Michael Gove.

[RichardM]

Levelling up Minister ...........wtf
Another made up job title for the boys to stay on the payroll..............
Another G&T Roger ..........ching ching

All job titles are made up

[JamesWales]

I know. Who would have thought that the proliferation of foodbanks in the 21st century could possibly be an issue that divided political opinion. Bonkers!

They are in existence and have grown in every country though.
And they occur more frequently in two of the three regions/nations in the UK that have devolved (non Tory) governments.

So the evidence would suggest that the lazt narrative of 'iTs aLl tHe ToreYs fAUlT" clearly isn't true. And if it isnt true, then we won't find a solution.

So no, I think a lot of people are more interesting in making political capital out of the situation rather than genuinely helping.

There's loads of issues at play, it's complex, but quite clearly helping families and individuals to cook better and to make food go further is a good thing. Damn site more helpful than middle class people on twitter getting angry at the bloke who said it.

[Tito Fuente]

He's absolutely right. A foodbank that teaches people how to cook well with ingredients is a better one than one that doesnt.

Great example of a bad headline from the BBC aiding the culture war, and the usual pile ons, but he is spot on

Do you think he is right in saying that his foodbank can show you how to make meals for 30p per day? It probably costs that in gas or electric to cook a meal at the moment.

Also, we shouldn't need foodbanks at all, yet they are ever increasing under Tory rule. I know, I know, how political of me to point out the obvious.

[cyril evans awaydays]

They are in existence and have grown in every country though.
And they occur more frequently in two of the three regions/nations in the UK that have devolved (non Tory) governments.

So the evidence would suggest that the lazt narrative of 'iTs aLl tHe ToreYs fAUlT" clearly isn't true. And if it isnt true, then we won't find a solution.

So no, I think a lot of people are more interesting in making political capital out of the situation rather than genuinely helping.

There's loads of issues at play, it's complex, but quite clearly helping families and individuals to cook better and to make food go further is a good thing. Damn site more helpful than middle class people on twitter getting angry at the bloke who said it.

So you think that poverty is an issue that should be depoliticised? What next immigration?

[JamesWales]

What, you think tucking into a lovely buffet at a food bank is a good look?

Maybe you didn't read the article you posted?

Granted, it is designed to inflame the culture wars and to be spread far and wide on social media, rather than accurately report anything - thats why the quote from the man who is accused comes so far down in the article.

But as stated, the buffet was put on not by them, but by the organisers, and they were asked to cut the ribbon. Also, everyone in the photo is smiling.

So, yes, thats why I think left wingers love politicising these issues - not surprised to see the Lord Chief of Smug James O'Brien getting involved.

[JamesWales]

So you think that poverty is an issue that should be depoliticised? What next immigration?

No, I think we should all try and find a solution to it.

[Tito Fuente]

They are in existence and have grown in every country though.
And they occur more frequently in two of the three regions/nations in the UK that have devolved (non Tory) governments.

So the evidence would suggest that the lazt narrative of 'iTs aLl tHe ToreYs fAUlT" clearly isn't true. And if it isnt true, then we won't find a solution.

Remind me, which party is in control of the Department for Work and Pensions that control welfare benefits?

[JamesWales]

Do you think he is right in saying that his foodbank can show you how to make meals for 30p per day? It probably costs that in gas or electric to cook a meal at the moment.

Also, we shouldn't need foodbanks at all, yet they are ever increasing under Tory rule. I know, I know, how political of me to point out the obvious.

Well, he invited all the Labour MP's opposite him to come to the foodbank to find out. I wonder if they will bother to do so? In all honesty, I would say it's doable with volunteers, yes.

[JamesWales]

Remind me, which party is in control of the Department for Work and Pensions that control welfare benefits?

They are responsible for the entire country, but there are regions where food banks are far more needed and used than others. This suggests that there are other issues at play, does it not?

What is so different between Wales, Scotland and North West England, Yorkshire and Humber, North East England etc?

This is from 2017/18 I'll grant you but there are a lot of factors at play here; some devolved, some not. But it's in Wales and Scotland that the need seems greatest.

Surely if you care about these issues, you would wonder if this is linked to the issue, no?
https://www.statista.com/chart/14092...-foodbanks-uk/

[Tito Fuente]

Well, he invited all the Labour MP's opposite him to come to the foodbank to find out. I wonder if they will bother to do so? In all honesty, I would say it's doable with volunteers, yes.

I'm confused. What do you think he's suggesting when he's saying he can show people how to cook meals for 30p a day for you to say that it's possible with volunteers?

[JamesWales]

I'm confused. What do you think he's suggesting when he's saying he can show people how to cook meals for 30p a day for you to say that it's possible with volunteers?

