Marcus Rashford

[cheesyboy]

Boris saying it's the right thing to do

If it was the right thing to do, why did it require a nationally public campaign to get you to do the right thing

Yes, quite.

They were so determined to do the wrong thing. I guess we should question why that was? What kinds of monsters are in charge who need a high profile campaign to realise that feeding hungry kids is a good thing to do?

 

[Dis86]

As you work in a school, you must have also seen those parents/carers that are the root of why many of these kids go hungry. Irresponsible use of the benefits given to feed kids is a real issue.

While this money is a positive thing, there will be kids missing out due to the root problem.

It is a very real issue but the kids aren't (well in the vast vast majority of cases) to blame for the issues their parents face. Don't lose sight of the fact that these are for the kids.

What the ones at the partners school get, and I think works really well, are care packages of long life things - cereals, bagels, tins. With this the free lunch tokens can go on fresher foods on a daily basis. This way we know they at least have breakfast and lunch covered and they're getting something decent in them. Dinner is a different matter but baby steps!

 

[Trusty]

Ehhh
And I actually posted a positive story about gay & trans no longer being persecuted by employers in the US, again don't see how that is negative unless you are homophobic or trans-phobic !

you don't understand? let me help you..

Excellent news for the LGBTQ community in the US, truly disgraceful it's 2020 and only just enshrined into law though
Ohhh and no surprise that one of the people who voted against it was that pathetic excuse for a human-being Brett Kavanaugh

An excellent example on how to pollute a positive story with ones own political views

Again why can't people just comment on a positive story without bringing in some of your negative gloomy politics .
Life must be so depressing being so negative, bitter and angry with the world.

Practice what you preach eh

Edit...

also major lols that LGBT protections happened under Trump, why didn't Obama do anything..

 

[Doobedoo]

In my opinion, charity should not exist. The state, funded by taxes (which should be largely provided by higher earners) should be able to provide for everyone. Every charity required is a failure of the state to provide adequate care.

Good post. I don’t trust charities they are open to be abused.

Example. I signed up to donate to Cancer Research a few years back, I then decided to do a bit of research into how they spend the money. The chap who was CEO at the time was a wealthy Scottish bloke can remember his name, he was earning nearly £300,000 a year so I immediately withdrew my donation.

When asked I told the lady on the phone who just couldn’t fathom why it would matter to me. I told her you have people volunteering their time to raise money door to door yet you pay that bloke £300,000. Well he deserves to be paid for giving his name and time to the organisation, you what! You cheeky buggers turning up at my door with your hand out using guilt tactics and free labour yet that man who already has enough can’t donate his own time for free. Bang down goes the phone and you’ll never het another penny out of me again.

Now I’m sure some charities are run completely with good faith but many are not and instead used as a means for some people to gain. I’m sure many have already seen a list such as this one.

https://www.thirdsector.co.uk/charity-pay-study-2019-highest-earners/management/article/1579223

 

[mmj_uk]

What's worrying more than anything is the way government caves to corporate media constantly, all the media have to do is run a campaign shaming the government and they do a complete 180. Governments are so terrified of bad media coverage and the impact it will have on their reputations they might as well just get media lobbyists to write their manifestos.

About the only politician I can think of in my lifetime who has even attempted to achieve what was promised is Donald Trump and look at the media coverage he has received, 3-4 years of constant media attacks.

It won't happen due to ideology but I'd love to see the look on Rashford's face if government put a 5% tax on footballers to pay for it. It's easy to say government should fund everything and not charities but you can only raise so much money in taxes before it ceases being beneficial to keep raising taxes, at some point having taxes that are too high results in less income from taxation and damage to the economy as a whole. We have a national debt for a reason.

 

[elrasho]

I remember when GD wasn't simply a copy and paste of current affairs.........sigh

But this is great news, maybe there should be a sub forum for current affairs?

 

[dowie]

Seeing as I work in a school where most of the families get given food packages courtesy of FairShare I'm really happy of this news. You don't realise quite how many young people only get food at school or when an engagement worker sees them due to family reasons.

I don't like being taxed any more than anyone else would but if it means children aren't going hungry and without, I'm all for it.


