Labour & the Conservatives

LauraW10

For sure, in modern Britain, the working class has become an object of fear and ridicule. Media, politicians and posters like Paul alike dismiss as f eckless, criminalized and ignorant a vast, underprivileged swathe of society.
The working class has gone from 'salt of the earth' to 'scum of the earth.' This stereotype is used by the government and the media as a convenient figleaf to avoid genuine engagement with social and economic problems and to justify widening inequality.

neverdespairgirl

LauraW10 wrote: »

Not necessarily - the mortality figures were not so high in a Victorian workhouse for example. Also, people tended to end up workhouses when they were old and they'd already reproduced.

None of my known ancestors were in Victorian workhouses - in fact, none at all, because I know my family history since before 1837.

One of my ancestors was "on the parish", but that resulted in him being brought up by a foster family, and his father (parents not married) was ordered to make regular payments to the parish. That was in 1790.

StevieJ

The book by Robert Tressell (The_Ragged_Trousered_Philanthropists) is becoming eerily relevant again, sad really

PaulF81

Can someone please explain the much higher benefits claimant rate in labour constituencies? I still contend that socialism is a major cause of poverty, despite frothing lefty claims to the contrary. A limited safety net would give the !!!!less unwashed no option other than work.

With the exception of a very few disabled individuals and the likes of young widows, e majority of gripes I hear into welfare reform still revolve around 'cant be bothered to work, the jobs you suggest are below me'. I say tough. If you want to eat cake, work for it!

grizzly1911

PaulF81 wrote: »

Can someone please explain the much higher benefits claimant rate in labour constituencies?

Who do you think lives up stream?

PaulF81

Probably some fat scouser unionist leader.

mildredalien

PaulF81 wrote: »

Can someone please explain the much higher benefits claimant rate in labour constituencies? I still contend that socialism is a major cause of poverty, despite frothing lefty claims to the contrary. A limited safety net would give the !!!!less unwashed no option other than work.

With the exception of a very few disabled individuals and the likes of young widows, e majority of gripes I hear into welfare reform still revolve around 'cant be bothered to work, the jobs you suggest are below me'. I say tough. If you want to eat cake, work for it!

Well you certainly are entrenched in your views aren't you?

Perhaps you might benefit from a few minutes considering the background of people who tend to vote Conservative vs. those who tend to vote Labour? The areas of the country where the respective parties tend to get most seats, and how 'wealthy' those areas of the country are? Consider perhaps, that we are in a deep recession and the south east bubble doesn't extend to the rest of the UK?

I'm not entirely sure who you've been speaking to you to inform your obviously thoroughly researched conclusion that 'most' gripes about welfare reform revolve around people not wanting to do work they consider beneath them. Would love to hear more about your source on that one though.

PaulF81

THe uk service sector immigration statistics speak from themselves. the fact we have hundreds of thousands of people on the dole and other workshy benefits, yet hundreds of thousands of eastern Europeans working here in fields, in nursing homes and in other low paid work, tells me everything I already know. A significant minority of the UK are lazy, slothlike no hopers that are leeching off the productive side of our economy. They are killing it with their greed, which is why I and many other overtaxed higher tax threshold individuals are wishing the UK and its rather stupid socialist experiment of supporting the lazy instead of the productive, bon voyage (tax free).

PaulF81

How many carrots would this miscreant have to pick before she could be considered for a proper job?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2300962/Obese-Jay-Cole-went-This-Morning-complain-fat-job-caught-stealing-cakes.html

mildredalien

Ah I see, you prefer prejudice, stereotypes and misinformation to facts. Then sorry, I can't help you!

I'll leave you with another link that you probably won't read, but just in case:
http://www.neweconomics.org/blog/2012/08/29/why-clegg%E2%80%99s-one-off-wealth-tax-does-not-go-far-enough

If you are confused, the graph shows that the top 1% of the population own more wealth than the whole bottom half of the population put together. The fact that you think that the unemployed or otherwise reliant on benefits are greedy is hilarious.

Oh and here's another link to peruse if you fancy educating yourself:
http://www.jointpublicissues.org.uk/truthandliesaboutpoverty/
(if you need help - you click the link that says 'download the full report')

You probably won't, because it's far easier to sit there from your comfortable lifestyle blaming problems on and judging those less fortunate than yourself.