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politicalbetting.com » Blog Archive » Henry G Manson looks at the politics of food banks

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  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 48,909

    dr_spyn said:

    New St Station in Brum might be about to lose its title as the worst station in the country.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-22311215

    It's a competitive category. Reading station has just added a remarkably ugly footbridge.

    http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/6339.aspx
    I hate New Street. But I also hate Euston. Which one is worse? There's only one way to find out:

    FIGHT!

    :)
  • AndyJSAndyJS Posts: 29,395
    Crazy feminist on Newsnight saying Churchill on banknotes is awful because it means Elizabeth Fry has to make way.
  • AveryLPAveryLP Posts: 7,815
    tim said:

    Private Schools at greatest risk of measles outbreak

    "Prof John Ashton, who represents the country’s public health doctors, said the combination of high numbers of middle-class children whose parents refused to have them vaccinated, plus overseas pupils with unknown health records, meant such schools could form “reservoirs of disease”, threatening the wider population.
    He said their pupils could pose a health threat to the rest of the population similar to that from groups such as gipsies and travellers, who have previously spread the infectious disease.
    He said Britain’s 600,000 children in private education were now at far greater risk from measles outbreaks than those in the state sector.
    Prof Ashton, who is soon to become president of the Faculty of Public Health, representing all public health doctors, said such children were falling victim to a number of combined risks. “You’ve got a lot of middle-class, well-off parents, large numbers of whom did not have their children immunised because of the Wakefield scare — which was a very middle-class phenomenon,” he said.
    “Layered on top of that you have got a lot of children from abroad, especially from the Far East, from countries such as Hong Kong and China, and there are few checks being done to establish their immunisation records.”"

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/10021904/Private-school-pupils-at-greatest-measles-risk.html

    Don't be silly tim.

    Every ex boarding school pupil will be familiar with the command: "Everyone line up outside Matron's office".

  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 50,753
    On topic one of the major reasons for the need for food banks is the very large number of asylum seekers waiting for determination of their claims. They are not entitled to mainstream benefits and can't qualify for contributory benefits because they are not allowed to work.

    They can apply to the UKBA but the benefits they are likely to get are less than Income Support: http://www.turn2us.org.uk/information__resources/benefits/migrants/asylum_seekers.aspx

    This is, in my opinion, a moral disgrace. We penalise these people because we are completely incapable of producing a system that allows their claims to be determined within a reasonable period of time and then acted upon one way or the other. We have created an underclass to our underclass and we should really be ashamed. Thank goodness food banks help to fill the gaps we deliberately create.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 91,392
    edited April 2013
    AndyJS said:

    Crazy feminist on Newsnight saying Churchill on banknotes is awful because it means Elizabeth Fry has to make way.

    Either each banknote must contain both a man and a woman, or a woman should be featured on at least 50% of the note designs! When will this society learn?

    And no, the Queen doesn't count.

    Seriously though, what's the problem. I'm sure women will feature in future designs.
  • AndyJSAndyJS Posts: 29,395
    One of the greatest travel books of all time IMO: Anthony Daniels visits Communist countries in 1989 just before the Berlin Wall comes down:

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Wilder-Shores-Marx-ebook/dp/B00846MX0W

    He goes to Albania, Romania, North Korea, Cuba, Vietnam.

    The North Korea section, in particular, is exceptional.
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 91,392
    edited April 2013

    dr_spyn said:

    New St Station in Brum might be about to lose its title as the worst station in the country.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-22311215

    It's a competitive category. Reading station has just added a remarkably ugly footbridge.

    http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/6339.aspx
    I hate New Street. But I also hate Euston. Which one is worse? There's only one way to find out:

    FIGHT!

    :)
    Do they charge you to use the loos in Euston? That's always my bar for how good a station is - why should I have to pay for the privilege of defecation?

    ETA: Damn, made that joke recently too.

    Generally stations are alright now in the country though, right? So we can manage the ones which are downright awful.
  • DavidLDavidL Posts: 50,753
    kle4 said:

    AndyJS said:

    Crazy feminist on Newsnight saying Churchill on banknotes is awful because it means Elizabeth Fry has to make way.

    Either each banknote must contain both a man and a woman, or a woman should be featured on at least 50% of the note designs! When will this society learn?

    And no, the Queen doesn't count.

    Seriously though, what's the problem. I'm sure women will feature in future designs.
    I was going to say that I am 51 years old and there has been a woman on the currency my entire life. Where do I register a complaint?