You've got to be a right selfish and miserable so and so to be annoyed about hungry children getting fed.

Does beg the question of perhaps wider reform of benefits, alternatives to cash etc.. given that lots of people have trouble managing money. Instead of relying on school meals (ordinarily only available in term time) and food banks etc.. part of people's benefits perhaps should be in the form of food deliveries (of healthy food - might as well try to tackle obesity too - if they still spend what money they have left over on other stuff then so be it).

It kind of goes against my general tendency towards liberalism, personal choice etc.. but if there is such a reliance on school dinners, food banks etc.. then that simply isn't working and maybe some micro management is needed - if that involves direct food deliveries or indeed food coupons/cards to be spent only on food and to provide sufficient food for everyone in the household then so be it. I'd suspect that deliveries would be preferable given the potential for some to cash in food stamps/cards etc.. the food stamps/cards aren't exactly highly efficient as they're getting spent in for profit stores, sometimes express stores in urban areas with more mark up etc.. whereas a govt program could (inc delivery) be as efficient if not more so - could easily partner with supermarkets to provide generic own brand products etc...

In fact perhaps it could be an system that people opt into or drop into if a problem is spotted - school or social workers etc.. spot a problem case - child going hungry etc.. flag it up and that parent's benefits (or portion of) get diverted to food deliveries. Someone claiming benefits goes to ask for a food bank referral - well they now drop into this food delivery system instead.

Give everyone the chance to manage their own budgets first but if they can't then the safety net gets triggered for the sake of the child. There does need to be some level of responsibility here or the ability for sensible people to budget themselves etc..

Of course that doesn't necessarily account for people in work and not in receipt of benefits who fall on hard times, accumulate debt etc.. so some emergency provision still required for children from those households.

 

[wesimmo]

I reckon amazons missing tax bill should cover it easily.

Yep.

Companies like Amazon need a specific POS tax levied on them if they refuse to pay tax here through various loopholes.

People arguing about supporting children through an unprecedented event while Jeff Bezos has probably made that much during the pandemic from UK buyers is, IMO, the sign that capitalism needs to evolve.

 

[Raikiri]

Good post. I don’t trust charities they are open to be abused.

It's not even that they can be abused, they can and absolutely are. In general, I think they do good work.

But the work they do simply should not exist, in a properly supported society, there should be no place for charity.

I say all this as someone that volunteers for a charity, if people were properly supported by the government there would be no place for us. Which is what I want.

 

[dowie]

Companies like Amazon need a specific POS tax levied on them if they refuse to pay tax here through various loopholes.

They have one - VAT.

Yes there are other issues re: corporation tax and repatriation of profits etc.. and I do agree that it is dubious but some of that perhaps gets over played a bit.

 

[plasmahal]

I don’t trust charities they are open to be abused.

And so is tax payers money!!!!!!

 

[wesimmo]

Good post. I don’t trust charities they are open to be abused.

Example. I signed up to donate to Cancer Research a few years back, I then decided to do a bit of research into how they spend the money. The chap who was CEO at the time was a wealthy Scottish bloke can remember his name, he was earning nearly £300,000 a year so I immediately withdrew my donation.

When asked I told the lady on the phone who just couldn’t fathom why it would matter to me. I told her you have people volunteering their time to raise money door to door yet you pay that bloke £300,000. Well he deserves to be paid for giving his name and time to the organisation, you what! You cheeky buggers turning up at my door with your hand out using guilt tactics and free labour yet that man who already has enough can’t donate his own time for free. Bang down goes the phone and you’ll never het another penny out of me again.

Now I’m sure some charities are run completely with good faith but many are not and instead used as a means for some people to gain. I’m sure many have already seen a list such as this one.

https://www.thirdsector.co.uk/charity-pay-study-2019-highest-earners/management/article/1579223

I'm conflicted on this.

The problem is trying to quantify the benefit of money spent.

If a good CEO, or whatever you want to call it, can make it so every £1 spent actually creates £1 of benefit, then that's great and you need to pay good money.

There have been some studies and though some charities spend a lot of money as a % of what they raise, it's sometimes largely wasted.

