Osborne Once Famously Said: 'we Are All In This Together'. Do Many Of The Rich Suffer From Malnutrition?

[sandyRoe]

Or is it an affliction of the poor which will be made even worse if the proposed cuts in welfare take effect?
http://www.msn.com/en-gb/health/medical/malnutrition-and-other-victorian-diseases-soaring-in-england-due-to-food-poverty-and-cuts/ar-BBmvrto?li=AAaeUIW

[viv41]

'Do many of the rich suffer from malnutrition' ? Excellent comment sandy. But of course not, the tories look after their own !!

[jackthehat]

Employers shouldn't be allowed to pay such meagre wages, or use zero-hours contracts, etc. which means that the 'hard-working' tax-payer is looked to to make up the difference in Working Tax credits.

[mushroom25]

it will be interesting to see what happens when the "living wage" comes into effect. willing to bet that whilst workers hourly rate will increase, the hours available to workers on that new rate will be cut accordingly.

[naomi24]

viv41, don’t you think people should be encouraged to look after their own?

Mushroom, people who run businesses need to get the job done – otherwise they’re out of business and hence people are out of jobs. Cutting hours doesn’t produce the required result.

[New Judge]

I suppose nobody asked the graduate lady in your story, Andy, whether the father of the child was contributing to its upkeep and if not why not (single mothers are not all widows). The CSA was set up to collar absent fathers and make them pay for their offspring.

I do not believe that anybody whose benefit arrangements have been formalised has insufficient money to adequately feed themselves and their family. They may not have enough money to run a car, pay for their Sky TV package, go on holiday, go to the cinema, run their smartphone, pay for their broadband, have their nails done, have their hair highlighted AND feed themselves adequately. But that’s quite a different matter.

If one penny was added to income tax someone earning £25ka pa (who may well be struggling themselves) would pay another £144 in tax. This might make the difference between them having a new coat or new shoes (or even worse, might mean they have neither) so that is not a very satisfactory solution.

It is unfortunate that not everybody can enjoy the same standard of living. But it was always thus and always will be so. This government is trying to wean people away from benefit payments and towards a greater degree of self-sufficiency. It will be difficult for some of them because they have become accustomed to State handouts. Personal tax allowances have increased enormously in the last five years and many people now pay no tax whereas they would have done so a few years ago. Employers are being forced to pay higher wages (low pay being one of the main drivers of in work benefits). But it is ridiculous to suggest that because no golf courses are closing and marinas are doing well that the country can continue its largesse. People who use golf courses and marinas already lose large chunks of their income to tax and they are already doing their bit. Unfortunately the lower paid will have to do so to and it will obviously have a greater impact upon them.

I'm not suggesting that all recipients of Tax Credits are workshy layabouts but the TC system is simply unsustainable.

[ummmm]

I didn't think maintenance was taken into consideration when it came to WTC.

[viv41]

I agree jack - zero hours contracts are vile !

[ummmm]

Except when they suit. I used to work zero contracted hours and it was perfect for me. It works well if there is plenty of work. My partner worked full time and I worked as and when I wanted fitting shifts in between him and babysitters.

[Canary42]

Osborne's always followed naomi's principles.

Mind you with a multi-millionaire father behind him, it's not been too difficult.

[naomi24]

Canary, //Osborne's always followed naomi's principles.//

Really? And what would they be?

[viv41]

I was thinking about a girl I knew ummmm who was very unhappy on a zero hours contract and she was desperate to escape it.

[viv41]

But that's it with the tories canary, they'll never know poverty and have NO IDEA how the ordinary man in the street lives, nor do they care ...!

[ummmm]

I suppose it depends on the job. I worked in a hospital so there was always shifts going. We didn't get sick pay but we got holiday pay each quarter where they averaged out your hours from the quarter before...

[naomi24]

viv41, you assume far too much.

[viv41]

This girl didn't get any 'extras' and she was terrified of being late for her job. I haven't seen her for a while, but I think of her often.

[viv41]

If you say so naomi, if you say so ........

Won't change my mind though !

[naomi24]

viv41, having read what you've said, I wouldn't expect you to change your mind. That would require rather more than a dyed in the wool philosophy.

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3292688/Expense-cheats-egos-ermine-gave-two-fingers-democracy-ANDREW-PIERCE-details-chequered-backgrounds-peers-torpedoed-tax-credit-cuts.html

And just look at the records of those unelected persons, who voted against the cuts.

[viv41]

Like I said Naomi , if you say so .......

[gordiescotland1]

Naomi at it again she is argumentative patronising and obviously has never had to struggle in life herself