Child poverty

bornfree · 11-06-2008, 06:55 AM

At last, my quest* to discover what constitutes child poverty in Britain is over!
According to a spokeswoman for a child welfare group on my local radio station the government's apparent failure to defeat child poverty means that in many households the parents - or more likely the parent - can't afford to buy a computer or `put better food on the table'.
It isn't fair to blame Labour for this, apparently child poverty was even worse when the Tories were in power - there were even more parents who couldn't afford to buy computers and put better food on the table.
The term `computer' is relative. This spokesperson should have said `latest' computer instead. But that would have been too near the truth. Anyone can afford to buy a computer, but not everyone can afford the latest computer.
I love the `better food on the table' bit. It evokes images of a single parent, almost certainly on state benefits, ie. the rest of us are working to support her lifestyle - just aching, just yearning, to prise herelf from the sofa and spend a couple of hours cooking a wholesome, nourishing, nutritious meal for her kids.
Fantasy, pure fantasy.
And in a British context, not Asian sweatshop context, `child poverty' is pure fantasy too.
* When I first joined the forum a few weeks' ago, my first post was to ask the question `where is this child poverty that the government is talking about?'

Alex McKee · 12-06-2008, 01:12 AM

Poverty is something which is notoriously difficult to define. Just because someone is in receipt of benefits does not necessarily mean they are capable of escaping poverty.

TannyD · 12-06-2008, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex McKee

Poverty is something which is notoriously difficult to define. Just because someone is in receipt of benefits does not necessarily mean they are capable of escaping poverty.

Too true, as the level and definition of it varies from country to country...

Dissident Congress · 12-06-2008, 07:12 PM

Some UKIPpers hold the attitude that a computer with internet access is a luxury that low income families with children shouldn't have at home.

The DC stance is that the right to a computer with internet access is on a similar level to the right to an electricity supply.

Alex McKee · 12-06-2008, 11:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dissident Congress

Some UKIPpers hold the attitude that a computer with internet access is a luxury that low income families with children shouldn't have at home.

The DC stance is that the right to a computer with internet access is on a similar level to the right to an electricity supply.

We have the right to an electricity supply?

I'm a huge fan of computers. My (low income) family couldn't afford a computer. I eventually got one when I started work. It took me 2 months to save up for it. It paid for itself in 1.

Nonetheless, I feel that it is a more sensible approach to look at why poverty (if we can find an acceptable definition) still exists in the UK. I think the benefits trap is a huge reason, and secondly the tax system. Day-1 tax? Mad.

Incidentally, personal allowances?
When I started working the tax rate took so much of my earnings that the cost of getting to work and buying work clothes wiped out my income entirely.

I would have the same problem if I went back to conventional employment today.

chikrodah · 13-06-2008, 06:54 AM

A wikipedia article on poverty supplies some interesting links: Poverty - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Quote:

Poverty can be measured in terms of absolute or relative poverty. Absolute poverty refers to a set standard which is consistent over time and between countries. An example of an absolute measurement would be the percentage of the population eating less food than is required to sustain the human body (approximately 2000-2500 calories per day for an adult male).
The World Bank defines extreme poverty as living on less than US$ (PPP) 1 per day, and moderate poverty as less than $2 a day, estimating that "in 2001, 1.1 billion people had consumption levels below $1 a day and 2.7 billion lived on less than $2 a day." [2] The proportion of the developing world's population living in extreme economic poverty fell from 28 percent in 1990 to 21 percent in 2001.[2] Looking at the period 1981-2001, the percentage of the world's population living on less than $1 per day has halved.

According to the World Bank's statistics, 0.95% of Europe lived in poverty in 2004.

Contrast that with the Rowntree Foundation's poverty site: Social exclusion - The Poverty Site

It's clear that poverty in this country is "relative poverty", not "absolute poverty".

The RF believes

Quote:

that no one should live with "resources that are so seriously below those commanded by the average individual or family that they are, in effect, excluded from ordinary living patterns, customs and activities."

Taking that at face value, not only do people on benefits suffer from relative poverty but so do many middle income families (say, £26,000 -45,000 p.a.), who have found that their disposable income is less than that of those on benefits, thanks to inflated house prices and increases in fuel, transport costs, food, utility bills, etc.

Locally, for example, the cinema's "Movies for Juniors" slot on Saturday mornings used to be the exclusive province of those with large families or low incomes. Now, you find the car park full of new BMWs and 4x4s as those parents struggle to offer what they consider to be a "normal" part of family life.

11-06-2008, 06:55 AM	#1 (permalink)
bornfree Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 91	Child poverty - the quest is over! At last, my quest* to discover what constitutes child poverty in Britain is over! According to a spokeswoman for a child welfare group on my local radio station the government's apparent failure to defeat child poverty means that in many households the parents - or more likely the parent - can't afford to buy a computer or `put better food on the table'. It isn't fair to blame Labour for this, apparently child poverty was even worse when the Tories were in power - there were even more parents who couldn't afford to buy computers and put better food on the table. The term `computer' is relative. This spokesperson should have said `latest' computer instead. But that would have been too near the truth. Anyone can afford to buy a computer, but not everyone can afford the latest computer. I love the `better food on the table' bit. It evokes images of a single parent, almost certainly on state benefits, ie. the rest of us are working to support her lifestyle - just aching, just yearning, to prise herelf from the sofa and spend a couple of hours cooking a wholesome, nourishing, nutritious meal for her kids. Fantasy, pure fantasy. And in a British context, not Asian sweatshop context, `child poverty' is pure fantasy too. * When I first joined the forum a few weeks' ago, my first post was to ask the question `where is this child poverty that the government is talking about?'

12-06-2008, 01:12 AM	#2 (permalink)
Alex McKee Moderator Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Gloucester Posts: 6,661	Poverty is something which is notoriously difficult to define. Just because someone is in receipt of benefits does not necessarily mean they are capable of escaping poverty. __________________ Anything I post on this website is my personal opinion and not necessarily my professional opinion (unless stated as such) nor is an opinion necessarily shared by any committee or group I am affiliated with. Users on Ignore list: None.

12-06-2008, 07:12 PM	#4 (permalink)
Dissident Congress Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 714	Some UKIPpers hold the attitude that a computer with internet access is a luxury that low income families with children shouldn't have at home. The DC stance is that the right to a computer with internet access is on a similar level to the right to an electricity supply. __________________ Dissident Congress Promoting Populist Patriotism Our Nation - Our People - Our Heritage - Our Future

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