Food bank Brits are not scroungers

Sunday Mirror columnist Carole Malone finds that people regard the shame of using a food bank as worse than going hungry

I spoke to people this week who’ve been forced to use food banks and asked them what was worse – the hunger or the shame.

They all said the shame. Because while hunger eats at your belly, shame eats at your soul and your self worth until there’s nothing left of the person you once were.

And that’s exactly what’s happening to the 500,000 Brits now reliant on food banks. For these people life is no longer about happiness or job satisfaction. It’s simply about surviving.

Which is why we have to get rid of the perception that the people using food banks are scroungers. They aren’t. Most are actually in work but don’t have enough money to pay their bills AND feed their families.

The rest are desperate men and women whose lives and circumstances changed in an instant leaving them destitute.

There will be 60,000 people – 20,000 of them children – who won’t have enough food this Christmas. And while I know many of you won’t have a spare penny, please give what you can to the Trussell Trust which runs 400 of these centres.

Because who knows when any of us might need them?

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/carole-malone-poverty-food-bank-2951270

On the button and I can't think of much that is more distressing and humiliating to the people that have to use them.

It's the Tories and the Liberals biggest shame and never let them forget what's going on   

Absolute truth and shames the whole country.

Sassy wrote:Absolute truth and shames the whole country.

It does and so does the sneering, the sniggering, the laughing and the shouting down of someone who stands up in a debate to point out the effects that this is having on the people who are suffering and of course the cap doffers as usual fall into line led by this higher wisdom that they must follow.

Irn Bru wrote:Sunday Mirror columnist Carole Malone finds that people regard the shame of using a food bank as worse than going hungry

I spoke to people this week who’ve been forced to use food banks and asked them what was worse – the hunger or the shame.

They all said the shame. Because while hunger eats at your belly, shame eats at your soul and your self worth until there’s nothing left of the person you once were.

And that’s exactly what’s happening to the 500,000 Brits now reliant on food banks. For these people life is no longer about happiness or job satisfaction. It’s simply about surviving.

Which is why we have to get rid of the perception that the people using food banks are scroungers. They aren’t. Most are actually in work but don’t have enough money to pay their bills AND feed their families.

The rest are desperate men and women whose lives and circumstances changed in an instant leaving them destitute.

There will be 60,000 people – 20,000 of them children – who won’t have enough food this Christmas. And while I know many of you won’t have a spare penny, please give what you can to the Trussell Trust which runs 400 of these centres.

Because who knows when any of us might need them?

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/carole-malone-poverty-food-bank-2951270

On the button and I can't think of much that is more distressing and humiliating to the people that have to use them.

...a very informative post Irn, for those who do not realise the seriousness of the situation and have most likely never fell on hard times...and as you say many of these folk work , even full time but still can't make ends meet , and this governments greed at raising VAT rates and introducing bedroom taxes only further penalises the poor.

I like the fact you pointed out that many of these folk who do use food banks actually work for a living, so it spells out the fact that it does not always pay to work full time for the NMW with tax to come off as well, that's just a nonsense the right would like to have us all believe.

I once saw a programme on Telly about food banks and a young couple with a kid who both worked had to use the food bank as their wages were so low and did not stretch enough for food once the bills were paid, very sad and I'm glad you highlighted the fact many poor folk who do use food banks work, contrary to the believe they are all unemployed , this has always been overlooked.

And as you also say Irn, the shame these people feel is so sad as they already are suffering and it must have an effect on their mental well being.

I think it's a disgrace we live in a world where folk trying their best to make ends meet are punished further and sneered at by those who have no concept of poverty...and even worse , a government who promotes this hatred toward the most vulnerable.

It does seem to be a ridiculous RW thing, absolutely shameful.

Compassion and understanding do not fall into the Tory manifesto obviously.

We have that here in the U.S. too, and it seems the hate grows daily. Their problem is that they don't understand poverty and how it happens to people, while buying into the "feel-good" (at least it makes them feel good) narrative that the poor deserve what they get because they're too lazy to work.

When there are enough jobs for everyone to have them, everyone pretty much takes them. We simply couldn't have had the periods of extremely low unemployment if there were that many people who refused to work.

Also -- government assistance here in the U.S. doesn't mean much; you can't really "live off the government." You can live in squalor off government assistance, but again, given a choice between a decent job and a government-assistance pittance, the vast majority will choose the job.

