Marcus Rashford MBE | Page 2 | Vital Football

Marcus Rashford MBE

Do you have kids yet?

I do, a toddler. My missus is in the airline industry, luckily I’m in a recession proof industry but in her industry airline staff meet airline staff - we are friends with a couple who have a young boy same age as mine who are both going the through redundancy.

The problem is redundancy can happen quickly, a couple of weeks consultancy and it’s done. Trying to sell a house because you need to withdraw some capital? Minimum 6 months.
 
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The problem here is that for every child who’s family genuinely needs food, there’s probably another whose family could afford it but see it as a free meal (quite literally).


I feel sorry for the poor who are borderline getting by, because they are paying for people in a similar position who don’t need to.

Yes, two good points.

The underlying, for all of us debating here, remains - no kid should go hungry, no matter whose fault.

And so many suffering from poverty and not - as some think (including the lady who runs the Villa ladies rambling on about the give me generation over furlough) - wanting to ask for help, they just want the opportunity to provide for themselves and their families.
 
I think you have to take into consideration a lot of people are going from an income, to 80% of their income, and now to 60% or nothing.

Yes, another great point and for some, the 100% didn't go very far, let alone the 60%

I think I've not considered this quite as fully as I should have in my previous musings.
 
The most serious consequences of a parent who can’t feed a child range from hitting the bottle and their life falling apart, which is a common theme with homelessness. Even worse than that, suicide or far worse than that, people who might even take the life of their family.

This is happening right now, the problem is we can’t see it.

The problem with the economy is the cash cycle. The economy has stopped moving cash around. I’m getting paid full whack, on for a decent bonus next spring, I can spend £100 online without even thinking about it. Because I’m not spending money on leisure, entertainment and travel that I normally would which costs me hundreds of pounds per month.

I’m quite happy to support the state in helping out the disadvantaged, however it must be the genuinely needy.
 
I do, a toddler. My missus is in the airline industry, luckily I’m in a recession proof industry but in her industry airline staff meet airline staff - we are friends with a couple who have a young boy same age as mine who are both going the through redundancy.

The problem is redundancy can happen quickly, a couple of weeks consultancy and it’s done. Trying to sell a house because you need to withdraw some capital? Minimum 6 months.

Can you think of anything that you would pay for before feeding your kids?
 
Can you think of anything that you would pay for before feeding your kids?

Absolutely nothing. But think how many people were living pay cheque to pay cheque, before seeing their income drop by 20% or down to zero - albeit a small amount back for signing on.

I just don’t think the majority of us will see the hardship of those in the bottom 1%, because we aren’t near it or don’t see it. It doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It also isn’t something I go out of my way to see, because I don’t want to think this stuff happens.

I’m agreeing with you that a lot of people are just taking advantage of a free meal.

We are in exceptional times, I’m quite happy for the state to use my money to support others right now. I also fully expect people who shouldn’t really benefit will, and that’s inevitable.
 
Back in the days of the old common market when they were destroying food to keep the prices up and farmers we being paid for not producing etc. (does it still happen?)
We had olive oil lakes and Butter mountain, beef being given to the hard-up single mothers etc. (one of the reasons I hate the EU but that's another story)

We ended up with 4 Sunday roasts and our own butter mountain via a single mom friend of ours who didn't eat either so gave her allocation to us.
People dishing it out did rather nicely out of it too
 
Free school meals are a solution to a problem that's been misidentified.

It has to start with school.

Proper sex education not just the science. Don't give the fluffy cute baby pictures, talk about being puked over, not having a moments peace, the lack of sleep - the fact if you're a decent parent the worry never ends.

Talk about benefits - the physical cash, it's not enough to live comfortably unless everything you own is higher purchase. Talk about a future career, be honest, if you've got a nipper and with no track record it's minimum wage jobs because employers never know when the kid will be ill, when you'll get called to school without notice etc etc.

Instead of fluffy RE and the rest of the nonsense, actually educate the kids properly with lessons that will help their lives rather than stuff that's only useful down the line if they burrow down in maths, science, tech etc....get proper cookery and house management and budget subjects instead.

Teach them sensible stuff. Fresh or frozen might be a bit more expensive in some cases compared to that microwave burger, but you see, you can get more than 1 meal from it with planning.

A desperate dan, some curries, stews etc...portion it off and you can get multiple meals from that (so it works out cheaper over all because you've spent 20 minutes off your backside).

And when things are tight, you aren't 'entitled' to luxuries - prioritise.
 
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Absolutely nothing. But think how many people were living pay cheque to pay cheque, before seeing their income drop by 20% or down to zero - albeit a small amount back for signing on.

I just don’t think the majority of us will see the hardship of those in the bottom 1%, because we aren’t near it or don’t see it. It doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. It also isn’t something I go out of my way to see, because I don’t want to think this stuff happens.

I’m agreeing with you that a lot of people are just taking advantage of a free meal.

We are in exceptional times, I’m quite happy for the state to use my money to support others right now. I also fully expect people who shouldn’t really benefit will, and that’s inevitable.