I'm saying that he says the Foodbank he volunteers at can provide meals for 30p a day and they help users learn to cook healthy meals with the ingredients provided.

1 / I don't know whether thats true, but he invited MP's to visit to find out

2 / Yes, I think as long as volunteers are cooking the food, then I think a meal could just about be provided for 30p - something such as a stew, perhaps sausage, mash and peas etc.

[Tito Fuente]

They are responsible for the entire country, but there are regions where food banks are far more needed and used than others. This suggests that there are other issues at play, does it not?

What is so different between Wales, Scotland and North West England, Yorkshire and Humber, North East England etc?

This is from 2017/18 I'll grant you but there are a lot of factors at play here; some devolved, some not. But it's in Wales and Scotland that the need seems greatest.

Surely if you care about these issues, you would wonder if this is linked to the issue, no?
https://www.statista.com/chart/14092...-foodbanks-uk/

All areas that have been historically ignored by consecutive governments when it comes to funding infrastructure and employment?

Please get off your high horse and stop suggesting people don't care about certain issues just because they disagree with you regarding causality. It's a poor look on you.

You routinely vote and support a party that consistently punch down on the most needy. I could suggest that you're a hypocrite and don't care about these issues at all because you vote for the status quo to continue (or get worse in terms of the need for foodbanks).

[Tito Fuente]

I'm saying that he says the Foodbank he volunteers at can provide meals for 30p a day and they help users learn to cook healthy meals with the ingredients provided.

1 / I don't know whether thats true, but he invited MP's to visit to find out

2 / Yes, I think as long as volunteers are cooking the food, then I think a meal could just about be provided for 30p - something such as a stew, perhaps sausage, mash and peas etc.

It's the volunteers bit that's confusing me.

Either it costs 30p per day for someone to buy ingredients and cook a meal or it doesn't.

Sausage, mash and peas would cost more than that. Unless you buy the cheapest pack of sausages you can find and only have one of them with your meal.

All part of a varied diet too, I assume.

[JamesWales]

All areas that have been historically ignored by consecutive governments when it comes to funding infrastructure and employment?

Please get off your high horse and stop suggesting people don't care about certain issues just because they disagree with you regarding causality. It's a poor look on you.

You routinely vote and support a party that consistently punch down on the most needy. I could suggest that you're a hypocrite and don't care about these issues at all because you vote for the status quo to continue (or get worse in terms of the need for foodbanks).

The point is, the UK government is responsible for benefits in every nation/region in the UK. And yet there are glaring disparities nationwide, and those where they have far less responsibility (in transport, education, economic devt, healthcare, housing) the need for foodbanks is far worse.

I wasn't accusing you of not caring. I was answering your questions. I do think people who just use any situation of suffering and make a lazy political argument devoid of facts are guilty of caring more about politics than helping people. If you want to solve a problem, you look at the facts.

You have no idea how I vote, but I had three votes last week, and I assure you one of those went to a centre-left party. And as I said, you view it as consistently punching down on the most needy, but I have stated four facts here;

1 / the tories raised minimum wage more than labour
2 / the tories raised the tax threshold on lowest paid more than labour
3 / the tories typically get more working class people in jobs than labour
4 / the need for foodbanks is demonstrably higher in places where the tories have the least control over the levers of power.

Notice, I won't accuse you of voting for a party that consistently punches down, but the evidence isnt great.

[JamesWales]

It's the volunteers bit that's confusing me.

Either it costs 30p per day for someone to buy ingredients and cook a meal or it doesn't.

Sausage, mash and peas would cost more than that. Unless you buy the cheapest pack of sausages you can find and only have one of them with your meal.

All part of a varied diet too, I assume.

As with another poster, I'm not sure you have listened to the video. The MP says that when people come to the foodbank in Ashfield, they have to sign up to a budgeting course and a cookery course. I think to solve the problem, this is a good thing, don't you? It's helping people more. Giving people skills.

He then goes on to say they can provide a meal for 30p a day.

I'm saying, that if that meal is provided for by volunteers (ie, cooked in the centre, as he seems to imply) then I think that could be done for 30p a day.

I also think people could make some meals at home for 30p.

Where it isn't possible, is if those cooking it are paid to do so - thats what I mean by volunteers.

[Tito Fuente]

The point is, the UK government is responsible for benefits in every nation/region in the UK. And yet there are glaring disparities nationwide, and those where they have far less responsibility (in transport, education, economic devt, healthcare, housing) the need for foodbanks is far worse.

I wasn't accusing you of not caring. I was answering your questions. I do think people who just use any situation of suffering and make a lazy political argument devoid of facts are guilty of caring more about politics than helping people. If you want to solve a problem, you look at the facts.

