Today's main news story

[redken1]

The Institute for Fiscal Studies forecasts two years "dominated by a large decline" in incomes, pushing 600,000 more children into poverty,
By 2013 there will be 3.1 million children in poverty in the UK, according to the IFS projections.
The IFS says that in 2010, 2.5 million children and 2.1 million working-age parents were living in "absolute" poverty.
But it warns that in the next two years poverty levels will get worse.
By 2013, the IFS predicts the number of children in absolute poverty will rise by 600,000, peaking at 3.1 million, along with 2.5 million working-age parents and four million working-age adults without children.
The report, funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, also confirms that targets set in 2010 to cut absolute child poverty by 2020 to 5% are likely to be missed by a wide margin - with the IFS forecasting it will be 23%.

If these predictions prove to be correct, nearly one out of four British children will be living in poverty by 2020.

[wiltshire builders]

There is only so much we/the government can do.
When you read the above statement, you imagine a poor urchin fending for himself as his single parent works 3 jobs to make ends meet.
I visulise the families that I visit to fit free central heating systems, sat on their asses, watching a tv so big it wouldn't look out of place in piccadilly circus, beating the **** out of their todler because they touched their new tatoo and saying "I f'ing told her not to". Looking down at the unmowed lawn and realising i've just stood on a used nappy and trying to avoid the two dogs that are intent on tearing chunks out of my leg.
Obviously there are exceptions to both rules, but the way I see it, build a bigger safety net and the more people will dive in.
Much like the MP's expense accounts, The welfare system needs to be streamlined so people stop abusing it and more importantly the people who need it most are not slipping through.

[Rabb]

There is only so much we/the government can do.
When you read the above statement, you imagine a poor urchin fending for himself as his single parent works 3 jobs to make ends meet.
I visulise the families that I visit to fit free central heating systems, sat on their asses, watching a tv so big it wouldn't look out of place in piccadilly circus, beating the **** out of their todler because they touched their new tatoo and saying "I f'ing told her not to". Looking down at the unmowed lawn and realising i've just stood on a used nappy and trying to avoid the two dogs that are intent on tearing chunks out of my leg.
Obviously there are exceptions to both rules, but the way I see it, build a bigger safety net and the more people will dive in.
Much like the MP's expense accounts, The welfare system needs to be streamlined so people stop
abusing it and more importantly the people who need it most are not slipping through.

Yep - this has been my experience too!
We have many injustices in our society but, some will continue to take the p1$$ until they are reigned in!

[NoYou]

This also depends on what you consider "poverty", this was on the radio earlier and I was getting serioiusly pi55ed off with parents who were claiming to be in "poverty" because they couldn't afford to buy their child a computer or go on holidays!
Don't know about anybody else but that doesn't sound like poverty, it sounds like badly planned shagging! If you can't afford to give a child the quality of life you think is suitable then don't have kids until your situation has changed... seems like simple logic to me.
Yes we,re in hard economic times and sacrifices have to be made, if that means you don't have a computer then maybe... I don't know... have your kids play outside?! I didn't have a PC til I was about 14 and I'm part of the "internet generation" yet not once didn't I feel I was in poverty or in any way at a disadvantage compared with other people.

Everybody has become so used to a particular standard of life that their concept of what "poverty" is seems to be vasty distorted.
As WB says obv everybody is in a different situation and you can't mark everyone the same but.. I think this report is very misleading.

[Toph]

Ken, I live in a well established..(old!!) residential housing estate in Trowbridge.
Most of the houses are freehold, owned by people like myself who have worked their arse off, never claiming a bloody thing off the state, paying their way, praying for the day that after 25 years of mortgage payments their little pile will be theirs.
Next door to me is a house identical to mine.
It is owned by a "buy to rent" entrepreneur who has a portfolio of houses , she makes them available to the DHSS for rent.
I could now bore you all with the tales of the half headed scum, drop outs, wino's, drug dealers, that the local council have inflicted on me in the last 10 years, but I'll concentrate on one.(the pattern is pretty similar in all cases.)
the lady in question had 4 children, all by different fathers, never worked a day in her life, she had a house, heating, benefits, she had a 48 inch tv, ran a BMW car, she had a rotweiler dog, sky TV, ETC, ETC.

Sorry mate, don't give me the sob story about the underclass,
I would love a BMW and a 48 inch tv.... but I work and pay taxes..
All I can think is... Who's the twat?
Maybe we all should say bugger it, the state will look after me.
But where would the money come from??

[470four]

Ken, I live in a well established..(old!!) residential housing estate in Trowbridge.
Most of the houses are freehold, owned by people like myself who have worked their arse off, never claiming a bloody thing off the state, paying their way, praying for the day that after 25 years of mortgage payments their little pile will be theirs.
Next door to me is a house identical to mine.
It is owned by a "buy to rent" entrepreneur who has a portfolio of houses , she makes them available to the DHSS for rent.
I could now bore you all with the tales of the half headed scum, drop outs, wino's, drug dealers, that the local council have inflicted on me in the last 10 years, but I'll concentrate on one.(the pattern is pretty similar in all cases.)
the lady in question had 4 children, all by different fathers, never worked a day in her life, she had a house, heating, benefits, she had a 48 inch tv, ran a BMW car, she had a rotweiler dog, sky TV, ETC, ETC.

