Lord Tebbit scorns food bank demand

Status
Not open for further replies.
Northerner

Northerner

Admin (Retired)
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
The former Conservative cabinet minister Lord Tebbit has suggested that people who visit food banks are at the same time spending their money on junk food.

Speaking in the House of Lords, Tebbit said there was a "near infinite demand" for valuable goods given away free and asked ministers to "initiate research into junk food sales in areas where people are [relying] for basic food on the food banks".

He made the comments moments after a Tory environment minister, Lord de Mauley, drew gasps from the chamber by saying food banks are not a scandal but a sign of Britain's charity and ministers should not seek to "interfere" in their use.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/mar/20/lord-tebbit-scorns-food-bank-demand

:( Disgusting
 
Lord Tebbit and the rest of the MPs who protest about food banks do not live in the real world. They will never be able to grasp what it is like to be poor.
 
Lord Tebbit will never have to use a food bank and cannot imagine how it feels to be in that situation. It is not a sign of Britains charity its a sign of Britains poverty and is a scandal that we even need food banks .
 
I detest their sneering and tendancy to blame the victim. It is as others have said, usually the very wealthy from privilaged backgrounds who adopt this type of attitute. What really shocks me is that it is not infrequently working people who have to rely on food banks. Not that anyone deserves to go hungry. I imagine that people in insecure low paid employment are particularly vulnerable as they probably do not have anough money coming in to save for periods out of work and recently there has been an increase in time from start of period of unemployment and date on which unemployment benefit can be claimed
Those who claim that queing up for free food is an easy option are misinformed as people have to be referred to food banks so some form of means testing will have been in place
Whatever the cause of someone not having enough money to buy food ( I suppose in some cases it is due to poor management, wrong priorities etc) surely it's more appropriate to deal with the hunger ( i.e. feed) first and then berate for wasting money on cigarettes etc ( if this is the case)
 
I believe that food banks themselves are good but the widespread need for them is a scandal
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top