[Politics] Surprising Allardyce press conference

[Buzzer]

I do wonder as a non political what they did before food banks? I'm sure poverty was still about, perhaps swept under the carpet with no chance of charity? Just wondering.

There's always been food banks but it must be humiliating for the poor sods that rely on them.

 

[Dave the OAP]

Irrespective of what you think about big sam...he is spot on.

There seems to be a return to thatchers " every man for himself" state around and not only the food bank situation, but the amount of homeless people, especially when you walk around brighton at night is a national scandal.

I see the government lost its court battle to take benefits away from disabled people, I suppose the mail will follow that up with an " enemy of the people" nazi headline.

 

[Dougie]

I’ve gone off the fat ****er .

 

[JamesAndTheGiantHead]

I, Sam Allardyce.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

I do wonder as a non political what they did before food banks? I'm sure poverty was still about, perhaps swept under the carpet with no chance of charity? Just wondering.

I think that there have always been soup kitchens or the like. Certainly the Salvation Army provided / provide meals to those that couldn’t / can’t afford them. All voluntary organisations, of course. Poverty has always been a fact of life in this country. Just consider the terrible, abject poverty in east end of London in the late 19th century when Great Britain was the most powerful and affluent country in the world. Nothing has really changed in the last 150 years, the desperately poor being a problem that society doesn’t seem to want to recognise.

 

[Fungus]

There's always been food banks but it must be humiliating for the poor sods that rely on them.

Especially if they're working multiple jobs, and still can't earn enough to live on.

We don't seem to have moved on in 100 years - "Rowntree's study of poverty in the 1900s revealed that nearly three-quarters of inadequate family incomes were actually from full-time earnings".

 

[beorhthelm]

I do wonder as a non political what they did before food banks? I'm sure poverty was still about, perhaps swept under the carpet with no chance of charity? Just wondering.

thats a thing, they've always been there. the name and organisations running them have changed, the uptake has changed in recent years because economics. people run out of money because of circumstance, the state system doesn't fit immediate needs because inertia and bureacracy, so something fills the need. if it wasnt food banks it would be a state run alternative "emergency food parcel" or some such.

 

[Sorrel]

I do wonder as a non political what they did before food banks? I'm sure poverty was still about, perhaps swept under the carpet with no chance of charity? Just wondering.

I was once poor enough to not have enough food, back in the mid 1990s. In my case it was because I'd just got a job, and benefits had stopped, but I wasn't being paid until much later in the month - so there was a gap when I had no money. I ate potatoes and carrots for a week and walked a long way to work and back because I couldn't afford the bus. If I was aware of food banks I would probably have gone to one.

In an idea world benefits would be given to those in need without the requirement for so many intrusive questions, checks and rules. Getting the balance right to prevent exploitation (in either direction) is not easy.

 

[Fungus]

I do wonder as a non political what they did before food banks? I'm sure poverty was still about, perhaps swept under the carpet with no chance of charity? Just wondering.

You ended up in the workhouse, virtually as a criminal - punished for being poor.

 

[dejavuatbtn]

Allardyce has a platform - at least he appears to be using it positively. If he hadn't been to the food bank I don't expect that he would have done this off his own. But hey, some people have to start making a positive contribution sometime in their lives. Perhaps he'll start sponsoring one in Liverpool in the new year - I'll be quicker than waiting for the government to make a difference.

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

Allardyce has a platform - at least he appears to be using it positively. If he hadn't been to the food bank I don't expect that he would have done this off his own. But hey, some people have to start making a positive contribution sometime in their lives. Perhaps he'll start sponsoring one in Liverpool in the new year - I'll be quicker than waiting for the government to make a difference.

Allardyce would make a perfect Cabinet Minister in any Government. He ticks ALL the boxes.

 

[Hampster Gull]

Tories making Britain crap again

All a consequence of too many periods of labour economic mismanagement

 

[Bry Nylon]

"Food" and "bank."

Two of Fat Sam's favourite words.

 

[cheshunt seagull]

People who are experiencing this have no voice. People that have a voice and raise it are hypocrites for not doing more. Sounds like a very effective way of silencing discussion of an uncomfortable issue..and I know that he is far from the best spokesman.

 

[janee]

I do wonder as a non political what they did before food banks? I'm sure poverty was still about, perhaps swept under the carpet with no chance of charity? Just wondering.

I think the cuts, freezes and sanctions in the last 7 years have been the difference

 

[goldstone]

Some of the principal reasons that people have to go to foodbanks:
- They have more kids than they can afford to feed
- Women have babies with unsuitable men, then split up, then (guess what?) fall on hard times. They need to be a lot more certain about their husbands before they start having kids.
- They spend their food money on feeding their dogs. All the poorest families seem to have mutts.
- They have the latest smartphones, tablets, an enormous TV in their living room, Sky ... and then wonder why there's no money left to feed the family.
- They throw their money away on gambling.

And then there's the small percentage who genuinely have fallen on hard times.

 

[maffew]

Some of the principal reasons that people have to go to foodbanks:
- They have more kids than they can afford to feed
- Women have babies with unsuitable men, then split up, then (guess what?) fall on hard times. They need to be a lot more certain about their husbands before they start having kids.
- They spend their food money on feeding their dogs. All the poorest families seem to have mutts.
- They have the latest smartphones, tablets, an enormous TV in their living room, Sky ... and then wonder why there's no money left to feed the family.
- They throw their money away on gambling.

And then there's the small percentage who genuinely have fallen on hard times.

That is mostly a load of pants, sorry

 

[goldstone]

I think that there have always been soup kitchens or the like. Certainly the Salvation Army provided / provide meals to those that couldn’t / can’t afford them. All voluntary organisations, of course. Poverty has always been a fact of life in this country. Just consider the terrible, abject poverty in east end of London in the late 19th century when Great Britain was the most powerful and affluent country in the world. Nothing has really changed in the last 150 years, the desperately poor being a problem that society doesn’t seem to want to recognise.

There is, and always has been, poverty in most countries. It's a fact of life.

 

[WATFORD zero]

Some of the principal reasons that people have to go to foodbanks:
- They have more kids than they can afford to feed
- Women have babies with unsuitable men, then split up, then (guess what?) fall on hard times. They need to be a lot more certain about their husbands before they start having kids.
- They spend their food money on feeding their dogs. All the poorest families seem to have mutts.
- They have the latest smartphones, tablets, an enormous TV in their living room, Sky ... and then wonder why there's no money left to feed the family.
- They throw their money away on gambling.

And then there's the small percentage who genuinely have fallen on hard times.

About time you got back to your day job - that daily mail won't edit itself

 

[Buzzer]

Some of the principal reasons that people have to go to foodbanks:
- They have more kids than they can afford to feed
- Women have babies with unsuitable men, then split up, then (guess what?) fall on hard times. They need to be a lot more certain about their husbands before they start having kids.
- They spend their food money on feeding their dogs. All the poorest families seem to have mutts.
- They have the latest smartphones, tablets, an enormous TV in their living room, Sky ... and then wonder why there's no money left to feed the family.
- They throw their money away on gambling.

And then there's the small percentage who genuinely have fallen on hard times.

I don't mean to worry you but on Sunday night, you'll be visited by 3 ghosts so make sure you get lots of sleep between now and then, Ebeneezer.

Edit - I meant 4 ghosts. You'll definitely need a good night's sleep before then.