Hey, Geraldine, I wasn't pleading me as a special case. I know of people who depend on the churches for meals for instance, in this
our affluent Britain. The thing is now, as before, basic state dole is defined as the minimum required to support a person, and so
if anything does go wrong there's no room for manoeuvre. And the capacity of things to go wrong in this our lovely world is of
course immense. There are plenty of people round here often have to sit about for several days in the dark without any heating or
cooking because they've run out of money for the leccy cards (the most expensive way to buy electricity, specially designed for the
hard up). And my description of the local 'cheap' cuisine was no exaggeration, it's ghastly.
Just up the road are two Leicester's best restaurants, I've been to them, courtesy of others, but a meal for two there would run
close to a fortnight's money. I'm nowhere near so hard done by as some round here but that's only because I have some very good
friends who help me out (I have some very bad friends too, but that's a different story). The burning ambition, the desired
paradise, of many round here is to get on disability benefit because then you can support yourself modestly well. Others to survive
fiddle the system, become dealers, moonlight. Britain's state benefits system is far worse than much of Western Europe's and a pool
of long-term unemployed is in reality one of the mechanisms that social controls depend on.
And I wasn't joking about the tin of beans!!
Best
Dave
David Bircumshaw
Spectare's Web, A Chide's Alphabet
& Painting Without Numbers
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.bircumshaw/
----- Original Message -----
From: "Geraldine Monk" <[log in to unmask]>
To: "david.bircumshaw" <[log in to unmask]>; <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, November 29, 2004 2:13 AM
Subject: Re: for what is left of a Sunday:
Oh come on David!
We wos all brung up poor. Get 5 pound of spuds, an onion and a tin of corn
beef - slap in the pan wi a bit a watter - it'll keep yer going for
days -cheap as chips and cheaper than beans - and the best is when it gets
so stiff and dry you could stick bricks with it just chuck it in the frying
pan and it's the best meal of the week.
Your investment adviser on home economics,
Gordon Brown.
----- Original Message -----
From: "david.bircumshaw" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, November 29, 2004 1:50 AM
Subject: Re: for what is left of a Sunday:
>I can recommend a tin of baked beans, which was my evening repast, as it
>was all I had. For more affluent days, a cheese and onion
> crisp sandwich is a treat and when things are really on the up the local
> chippie has an excellent line in cooked yesterday pies
> accompanied by soggy chips and can also supply southern fried chicken
> which has been known to have meat on it. The local hostelry
> does do Traditional Sausage 'n' Mash (two sausages and a dolloped mash) at
> an estimated mark-up of 800 per cent.
>
> With a sort of smile.
>
> Dave
>
>
> David Bircumshaw
>
> Spectare's Web, A Chide's Alphabet
> & Painting Without Numbers
>
> http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.bircumshaw/
>
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