Austerity

[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.

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.

Austerity hurts the poorest and most vulnerable in society whether you are a single parent, have a father figure or not. You can prevent “Broken” families by early intervention and support to stop them falling into a crisis. That was what our scheme did, it used trained volunteers who were/had been parents themselves and they provided a couple of hours per week support for the children and parents. This prevented children being put on the child protection register and ultimately going into care.

[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.

Austerity hurts the poorest and most vulnerable in society whether you are a single parent, have a father figure or not. You can prevent “Broken” families by early intervention and support to stop them falling into a crisis. That was what our scheme did, it used trained volunteers who were/had been parents themselves and they provided a couple of hours per week support for the children and parents. This prevented children being put on the child protection register and ultimately going into care.

That is not my point. My point is that no amount of government funding is going to fix the problem of poverty which overwhelmingly comes in the form of single parent households. To break that cycle we have be stronger on it and in my opinion go back to policies of times past in order to make people more self responsible. You don't get rewarded for making bad decisions.

The UK has a minimum wage among the highest in the world. Anyone has it in them to get a full time job and there are no limitations on you choosing to study something very useful that will lead to a good income. If you choose a partner carefully, save your money, and then have children for the right reasons, then that sounds like a recipe for helping children.

Families end up broken because the parents are not suitable and we have encouraged an environment of poorly matched people having children and then leaving them without fathers. It has been normalized and in fact seems to be encouraged now in schools. There are men who want to get laid and there are women that want the man, or want the benefits, and what seems to come last is the child and that needs to be spoken about rather than brushed under the carpet. Not always of course, but far often than we want to admit.

Youth clubs? I wouldn't even know what one was. My happiest memories of being a teenager were on that cricket field being able to forget about home and laugh with my friends. We did not need the government to enjoy that and we did not turn to violence.

[Gandalf]

This video concludes it well arguing basically that: Well educated men are more likely to marry well educated women. The children are generally more intelligent and stable and in turn more likely to raise stable and high achieving families. The less educated and poorer are more likely to produce more unstable and poorer children. The result is a gulf.

All I argue is that one should aspire to study something useful, find someone on your intellectual level, and in turn that is more likely to produce decent well adjusted children. A smart person will research and study and be involved with their child. Others will not and most likely find themselves raising a child alone.

Thus I don't think austerity or the lack of pool is hurting kids, but the choices of their own parents certainly is. All the pool in the world might be great, but it won't lead to attainment or change anything at home.

[Master]

Poverty can be caused for a variety of reason not just single parents. Low income, unemployment, mental/physical health, debt, substance misuse, lack of opportunity, which can put you in this cycle of deprivation. Most people do not choose to live in poverty and it is not always there fault.

The government should help the most vulnerable in society.

[Gandalf]

Poverty can be caused for a variety of reason not just single parents. Low income, unemployment, mental/physical health, debt, substance misuse, lack of opportunity, which can put you in this cycle of deprivation. Most people do not choose to live in poverty and it is not always there fault.

The government should help the most vulnerable in society.

Low income? One of the highest minimum wages in the world where you can buy fresh salad for a quid and rent pretty reasonably provided you don't have half a dozen children.
Unemployment? Not exactly soaring and many won't work and that is on them.
Mental health? Most can overcome with discipline, but much of it is caused by bad childhoods.
Physical health? You exercise and eat properly, but sure we help the disabled.
Substance misuse? You have to taper and quit, work on your demons. Most likely to be from a single parent household statistically.
Lack of opportunity? Nobody is stopping you and that is where it is all about nurture and guidance and if it is missing then it causes problems. The solution is to choose a good partner and only be a parent if and when you are ready to be a good one. A good parent will always nurture and guide. A poor parent won't and we just don't seem willing to have that conversation.

Plus the government DOES help people who struggle already. What do you think the NHS is? Or schooling? Or welfare? You even have government covering rents for many. There has been too much support and not enough truth telling to those who really are causing many of those issues you mention.

[Master]

That is the whole point of this thread that austerity has resulted in the government not supporting people who struggle.

NHS has been short staffed and underfunded, school classes are too big, lack of investment in teachers, police officer, transport, prisons and welfare benefits have been dramatically cut. The people who want to get out of their situation have a very difficult time.

[Gandalf]

That is the whole point of this thread that austerity has resulted in the government not supporting people who struggle.

NHS has been short staffed and underfunded, school classes are too big, lack of investment in teachers, police officer, transport, prisons and welfare benefits have been dramatically cut. The people who want to get out of their situation have a very difficult time.

I have no qualms with welfare being cut, but not for the disabled. I don't agree with that.

According to data I have looked at the NHS is not underfunded, it is just overused. You are talking about a population possibly 10 million bigger in a couple of decades and a population that has got pretty chunky bringing with it its own problems. It is creaking at the seams because of Labour and Tory and it is because nobody wants to control the borders. Ask Fenster about the emergency room. I was reading that massive numbers of students are now foreign as the migrants have children too. What do you expect exactly? Shut the borders and you can regain control, but until then it is a lost cause.

Yes, it is very difficult to get out of a situation where some groups have 70% of kids with no father figure. It shouldn't happen. In moderation it is fine, but at those numbers and taught in school that it is normal. Well, that is no enabler of prosperity.

[El Kabong]

That is the whole point of this thread that austerity has resulted in the government not supporting people who struggle.

NHS has been short staffed and underfunded, school classes are too big, lack of investment in teachers, police officer, transport, prisons and welfare benefits have been dramatically cut. The people who want to get out of their situation have a very difficult time.

Well that's something open borders will absolutely solve