  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 48,909
    kle4 said:

    dr_spyn said:

    New St Station in Brum might be about to lose its title as the worst station in the country.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-22311215

    It's a competitive category. Reading station has just added a remarkably ugly footbridge.

    http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/6339.aspx
    I hate New Street. But I also hate Euston. Which one is worse? There's only one way to find out:

    FIGHT!

    :)
    Do they charge you to use the loos in Euston? That's always my bar for how good a station is - why should I have to pay for the privilege of defecation?

    ETA: Damn, made that joke recently too.

    Generally stations are alright now in the country though, right? So we can manage the ones which are downright awful.
    Yes you have to pay at Euston!

    Free bogs at central London main terminal stations: St Pancras, Fenchurch Street, London Bridge (SE platforms), Cannon Street, Blackfriars (or at least they were free about six months back), Marylebone (ditto). Also City Thameslink (not strictly a terminal station).
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 48,909
    kle4 said:

    AndyJS said:

    Crazy feminist on Newsnight saying Churchill on banknotes is awful because it means Elizabeth Fry has to make way.

    Either each banknote must contain both a man and a woman, or a woman should be featured on at least 50% of the note designs! When will this society learn?

    And no, the Queen doesn't count.

    Seriously though, what's the problem. I'm sure women will feature in future designs.
    Maggie to counterbalance Churchill?
  • kle4kle4 Posts: 91,392

    kle4 said:

    AndyJS said:

    Crazy feminist on Newsnight saying Churchill on banknotes is awful because it means Elizabeth Fry has to make way.

    Either each banknote must contain both a man and a woman, or a woman should be featured on at least 50% of the note designs! When will this society learn?

    And no, the Queen doesn't count.

    Seriously though, what's the problem. I'm sure women will feature in future designs.
    Maggie to counterbalance Churchill?
    I also feel we should have racial and political balance on our banknotes for true equal treatment.

    The designs may well become more crowded as a result, I acknowledge.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 48,909
    edited April 2013
    For pics of all of London's stations (taken by yours truly!):

    Go to http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

    then in the search box at top right, type in:

    Sunil060902

    followed by your station name of choice. for example:

    Sunil060902 Euston

    or whatever. If you type

    Sunil060902 building

    OR

    Sunil060902 entrance

    should give you all the station exteriors.

    Also:

    Sunil060902 roundel

    for Tube fans!
  • Yet Britain remains one of the wealthiest countries in the world and the fact that so many people need to rely on charity should be a collective source of shame shouldn’t it?

    Perhaps but would Francoise Hollande agree?

    By involving clients and informing them of the specific needs of the poorest of the poor, over 82 million meals could be offered to the food banks in France in 2012. As result of these efforts by Carrefour stores, 350 tonnes of products were collected in Belgium and 1200 tonnes in Spain.

    http://www.fondation-carrefour.org/content/commitment-food-banks

    And would Obama agree?

    Hunger in the United States is at its highest point since 1994 when the USDA started keeping detailed records. Figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau for 2009 indicate that 44 million people, or one in seven, are living at or below the poverty line.

    http://www.howstuffworks.com/economics/volunteer/organizations/food-bank.htm

    And somehow I think even Angela Merkel might agree:

    Most of us live in abundance – but there are some among us who know all too well what it means to go hungry. The National Association of Food Banks in Germany currently operates almost 900 local food banks, ensuring that the less fortunate get not just their “daily bread”, but also further aid

    http://www.kirchhoff-consult.com/en/the-company/about-us/our-commitment/national-association-of-food-banks-in-germany.html

    It seems to me this is not the shame of this British Goverment but the 'collective source of shame" for ruling political elites across at least the Western World if not further afield


  • The other thing to note is that the Trussel Trust only started in 1997 so one has to ask how much of the growth in their activities is demand driven and how much has been dictated by their ability to expand?

    http://www.trusselltrust.org/how-we-started
  • Tim_BTim_B Posts: 7,669
    edited April 2013
    My Rotary club works with a couple of local non-church food banks here in Gwinnett County, one of the most affluent places around this part of the country.

    Most of them here will also help you with your utility bills if you can prove hardship, and several also have charity shops providing cheap clothing.

    I don't find them in the least uncomfortable. It is evidence of society looking after those who have fallen on hard times, taking things into their own hands, without expecting the government to do everything.

    I do my bit, helping stock shelves, picking up and delivering clothing, and consider it part of 'paying it forward'. I managed to get the fruit left after a golf tournament last week donated. They were already planning to do so but I helped direct it.

    Also, some of those who turn up might surprise you. I've seen more than a few mid-range executives with kids in college, who lost their jobs during the economic downturn, and after a few months find themselves in financial trouble.

