I am thinking about this subject today because of this report by the Child Poverty Action Group (*1). Poverty is a word oft trotted out but rarely is it actually defined, and when it is, then I have never heard a debate so far as to whether the definition is accurate.
Poverty now sounds like another word that has been devalued because generally there's an unhealthy dose of cobblers surrounding its use.
Other words to be suspicious of include Community and Partnership. Anything, usually in the related to the public sector, that contains these words should be treated with suspicion.
But as for poverty? Well I am sure real poverty is a serious issue but the term is used and abused without too much though it seems. I am sure we're all right to be concerned about squalor which must exist here too but what about this poverty thing? How often do we hear of ‘families’ on benefits who coin it on a PAYE salary of £50k or more, and get a car chucked in for good measure?
How often do you see interviews with the ‘poor’ and there’s a nice fat flat screen TV in the corner. So often these people seem to have a nice little life thanks very much. Of course its well known that around 1million of the multimillions on sickness benefit could actually work if they chose to do so.
Any debate on ‘poverty’ should go hand in hand with a concerted effort to remove benefit from slackarse quite often Labour voting scroungers. According to the telegraph article ‘Campaigners estimate than an extra £3billion would have to be spent in benefits and tax credits for the worst-off in order to reduce the number of children living in poverty’. I havent read the report but i wonder if it suggests anywhere where this money should come from.
Of course any competent reputable government would ensure that children are properly funded by the sperm donors (absent fathers) who are jointly responsible for their presence on this earth. But could Labour cope with this challenge by getting the CSA to work? (*2) Of course not. The complete fools.
(*1 -
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/5189273/Britain-one-of-the-worst-places-in-Europe-to-grow-up.html")
(*2 -
http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2006/07/24/217176/child-support-agency-a-history-of-it-failure.htm)
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