Child poverty would reach a record high in 2023-24 under the Tories

They don’t care if there’s nothing in it for them. They probably think it’s the children’s fault for being poor. Someone who claims to be patriotic wouldn’t love a country where people are hungry and homeless.

crystaltipps, exactly! I see them everyday at work. It's heart breaking.

We're currently running a FOOD BANK out of my school while teaching Dickens. The parallels are terrifying.

But surely, most of you actually voted for this? Will you vote Tory again?

Anyone can have the misfortune to hit hard times and need to use food banks. Children can't change their home circumstances.

We are one of the richest countries in the world so it's just impossible, atm, to be 'proud to be British'.

Did you know that
While Dominic Rabb was Housing Minister, it was revealed he was part of a Facebook group calling for the return of workhouses for those in poverty and debt, and advocating the privatisation of the NHS.

I would never vote for a party that supports such inequality in my country.

GROAN!!

To listen to you lot we’re all going to hell in a handcart.

Well, it certainly looks like that - until you lot wake up!

Child poverty is not the child’s fault but we need to look at the bigger picture. I was a Health Visitor for 11 years and saw my fair share of child poverty but just sometimes the parents don’t prioritise. For instance they smoke (although they sometimes bought cigarettes on the cheap from the Fag House), drank, Lambrini was a favourite along with cheap larger and don’t get me started about the huge televisions. These were the children who we would make sure they got a few Christmas gifts thanks to local charities. I know not all families are like this, the majority are in genuine need but we can’t put child poverty down to governments in all cases.

Thank you for a balanced professional opinion GrandmaJan it does help ameliorate the hyperbole!

Totally GrandmaJan, I used to work in primary care, and echo your comments - parents claiming hardship, with a fag hanging out of their mouths, and ordering pizza every night, drinking beer and moaning they couldn't get a GP appointment that day because they couldn't be bothered to get out of bed until midday. Seen it all ...........

Urmstongran, for some children their childhood IS hell. YOU try standing in front of children who live in abject poverty all day, everyday. It is gruelling. It is REALITY for these kids.

Have you NO compassion?

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I voted today. Not for the party I want, but against the candidate I don’t.

The UK as we know and love it, won’t survive another 5 years of Tory pillaging.

Look at the number of children facing another Christmas in poverty, and vote with your conscience.

I was a health visitor for over 30 years and have a fair amount of experience with poor and deprived families.

Poverty can be a cycle of deprivation from generation to generation and may be due to a number of factors and it isn't simple. Poor education, lack of parenting skills lack of opportunity, to name a few.

The loss of Sure Start centres was a great blow in many communities, and it is be heartbreaking to see how some families struggle.

Of course there are always going to be some who abuse the system, but I think the poorer in society have been very disadvantaged by cuts in benefits.

Poor parents love their children just as much as well off parents, and want the best for them, they ar not a different species.

I know if I was born behind a veil of ignorance John Rawls, and could choose to be born into a rich or poor family I know
which I would choose. Some are born severely disadvantaged through no fault of their own.

I have a great deal of compassion for kids in poverty whose parents are unable to help themselves, and the State should rightly support them. But I'm talking about kids whose parents don't give a s**t and spend all of their money on trash rather than proper food, and who don't want to work. I feel sorry for the kids, but not the parents, and the saddest part is the kids grow up not knowing any better and history repeats itself - and still the State is expected to provide for them.

Hey Opal don’t those ‘kids’ need even more help?

Umrstongran you’re ‘I’m all right jack’ attitude is sad. Tell me, do you do anything to help the less well off, even if it’s just drop a tin of something into the Food Bank collection at your local supermarket?

Your...typo

Family values have broken down, and we are left with single parent families, who are out of work but still keep having more and more babies, to get more and more benefits. It's a never ending downward spiral. We all know it happens, but if you say anything about it, you get shouted down - and we all know who by. And the benefits end up being paid to them, instead of the parents who work hard, and sometimes fall on hard times, and they are the ones that deserve it the most. Lazy people who think it's OK to rely on the State for everything need to start learning to work hard if they are able, and fend for themselves, and understanding that rights go hand in hand with responsibilities. Yes you do have a right to have a child, but you also have a responsibility to provide for that child. If you can't provide a home, food and loving care, then FFS STOP HAVING KIDS and go to work!!!! It's not rocket science, just common sense.

"Yehbutnobut" - yes those 'kids' need more help, but don't you think it should come from their 'parents' first and foremost? We've gone so soft on people like these, and it's so wrong. Let's start ramming the message home ......... or shall we just go on as we are ............

Many of these deprived children grow up to be unemployable because of sheer ignorance brought on by their parent/s whose negative lives have rubbed off.
Usually their parents before them. They don't even know the basics in life such as making do or simple cooking using cheap produce.
Some of them can't boil an egg !

Cookery was taught in my school in the 50's as many had even far less than now so at least we knew how far a 1lb of mince went in a family.

I brought 4 children up when I was in my early 20's, our flat was £1,750 and H paid the mortgage and bills my family allowance fed us.
Before I went back to work, we had no washing machine and I used to soak our clothes in the bath overnight, rinse them next day and put them through the mangle. Nappies were boiled on the stove.
Our clothes were spotless and ironed and we ate pretty well, delicious breast of lamb on a Sunday ( 1/6 ) roast pots, etc.

I worked damned hard in those days until the young ones started school then I went back to work doing nights at the local hospital and after that lived like millionaires in comparison to the initial struggle. Little did I know/realise that hard graft was to be my middle name until 66 and I've ended up knackered !

Although my GD has 7 children who I love, I certainly don't agree to her having had so many when 13 years ago she'd given birth to twins ( 1 of each ) who in their right mind would have had/ wanted more ?? She knows how I feel about it and the rest of those who are gormless enough not to look ahead to the future.

In this climate of uncertainty, overcrowding of the planet etc, families should be limited to two children. It's democracy gone mad to use having more kids as an excuse for freedom ! Especially when you can't look after them-----the majority being one-parent ones. I don't get it.

I think that Universal Credit has 'rammed the message home' more than enough. Benefit caps, bedroom tax, zero hours contracts etc reinforce the 'message' that some are more equal than others.

How much more humiliation and indignity do you want to see before you feel some compassion?

Agree doodlebug the points that you mention plus the two child limit on benefit payments which seems to have passed some posters by.

To listen to you lot we’re all going to hell in a handcart.

Obviously not for the few UG and it sounds, from what you repeatedly say is you are neither living it or seeing it. But for far too many that is exactly what is happening.

^Many of these deprived children grow up to be unemployable because of sheer ignorance brought on by their parent/s whose negative lives have rubbed off.
Usually their parents before them. They don't even know the basics in life such as making do or simple cooking using cheap produce. Some of them can't boil an egg!^

That's what we always hear from the Neo-liberal Tories. It's the fault of the victim. No matter who it is or what they have inflicted upon them, their okay so it must be the fault of the poor that they are in this position.