The Tory way of governance

Fitzy Do you honestly not accept that there are people in this country who can't afford the basics? Sorry, but I disagree with you. I don't accept that anything is more important than ensuring that every citizen has a basic and secure lifestyle. Everything else is icing on the cake. There are some things which we can't afford not to afford.

Of course indicators such as GDP, growth rates, balance of payments, deficit, debt, interest rates, inflation, etc are important, but governments cherry pick the data to try and prove that the country is doing well. None of them mean anything if the majority of people don't feel that they have enough money in their pockets.

Don't forget that we've only had accurate data for a relatively short period. Before then, politicians had to guess what people would tolerate. They wanted to avoid confrontation from the plebs, but also (especially in the case of the Conservatives) keep their rich mates happy. They didn't have the benefit of accurate and up-to-date statistics, so used different measures of satisfaction.

If there aren't people who can't afford the basics, why do we have so many homeless and so many foodbanks? That seems pretty basic to me.

How many people who can't afford the basics can afford computers and mobile phones?

Have you seen I, Daniel Blake, scottie? All jobsearches have to be done online now. Not many libraries left to get free searches.
Are you assuming that those who can't afford the basics have always not been able to afford the basics?
Lots of them had jobs and houses before they were made redundant and given benefit sanctions.
Not very clued up, are you?
Look on the DWP thread to see what happens in some people's real world.

www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-theresa-may-eu-citizens-live-in-uk-freedom-of-movement-european-union-a7601051.html

How pathetic. Half the population of Romania and Bulgaria is 15 million. 15 million people are not going to want to come here in the next two years. I thought the remainers were supposed to be scaremongers.

I, Daniel Blake is a work of fiction!

I meet lots of people who are too poor to have a computer. Their kids are at a huge disadvantage in school.

I think the Inde article is possibly quite good news if PM is saying that the EU citizens who ARE here can stay. It would give them a bit of security. I don't think many come here planning to settle permanently - they are mostly young and looking for work for a while and/or a chance to improve their English.
Got served by a rather nice Italian man, about my age, in the supermarket earlier. Don't you love a bit of diversity

'I, Daniel Blake' is fictional, just as Dickens' novels were. However, the situation isn't fictional.

Have you seen the film Beammeupscottie? Have you had long-term dealings with the JobCentre?

Do you know how much JSA is, Beammeupscottie? Maybe you'd like to say how somebody can afford a phone and computer out of £73pw.

The unemployed are supposed to look for work full-time and can be sanctioned if they don't prove they haven't. The JobCentres have hardly any computers and libraries restrict access. Many people don't live near a library anyway.

www.24housing.co.uk/news/hard-brexit-would-cause-crisis-for-london-house-building/

A quarter of builders in London going home if there is a hard Brexit.

daphnedill, I'm probably going to regret this, but firstly, many young people on JSA live at home with their parents, and secondly my own virtually antique Nokia costs me £10 a month with unlimited txts and internet access.

Not all the unemployed are in 'Daniel Blake's' situation.

Daniel Blake wasn't young, nor was I when I was unemployed. I was in my 50s and a single parent. Why do you think all unemployed are young? Most of the people in the JobCentre I attended weren't. I was unemployed for nearly two years. My phone didn't have internet access and I had an ancient computer, which my mother paid to have repaired. I don't know what I'd have done, if she hadn't.

I have never claimed that everybody was in the same situation as Daniel Blake, but I was and I met many other people who were.

I had lost my job and career through illness. I couldn't carry on doing the same job and applied for hundreds of others - literally. The trouble was that I was still too ill to work full-time and kept being rejected. On the other hand, I wasn't ill enough to claim ESA and I was determined not to admit how ill I was anyway. That was the trap Daniel found himself in. I also felt, like Daniel, that I'd contributed more than enough over the years to be treated with some dignity and to be supported better than I was.

You should try it Ana!

I came away from 'I, Daniel Blake' feeling quite shaky. Although it was fictional and, thank goodness, I didn't suffer the same fate as Daniel, every detail of the DWP's procedures was accurate.

Uncle Tom's Cabin was not a true story yet it highlighted the plight of slaves and raised awareness of what was going on in many USA citizens.

Where did I say that I thought 'all unemployed' were young, daphnedill? Please read my post again.

You have shared your story before, of course I sympathise and yes I've been an unemployed single parent myself in the past. My point was that people don't necessarily need a computer or an expensive phone to be able to access the internet and satisfy the JC requirements.

I'm not sure how you have internet access for £10, because mine costs quite a bit more more than that. Even now I don't use my phone for internet access unless I can help it - I certainly couldn't afford the data for over 30 hours of job searching. In any case, £10 is quite a big chunk out of £73.

You wrote:

"many young people on JSA live at home with their parents". So what about the rest, who aren't young? Why are young people even relevant?

I'm sorry to bore you with my story, but it really does seem to me that there are many people who really haven't a clue what it's like to be long-term unemployed under the current regime. It's an insult to suggest that 'I, Daniel Blake' is fiction.

Frankly, Ana, such people don't have a clue.

PS. I don't want your sympathy.

Goodness, what a bitter post dahnedill - I knew I'd regret posting on this thread.

'Why are young people even relevant?' Err...why aren't they?

Consider any sympathy I had for you withdrawn, at your request.

By the way, £10 a month is only £2.50 a week. So not that huge a chunk out of £73.

daphnedill, I've read your experience on a thread some time ago but re - reading just now has had a significant impact, as it did the first time. I've been fortunate in that when my health deteriorated to the point I wasn't well enough to work, I had 6 months full salary and a brilliant medical team to help me. The Atos doctor my employer sent me to was both sympathetic and very supportive. I was able to retire on health grounds. I was 62 so old enough to retire but mortgages, children etc meant I'd planned to work at least another 2 years.
I have family members in the position that Daniel Blake found himself. The work I did meant I was in frequent contact with people who weren't fit to work full time but could do some hours. The mental and physical health benefits from working are undeniable, in addition to which, having a bit more than £74 a week is a real boost.
I honestly don't see how anyone can disagree with ww's summary of the concerns raised by years of tory government.
The so called austerity approach is hurting the most vulnerable. It's piling pressure on those with limited personal / educational resources. It's also unnecessary. Yes, of course we need to utilise pubic services, including the health service effectively but we don't need to revert to some kind of Angela's Ashes approach to the poor, disadvantaged and vulnerable.

Woman on the radio just talking about what it's like having to choose between eating and putting money in the meter. This is the reality for a lot of people.
Why so grumpy Ana ? Do you not want to believe this level of hardship is happening around the corner?

I'm not the one who's grumpy, JessM.

John Major just acknowledged that the rise in populism throughout Europe and America together with Brexit etc was a result of the financial crash. People standard of living has stood still or dropped through the subsequent decade. Something that hasn't happened since the 19th century.

John Major is quite correct. But the crash was not the fault of this govt.
Iam- the post crash "austerity" has involved this govt.
- in collecting tax at an overall percentage of GDP similar to the last Labour govt.,
- increasing the proportion of that tax take paid by the more wealthy,
- borrowing more than ever, and
- spending the lot!
The crash still had a severe effect, and no doubt the govt. have made mistakes, but blaming them for the entire post crash problems is simply wrong.

Of course it's wrong Fitzy but that won't stop some people from believing it.

The reaction and economic strategy adopted by this government is. There were alternative strategies as we know that did not involve squeezing the poor and continue to reward the rich.