But yes, generally I agree, charities do things the state should be doing. The problem is that becomes a tax on the good people who have empathy and a certain emotional intelligence.

 

[Doobedoo]

It's not even that they can be abused, they can and absolutely are. In general, I think they do good work.

But the work they do simply should not exist, in a properly supported society, there should be no place for charity.

I say all this as someone that volunteers for a charity, if people were properly supported by the government there would be no place for us. Which is what I want.

Absolutely agree. Like I said we have enough to go around in this country and the World as a whole. I though Russell Brand was spot on when he said that Profit should be a dirty word for one person to gain another has to lose.

 

[Doobedoo]

And so is tax payers money!!!!!!

Absolutely can you tell me why amazon pays little to no tax? Is that not a bigger issue than kids receiving society’s money to provide them with food. And yes I saw your previous post and yes some people on benefits abuse the system but many that already have way to much abuse the system to a larger degree.

This should be the philosophy of an advanced civilisation such as we consider ourselves to be.

“Here's what we can do to change the world, right now, to a better ride. Take all that money we spend on weapons and defenses each year and instead spend it feeding and clothing and educating the poor of the world, which it would pay for many times over, not one human being excluded, and we could explore space, together, both inner and outer, forever, in peace.”

Bill Hicks - It’s just a ride.

 

[wesimmo]

Absolutely agree. Like I said we have enough to go around in this country and the World as a whole. I though Russell Brand was spot on when he said that Profit should be a dirty word for one person to gain another has to lose.

I disagree, profit does provide motivation for improvement.

What I think has happened though is that globalisation has 'cracked' the current version of capitalism and its not working now.

I don't see the need to replace it, it just needs to be fairer so that 1 person can't make billions (projected to be trillions) off the work of so many people.

Jeff Bezos had a great idea, but not revolutionary, it was his army of managers, process engineers and front line staff that enabled his idea though, they should all share more in the profits.

 

[Doobedoo]

I disagree, profit does provide motivation for improvement.

What I think has happened though is that globalisation has 'cracked' the current version of capitalism and its not working now.

I don't see the need to replace it, it just needs to be fairer so that 1 person can't make billions (projected to be trillions) off the work of so many people.

Jeff Bezos had a great idea, but not revolutionary, it was his army of managers, process engineers and front line staff that enabled his idea though, they should all share more in the profits.

Ok so profit is not a dirty word but too much profit absolutely should be. Now who is going to go first who will make the leap of faith and decide that I don’t need 10’s of billions instead I can live extremely comfortably with £100,000,000 instead.

No they are not going to do it after all capitalism promotes and rewards greed. So it needs to be taken out of their hands. Success should never be measured by how much material gains you have acquired, instead it should be by how you have made the world a better place for the people in it. It will take a monumental shift In the mindset of our species which I’m not sure will happen It certainly won’t if left up to those that already have it all, It has to and always has to come from us, the people.

 

[LabR@t]

Always seems so hollow when multi-millionaires harp on about government spending our taxes. Yes good cause, but how about donating some of your millions? No one needs millions of pounds to live in this country, NO ONE !

150m I saw as a figure required to do this if every luvvie donated £100 for every tweet or crap they post on this the money would be there in no time.

 

[Efour]

Säd state of affairs that this is needed but good that he helped get it reversed.

 

[wesimmo]

The issue is, it's easier to understand that more tax is less money in your pocket.

The harder thing to understand is that if you give lower income people more money, they spend it rather than locking it into art or other ridiculous possessions.

If you can make what money we have move more quickly, there should be more than enough to go around while still allowing the rich to be significantly better off than the masses.

 

[Junglist]

As you work in a school, you must have also seen those parents/carers that are the root of why many of these kids go hungry. Irresponsible use of the benefits given to feed kids is a real issue.

While this money is a positive thing, there will be kids missing out due to the root problem.

Sadly, yeah. The Senco who just retired said he was teaching children of the people he had taught years ago and said it was sad seeing the cycle often repeat.

But the children shouldn't go hungry just due to the parents not being able to make sensible choices/really unfortunate circumstances