I can't say that I'm against it. As others have pointed out, if the kids are going hungry, it's not their fault. You are right about the bottom 1% too. I don't know their suffering and I'd rather not know.

Still, something has gone catastrophically wrong for kids to be starving in Britain regardless of the economic climate. If kids are showing up for school dinners during school holidays someone should be finding out what that is.
 
You can still get half hundredweight of spuds for a fiver 4 tins of beans for a quid and bread for 40p a loaf, or you can spend £70 a week on fags the same on Carling and get yourself a new Tat for the same again.
For every genuine case, you get these work-shy career scroungers who don't know any different.
 
You can still get half hundredweight of spuds for a fiver 4 tins of beans for a quid and bread for 40p a loaf, or you can spend £70 a week on fags the same on Carling and get yourself a new Tat for the same again.
For every genuine case, you get these work-shy career scroungers who don't know any different.

And these scroungers always seem to have the latest mobile phone that's on the market.

I have always put my kids first no matter what.
 
I can't say that I'm against it. As others have pointed out, if the kids are going hungry, it's not their fault. You are right about the bottom 1% too. I don't know their suffering and I'd rather not know.

Still, something has gone catastrophically wrong for kids to be starving in Britain regardless of the economic climate. If kids are showing up for school dinners during school holidays someone should be finding out what that is.

The US is the richest country in the world, but the poorest there are a lot poorer than the poorest here. Not necessarily in monetary terms, because £0 equals $0, but at least we have a safety net here.

Problem we are dealing with is that the cash cycle has stopped. The supermarkets and those who haven’t been affected by the economy, are saving cash. Those who rely on consumer spending, aren’t replenishing their bank accounts as major outgoings haven’t changed now mortgage holidays are over.

My preferred drug dealer and favourite prostitute are really struggling right now.
 
The US is the richest country in the world, but the poorest there are a lot poorer than the poorest here. Not necessarily in monetary terms, because £0 equals $0, but at least we have a safety net here.

Problem we are dealing with is that the cash cycle has stopped. The supermarkets and those who haven’t been affected by the economy, are saving cash. Those who rely on consumer spending, aren’t replenishing their bank accounts as major outgoings haven’t changed now mortgage holidays are over.

My preferred drug dealer and favourite prostitute are really struggling right now.

I feel it's your moral duty to spend more on drugs and prosititutes than ever before.
 
Yes there will be some who are buying purchases which they shouldn't be. It isn't the majority. Those who need our support are far bigger in numbers.

When you have a government paying private contracts to friends of millions for schemes that don't work, I think we need to be holding them to account not the families and certainly not the children

Remember the cost of living has gone up far and beyond money earnt or/and state paid

Do you know the stats of how many people who are on universal credit who work?

Universal Credit is paid to everyone now who needs any state support. This includes

Housing benefit (can be claimed whilst working for low income families and is also claimed by pensioners for housing support)

You can't claim help with your mortgage for 9 months BTW. Then it is only given as a loan.

Working tax credits for families you now claim through universal credit.

Child tax credits are also claimed through universal credit

The amount of people who are on zero hours contracts snd part time hours who make up U.C claims is substantial.

Then ofcourse there is the usual jobseekers snd sick who claim out of work benefits. Please don't tar everyone with the same brush.

Yes you can cook cheaply however alot of these families are having to prioritise bills as well especially those working part time because of the way U.C works

When we have those scroungers in parliament claiming heaven knows what and paying £35 for breakfast I know who i would rather feed.

Take it from me who works in holistic services with this that it isn't so cut and dried as some of you make out

Also any child allowances now are only paid for the first two children.

Remember too many of those who have had to claim benefits are from this year have fallen on hard times.

They had children when life was better and didn't anticipate being in this situation. That is the same for the majority be it this year or otherwise.

You only ever hear about the stereo types. There aren't as many as you think. Just the media sensationalise them so people think its alot more.

It is 0.005% of all claims that are fraudulent.

One in seven average are working who use food banks. The majority are used by people awaiting benefits and not getting enough to cover the outgoings.

Universal Credit: remember this would usually be £100 less and will revert back to a £100 less than the figures below next March. The chancellor in March gave a £100 per month for a year to those on universal credit to help those having to claim for the first time this year

Univeraal credit allowances MONTHLY.

Standard allowance
Single and under 25 £342.72
Single and 25 or over£409.89

Couple and you're both under 25 £488.59 (for both)
Couple and either of them are 25 or over £594.04 (for both)

Plus rent and council tax on top. There is no help available if you have a mortgage for 9 months.
 
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It was pretty recent that we had an epidemic of obese kids and now we have one of starving kids

I'd say both are equally as serious but both are a vast minority
 
It's all ok this week though the kids will be fed if my village is anything to go by. The local Facebook group is full of the chavs whining and trying to drum up support for them to still go out Saturday night scrounging sweets for some inane American ritual.

Do you live in a Village with Chavs? you need to move mate the whole idea of living in a Village is that Chavs can't afford to live there. ;)