You have no idea how I vote, but I had three votes last week, and I assure you one of those went to a centre-left party. And as I said, you view it as consistently punching down on the most needy, but I have stated four facts here;

1 / the tories raised minimum wage more than labour
2 / the tories raised the tax threshold on lowest paid more than labour
3 / the tories typically get more working class people in jobs than labour
4 / the need for foodbanks is demonstrably higher in places where the tories have the least control over the levers of power.

Notice, I won't accuse you of voting for a party that consistently punches down, but the evidence isnt great.

Labour were in power for how long?

1/ did they raise the minimum wage more than Labour did in 'real' terms or was it more because of inflation?

2 / same question for the tax threshold

3 / the Tories use 0-hour contracts and people working more than one job to survive to suggest that they are getting more people into work. Saying that they typically get more working class people into jobs than Labour is an odds sentence considering the above.

4 / again, you think that because of devolution that decades of Tory rule can suddenly be forgotten and how the impact of decades of "Wales, Scotland and North West England, Yorkshire and Humber, North East England etc" being ignored in terms of funding for the things I already mentioned is just going to be fixed in an instant.

You've said a few times that you voted for Boris Johnson so of course I know who you vote for. Bit silly to tell me otherwise.

[Dave Blue]

That knob pulled in £200k in expenses last year. Only the brain dead can defend a clown like this.

[Gofer Blue]

‘Passing the reigns’ is becoming the new escaped goat

I saw it printed thus in a headline somewhere recently too! (It might have been on the BBC News website).

[Tito Fuente]

As with another poster, I'm not sure you have listened to the video. The MP says that when people come to the foodbank in Ashfield, they have to sign up to a budgeting course and a cookery course. I think to solve the problem, this is a good thing, don't you? It's helping people more. Giving people skills.

He then goes on to say they can provide a meal for 30p a day.

I'm saying, that if that meal is provided for by volunteers (ie, cooked in the centre, as he seems to imply) then I think that could be done for 30p a day.

I also think people could make some meals at home for 30p.

Where it isn't possible, is if those cooking it are paid to do so - thats what I mean by volunteers.

I watched it twice and what you're saying doesn't make sense.

He talks about a budgeting course and a cooking course (great idea, nobody is knocking that James so calm down a bit and concentrate on what I'm saying). The 30p per day quote is in regards to how much people can prepare food for.

If it wasn't, then what's the point in people learning to cook and to budget when they can go and buy a hot, fresh meal for 30p.

Hence me being confused about you talking about volunteers cooking it.

Go and watch the video again and try to make sense of what you're saying.

[Eric the Half a Bee]

As with another poster, I'm not sure you have listened to the video. The MP says that when people come to the foodbank in Ashfield, they have to sign up to a budgeting course and a cookery course. I think to solve the problem, this is a good thing, don't you? It's helping people more. Giving people skills.

He then goes on to say they can provide a meal for 30p a day.

I'm saying, that if that meal is provided for by volunteers (ie, cooked in the centre, as he seems to imply) then I think that could be done for 30p a day.

I also think people could make some meals at home for 30p.

Where it isn't possible, is if those cooking it are paid to do so - thats what I mean by volunteers.

In general, meals produced as cheaply as possible are far less healthy.

What I particularly detest is wealthy bastards telling those who are worst off how to manage on as little as possible.

[JamesWales]

I watched it twice and what you're saying doesn't make sense.

He talks about a budgeting course and a cooking course (great idea, nobody is knocking that James so calm down a bit and concentrate on what I'm saying). The 30p per day quote is in regards to how much people can prepare food for.

If it wasn't, then what's the point in people learning to cook and to budget when they can go and buy a hot, fresh meal for 30p.

Hence me being confused about you talking about volunteers cooking it.

Go and watch the video again and try to make sense of what you're saying.

I'm perfectly calm. You remind me of an old passive-aggresive uncle of mine, who used to start every debate by saying 'calm down'. My auntie threw a glass of wine at him at a party once, so maybe he did have a point!?

Anyway, it seems to me he is saying that:

1 / they provide meals that can be done for 30p - I think that is doable if unpaid staff do it (ie volunteers) in a large part due to economies of scale

2 / It also seems they will provide courses to help people prepare and cook meals for 30p. I do think this is tougher, but as long as the person cooking it at home isn't paid (as none of us are when we cook our own meals- ie, effectively "a volunteer" then it is also just about doable.

Either way, helping those who come in budget and cook better (as the dastardly Tory MP was saying) is a good thing. It's far more useful than people on the internet turning it into yet another chance to wheel out tropes about the government.

