Austerity

[Master]

Yes Master all spot on mate the blame rests with the Tories no doubt.
I work for local authority as you know it has been devastated by cuts.
Education social services to name but a few roads etc the list goes on.
Bloody Tories just renamed cuts as austerity every time they are in power they cut nothing new.

Another thing is youth clubs being closed. I attended these clubs as a kid but kids have very little to do, unless you have rich parents, so can get caught up in trouble.

[El Kabong]

Seems like you lot are dependent on the government providing money to charities....why? Is there no sense of community? Why?

[Master]

Seems like you lot are dependent on the government providing money to charities....why? Is there no sense of community? Why?

Central Government do not routinely give money to charities. Normally local governments will give grants to local charities. However our Charity never asked for funding from them, we applied to lottery, comic relief, children in need, Lloyds Bank and various Trusts. The voluntary sector, which you may call not for profit organisations, have had their funding cut year on year. They normally provide a service to the community at a more cost effective way than statutory services but they are the first to be cut as it is easier to do.

[El Kabong]

Central Government do not routinely give money to charities. Normally local governments will give grants to local charities. However our Charity never asked for funding from them, we applied to lottery, comic relief, children in need, Lloyds Bank and various Trusts. The voluntary sector, which you may call not for profit organisations, have had their funding cut year on year. They normally provide a service to the community at a more cost effective way than statutory services but they are the first to be cut as it is easier to do.

Well I can't say I understand why ya'll have done things that way, perhaps it's a hand-me-down from Kings and Queens providing crumbs for their subjects I honestly don't know. But I do know that one of the Founding Fathers of America, James Madison said "Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government" and I agree with that fully and I participate in charitable giving and service whenever I can...I think it's good for the community and it's something the extremely wealthy could use to endear themselves to the community rather than draw the ire of.

Al Capone ran soup kitchens (when he wasn't running booze and prostitutes and murdering people)


.....and people thought highly of the man (rightly or wrongly)

[Master]

The voluntary sector is just that, people who give their time for free and share their skills and experience to their particular cause that they have an interest in.

The funding pays for staff to do the necessary work. Our particular charity trained volunteers to support families with children under 5 years of age who were on the verge of crisis. The befriending service aimed to support the child and parent who were referred by social workers/health visitors.

[Gandalf]

Yes Master all spot on mate the blame rests with the Tories no doubt.
I work for local authority as you know it has been devastated by cuts.
Education social services to name but a few roads etc the list goes on.
Bloody Tories just renamed cuts as austerity every time they are in power they cut nothing new.

Another thing is youth clubs being closed. I attended these clubs as a kid but kids have very little to do, unless you have rich parents, so can get caught up in trouble.

I hate that excuse. I was poor but worked while at secondary school and thus always had my music and books. School always had sports clubs and you and your friends could always rustle up a cricket bat, wickets and a ball. All you need is a football and parks are a plenty too. There is nothing stopping kids from studying hard or having fun even if poor.

[Master]

Yes Master all spot on mate the blame rests with the Tories no doubt.
I work for local authority as you know it has been devastated by cuts.
Education social services to name but a few roads etc the list goes on.
Bloody Tories just renamed cuts as austerity every time they are in power they cut nothing new.

Another thing is youth clubs being closed. I attended these clubs as a kid but kids have very little to do, unless you have rich parents, so can get caught up in trouble.

I hate that excuse. I was poor but worked while at secondary school and thus always had my music and books. School always had sports clubs and you and your friends could always rustle up a cricket bat, wickets and a ball. All you need is a football and parks are a plenty too. There is nothing stopping kids from studying hard or having fun even if poor.

It is not an excuse.

Austerity has led to cuts in public services. In my city we had local youth clubs, mines was at a local church and we would play football, table tennis, pool and hang out there. Now they decided to close all the clubs and have one in the city centre which is too far for them to go and you are more liable to meet people that are up to no good.

There has always been knife crime but the increase in it and at such a pace means that austerity must have something to do with it. Typically the government have increased the number of police but other services need funding which can divert children away from crime and into more productive lives.

[Gandalf]

Yes Master all spot on mate the blame rests with the Tories no doubt.
I work for local authority as you know it has been devastated by cuts.
Education social services to name but a few roads etc the list goes on.
Bloody Tories just renamed cuts as austerity every time they are in power they cut nothing new.

Another thing is youth clubs being closed. I attended these clubs as a kid but kids have very little to do, unless you have rich parents, so can get caught up in trouble.

I hate that excuse. I was poor but worked while at secondary school and thus always had my music and books. School always had sports clubs and you and your friends could always rustle up a cricket bat, wickets and a ball. All you need is a football and parks are a plenty too. There is nothing stopping kids from studying hard or having fun even if poor.

It is not an excuse.

Austerity has led to cuts in public services. In my city we had local youth clubs, mines was at a local church and we would play football, table tennis, pool and hang out there. Now they decided to close all the clubs and have one in the city centre which is too far for them to go and you are more liable to meet people that are up to no good.

There has always been knife crime but the increase in it and at such a pace means that austerity must have something to do with it. Typically the government have increased the number of police but other services need funding which can divert children away from crime and into more productive lives.