The core problem that too few people talk about is the fact that the corporations don't want to provide good jobs because good jobs hurt their bottom line! If they didn't, corporations wouldn't hopscotch the globe in search of the most desperate labor force they can hire as wage slaves.

The attitude toward the poor from corporations is this -- they don't want to offer decent-paying jobs and they don't want their profits taxed to help the poor. Just take your low-paying, long hours, dangerous job and shut up about how miserable you are, and don't dare try to do anything about it with your silly "elections."

Ben_Reilly wrote:We have that here in the U.S. too, and it seems the hate grows daily. Their problem is that they don't understand poverty and how it happens to people, while buying into the "feel-good" (at least it makes them feel good) narrative that the poor deserve what they get because they're too lazy to work.

When there are enough jobs for everyone to have them, everyone pretty much takes them. We simply couldn't have had the periods of extremely low unemployment if there were that many people who refused to work.

Also -- government assistance here in the U.S. doesn't mean much; you can't really "live off the government." You can live in squalor off government assistance, but again, given a choice between a decent job and a government-assistance pittance, the vast majority will choose the job.

The core problem that too few people talk about is the fact that the corporations don't want to provide good jobs because good jobs hurt their bottom line! If they didn't, corporations wouldn't hopscotch the globe in search of the most desperate labor force they can hire as wage slaves.

The attitude toward the poor from corporations is this -- they don't want to offer decent-paying jobs and they don't want their profits taxed to help the poor. Just take your low-paying, long hours, dangerous job and shut up about how miserable you are, and don't dare try to do anything about it with your silly "elections."

Agreed Ben, a decent wage would lift many out of poverty.
More working people in Britain live in poverty than the unemployed and retired put together.

Completely right. It is a national disgrace.

You are the national debt is a disgrace, thanks Labour

                         

Great so if we use the methodology of linking problems as seen to debt, then all this mess was created by Labour.
Seems the finger pointing is pointing in the wrong direction.

 :D 

I don't understand why employed people on low wages are struggling, when their wages are topped up with working tax credits and child tax credits. Do people know how much these credits are worth? Quite a bit of money!

So what are these people spending their money on, that is making them struggle and having to use food banks? Most probably paying huge sums to debts they owe, living beyond their means.

PhilDidge wrote:You are the national debt is a disgrace, thanks Labour

The national debt has RISEN under the Conservative DOH.

Costa wrote:I don't understand why employed people on low wages are struggling, when their wages are topped up with working tax credits and child tax credits. Do people know how much these credits are worth?  Quite a bit of money!

So what are these people spending their money on, that is making them struggle and having to use food banks? Most probably paying huge sums to debts they owe, living beyond their means.

Hi Costa

Could not agree with you more, the reality is people are trying to excuse in my view why so many people have gotten themselves into debt and are missing the real issue and not dealing with this will not make it go away. As seen you and many others manage your finances and on low incomes or benefits, so there is thus a reason why some are not. Not all will have been this way, some will have fallen on misfortune, but the majority will be down to there own mistakes.

Bravo Sassy yes it is still going up because it was so massive when left by Labour, it does not days to resolve but years, so once again, thanks labour!

UK Total Government Debt
Current – Historical – As Percent GDP
Current UK National Debt Numbers
Gross National Debt
FY 2013* £1.16 trillion
FY 2012* £1.04 trillion
FY 2011 £0.91 trillion
FY 2010 £0.76 trillion
FY 2009 £0.62 trillion
FY 2008 £0.53 trillion

http://www.ukpublicspending.co.uk/uk_national_debt_chart.html

There are more charts on there showing the debt to GDP continuously rising since 2010 and expected to rise further.

Yes as stated it takes time to solve and this Goverment is doing what the last one failed to do Sassy and why Labour won't stand a fighting chance in the next election as people want somebody that knows what thy are doing as reflected in the polls

Another thing, food banks have only replaced the Crisis Loan. So if the Crisis Loan still exsisted, we wouldnt have these food banks.

In fact, these people are better off, as with the Crisis Loan, you had to pay the money back. Whereas with the food bank, you don't.

Costa wrote:Another thing, food banks have only replaced the Crisis Loan. So if the Crisis Loan still exsisted, we wouldnt have these food banks.

In fact, these people are better off, as with the Crisis Loan, you had to pay the money back. Whereas with the food bank, you don't.

