Free school meals over summer.

[CoolClaret]

UK gov statistics on primary school kids obesity levels with respect to wealth.

Seems that a significant % may not need a free din din after all.

I'm happy to be wrong though. If anyone can point me to any data on kids in the UK genuinely starving then please do.

[AndrewJB]

No, AndrewJB called it a myth and he attributed it to "the right wing press".

You’ve said yourself that the vast majority of people look after their children’s needs before their own. Only a tiny minority of people wilfully neglect their children, whether poor or not.

[AndrewJB]

UK gov statistics on primary school kids obesity levels with respect to wealth.

Seems that a significant % may not need a free din din after all.

I'm happy to be wrong though. If anyone can point me to any data on kids in the UK genuinely starving then please do.

I think we should leave the question to experts.

[Rowls]

You’ve said yourself that the vast majority of people look after their children’s needs before their own. Only a tiny minority of people wilfully neglect their children, whether poor or not.

We don't need you to re-phrase this AndrewJB. Particularly if you're omitting details and subtly changing the emphasis of what has been said.

Instead, we can just use the quote function:

I witnessed first hand a number of things that well-read middle class types assured me "never happened" such as the sale of milk vouchers by single mums so that they had cash to purchase drugs rather than milk formula for their babies.

Terrible how many people on here perpetuate the myth that poor people don’t look after their children. That they’d spend the money on drugs, or makeup, or a new television. If what you’re saying were true we’d have a lot of children dying from neglect. Children that fall into that category are taken into care. And the very small number who die as a result of neglect make national headlines.

It’s far more likely that poor parents go without so their children can eat, and if you’re a parent you’d probably agree - this is what you’d do too.

I have to ask you, where do you get your information from? It seems to me from the rightwing press, because you can look up the facts for yourselves, but you continue to repeat hard right rubbish while also touting the biggest welfare give away this country has ever had without questioning the many flaws and frauds.

It's far more *common* that parents go without rather than don't look after their children and whilst the numbers who actively take what is meant for their children and spend it on their own selfish wants is small, it is a significant minority.

It is difficult process to take a child into care and if a child is taken into care then they have doubtless already experienced a long history of neglect and/or abuse before they are removed from their parents.

The two people who have touched on this briefly are myself and MACCA.

Where do I get my information from? Seven years working with poor families and seeing it for myself.

I know it hurts your sensibilities but I've seen it with my own eyes. If people like yourself who call this kind of child abuse "a myth" (without any evidence that it is "a myth") were taken on face value, then you would be perpetuating these kinds of child abuse.

What personal experience do you have of dealing with cases of child abuse? MACCA can speak for himself but it would appear that both he and I have spent time "at the coalface" so to speak whereas you have not.

[CombatClaret]

Amazing the people you'll find here arguing again food for poor children and racial equality.

[Rowls]

Amazing the people you'll find here arguing again food for poor children and racial equality.

Who are these people? Point them out!

[CoolClaret]

Amazing the people you'll find here arguing again food for poor children and racial equality.

Roughly translates as 'not an argument'

[AndrewJB]

We don't need you to re-phrase this AndrewJB. Particularly if you're omitting details and subtly changing the emphasis of what has been said.

Instead, we can just use the quote function:

I restated what you yourself said. The myth I’m referring to is that it’s commonplace (which you agreed it isn’t). Papers like the Sun perpetuate the myth by running a lot of negative stories about people on benefits, to the point at which people believe it’s commonplace. That is the myth to which I’ve referred.

I’m not doubting your lived experience, and I haven’t claimed these things never happen ever.