I am sorry, but I disagree about the need for 'youth clubs'. I never had youth clubs and I was one of those wild eyed terrors without a father, except I was bookish and disciplined with my morning money making. I had friends to play sports with, books to read, games to play, a bike to ride. It certainly did not result in any stabbing and the government wasn't buying our cricket bats or telling us what to do. GOOD PARENTS are the best way to divert children into healthy productive lives, not the government. If you want to play pool, then go to a pool hall. If you want to play football, then go to a park. It isn't complicated.

Are you telling me without government support you could not play football, cricket, or any of these things? I don't think it is on the government to provide entertainment for kids. I think kids make their own fun and if they cannot have fun without stabbing one another, then they belong in prison or if on a second passport, a good old deportation.

[Fatboxingfan]

2015:.

Minimum income required for acceptable standard of living, excl rent (Joseph Rowntree Foundation study)
Item Cost per month for a single adult
Social/cultural participation £196
Food £187.98
Travel costs £115.61
Energy bills (electricity/gas/water) £96.50
Household goods and services £78.09
Council Tax £64
Personal goods and services £59.24
Clothing £31.42
Alcohol £21.15
Total £849.99

[Gandalf]

2015:.

Minimum income required for acceptable standard of living, excl rent (Joseph Rowntree Foundation study)
Item Cost per month for a single adult
Social/cultural participation £196
Food £187.98
Travel costs £115.61
Energy bills (electricity/gas/water) £96.50
Household goods and services £78.09
Council Tax £64
Personal goods and services £59.24
Clothing £31.42
Alcohol £21.15
Total £849.99

With a full time job, you are earning that and more.

[Gandalf]

If we mean by austerity low interest rates, few pay increases, and limited public spending, then it is something I have experienced, but do not consider it a huge issue as you live within your means and carry on with life. How much does one need to get by? Not much. If you don't smoke or drink a lot then life is hardly a burden. Austerity is a global issue in many developed countries. I could get 5% interest on a savings account a few years ago, now you are lucky to get 2%. They have screwed up the economy that way and rather than let the silly fools out of their depth sink, they continue to screw with interest rates on savers who have been responsible with their money and continue to go easy on people who should not have been given the debt they have.

It hasn't been helped in countries like the UK though with continued open borders. Currently mainly to those beyond the EU who generally cost money. That is money that shouldn't be going to them. It pushes up housing, means more benefits, and for those who do work, pushes down wages.

I continue to be shocked by the notion that young people need youth clubs to occupy them. Why can they not have conversations in homes, go to coffee shops, read books, play games, play football etc, and pick up constructive hobbies? We make too many excuses when really the problem makers are typically the result of terrible family planning and a lack of self responsibility. A teenager can be productive and busy without reams of money or government programs.

Plus with the modern Internet it is not like they are paying 12 pounds a CD anymore which I was way back when music was still good. They nick everything off the Internet so the decent bands die off. In many ways the young are quite spoiled with everything available for free. You can download the entire works of Orwell for a couple of pennies. You couldn't do that when I was young. You had to spend and nowadays you can find so many rare things that you simply couldn't find then and the information is much more plentiful. Spoiled in that sense, but obviously many are deprived emotionally because of the decisions of terrible parents.

I asked the question a while back why do the poor stay poor and I think it is often a result of bookies, booze, drugs and general bad decisions. But then you add in a Labour caused bank bail out and you have some problems and it hasn't been the same again. Those bonuses came back and the ordinary people were so into their phones they barely flinched.

[Dia bando]

If we mean by austerity low interest rates, few pay increases, and limited public spending, then it is something I have experienced, but do not consider it a huge issue as you live within your means and carry on with life. How much does one need to get by? Not much. If you don't smoke or drink a lot then life is hardly a burden. Austerity is a global issue in many developed countries. I could get 5% interest on a savings account a few years ago, now you are lucky to get 2%. They have screwed up the economy that way and rather than let the silly fools out of their depth sink, they continue to screw with interest rates on savers who have been responsible with their money and continue to go easy on people who should not have been given the debt they have.

It hasn't been helped in countries like the UK though with continued open borders. Currently mainly to those beyond the EU who generally cost money. That is money that shouldn't be going to them. It pushes up housing, means more benefits, and for those who do work, pushes down wages.

I continue to be shocked by the notion that young people need youth clubs to occupy them. Why can they not have conversations in homes, go to coffee shops, read books, play games, play football etc, and pick up constructive hobbies? We make too many excuses when really the problem makers are typically the result of terrible family planning and a lack of self responsibility. A teenager can be productive and busy without reams of money or government programs.

Plus with the modern Internet it is not like they are paying 12 pounds a CD anymore which I was way back when music was still good. They nick everything off the Internet so the decent bands die off. In many ways the young are quite spoiled with everything available for free. You can download the entire works of Orwell for a couple of pennies. You couldn't do that when I was young. You had to spend and nowadays you can find so many rare things that you simply couldn't find then and the information is much more plentiful. Spoiled in that sense, but obviously many are deprived emotionally because of the decisions of terrible parents.

