Child poverty

[Onelife]

The way to protect your children from child poverty is not to have too many in the first place…this policy will create a cultural avalanche of state funded children, Imo.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/art ... on-poverty

[david63]

Forgive a very stupid question but why do we have child benefit anyway? Why does the taxpayer (i.e. me) pay people to have children?

[Meg 50]

I think it was a throwback to immediately post war when the population have 'crashed'. It was initially a tax relief - but started being paid direct to mums so there was a reasonable chance it would be used for child stuff

[oldbluefox]

It's just an encouragement to have more and more children to subsidise a certain lifestyle.
For some families the extra funds go nowhere near the child but help to fund more tattoos, drugs, alcohol and spare workshy parents having to go to work. As for food banks they are a good way of dispersing foods which would end up in landfill but for the recipients why pay for food in the shops when you can get it at the food bank. Handing out more benefit is not the answer to child poverty.
I have every sympathy for the genuine ones who have hit on hard times but sometimes you have to work that little bit harder (says he as a young teacher struggling to make ends meet taking on three jobs, not getting home till 10.00 at night from 8.00 in the morning, laboured in the holidays on building sites, worked on Christmas mail etc). That's what people did, not just me.

[Stephen]

And that’s on top of the 48hr shift I done down the pits with no breaks when I was seven.

[Mervyn and Trish]

Seven? I went down the pit when I was four, between my shifts in the mill.

[Onelife]

Forgive a very stupid question but why do we have child benefit anyway? Why does the taxpayer (i.e. me) pay people to have children?

Good question David, I think the answer lies somewhere between what Meg and Foxy have said. There was a time when families needed help during economic depressions, wars etc, this was then replaced with an expectation that this should last for ever, only then to be followed by a disregard of responsibility for bringing children into this world.
I’m a firm believer that poverty breeds poverty which very few break free from…if we keep feeding this system the poor will get poorer and society as a whole will suffer. I’m not advocating that we tell families how many children they can have but if you breed them, you should be able to afford them.
Yes, we do need to regenerate the gaps left by each passing generation but subsidizing families to make that decision doesn’t make economic sence to me.

[Stephen]

Seven? I went down the pit when I was four, between my shifts in the mill.

Is that all you wimp.
Once I’d finished the 48hr shift down pit I then done a double 48hr shift going up and cleaning hundred foot chimneys……from the inside with a dustpan and paint brush.

[oldbluefox]

Idle lot!!!
Get off your backsides and your X boxes and get some work done.
Vote for Foxy.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I'll be right there when I finish dusting the coal.