Hunger In Britain Today

[naomi24]

Following on from the Food Banks thread, if hunger in Britain really is as prevalent as it's claimed to be, you would think the Daily Mirror, the champion of the ‘working classes’ might have taken the trouble to find a genuinely British, genuinely poor, child for its front page picture. If its headline is anything to go by it shouldn’t have been too difficult.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/andrewbrown/2014/apr/16/daily-mirror-weeping-child-lie-food-banks

Tut! Just who can you believe?

[Zacs-Master]

'The Mirror's front page picture illustrating a food banks story in Britain is of a child in San Francisco. But all photographs have a problem with authenticity'

And that's exactly why I don't believe a thing any of them print.

[Gromit]

At last conclusive proof that children are not hungry in this country and that food banks are a myth.

The numpties at the Daily Mirror filch a photo of a girl crying because her pet worm wiggled away and tried to pass it off as a Brotish Child crying from hunger.

If they fine investigative gentleman couldn't fine any real starving Britons, then the must not exist.

Or the journalistic standards at the Mirror are a joke.

I'm beginning to doubt old people die of hypothermia now, having never seen a picture of a frosty OAP in the tabloids.

[naomi24]

Gromit, //the journalistic standards at the Mirror are a joke. //

Now you're just being silly. ;o)

[New Judge]

The question posed "why did Britain give out 1m food parcels?" needs to be answered. And it has not been - as my thoughts in the "foodbank" question will confirm. Nobody has satisfactorily explained (other than to say something like "it's the cost of living") why these 1m people have seen their circumstances reduced so drastically and so rapidly.

[Fitzer]

NJ, the paper version of the Independent's article here http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/churches-unite-to-act-on-food-poverty-600-leaders-from-all-denominations-demand-government-uturn-on-punitive-benefits-sanctions-9263035.html gives case studies which although only a couple of instances seem to indicate the somewhat harsher benefits sanctions for minor infringements seem to cause at least some of them. One was a man who said on a form that he had been looking for work Mon - Fri and the correct period should be Thu-Thu for which he received a 4 week sanction meaning he had no cash income for that period, he was referred to a Food Bank after he could not feed his children who were coming for their monthly visit. Others mentioned the fact that they now had to pay the shortfall in housing benefit due to the 'bedroom tax' to avoid losing their homes and therefore could afford less food, even though there were no 'correctly sized' homes for them to move to.

[Jeza]

If there really are hungry people in this country, why are there so many obese people?

[sherrardk]

Also, whilst some people on benefits used to have 100% of their council tax bill 'paid' for them, they now have to contribute towards council tax so their income has been cut though this.

[ToraToraTora]

complete cobblers no one is hungry in Britain, I've seen the queue to the food bank in my area. They've all got their fags and booze so I guess food is not a priority.

[sherrardk]

If it's such cobblers why are there so many charities organising food banks, do you think they do it for a laugh or on some sort of whim?

[ToraToraTora]

no idea all im saying is that they all seem to have 2 litre bottles of white lighting and unlimited snout.

[Svejk]

er, a lot of people make a(very good) living out of charidee.

[New Judge]

Your article is very informative, Fitzer. I accept there are examples like this. But a million or more?

[seadogg]

Some comments remind me of the old notion of the "deserving poor" and "the undeserving poor" illustrated by G.B.S.

Nobody wishes to use resources on individuals who misuse the funds they possess but this can be inevitable in giving aid to the majority of deserving cases and has to be accepted in a humane society.

[ludwig]

It's been suggested many times before, but perhaps a proportion of benefits should be given in the form of food vouchers.

[ToraToraTora]

they should give the lot in vouchers if you ask me.

[smurfchops]

How come people on benefits always have enough money for ciggies and booze and their mobile phone, oh and their large TV but not enough for food ? Odd that. Oh and tattoos.

[ummmm]

Tora - as a working single parent whose outgoings were more than the incomings, believe me, I went hungry.

[smurfchops]

If they gave vouchers people would sell them so they could buy ciggies and booze and top up their mobile and have more tattoos.

[ummmm]

Smurf....are you serious? You think every person on benefits drinks and smokes?

And how can you possibly know the size of their TV...?

[sherrardk]

According to the this article - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-27032642

A large number of food bank 'customers' were there because their benefits had been delayed for some reason and a third of the 'cases' were repeat visitors.