Something I did not think of Costa, and a very excellent point, what would be interesting to know is how many people were using Crisis loans before?

PhilDidge wrote:

Costa wrote:I don't understand why employed people on low wages are struggling, when their wages are topped up with working tax credits and child tax credits. Do people know how much these credits are worth?  Quite a bit of money!

So what are these people spending their money on, that is making them struggle and having to use food banks? Most probably paying huge sums to debts they owe, living beyond their means.

Hi Costa

Could not agree with you more, the reality is people are trying to excuse in my view why so many people have gotten themselves into debt and are missing the real issue and not dealing with this will not make it go away. As seen you and many others manage your finances and on low incomes or benefits, so there is thus a reason why some are not. Not all will have been this way, some will have fallen on misfortune, but the majority will be down to there own mistakes.

Bravo Sassy yes it is still going up because it was so massive when left by Labour, it does not days to resolve but years, so once again, thanks labour!

Hi Didge

I wish to take this opportunity to wish you, a very Merry Christmas!

Costa wrote:

PhilDidge wrote:


Hi Costa

Could not agree with you more, the reality is people are trying to excuse in my view why so many people have gotten themselves into debt and are missing the real issue and not dealing with this will not make it go away. As seen you and many others manage your finances and on low incomes or benefits, so there is thus a reason why some are not. Not all will have been this way, some will have fallen on misfortune, but the majority will be down to there own mistakes.

Bravo Sassy yes it is still going up because it was so massive when left by Labour, it does not days to resolve but years, so once again, thanks labour!

Hi Didge

I wish to take this opportunity to wish you, a very Merry Christmas!

Thank you Costa, hope you have a magical Christmas, best wishes to your family

PhilDidge wrote:

Costa wrote:Another thing, food banks have only replaced the Crisis Loan. So if the Crisis Loan still exsisted, we wouldnt have these food banks.

In fact, these people are better off, as with the Crisis Loan, you had to pay the money back. Whereas with the food bank, you don't.

Something I did not think of Costa, and a very excellent point, what would be interesting to know is how many people were using Crisis loans before?

Did you also know that since they done away with the crisis loan, they will also top up your gas/electric cards with money too? Again, you don't pay it back.

Community Care Grants are currently payable to anyone in receipt of certain
income-related benefits in certain circumstances. They are non-repayable grants
awarded for range of expenses including household equipment and are primarily
intended to support vulnerable people to return to or remain in the community or
to ease exceptional pressure on families. In 2009/10 over 263,000 non-repayable
Community Care Grants were awarded at a cost of £141 million, with the average
initial award being £437.
2. Crisis Loans are interest-free loans available to anyone (whether on benefit or
not) who cannot meet their immediate short-term needs in an emergency or as a
consequence of a disaster, where there is an immediate risk to their health or
safety. Repayments are deducted from benefit, and suitable recovery
arrangements are made for those not on benefit. In 2009/10, around 2.7 million
Crisis Loans were awarded to help people deal with emergencies – at a cost of
£233 million. The average award was £82.


http://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA11-041P.pdf

Very interesting

Costa wrote:

PhilDidge wrote:


Something I did not think of Costa, and a very excellent point, what would be interesting to know is how many people were using Crisis loans before?

Did you also know that since they done away with the crisis loan, they will also top up your gas/electric cards with money too? Again, you don't pay it back.

So in fact you get a great deal of support then, something else I was not aware of, thank you Costa!

Costa wrote:Another thing, food banks have only replaced the Crisis Loan. So if the Crisis Loan still exsisted, we wouldnt have these food banks.

In fact, these people are better off, as with the Crisis Loan, you had to pay the money back. Whereas with the food bank, you don't.

Food banks have not replaced the crisis loan. The fact that the crisis loan was withdrawn doesn't help, but it is the change in welfare benefits that is causing the problem, because it is working families that are suffering the most, and they wouldn't be eligible for a crisis loan anyway.

Costa wrote:

PhilDidge wrote:


Something I did not think of Costa, and a very excellent point, what would be interesting to know is how many people were using Crisis loans before?

Did you also know that since they done away with the crisis loan, they will also top up your gas/electric cards with money too? Again, you don't pay it back.

Not if you are working they won't, and it's working people who are using food banks because of the cost of living crisis.

