Front Page of the Ayrshire Post this week
I do my bit to support the local economy here in South Ayrshire, Scotland. Part of this is to buy a copy of the Ayrshire Post almost every week even though it is more than half made up of adverts and most of the news in it is…well…rather boring. But this week the front page told me something interesting, you can see it above, about a subject I had thought would not make much of an impact where I live. It is true that Girvan is counted as one of the poorer parts of the county (but when your county include the very affulent town of Ayr and with in Doonfoot and Alloway…land of Robert Burns, this is no surprise) but I really had not realised that Children would go hungry here.
While the article concerns another part of the country it does make clear that Girvan will be included in ‘Food Bank’ schemes that are being rolled out. It also makes it clear that it is not only ‘people of chaotic lifestyles’ (we know what that means) but normal working families who are suffering. It seems that even with the availability of what I would count as cheap but decent food in supermarkets (many large items for less then one pound) which would allow one to live for a week for not much money it is not enough. I do not want to go into the reason for this but it seems perhaps unemployment and misuse of funds in budgeting results in those people having this problem.
I have three children and I will admit that a large and ever larger portion of my income goes on food for them and for myself and my good lady. I do not smoke or drink much in the way of alcohol, nor do a I gamble (how boring am I!) and aside from spending money on the bills, the car and on wargaming (Shussh! Got to have my latest little metal men!) I do not expend money on many other things. Even so I do find it at times a stretch to keep the little ones in top class caviar and champaign. So perhaps without an iron rule on the purse strings it is easy to slip.
This makes me think. Would I be able to live (just me, I will not inflict my schemes on the family!) on just one pound a day for a week for food? The amount many claim is the minimum per person in the UK. I will give this some thought.
GBS
Actually, those are some very interesting thoughts, especially with my experience as a resident of non-British origin. These issues seem to be present here in the south as well. Food in Britain does seem to be more expensive than in my home country (Belgium), and so are house/rent prices, as well as public transport (which is outrageously expensive) and education. I believe it is possible to live on the bare minimum of one pound a day, but then just barely. I actually tried that in the past year (as my wage is not very big, and I wanted to put save some money for a rainy day) with the result that it nearly cost me my health. The budget food often simply does not contain the necessary nutrition a person needs. Sure enough, one can survive on such a diet, but “survive” does not necessarily equal having a good life. It is certainly not a situation that should be allowed to happen in a first-world country, which is what Britain is supposed to be -there’s money enough around to feed everyone, provide them with the necessary healthcare, education, etc. ) But then again, they often refer to me as being from “Socialist Europe” when I voice these opinions…
Thanks for your thoughts on this Sam.
I agree with a lot of what you are saying and I think I am going to try and live for one week on £1 a day. I have been thinking about it since I made this post and your comment has decided me. I will detail this on the blog. I think you are right, it will be impossible in the long term but for a week I will try and see what it feels like.
GBS
I agree with you Sam, not to mention, I love Belgium. I have only been twice, but both times, I was welcomed warmly and had a very good time.
That is by the Flemish Belgians, rather than Waloon.
As for the UK situation, it is a sorry state and I fear I would be in a very similar place were I not a student. Quite simply, the money I earn is only pocket money and I have to rely on a loan for everything else.
Anyway, toy soldiers! 🙂