Britain now a harsh and uncaring country

[Eldorado]

The UK's social safety net has been "deliberately removed and replaced with a harsh and uncaring ethos", a report commissioned by the UN has said.

Special rapporteur on extreme poverty Philip Alston said "ideological" cuts to public services since 2010 have led to "tragic consequences".

Full article at the BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48354692

"14 million people, a fifth of the population, live in poverty. Four million of these are more than 50% below the poverty line, and 1.5 million are destitute, unable to afford basic essentials.

"The widely respected Institute for Fiscal Studies predicts a 7% rise in child poverty between 2015 and 2022, and various sources predict child poverty rates of as high as 40%.

"For almost one in every two children to be poor in twenty-first century Britain is not just a disgrace, but a social calamity and an economic disaster, all rolled into one."

The full UN visit report: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=23881&LangID=E

[+ouija ouija]

Well, I'm not going to be the one to spell out why this has happened .....

[Essan]

Another report from an ignorant idiot who doesn't understand that if everyone in the UK (or anywhere else) had their income doubled - and all else remained equal - then even more people would be living in poverty ......

I live in abject poverty      According to the UN .....

[stevewinn]

Load of rubbish.

[RoofGardener]

I believe that the measure of poverty in the UK is - or was - anyone who earns less than 60% of the median income. The median income is around £23,000, so that means poverty is £13,000

 

[+ouija ouija]

 

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/sep/16/what-is-the-new-uk-poverty-measure-and-why-is-it-needed

Why is a new measure needed?

The existing measure, which sets the poverty line at 60% of median UK income, was abolished as an official measure in 2015 by the Conservative government (although it has been retained in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland). Critics said this was flawed. It produced paradoxical outcomes, for example, when child poverty figures fell after the economy nose-dived after the 2008 financial crash.

[ethereal_scout]

A few more links:

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/un-report-compares-tory-welfare-policies-to-creation-of-workhouses/ar-AABIZmv?ocid=spartanntp

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poverty

 

[Essan]

Interestingly, people who earn much more than me are often poorer because they can afford takeaway meals every day, whereas I can't so have to make do with cooking at home from fresh ingredients.  Which is much cheaper.

['Walt' E. Kurtz]

1 hour ago, Essan said:

Interestingly, people who earn much more than me are often poorer because they can afford takeaway meals every day, whereas I can't so have to make do with cooking at home from fresh ingredients.  Which is much cheaper.

And much healthier not only that it also taste better.

[Commander CMG]

10 hours ago, Essan said:

I live in abject poverty      According to the UN .....

Me too. 

[itsnotoutthere]

Britain now a harsh and uncaring country.

Hmm......how much did RED NOSE DAY raise this year? oh yes, £63.000,000 , and how is most of the specialist equipment funded in the NHS ah yes, charitable donations,

I think we can all take this story and others like it with a pinch of salt, but then trust the BBC to run with this story, it fits their agenda perfectly.

[ethereal_scout]

Quote

I believe that the measure of poverty in the UK is - or was - anyone who earns less than 60% of the median income. The median income is around £23,000, so that means poverty is £13,000

There are only three sums of money available to those not in private paid employment.

1) Job Seekers Allowance - £65 p/w or £3380 per annum - Job Centre

2) Universal Credit - £100 p/w or £5200 per annum -           Job Centre

3) Housing Benefit - £150 p/w or £7,800 per annum  -         District Council

They won't let you have both at the same time and the legalities of Housing Benefit are horrific. Therefore pot luck as to whether you do or don't get anything.

The interesting thing is the benefits cap sits at £13,400 per person in law  https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2016/7/crossheading/welfare-benefits - however the Job Centres (1 & 2) won't do these amounts owing to their outlook. There is a disconnect between Nation Gov and those involved in the operational delivery of welfare.

 

Edited May 23, 2019 by ethereal_scout

[aztek]

2 hours ago, itsnotoutthere said:

Britain now a harsh and uncaring country.

Hmm......how much did RED NOSE DAY raise this year? oh yes, £63.000,000 , and how is most of the specialist equipment funded in the NHS ah yes, charitable donations,

I think we can all take this story and others like it with a pinch of salt, but then trust the BBC to run with this story, it fits their agenda perfectly.

lol, how much of that money actually went to the case it was donated to? 5%-10%?  cuz in usa that is about as  much as those charities get, the rest is pocketed by a company that runs the whole donation business,

[+OverSword]

The reality about social safety nets is they cost money and the more people collecting the less to go around. Free housing if you can’t pay, free income if you don’t work, free medical whether you can pay or not. It’s not sustainable. Hopefully the socialists in my country never force us to learn this obvious lesson.

['Walt' E. Kurtz]

3 hours ago, OverSword said:

The reality about social safety nets is they cost money and the more people collecting the less to go around. Free housing if you can’t pay, free income if you don’t work, free medical whether you can pay or not. It’s not sustainable. Hopefully the socialists in my country never force us to learn this obvious lesson.

I dont know much about how your taxes and wealthfare system work only that it seems "simular " to ours. The taxes should cover the social safety nets, It is why we have taxes however i feel as if the social safety nets is failing and i feel it's the same across most of Europe i dont want our nations to turn into USA where you need insurance for everything.

[aztek]

of course they are failing when gvmnt constantly "borrows" from those funds,  out of 22 trillion national debt 73% is that money they borrow, and will never pay back

[+OverSword]

5 hours ago, Impedancer said:

I dont know much about how your taxes and wealthfare system work only that it seems "simular " to ours. The taxes should cover the social safety nets, It is why we have taxes however i feel as if the social safety nets is failing and i feel it's the same across most of Europe i dont want our nations to turn into USA where you need insurance for everything.