I asked the question a while back why do the poor stay poor and I think it is often a result of bookies, booze, drugs and general bad decisions. But then you add in a Labour caused bank bail out and you have some problems and it hasn't been the same again. Those bonuses came back and the ordinary people were so into their phones they barely flinched.

There is a vast disparity between the working class money is the issue.!
Everybody needs to eat and keep warm but when theses basic needs are to some a luxury there is something wrong.
The Country is a fuck up Zero contract jobs people scratching a living with 5 or 6 jobs.!
Miles not everyone is academic all this bollocks of motivation you can't be what you want weather it be education or etc.
There are limits for instance mate academic people have a tendency to be thick doing practical job Clueless some.
Were practical people would struggle with academic tasks.!
The way of the World some people are gifted some not so but everyone contributing to society .

[Gandalf]

If we mean by austerity low interest rates, few pay increases, and limited public spending, then it is something I have experienced, but do not consider it a huge issue as you live within your means and carry on with life. How much does one need to get by? Not much. If you don't smoke or drink a lot then life is hardly a burden. Austerity is a global issue in many developed countries. I could get 5% interest on a savings account a few years ago, now you are lucky to get 2%. They have screwed up the economy that way and rather than let the silly fools out of their depth sink, they continue to screw with interest rates on savers who have been responsible with their money and continue to go easy on people who should not have been given the debt they have.

It hasn't been helped in countries like the UK though with continued open borders. Currently mainly to those beyond the EU who generally cost money. That is money that shouldn't be going to them. It pushes up housing, means more benefits, and for those who do work, pushes down wages.

I continue to be shocked by the notion that young people need youth clubs to occupy them. Why can they not have conversations in homes, go to coffee shops, read books, play games, play football etc, and pick up constructive hobbies? We make too many excuses when really the problem makers are typically the result of terrible family planning and a lack of self responsibility. A teenager can be productive and busy without reams of money or government programs.

Plus with the modern Internet it is not like they are paying 12 pounds a CD anymore which I was way back when music was still good. They nick everything off the Internet so the decent bands die off. In many ways the young are quite spoiled with everything available for free. You can download the entire works of Orwell for a couple of pennies. You couldn't do that when I was young. You had to spend and nowadays you can find so many rare things that you simply couldn't find then and the information is much more plentiful. Spoiled in that sense, but obviously many are deprived emotionally because of the decisions of terrible parents.

I asked the question a while back why do the poor stay poor and I think it is often a result of bookies, booze, drugs and general bad decisions. But then you add in a Labour caused bank bail out and you have some problems and it hasn't been the same again. Those bonuses came back and the ordinary people were so into their phones they barely flinched.

There is a vast disparity between the working class money is the issue.!
Everybody needs to eat and keep warm but when theses basic needs are to some a luxury there is something wrong.
The Country is a fuck up Zero contract jobs people scratching a living with 5 or 6 jobs.!
Miles not everyone is academic all this bollocks of motivation you can't be what you want weather it be education or etc.
There are limits for instance mate academic people have a tendency to be thick doing practical job Clueless some.
Were practical people would struggle with academic tasks.!
The way of the World some people are gifted some not so but everyone contributing to society .

7 pounds 80 an hour, Dia. It is not exactly a small amount for the lowest skilled work going. It is still 15 grand a year if you work full time. If you live within your means and rent somewhere for 400-500 a month, I am not sure what anyone is complaining about and if you are a couple, then that is more than enough to be comfortable. Many live at home with parents, so they can be banking away.

At the end of the day, if you want money you need a skill set or innovation and an ability to work hard. Not everybody is going to be Richard Branson and I accept a degree of social inequality as some people make better decisions than others.

Others of course are born into it and that is less fair, but that is why I think the rich pay a bit more tax (and they do) and the poor pay less (though I argue that VAT is a horrible stealth tax on them too).

You don't even pay income tax until a fairly high amount so really the low income workers aren't getting that bad a deal considering it is packing potatoes into a bag or what have you.

[Master]

I am not making excuses for children getting in trouble. Some of it is just exploring and learning in life which include close calls with the police. Ultimately I never did cross the line because I was too afraid of my dad who would be working the night shift and the last thing he would want is a call from the police to pick his son up from station. Youth clubs were an important part of being able to socialise with friends and learn new skills. If it diverts people away from crime then it pays for itself in the long run.

[Gandalf]

I am not making excuses for children getting in trouble. Some of it is just exploring and learning in life which include close calls with the police. Ultimately I never did cross the line because I was too afraid of my dad who would be working the night shift and the last thing he would want is a call from the police to pick his son up from station. Youth clubs were an important part of being able to socialise with friends and learn new skills. If it diverts people away from crime then it pays for itself in the long run.

You somewhat proved my point there. You had a strong father figure who I assume was a diligent and decent person. That is what I think young people need in their lives rather than government. Anybody can go and play games in an Internet cafe or a friend's house or kick a football around. I think a lot of the problems stem not so much from austerity but from broken families. A single mother has no way of controlling a volatile young man who needs that steadying male influence. Now some families with father figures also go horribly wrong, but the statistics tell us that single parent households have the worst outcomes.