with UK unemployment the lowest since July 2008, total dropped by 76000.Job vacancies are the highest since records began at 743000 and earnings rose by 1.7%.