General Election 2015

[strange]

Loz, you forgot about 'NHS sell off'

[kevin3]

The sell off started by Blair/New Labour.??
I think a Majority Government will be good for the country. Immigration controls stand a better chance.
I think once the scroungers have been weeded out the vunerable will be protected.
The Human Rights and EU brigade will have less chance to interfere.
The biased and financially irresponsable BBC will be made accountable at last.
And  the SNP have lost their wrecking tool, he's resigned.
A good day for the UK.

[Rimms]

I'm not an expert on food banks, when I was a young and a newly married struggling parent during the 70s recession they didn't exist. The fact that there are now places that give away free food and that these places are becoming more and more popular seems to be hard to understand by some, it seems perfectly obvious to me that the more food banks that open, the more popular they will become and whether this is an indication of government policy driving increasing poverty or if it's an indication of a society that believes most things should be provided by someone else, well I'm not really sure?

[Colwyn]

Rimms, you say that these places are becoming more "popular". I don't think that is the right term. There are certainly more of them and more people going to them. It helps to understand food banks if you know how they work. Hilary used to work for our local food bank at Tesco. Clients there had to referred by certain people - such as social workers, church ministers or schoolteachers. Then they were only allowed a limited number of parcels each year - in Hilary's place four a year. Many of the people who collected parcels would only accept food for their children; they didn't want any for themselves. She was in no doubt about the good the food bank was doing. In they end she left because the organizers were a Christian group who made it very clear for both volunteers and clients that this was a religious charity (they began the day with prayers) and, not being a Christian, she felt increasingly uncomfortable with the charity/missionary nature of the organization.

[stoop]

I'm all for charity and I'm sure many people do need the food provided. But I wonder how many have Sky TV or smoke and could give up both to provide extra food? Do the people referring them actually go and look at their home situation? 

[Colwyn]

We are talking about volunteer charity workers here, Stoop, not the Gestapo.

[Menthol]

"When people in a democracy are not educated in the art of living --- to strengthen their conscience, compassion, and ability to question and think critically --- they can be easily manipulated by fear and propaganda. A democracy is only as wise as its citizens, and a democracy of ignorant citizens can be as dangerous as a dictatorship."
-- Paul K. Chappell

[Highlander]

Forgive me menthol, but can you please explain that quote to me.  

[Rimms]

It's lost on me as well H ??

[desmartinson]

Methinks she,s been on Capstan full strength instead of Menthol Fags.