Look at the state of this

was hearing stories from some of the ones around here that they have to chose carefully what stuff to give out because some folk literally don’t have enough money to pay for the leccy to heat up the food

it’s a fucking heartbreaking state of affairs

you go cold, simple as that. this is a life that most folk simply can’t fathom. a miserable, day to day, hand to mouth existence

I have a terribly sad anecdote to share about one particular old chap. things turned out ok in the end, so it might be cool to share

is this the right forum for such words you reckon? obviously I a’int gonna disclose any personal shit

lemme know guys

I don’t see why not

And it’s totally a political choice. They could easily afford to make sure no-one had to live in these conditions. They just don’t want to. Keeping a pool of people desperate for any scraps of work serves them much better.

I’ve got a book from the 70s, which is basically a guide to living the counter-cultural life in London at the time. I got it out recently, because it has loads of prices and cost of living stuff, and a friend wanted some figures for research about the era. It’s got a page about what you’d get on the dole at the time. What you got for dole + housing benefit easily covered rent, decent groceries, utilities, a travel card and a bit of money for fun. There was also info about what you could earn for temp work, and two nights working in a restaurant would pay your week’s rent in London. And this was just before we had to get bailed out by the IMF.

It’s 100% a political choice.

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No money for healthcare, refugees, social benefits
Plenty of money for Nissan though

Don’t forget the nuclear missiles. I mean, we haven’t decided who we’re going to nuke yet, but they’ll come in handy when we do.

Incredible that the NHS was set up at a time when half the cities were a bomb site, food was rationed, and we owed huge amounts of money to the US, huh?

Nissan provides about 7000 manufacturing jobs in a city that’s got bugger all other work available. Bailing out heavy industry doesn’t exactly come easily to tories; the reason they did it is precisely because of the horrendous fallout that would happen if they let them up sticks and move to Germany. So horrendous that even they couldn’t risk it.

I know the context, I’m not saying it wouldn’t be bad for the north east/whole country if Nissan left. It’s a fact though that they’re choosing to line the pockets of vast corporations pulling out over a 10% tax rise (at worst) if we leave the single market - and setting a precedent for doing so with all big business in the country, over investing in the social infrastructure here.

Looked it up, and they had 1000 applicants for 120 places at the free school with classes much smaller than normal, and 75% was the best they could do?

leave those ones nike, delete the rest

Can’t help feeling that you and I are thrashing around in a cesspit, debating which turd is the least pleasant to be sharing a pit with.

Poor sean!!

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76% doesn’t represent “failed” though, which was the bit I was replying to. You know more than me as to how good that performance in context is though so fair enough!

If you love Toby Young so much why don’t you marry him

I loathe the bloke for the most part.

Yeah, not failed as in terrible school or labasted by Ofsted, more like failed in his grandiose boasting. All he managed to do was spend a lot of money to open a school much the same standard as other ok schools.

toby’s bound to be against gay marriage

forgot the @safetywink

Didn’t he write an article once about how friendship was dead because he didn’t have many guests on his stag do?

Yep - fair enough. And at least he’s had the decency to reflect on that and reach a similar conclusion himself.