Learn how your taxes really work. Your government borrows money from a bank using the promise of future tax collection as collateral. At this time my government borrows far more than taxes collected and I’m guessing that your social safety net is failing because your government has done the same but with brexit on the horizon they are pulling back on the amount they will loan until you can prove stability. 

['Walt' E. Kurtz]

1 hour ago, OverSword said:

Learn how your taxes really work. Your government borrows money from a bank using the promise of future tax collection as collateral. At this time my government borrows far more than taxes collected and I’m guessing that your social safety net is failing because your government has done the same but with brexit on the horizon they are pulling back on the amount they will loan until you can prove stability. 

Since social sience is one of my subjects i will most defintely look into how your social wealthfare and NHS plus taxes work. I feel almost ashamed of not knowing more since i have spent much time in the uk and still have friends there when you're 41 yrs old you really should know more ;-)

Edited May 23, 2019 by Impedancer

[+OverSword]

16 minutes ago, Impedancer said:

Since social sience is one of my subjects i will most defintely look into how your social wealthfare and NHS plus taxes work. I feel almost ashamed of not knowing more since i have spent much time in the uk and still have friends there when you're 41 yrs old you really should know more ;-)

Oh, just noticed you're in Sweden.  Assumed you were British.

[Space Commander Travis]

special rapporteur? Is that a reporter in a French accent?

[Space Commander Travis]

12 hours ago, OverSword said:

The reality about social safety nets is they cost money and the more people collecting the less to go around. Free housing if you can’t pay, free income if you don’t work, free medical whether you can pay or not. It’s not sustainable. Hopefully the socialists in my country never force us to learn this obvious lesson.

no, hopefully you'll go on having to pay bills of, say, $30,000 dollars for medical treatment, because that's a price worth paying to protect you from the nightmare of Socialism   

[Duke Wellington]

On ‎22‎/‎05‎/‎2019 at 12:10 PM, Eldorado said:

The UK's social safety net has been "deliberately removed and replaced with a harsh and uncaring ethos", a report commissioned by the UN has said.

Special rapporteur on extreme poverty Philip Alston said "ideological" cuts to public services since 2010 have led to "tragic consequences".

Full article at the BBC: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-48354692

"14 million people, a fifth of the population, live in poverty. Four million of these are more than 50% below the poverty line, and 1.5 million are destitute, unable to afford basic essentials.

"The widely respected Institute for Fiscal Studies predicts a 7% rise in child poverty between 2015 and 2022, and various sources predict child poverty rates of as high as 40%.

"For almost one in every two children to be poor in twenty-first century Britain is not just a disgrace, but a social calamity and an economic disaster, all rolled into one."

The full UN visit report: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=23881&LangID=E

In all fairness there was a delay problem with Universal Credit in my city resulting in a homeless problem going from about 10 to about 500. Its bad with people begging everywhere. The problem with the Tories helping people who are in work is that they have to get a job first. If they live in an area where they dont have the skills and experience for existing jobs, or there is a lack of jobs, then what are they supposed to do?

I would like to see a maximum amount of time someone can receive job seekers or universal credit and it should be 6 months. After 6 months they should be moved into a community job for a period of 6 months where they receive minimum wage. It should refresh their skills or keep them current. After 6 months if they still dont have a job put them back on benefits for another 6 months and repeat the cycle.

[freetoroam]

1 hour ago, Impedancer said:

Since social sience is one of my subjects i will most defintely look into how your social wealthfare and NHS plus taxes work. I feel almost ashamed of not knowing more since i have spent much time in the uk and still have friends there when you're 41 yrs old you really should know more ;-)

Its quite simple in England.

The tax payer pays for those who do not work.

The tax payer and NI payer pays for the NHS

The tax payer pays for all the criminals in prison, and many are foreign.

The caring, legal biding citizen who pays their bills are covering the costs for those who do not. 

I am not refering to people who are British born and genuinly unable to work, i am talking about those who are scamming every tax payer out of their hard earned money.

Quote

The UK's social safety net has been "deliberately removed and replaced with a harsh and uncaring ethos", a report commissioned by the UN has said.

Absolute rubbish.

[+OverSword]

24 minutes ago, Dumbledore the Awesome said:

no, hopefully you'll go on having to pay bills of, say, $30,000 dollars for medical treatment, because that's a price worth paying to protect you from the nightmare of Socialism   

Yes.  That's exactly how it works. 

I don't feel like getting into details (again) but let's just say a few years ago I broke my arm.  The surgery was $20k.  It cost me nothing except what I pay for my insurance monthly (in my case about $70).  The plus side is that my healthcare is not run by the largest most inefficient , wasteful bureaucracy on the face of the earth and my insurance pays for top of the line medical treatment that isn't going bankrupt.  Geez, imagine that. The big difference is that I pay for insurance voluntarily instead of it being taken directly out of my check by the government.  I understand that some may prefer your system of having the government do all your thinking for you.  I wouldn't.

 

 

[ethereal_scout]

Quote

Its quite simple in England.

The tax payer pays for those who do not work.

The money isn't on tax, its printed.

Food grows, money is printed. England has a central bank (as do many countries) called the Bank of England - its a printing press for the notes, England has one set of bank notes. Welfare is on the printing press, its too important to be on tax, there would be no tax  (or very little) if you include welfare. That's WHY you have a central bank. It has to be if you work it out - if everyone in a district is laid off - where does to money come from to pay for the food growing in the fields and the kettles being made in factories. The money at the basic level is simply printed and handed out - like ration books.