    I know a couple of them who, once they got back on their feet after several precarious months or even longer, come and help out others in the same situation.

    Hardly something to look at with shame. People helping people in their own area.
  • MyBurningEarsMyBurningEars Posts: 3,651

    The other thing to note is that the Trussel Trust only started in 1997 so one has to ask how much of the growth in their activities is demand driven and how much has been dictated by their ability to expand?

    http://www.trusselltrust.org/how-we-started

    I wrote exactly the same thing earlier down the thread, under the "page turn" so you probably didn't see it. Last thread I posted something that a couple of other folk had already pointed out, but beneath the "more comments" so I didn't spot it. When I read whole threads, conversation on Vanilla seems more repetitive than it did in the past.
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 48,909
    SeanT said:

    The signing-in process for Vanilla is ridiculous. Does this account for the slow strangulation of the site? Comments have slowed to about 5 an hour. It's dying.

    Sad.

    I just leave myself logged in when I quit my browser (Firefox in my case).
  • RobDRobD Posts: 58,941

    SeanT said:

    The signing-in process for Vanilla is ridiculous. Does this account for the slow strangulation of the site? Comments have slowed to about 5 an hour. It's dying.

    Sad.

    I just leave myself logged in when I quit my browser (Firefox in my case).
    I don't have many problems staying logged in on my computer or phone. Is it a cookie issue, SeanT?

  • AveryLPAveryLP Posts: 7,815
    edited April 2013
    Tee hee.

    The ECB response to the announcement that Churchill will be appearing on £5 notes.

    Courtesy of Tom Newton-Dunn

    image
  • RobDRobD Posts: 58,941
    AveryLP said:

    Tee hee.

    The ECB response to the announcement that Churchill will be appearing on £5 notes.

    Courtesy of Tom Newton-Dunn

    image

    I wonder, is he being continually snubbed for appointment to the Garter, or is he refusing it?
  • AveryLPAveryLP Posts: 7,815
    edited April 2013
    RobD said:

    AveryLP said:

    I wonder, is he being continually snubbed for appointment to the Garter, or is he refusing it?
    My guess is that he is refusing the offer.

    One Knight was created on Tuesday, Air Chief Marshal The Lord Stirrup KG, GCB, AFC, FRAeS, FCMI. This leaves two vacancies.

    After all the fuss created over the Thatcher funeral it would seem an ideal time for HMQ to balance the books a bit and offer Tony a Garter. The only possible reason for delaying might be that Chilcot hasn't reported but a delay for this reason would be overpoliticising the honour in my view.

    The Garter and Thistle remain entirely within the Queen's gift so it is unlikely to be any intervention from No 10.

    A mystery.


  • edmundintokyoedmundintokyo Posts: 17,136
    HYUFD said:

    Also, Eurosceptic German party threatening to overtake the main Liberal party, remind you of anywhere?

    Other similarity: Eurosceptic party threatening to split the vote and let the left in, thanks to electoral system brain damage.
  • RobDRobD Posts: 58,941
    AveryLP said:

    RobD said:

    AveryLP said:

    I wonder, is he being continually snubbed for appointment to the Garter, or is he refusing it?
    My guess is that he is refusing the offer.

    I do hope this is the case, rather than any politicisation of the award.
  • Scott_PScott_P Posts: 51,453
    Times
    You have seen Gangnam Style and the Harlem Shake. Now it’s time to get up to date with the internet sensation that is Ed Balls.

    Thankfully, the Shadow Chancellor is not dancing on an imaginary horse or performing Rick Astley numbers. Instead, his name is popping up all over the place.

    On April 28, 2011, Mr Balls typed his own name into the message box on Twitter instead of the search box and accidentally tweeted to thousands of followers a message that read simply: “Ed Balls”.

    His tweet has since been retweeted more than 14,000 times and has become the subject of an online “meme” — in which variations on a theme spread across the internet. The words “Ed Balls” were superimposed on movie posters, such as Being Ed Balls, on Bart Simpson’s blackboard, in place of the Hollywood sign on Mount Lee and into the Peanuts comic strip, as well as on to the hat of the UKIP leader Nigel Farage.

    More than 2,000 people have accepted an invitation to retweet Mr Balls’s tweet at 4.20pm tomorrow in honour of “Ed Balls day”.
  • CD13CD13 Posts: 6,349
    tim,

    From your quote ... "He said their pupils could pose a health threat to the rest of the population similar to that from groups such as gipsies and travellers, who have previously spread the infectious disease."

    Pleased to see that you don't consider such comments as being bigoted.
This discussion has been closed.