10 million in severe poverty

[Vitamin c]

My neighbour has 3 kids in a 3 bed house 2 share a bedroom 1 has his own mum and dad have the other i know that in the kids rooms their are large TVs a laptop each 2 xbox's everyone has a phone and in the living room a family TV large a family computer and music system

That's just one average house.

In my youth we had a TV in living room with a stereo gram a radio in the kitchen .
We well all have to go back to the 70s for the foreseeable future.

[WomanOfTheWoods]

The kids are not the problem, it is the system that is broken.

The gap between the rich and poor is at its widest I’ve seen in my lifetime, it is simply unsustainable if it keeps going. Private schools enforce the view that there’s ‘betters’ and ‘others’ but that is not the kids fault, that’s the system that engrains it into them.

I’ve lived in two other countries, New Zealand and Australia. Both have elite schools, all have poverty, crime and drugs but I never once came across ‘I’m better than you because I went to X Boys School’.

This however is getting away from the main thrust of the thread, we have gripping inequality and poverty and few solutions to end it. There is also little political will to do so, at least it looks like that from a U.K. pov.

One thing economists and politicians tend to not think about is this: imagine a country has extreme inequality, where a small number of people have most of the wealth and own all the industry, and most people are skint. Who do the rich think they are going to sell their products and services to? Low wages mean smaller markets. Things like austerity (eg cutting money for education) have this effect. Underemployment also, ie where a lot of people can only find part-time work.

Class differences exist everywhere. I've seen it first hand in New Zealand, In Australia and especially in North America.
Just the Country Clubs of Perth,,,, and the port city of Freemantle had the snobbiest set imaginable.. Class difference is there,, just bubbling below the surface. It's in nearly every country of the world and not just a British thing.

But back to the main thrust of the thread. Society isn't quite as simple as the rich and the poor. For any modern society to prosper and also provide for the poorest and weakest it needs a strong working class of people. That's the "In employment" working class and working middle class. Work needs to be sufficiently rewarded.
We have gradually become a weakened society, working people are often hardest hit,, and a new class has emerged - those living off benefits permanently. They are rewarded for not contributing. Please note,, these people cannot be called working class. For "working class" implies work.

Please admins,,, delete my post if it is seen as political. I don't have any interest in party politics, I see this as a problem of society and not state.

[Kiwififer]

Oh there’s poverty all over, I get that and there’s a massive difference between Manakau and Ponsonby in Auckland but I never once experienced the ‘old school tie/I am better than you because I went to X school’ you occasionally get up here.

I have no idea on how to slow the spread of poverty now, it seems ingrained into the U.K. now and there’s no real will to change it. There’s local initiatives but that’s throwing a cup of water at a forest fire and will only alleviate a symptom for a while. The answer is political or a massive shock to the system that would make folk stop and ask ‘what kind of country do we want to be?’ But I don’t see either of that happening.

I blame Downton Abbey.

[WomanOfTheWoods]

This is not political,,, this is simply my opinion. To get rid of poverty, those in poverty need to be motivated out of it. By that I mean they need to be personally motivated. They need to motivate themselves.

People in poverty are more likely to feel a sense of hopelessness and feel as if they lack power. many feel as if they are victims of circumstance. Poverty and apathy often go hand in hand.

I say this as a person who actually has been in poverty. And by that I mean I could not afford to eat,,, as in no food in the house.
Now,,, if anyone wants to ask me what I did to change that,,,, I will willingly post 100% honest and accurate replies.

[WomanOfTheWoods]

This is not political,,, this is simply my opinion. To get rid of poverty, those in poverty need to be motivated out of it. By that I mean they need to be personally motivated. They need to motivate themselves.

People in poverty are more likely to feel a sense of hopelessness and feel as if they lack power. many feel as if they are victims of circumstance. Poverty and apathy often go hand in hand.

I say this as a person who actually has been in poverty. And by that I mean I could not afford to eat,,, as in no food in the house.
Now,,, if anyone wants to ask me what I did to change that,,,, I will willingly post 100% honest and accurate replies. Because the first thing in dealing with poverty is to address the reasons for it. The personal reasons. And then take responsibility for those reasons.
Poverty is not a given ... and I 100% believe that I could take 10 average people experiencing poverty,,,,, and they would not be poor for very long. Honestly, legally, ethically , morally,,, the list goes on.

[Vitamin c]

Would anyone on here concider not paying their bills .

[jansman]

Would anyone on here concider not paying their bills .

No.

[British Red]

Would anyone on here concider not paying their bills .

No.

Nor me. I would hate to think of myself as a thief.

[jansman]

Would anyone on here concider not paying their bills .

No.

Nor me. I would hate to think of myself as a thief.

Exactly. I have a perfect credit score. It’ll stay that way. Also, if I buy or use anything, I pay.

[Kiwififer]

I’m not allowed to! My wife works in finance so our household needs to be squeaky clean.

I can understand why folk juggle though. I’ve been ‘financially challenged’ as Billy Connolly describes being skint, it’s no fun.

I would be out picking tatties or cleaning cludgies before getting in to that situation again.