PhilDidge wrote:

Costa wrote:

Did you also know that since they done away with the crisis loan, they will also top up your gas/electric cards with money too? Again, you don't pay it back.

So in fact you get a great deal of support then, something else I was not aware of, thank you Costa!

Yes, its true. My older son was inbetween jobs a couple of months ago and waiting for his JSA to be processed. The jobcentre sent him to his local council offices, where they topped up his gas and electric card, with £20 on each of them. He was told to come back if he needed more when it ran out. Also, he was given two bags of shopping which he didnt need, and give them instead to a pensioner in his street.

Sassy wrote:

Costa wrote:

Did you also know that since they done away with the crisis loan, they will also top up your gas/electric cards with money too? Again, you don't pay it back.

Not if you are working they won't, and it's working people who are using food banks because of the cost of living crisis.

When crisis loans still exsisted, anybody working or not could apply for them.

Sassy wrote:

Costa wrote:Another thing, food banks have only replaced the Crisis Loan. So if the Crisis Loan still exsisted, we wouldnt have these food banks.

In fact, these people are better off, as with the Crisis Loan, you had to pay the money back. Whereas with the food bank, you don't.

Food banks have not replaced the crisis loan.   The fact that the crisis loan was withdrawn doesn't help, but it is the change in welfare benefits that is causing the problem, because it is working families that are suffering the most, and they wouldn't be eligible for a crisis loan anyway.

Are you ruling out that this might have had an affect and could be connected to the food charity rise?


Hi Costa

That is very good they are helping people with bills through hard times and good to hear also

Information about Local Welfare Provision schemes, which are replacing the Crisis Loan and Community Care Grant elements of the Social Fund.

http://www.turn2us.org.uk/information__resources/benefits/social_fund/local_welfare_provision.aspx

Very interesting again Costa, right have to go.

PhilDidge wrote:

Sassy wrote:

Food banks have not replaced the crisis loan.   The fact that the crisis loan was withdrawn doesn't help, but it is the change in welfare benefits that is causing the problem, because it is working families that are suffering the most, and they wouldn't be eligible for a crisis loan anyway.

Are you ruling out that this might have had an affect and could be connected to the food charity rise?



Hi   Costa

That is very good they are helping people with bills through hard times and good to hear also

Yes, because the majority of people using food banks are working and would not have been eligible for a crisis loan.

Helping through hard times, jeez you are a comic.

Sassy wrote:

PhilDidge wrote:


Are you ruling out that this might have had an affect and could be connected to the food charity rise?



Hi   Costa

That is very good they are helping people with bills through hard times and good to hear also

Yes, because the majority of people using food banks are working and would not have been eligible for a crisis loan.

Helping through hard times, jeez you are a comic.

Yes, working people would have been eligible for a crisis loan

Apply for a Crisis Loan

A Crisis Loan is an interest-free loan which can provide financial help in an emergency or disaster. You don't have to be on benefits to qualify.

http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/apply-for-a-crisis-loan

Q: Why do I need to seek other
sources of help before I can apply?
A:
Local welfare provision is the final
safety net for people experiencing
pressures that are very different fr
om the normal day to day hassles of
managing on a low income. It
is not intended to replicate statutory services.
Because of this, applicants are required
to show they have sought help from
money, debt and welfare benefit agencies,
charities, statutory services or
credit unions, for example. For a
list of support agencies and grants visit
www.solihull.gov.uk/moneycounts

http://www.solihull.gov.uk/Attachments/LWPquestions.pdf

PhilDidge wrote:Community Care Grants are currently payable to anyone in receipt of certain
income-related benefits in certain circumstances. They are non-repayable grants
awarded for range of expenses including household equipment and are primarily
intended to support vulnerable people to return to or remain in the community or
to ease exceptional pressure on families. In 2009/10 over 263,000 non-repayable
Community Care Grants were awarded at a cost of £141 million, with the average
initial award being £437.
2. Crisis Loans are interest-free loans available to anyone (whether on benefit or
not) who cannot meet their immediate short-term needs in an emergency or as a
consequence of a disaster, where there is an immediate risk to their health or
safety. Repayments are deducted from benefit, and suitable recovery
arrangements are made for those not on benefit. In 2009/10, around 2.7 million
Crisis Loans were awarded to help people deal with emergencies – at a cost of
£233 million. The average award was £82.


http://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA11-041P.pdf

Very interesting

Community care grants have been withdrawn

In my area Community Care grant has been replaced by Citizens Service Support scheme. Its discretionary so not every one is eligible and you have to be in receipt of certain benefits

Ben_Reilly wrote:We have that here in the U.S. too, and it seems the hate grows daily. Their problem is that they don't understand poverty and how it happens to people, while buying into the "feel-good" (at least it makes them feel good) narrative that the poor deserve what they get because they're too lazy to work.