Sorry mate, don't give me the sob story about the underclass,
I would love a BMW and a 48 inch tv.... but I work and pay taxes..
All I can think is... Who's the twat?
Maybe we all should say bugger it, the state will look after me.
But where would the money come from??

+1

Poverty my ass...

Unfortunatly as a male I am condemned to having to work 5 days a week for the rest of my life & not have my life paid for.

You want to see poverty? Go to Africa etc, where they have no food, water etc. Now THAT is a sh!t situation!

Can beat that one Toph, just found out my Neighbour, a Steven Hawkins aged 53 has been found with over 28,313 indecent images of children on his computer. > > >

Some grade 4, some the worst at grade 5, some he took himself! He and his Wife got caught 6 years ago doing the same up in Ipswich, he went to jail and then got moved down here... has pleaded guilty, currently awaiting sentencing in Swindon Crown court.

C***.

[Squashed_Fly]

My partner is a teacher, and the number of girls who's ambition it is to have a baby so they can get a flat genuinly makes me feel sick.

G3o is right - if you can't afford children, WEAR A F*CKING CONDOM!

You want to see poverty? Go to Africa etc, where they have no food, water etc.

Agreed! Not when you can afford the latest games console!

[Col]

does yer fookin head in :

Really is time to introduce a 'Breeding Licence' whereby the potential breeders are assessed as to their suitability to produce a future worthwhile citizen who would incur basic rearing cost to the State --- breed without a licence and you will get nowt 8-)--controversial ?? maybe

[Squashed_Fly]

Controvertial maybe, but a damn good idea!

Everyone gets sterilised at birth, with a free op to reverse the procedure so long as you can prove you are worthy to be parents, and can afford the bloody kids!

It amazes me how you have to put in hours of lessons to learn to drive and pass a test, or go to university/apprenticeships etc and have qualifications to do professional jobs, yet any moron with working genitals can pop out a child with no pre-requisites, skills, knowledge or training....

I'll shut up now before I get up too high on my horse and offend anyone!

[BladeTriple]

Unfortunatly as a male I am condemned to having to work 5 days a week for the rest of my life & not have my life paid for.

You want to see poverty? Go to Africa etc, where they have no food, water etc. Now THAT is a sh!t situation!

Nice touch , because as a female am I just going to give up at some point in my life and let some bloke look after me ?!?!!? Er nope even if I hadn't been a man hating lesbian ;D ;D ;D that still wouldn't happen I've worked hard all my life, served my country for the last 19 years will continue to do so for antother 3 until mandatory retirement and as we speak I am looking at a future career / careers that will keep me in the lifestyle in which I am accustomed.... Most women actually work hard all their working lives too .....

Part 2 , agreed on the Africa part, my partner is a Zimbo and since Mugabe got in , things have got worse, they took the farms back from many of the whites and production has dropped massively, all across the African continent as well as other 3rd world countries there is real poverty..

I remember driving through Skopje in Macedonia in February 1999 prior to us moving into Kosovo. There were regularly kids younger than school age out begging bare foot, wearing nothing more than rags in sub zero temperatures , in weather you wouldn't put a dog out in over here!

I recall passing their home later in the year, near where the Log Support Battalion were based (for any of you there at the time ) and they lived in a ramshakle compound with lots of other kids along with their parents in what looked like the wrinkly tin huts that you see in the ghettos in movies about South Africa, it shocked me to see that europeans could be living in such squalor.

There are far too many 'what can my country do for me' types out there who will never lift a finger more than to sign on for the rest of their lives... Even worse that we let 1000s more in who have the same attitude from abroad. It should be a case of if you haven't worked in 18 months (lets be fair as there are some jobs out there) community service for your benefits unless you are genuinely unable to work for health reasons.

I come from one of the areas of highest unemployment in the country, near Middlesbrough. My uncle was made redundant when they closed the steel works, the burning heart of Teesside, did my uncle sit on his @rse at 52 thinking he was on the scrap heap ? Nope he got out there, did his licensee course and now runs his old local.

Granted , there are more people than jobs out there right now, however 'Poverty should be described as whether you are looking SERIOUSLY at putting food on the table or the heating on , not 'Do I buy the latest iPhone, big TV, go to Costa-del-Chav with my kids at £200 per head for a fortnight'

For real poverty in this country maybe we should be looking at our aging generations who have to live on tiny state hand outs having worked hard all their lives , many of those having put their lives on the line for this country back in 1939 to 1945.... TBH they would be better off in prison, at least they would get 3 meals a day, a warm bed, heating , regular contact with others and a bit of exercise every day and a television in their room!

Rant over!