The jobless are no shirking scroungers – you try living on £65.45 a week

BitterAndTwisted

JasonLVC wrote: »

Is there a correlation between the increasing number of obese children and the parents of those children being on benefits? - Genuine question, I've no idea to the answer but I think it may illuminate the subject somewhat.

(ie, is it mostly rich kids or poor kids who are obese and if it is mainly poorer kids, how many of those poorer kids have parents who work? - so could we conclude poorer kids get fed cheap Iceland tat and if so why?)

I haven't done any scientific research on this myself but it's my understanding that the problem of childhood obesity, like lots of other issues, is complex. It appears to me that those working-class families with the time to feed their children a healthy, balanced diet are often those without the means to do so and those with the means often don't have the time. I've never had to do it personally but I can understand how hard must be keeping a family fed properly when two parents (or even one parent in lots of families) try to keep up with all of the housekeeping on top of working a full-time job. Shop-bought crud loaded with fat, sugar and salt is cheaper to buy than fresh produce most of the time and who really relishes standing in front of the stove to cook meals from scratch when they get home from work at 6pm or later every day?

Of course, Domestic Science lessons aka cookery and nutrition went out with the Ark some time ago so unless people have parents who can teach them or they find their way to the Old Style forum they don't stand much of a chance imo.

JasonLVC

Blacklight wrote: »

People receiving benefits should be put to good use for their handout. Cleaning graffiti or something.

I can't see any reason that someone should sit around doing nothing at working people's expense.

I disagree, but let me explain. Cleaning graffiti and the like should be tasks performed by those serving community service sentences as a result of their criminal acitivities - putting something back into the community from which they have disrespected.

There's no problem with people claiming unemployment benefit, that is what it is there for, when you haven't got a job, and so don't see why people should 'work' for it.

But being unemployed should be temporary in nature and the state should provide opportunities to retrain individuals to make them employable.

We have those schemes already (train2gain, etc) but they are often used as a means to jump from benefit to benefit/play the system, rather than actually attend them hand on heart with the purpose of retraining and getting a job.

Benefits should be paid on a sliding rate, very high at first to help the newly unemployed find their feet and then after 1-2 years of training/job seeking, it should taper down to a level way below minimum wage to act as an incentive to work rather than claim.

carolt

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

I haven't done any scientific research on this myself but it's my understanding that the problem of childhood obesity, like lots of other issues, is complex. It appears to me that those working-class families with the time to feed their children a healthy, balanced diet are often those without the means to do so and those with the means often don't have the time. I've never had to do it personally but I can understand how hard must be keeping a family fed properly when two parents (or even one parent in lots of families) try to keep up with all of the housekeeping on top of working a full-time job. Shop-bought crud loaded with fat, sugar and salt is cheaper to buy than fresh produce most of the time and who really relishes standing in front of the stove to cook meals from scratch when they get home from work at 6pm or later every day?

Of course, Domestic Science lessons aka cookery and nutrition went out with the Ark some time ago so unless people have parents who can teach them or they find their way to the Old Style forum they don't stand much of a chance imo.

I agree with some of that, but as Old Style board amply demonstrates, you can cook healthy food as cheaply as unhealthy, or cheaper, esp if cooking in bulk for families (harder to do economically for a single person).

tcr_3

Blacklight wrote: »

People receiving benefits should be put to good use for their handout. Cleaning graffiti or something.

I can't see any reason that someone should sit around doing nothing at working people's expense.

No problems with that, assuming the government refunds a solid proportion of the tax & national insurance that I've paid over the last 26 years.

BitterAndTwisted

carolt wrote: »

I agree with some of that, but as Old Style board amply demonstrates, you can cook healthy food as cheaply as unhealthy, or cheaper, esp if cooking in bulk for families (harder to do economically for a single person).

I agree that it is possible but it isn't easy, especially if no-one has ever taught you to cook from scratch. I doubt that most of the people I know under the age of about 40 have much of a clue. Luckily, for once, I am older and had a thrifty and skilled cook for a stay-at-home mother and a grandmother to learn from. It appears that an awful lot did not

lostinrates

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

Luckily, for once, I am older and had a thrifty and skilled cook for a stay-at-home mother and a grandmother to learn from. It appears that an awful lot did not

and fewer will in the future, with fewer SAHPs

carolt

True - on the positive front, thanks to Jamie Oliver partly, I believe that cooking is being reintroduced into the curriculum, so kids will learn to cook a little.

StevieJ

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

I agree that it is possible but it isn't easy, especially if no-one has ever taught you to cook from scratch. I doubt that most of the people I know under the age of about 40 have much of a clue. Luckily, for once, I am older and had a thrifty and skilled cook for a stay-at-home mother and a grandmother to learn from. It appears that an awful lot did not

It doesn't take much skill to do beans on toast, a reasonably cheap and healthy option.

ILW

Big bags of frozen veg are about a pound in Iceland.
A bag of spuds is again around a quid.
Sausages whilst not great, but with the above are OK.
All about half the price of a McD and better for you.
About 30 mins to cook.
There really is no excuse for feeding your kids expensive rubbish.

dave4545454

ILW wrote: »

Big bags of frozen veg are about a pound in Iceland.
A bag of spuds is again around a quid.
Sausages whilst not great, but with the above are OK.
All about half the price of a McD and better for you.
About 30 mins to cook.
There really is no excuse for feeding your kids expensive rubbish.

very true, it's very easy to live cheaply, i spend £3 a week on food