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Audio: teacher tells R5 “my pupil was eating plasticine, he was that hungry”

BBC Radio Five Live today carried a segment on poverty. The first caller to the show related a shocking, real-life example of the levels of poverty and desperation some people are driven to under Tory policies:

His young pupil, who he thought was chewing gum, was so hungry he was eating the piece of plasticine he’d been given.

His mother was working.

Even though the school was trying to help by giving him large portions for his free school meals, that was his only significant meal of the day.

Comment:

The events the teacher related took place five years ago. Child poverty and in-work poverty have only increased since then – so this desperate picture is being recreated thousands, hundreds of thousands of times around the country.

Child poverty is a huge problem in the UK – over 300,000 children are excluded from the measurement.

One in eight people in poverty – more than half of the total – are working.

The Tories’ response? Just over a year ago, they abolished their child poverty unit.

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7 comments

  1. In the fifth richest country in the World where the Right Wing Neo – Liberal Tory Barbarians focus on stuffing the mouths of the rich with gold!
    But this austerity stuff was never meant for the rich and powerful – tax cuts for: millionaires, corporations, hedge funds (£145m and hedge funds gave Tories £50m), private landlords with multiple properties, grouse moor owners – corporate welfare is £93b a year (an equivalent of £3.5k per household), tax avoidance by the rich and better off is £110b, illicit offshore banking 10 trillion dollars by global rich TO AVOID GIVING TO SOCIETY – THE REAL GLOBAL SCROUNGERS!
    And the Tories setting local govt funding on population size only) instead of including need (as per previous Lab Govt) has meant much higher cuts for non-Tory Councils.
    We have a cruel Tory Party captured by Neo-Liberalism and its cheap labour poverty pay for many yet a flourishing upper class welfare state for the few – time to kick the vile out!

  2. People tend to say the Tories are just out of touch, well the last few years should have put paid to that excuse, they know exactly what they are doing, those that refuse to accept it are as guilty as they are.

    Theresa May refused to rule out American companies taking over our NHS, America first here we come.

    1. They know, and this is the inevitable outcome of their policies. Its obvious there are millions in food poverty, including children. I agree that anyone who voted Tory is as guilty as those who are in Westminster, sadly they include many who are not politically aware (or interested) and tend to fall for the propaganda on MSM especially poverty porn. I know a single parent, mother of 3 on low pay, on top up benefits, who voted Tory, who is convinced UC is only for the unemployed. Sad. Its heading her way right now on the roll out. What will it take to open her eyes?

  3. for this lot traitors gate needs reopening ready for those who caused so much misery to those they should protect

  4. Pilliary them all, who have agreed to austerity, cuts, food banks and the DWP under this Tory Lib Dem pact, along with the N I DUP!

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