It is quite disturbing that in 21st century Britain, parts of society have to rely on food banks to survive. The "pull your self up by your own bootstraps" brigade will always blame the individuals for their own circumstances, but it couldn't be further from the truth. I spend a bit of my time, "helping out" and it is saddening to see a whole broad spectrum of society that now have to rely on the good will of others in order to live day to day. People are encouraged daily, if not hourly, if you watch television, to take on debt. Smiling faces at the opportunity to borrow at a crippling 1275% interest loan to get your car fixed, which undoubtedly will be on some other form of finance. I don't see any government advice warning of the pit falls. The government who coined the term "JAM's", as a follow on from the previous financial disasters under Labour, haven't got past the blame game, and I'm afraid enough years have passed for that one not to " wash" anymore. I live in what could be described as an affluent area, and its surprising that in the long time I have lived here, 2017 has been the only year I have ever seen house repo's. There isn't enough money to fix the NHS, but there always is enough to prop up banks, and drop bombs on people in far off lands. Blair is trying to drum up support for a reverse Brexit, but doesn't realise that he is too toxic for anyone to listen, along with most of his red tie Tories.
Whilst I agree with much of the content of this post, I don't think that everything can be laid at the door of the government, and in fairness I don't think you were trying to say that.
There is an area of a town near to where I live which consists, in the main, of social housing. Many of the residents in that area don't work and there is a food bank at one of these modern churches. I've never been inside, but maybe I should.
What I have difficulty with is the state of the gardens and the general untidiness of the area in which these people live. I think to myself, the person residing in that house has a place to live, they don't work and have more disposable time than I have, yet the garden and the general area is nothing short of a $h!t tip. Maybe some of the residents are disabled and can't work in the garden, but not all of them and it is all of the gardens which are in a disgusting state. Even, my 94 year old neighbour gets out and does a bit. Not much admittedly, but the state of mind and willingness is present.
Where I live, litter accumulates and weeds grow in the verges and a nearby ally. I, and others, get out there with a bag and a trowel and pick up the litter and dig out the weeds. I also have a huge garden which I manage to keep looking nice in addition to working full time, running a part time business and maintaining my own home. Why can't the people who aren't working and living in shitsville do the same? They've got more time than me, so they should be living somewhere akin to a Royal Park. Are they idle and have no desire to improve on their lot? Content to let Jeremy Corbin fleece ordinary working people and tip the spoils on their social housing driveways?
I have also seen, first hand, cigarette smoking people leave a betting shop and enter the afore mentioned church food bank next door. I am not saying that this applies to everyone and I know there are low income families who, as a result of circumstances beyond their control, have found themselves in a desperate situation. However, some people find themselves using food banks, living in squaller and unable to find work because they are useless idle twats fit for nothing other than being thrown into the skip of life.
I am also getting increasingly irritated by the "young people can't buy a house because all the older people are buying them up" garbage. When I bought my first house it cost me £30000 and I was earning just over £6000 per year before tax. I saved a £6000 deposit, 1 years pre-tax wage by driving a rubbish car, not going on holiday and cycling and running (cheap social outings) instead of boozing. I wanted to do the other things, but I saw the longer term benefits. My mortgage for £24000 was at around 11% interest and the repayments consumed my entire wage and we had to live of my wife's low clerical worker's wage. I really could have done with a food bank and we literally had to go without heating at times, but as they do, things get better.
Today, the financial situation for young people isn't much different, it's just that the numbers have scaled upwards. What has changed is that many young people want the house, the car, the holidays, the £1000 iPhone, the new furniture and the high disposable income from day 1. Well boo-hoo, it isn't going to happen. If they want a better car than I drive, a more exotic holiday and a better iPhone, that's fine, they can rent one of my houses.