When there are enough jobs for everyone to have them, everyone pretty much takes them. We simply couldn't have had the periods of extremely low unemployment if there were that many people who refused to work.

Also -- government assistance here in the U.S. doesn't mean much; you can't really "live off the government." You can live in squalor off government assistance, but again, given a choice between a decent job and a government-assistance pittance, the vast majority will choose the job.

The core problem that too few people talk about is the fact that the corporations don't want to provide good jobs because good jobs hurt their bottom line! If they didn't, corporations wouldn't hopscotch the globe in search of the most desperate labor force they can hire as wage slaves.

The attitude toward the poor from corporations is this -- they don't want to offer decent-paying jobs and they don't want their profits taxed to help the poor. Just take your low-paying, long hours, dangerous job and shut up about how miserable you are, and don't dare try to do anything about it with your silly "elections."

..a brilliantly well summed up post Ben, nail on the head but I doubt one or two will acknowledge these facts.

Joy Division wrote:

Ben_Reilly wrote:We have that here in the U.S. too, and it seems the hate grows daily. Their problem is that they don't understand poverty and how it happens to people, while buying into the "feel-good" (at least it makes them feel good) narrative that the poor deserve what they get because they're too lazy to work.

When there are enough jobs for everyone to have them, everyone pretty much takes them. We simply couldn't have had the periods of extremely low unemployment if there were that many people who refused to work.

Also -- government assistance here in the U.S. doesn't mean much; you can't really "live off the government." You can live in squalor off government assistance, but again, given a choice between a decent job and a government-assistance pittance, the vast majority will choose the job.

The core problem that too few people talk about is the fact that the corporations don't want to provide good jobs because good jobs hurt their bottom line! If they didn't, corporations wouldn't hopscotch the globe in search of the most desperate labor force they can hire as wage slaves.

The attitude toward the poor from corporations is this -- they don't want to offer decent-paying jobs and they don't want their profits taxed to help the poor. Just take your low-paying, long hours, dangerous job and shut up about how miserable you are, and don't dare try to do anything about it with your silly "elections."

..a brilliantly well summed up post Ben, nail on the head but I doubt one or two will acknowledge these facts.

  

PhilDidge wrote:

Sassy wrote:

Food banks have not replaced the crisis loan.   The fact that the crisis loan was withdrawn doesn't help, but it is the change in welfare benefits that is causing the problem, because it is working families that are suffering the most, and they wouldn't be eligible for a crisis loan anyway.

Are you ruling out that this might have had an affect and could be connected to the food charity rise?


Hi   Costa

That is very good they are helping people with bills through hard times and good to hear also

Hi Didge..hard times you say chief and bills, but for those on unemployment benefit these hard times are never ending , not just a passing phase.

And bear in mind, most folk on unemployment benefit want to work but there is simply no work to be had, especially with this government hell bent on la skeleton public sector staff, but rely heavily upon the private sector to provide jobs....mostly all NMW with tax on top.

Catman wrote:

Joy Division wrote:


..a brilliantly well summed up post Ben, nail on the head but I doubt one or two will acknowledge these facts.

  

You know that as well as I do Phil!!, we may soon again be told that those on benefits are just idle gits and that they deserve nothing and that life on benefits is some kind of haven and the benefits money paid to folk is more than enough to live on....

Work that out from around £60-£70 a week!

Joy Division wrote:

Catman wrote:

  

You know that as well as I do Phil!!, we may soon again be told that those on benefits are just idle gits and that they deserve nothing and that life on benefits is some kind of haven and the benefits money paid to folk is more than enough to live on....

Work that out from around £60-£70 a week!

When you say that they just mention housing benefit and council tax benefit as a means to deflect!

Catman wrote:

Joy Division wrote:


You know that as well as I do Phil!!, we may soon again be told that those on benefits are just idle gits and that they deserve nothing and that life on benefits is some kind of haven and the benefits money paid to folk is more than enough to live on....

