Budget day: The verdict

Shortly after the Chancellor sat down, Anatole Kaletsky joined me for a Twofer.

Comments

[jd.sheppard]

COULD SOMEBODY PLEASE DEFINE FOR ME THE "CHILD POVERTY" THAT THE CHANCELLOR WISHES TO ERADICATE IN THIS COUNTRY.

[Tony Reeve]

We are told that the USA is already in recession, and that their givernment is in denial. Now the threat is spreading here, and our government is taking more in taxes, and borrowing more. Maybe, with the resultant inflation, it will be easier for Northern Rock to repay its debts....

[Brian Wylie]

When I was a child I had schoolfriends who had no idea where there next meal was coming from and others who didn't have a hot meal from one week to the next and, in summer, had no shoes to wear. THAT was child poverty. Nowadays it seems to be where the family can't afford a holiday or can't afford the latest gadgets or trainers that their friends have got. Unless victims of parent neglect, no child in this country should be in poverty as my generation knew it.

[carole chapman]

When I was a child it was common to see young boys wearing their father's old trousers cut down to fit them, black plimsolls instead of shoes, even in Winter and meals consisting of a doorstep of bread and jam or a bag of chips. That was real poverty. Todays "poor" smoke, drink. do drugs and make little effort to help themselves (look at the few who grow their own vegetables or cook home made meals). The majority of today's poor, and I except pensioners from this) have a poverty of spirit which means that that they seem unable to help themselves and a great deal of child poverty is caused by bad lifestyle choices or is self inflicted. Lack of a decent education due to the failing schools and poor work ethic contributes. If people are motivated to fail by incentives to procreate irresponsibly and sit around doing nothing this will continue. High benefits are perpetuauting child poverty, not eradicating it.

[Neobohemian]

Well, of course, we had it tough. We used to 'ave to get up out of shoebox at twelve o'clock at night and lick road clean wit' tongue. We had two bits of cold gravel, worked twenty-four hours a day at mill for sixpence every four years, and when we got home our Dad would slice us in two wit' bread knife.