[Tito Fuente]

I'm perfectly calm. You remind me of an old passive-aggresive uncle of mine, who used to start everything by saying 'calm down'.

Anyway, it seems to me he is saying that:

1 / they provide meals that can be done for 30p - I think that is doable if unpaid staff do it (ie volunteers) in a large part due to economies of scale

2 / It also seems they will provide courses to help people prepare and cook meals for 30p. I do think this is tougher, but as long as the person cooking it at home isn't paid (as none of us are when we cook our own meals- ie, effectively "a volunteer" then it is also just about doable.

Either way, helping those who come in budget and cook better (as the dastardly Tory MP was saying) is a good thing. It's far more useful than people on the internet turning it into yet another chance to wheel out tropes about the government.

I was just mirroring how you speak to other posters when you accuse them of being angry. You did it to Doucas the other day, in case you've forgotten? Something about him spitting all over his keyboard while angrily typing. It's been pointed out to you before that you say it frequently.

I give up if you are going to persist continuing to change the meaning of what the MP said so that it can mean several things that suit your argument, instead of what he said actually being offensive and incorrect.

Budgeting and cooking courses are
an excellent idea (as I already said) as long as one actually has enough money to budget in the first place.

Carry on regardless Mr Wales. You know best.

[JamesWales]

I was just mirroring how you speak to other posters when you accuse them of being angry. You did it to Doucas the other day, in case you've forgotten? Something about him spitting all over his keyboard while angrily typing. It's been pointed out to you before that you say it frequently.

I give up if you are going to persist continuing to change the meaning of what the MP said so that it can mean several things that suit your argument, instead of what he said actually being offensive and incorrect.

Budgeting and cooking courses are
an excellent idea (as I already said) as long as one actually has enough money to budget in the first place.

Carry on regardless Mr Wales. You know best.

Have you actually read the stuff that Doucus says and what he calls people with different views? I havent seen you call it out and it's very bigoted often personal stuff. If you only call it out when it's against you, then you aren't calling it out at all.

It's not totally clear what the MP said, which is why I broke it down; it could mean one of two things. Both of which are probably true in that meals could be done for 30p.

Glad you agree that it sounds like a good scheme they run at the foodbank in question, and lets hope some MP's take up the offer to visit.

I don't know best, but I know that listening, talking, understanding, debating, looking at statistics is the way to solve problems, rather than blindly blaming something that may not be the main issue, but makes people feel good to say it.

[Pearcey3]

The point is, the UK government is responsible for benefits in every nation/region in the UK. And yet there are glaring disparities nationwide, and those where they have far less responsibility (in transport, education, economic devt, healthcare, housing) the need for foodbanks is far worse.

I wasn't accusing you of not caring. I was answering your questions. I do think people who just use any situation of suffering and make a lazy political argument devoid of facts are guilty of caring more about politics than helping people. If you want to solve a problem, you look at the facts.

You have no idea how I vote, but I had three votes last week, and I assure you one of those went to a centre-left party. And as I said, you view it as consistently punching down on the most needy, but I have stated four facts here;

1 / the tories raised minimum wage more than labour
2 / the tories raised the tax threshold on lowest paid more than labour
3 / the tories typically get more working class people in jobs than labour
4 / the need for foodbanks is demonstrably higher in places where the tories have the least control over the levers of power.

Notice, I won't accuse you of voting for a party that consistently punches down, but the evidence isnt great.

The Tories voted against the minimum wage. Just like they voted against having an NHS.
They may have raised the income tax threshold but then reduced benefits elsewhere
Have you evidence to prove the Tories get more working class people into work than Labour?
The need for food banks is clearly higher in areas of poverty and in case you hadn’t noticed there were precious few foodbanks in existence prior to 2010. Now they are everywhere.

How anyone can defend a Govt full of millionaires who were forced to make a uturn to allow starving children free school meals is beyond me. They are morally bankcrupt liars and in case you hadn’t noticed they are in power far more than Labour so they take the blame for the depressing state of the UK.

[Tito Fuente]

Have you actually read the stuff that Doucus says and what he calls people with different views? You never call it out and it's very bigoted stuff. If you only call it out when it's against you, then you aren't calling it out at all.

It's not totally clear what the MP said, which is why I broke it down; it could mean one of two things. Both of which are probably true in that meals could be done for 30p.

Glad you agree that it sounds like a good scheme they run at the foodbank in question, and lets hope some MP's take up the offer to visit

I took the piss out of him the other day for something he said about you. It's not just Doucas you patronisingly accuse of getting angry though. You must have forgotten that you do it.

Varied and healthy meals are not getting made in people's homes for 30p with the best budgeting and will in the world. As I said, it'll cost you 30p just to use your oven or hob.

Bye.