to all the workers, a message from the bosses

[littleoldman2]

Originally Posted by Talking Heads

Just because you don't know them, doesn't mean they don't exist.

When the UN send a rapporteur to investigate extreme poverty things have to be pretty bad.

The findings of Mr Alston's visit are shocking.

https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/...23881&LangID=E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XeV_CTIh3c

so do you?

[Talking Heads]

I refer the little old gentleman to my previous reply.


"Just because you don't know them, doesn't mean they don't exist."


I see poverty daily, I'm a bus driver.
I see the people walking to and from the foodbanks too skint to take the bus.

[littleoldman2]

Originally Posted by Talking Heads

I see poverty daily, I'm a bus driver.
I see the people walking to and from the foodbanks too skint to take the bus.

This in some ways is my problem with the "too poor to eat". As I said previously I used to work on the streets in some poor areas and know a lot about them. I have seen many, many homeless and know 3 very well one of whom I consider a friend. I know criminals of all types and kinds but nobody who cannot afford to eat. I do know a lot who prefer to spend their money on other things. I'm PEG fed and get Forticip on a script. Doctors also prescribe it to junkies. A couple of weeks ago I got a phone call asking me how many would I like at 50p each as the kid had two carrier bags full.

[littleoldman2]

Originally Posted by Seeker

The richest 1% own 50% of the world's wealth, the problem I see is that much of their money is effectively out of circulation so there's a smaller pot for the rest of us.

You're right, I've just googled it. I thought it was a lot higher than that.

[Red ones]

Originally Posted by Seeker

The richest 1% own 50% of the world's wealth, the problem I see is that much of their money is effectively out of circulation so there's a smaller pot for the rest of us.

To go back to my question.
The top 1% of global earners are those with an income greater than £25,300 pa
The top 1% by net wealth are those with more than £600,000 ( this includes equity in property, pensions, vehicles, savings etc)

The average UK full-time employee is in the top 1% on the first measure.

The average UK person is globally very highly paid, although net wealth is low.
The bottom end of UK people are seriously not well off, and getting worse.

[SV650rules]

How rich you are depends on how much it costs to buy or rent a house and food in the country where you live ( cost of living), it is no good comparing the wages in India or Vietnam with wages in UK. If you divided up all the money in the world equally between the population you can bet that in 10 years ( or less) the same people would be rich and the same ones 'poor'. With our welfare system in the UK people have the choice whether to work or not ( and whole generations of families choose not to) this is not the case in many countries, also how many of the rough sleepers etc are actually UK citizens. The UK tax credit scheme for low earners has actually been subsidising low paying companies like Amazon etc by 'topping up' minimum wage earners pay at the expense of taxpayers. People have a choice what to spend their money on, some decide that doughnuts, cigarettes, booze and the latest mobile are important, other decide to buy housing and food. The lack of affordable council houses and the rise of the private landlord are responsible for a lot of the homelessness in UK

Many years ago Rockerfeller was stopped in a New York street by a homeless bum who berated him about his wealth and how he should share it out - Rockerfeller said, OK I agree, I am worth $250M, the population of USA is 250million, here is a dollar - go buy yourself a hamburger ....

[littleoldman2]

Homelessness in the UK is not always a money problem. The 3 lads I know all share the same problem of paranoia. This in simple terms leads them to fall out with everyone leaving them with no friends, family, job, home and no support of any kind.

[Bibio]

Originally Posted by littleoldman2

Homelessness in the UK is not always a money problem. The 3 lads I know all share the same problem of paranoia. This in simple terms leads them to fall out with everyone leaving them with no friends, family, job, home and no support of any kind.

mental health issues are now the public's problem... the Gov took the care section away from the NHS and forced it on the local councils all to say that they gave more finding to the NHS. the local councils dont have to give support if they dont want to. as far as i know there are no NHS care homes... privatisation via back door.

[Craig380]

Originally Posted by Bibio

privatisation via back door.

And councils have had the most stringent budget cuts forced on them over the past decade. Both health and social care services are being starved of the funding they need in order to keep up with the growing pressures on them from an ageing population. This is being done as a matter of deliberate Government policy under the smokescreen of 'balancing the books'. And Brexit is going to make it worse; much worse.

[littleoldman2]

One lad "R" had a whole team of folk looking after him.
Caseworker, doctor, psychologist, psychiatrist, addiction services and the rest. But unfortunately of no use as he did not trust their motives so didn't take his med's as described or do anything else he was advised. Finally he was sectioned and for the last 6/7 years has been in residential care. He cost the NHS a fortune as every night for months he'd get off his face and sleep in a bus shelter, cause trouble and the police would dump him in A&E, get admitted, discharge himself in the morning and start again. The doctor ended up giving him a daily script (for the A-Z of psychotic compounds) as he'd loose whatever he got that day. The doctor gave up trying to tell him that one valium six times a day did not really mean take them all at once.
The last time I heard from R he finally fell out with me for colluding with his full time carer to send two fly's to his bungalow in the residential centre to spy on him. He's a intelligent man who knows about his illness but just cannot see through it. How you help these people without locking them up I have no idea.