Work that out from around £60-£70 a week!

When you say that they just mention housing benefit and council tax benefit as a means to deflect!

Yeah I've noticed that Phil, but then other times they will pick on folk on benefits BECAUSE they get HB and CT benefit , even though some do not get full HB and now this stinking bedroom tax...

Some really believe folk on benefits should be able to pay full rent and council tax from their total of £70 a week!!

I mean, even folk on benefits do have to live somewhere ffs!!

Blaming the poor, the sick, the unemployed and the disabled continues unabated right in line with the Tory propaganda spin machine by the doffers and the forelock tuggers. We really shouldn't expect anything else.

Irn Bru wrote:Blaming the poor, the sick, the unemployed and the disabled continues unabated right in line with the Tory propaganda spin machine by the doffers and the forelock tuggers. We really shouldn't expect anything else.

Classic divide to rule tactics they have been trying to use, but we see the poorer communities pulling together, donating food to the food banks for the worst off.....Helping out their friends and neighbours etc..

One would think that their nasty and divisive tactic hasn't worked at all!

 

Irn Bru wrote:Blaming the poor, the sick, the unemployed and the disabled continues unabated right in line with the Tory propaganda spin machine by the doffers and the forelock tuggers. We really shouldn't expect anything else.

Nobody is blaming anyone, what we are doing is trying to get people to recognize they have a problem, you know like anything from smoking to Gambling to here, where people cannot manage their finances and that is trying to help them as stated where people are trying to help them people are not coming forward. Now that is the travesty here where people are blinded by political hate they seek to only blame and they themselves are the ones doing this and ignore a major issue, and I find that very appalling for on simple matter, you are ignoring the real issue of people and debt.

This is nothing Tory, or Labour or Liberal, it is about being a realist and seeing what in fact the real problems are!

Hold on, you have been blaming they, saying it's because they can't manage their money.

PhilDidge wrote:

Irn Bru wrote:Blaming the poor, the sick, the unemployed and the disabled continues unabated right in line with the Tory propaganda spin machine by the doffers and the forelock tuggers. We really shouldn't expect anything else.

Nobody is blaming anyone, what we are doing is trying to get people to recognize they have a problem, you know like anything from smoking to Gambling to here, where people cannot manage their finances and that is trying to help them as stated where people are trying to help them people are not coming forward. Now that is the travesty here where people are blinded by political  hate they seek to only blame and they themselves are the ones doing this and ignore a major issue, and I find that very appalling for on simple matter, you are ignoring the real issue of people and debt.

This is nothing Tory, or Labour or Liberal, it is about being a realist and seeing what in fact the real problems are!

Sorry Didge, but you have done nothing but blame them. You have done it in almost every post you have made citing their reckless spending in the way they have not managed their money supply.

You talk about political hate but a few posts elsewhere you were blaming Labour for causing all the this.

Didge you do make out that the debt is the fault of everyone on benefits and that somehow unemployed folk in general are junkies , alkies , bone idle or brought it on themselves even if they have been paid off due to no fault of their own.

Now Didge, if you even tried to put yourself in their place for just a moment then I think you would have a different view.

Never claimed it was due to benefits Joy with debt, stop telling porkies it is not becoming of a gentleman

I have lived being poor, very poor.

11 million in debt, mainly due to how they manage their money, prove otherwise!

Irn Bru wrote:

PhilDidge wrote:

Nobody is blaming anyone, what we are doing is trying to get people to recognize they have a problem, you know like anything from smoking to Gambling to here, where people cannot manage their finances and that is trying to help them as stated where people are trying to help them people are not coming forward. Now that is the travesty here where people are blinded by political  hate they seek to only blame and they themselves are the ones doing this and ignore a major issue, and I find that very appalling for on simple matter, you are ignoring the real issue of people and debt.

This is nothing Tory, or Labour or Liberal, it is about being a realist and seeing what in fact the real problems are!

Sorry Didge, but you have done nothing but blame them. You have done it in almost every post you have made citing their reckless  spending in the way they have not managed their money supply.

You talk about political hate but a few posts elsewhere you were blaming Labour for causing all the this.

Incorrect Irn, I am not blaming but hoping people recognise a problem, so I can help, you are the one including others seeking to blame.

Labour have a very poor record with the economy, I don;t blame them fully at all though!