Alex Hern reports on Edwina Curries shocking comments on poverty in Britain
Disgraced former Conservative minister Edwina Currie continues to insist that no one in the UK is ever starving, even after spending three hours last night in a food bank in Birmingham being told just that.
The event was held in response to comments made by Currie on Radio 5 last month.
At the time, Currie said:
“Are you telling me people in this country are going hungry? Seriously? Seriously? Do you know, I really have great difficulty believing that.”
“I don’t think people in this country go hungry. But are these people at the same time maybe buying the odd lottery ticket? Do they just occasionally have the odd cigarette? Somewhere along the line does food come as the first priority?”
The public-and-panel event arranged this night was largely three hours of Currie, famous for destroying the British egg market, sleeping with John Major, and saying that “good Christians” wouldn’t get aids, arguing with people in poverty about whether they were in poverty. You can listen to the whole debate here.
One highlight, however, was blogger and author Owen Jones, who took Currie to task throughout the night; Jones’s opening comments are embedded below, and are well worth listening to:
The case of Mark and Helen Mullins is indeed a tragedy; they recorded a video earlier this year, explaining the troubles they were having, and it makes for difficult viewing:
Edwina Currie claims she knows about the Mullins. If she does, and insists in perpetuating her lies, she is more than just humorously out of touch; she is actively contributing to a repetition of their tragedy.
See also:
• We need a new approach to tackling fuel poverty – Matthew Lockwood, November 9th 2011
• The coalition is actively increasing child poverty – Felicity Dennistoun, October 11th 2011
• ESA cuts will exacerbate poverty and remove help for disabled – Neil Coyle, March 8th 2011
• All in the family? Putting intergenerational poverty into perspective – Declan Gaffney, April 8th 2011
• Warnings of generation lost to poverty – Ed Jacobs, February 23rd 2011
83 Responses to “Currie v Jones: Do people go hungry in Britain?”
Sue
So, Edwina is saying it like it is! Are we not behaving like alcoholics who refuse to believe they have a problem? Are we living in a bubble or does our ego refuse to accept the fact that poverty does not include expensive iPhones, Blackberry’s, iPads, pets and 50 inch tv sets? So, we have this generation who believe they are entitled to support by a workforce that is shrinking and, here’s the shocker, have less and can afford less than those on benefits . Are you serious??? I earn my living and see asylum seekers/people on benefits fill their trolley with Patene, whilst I have to opt for Asda’s own cheap brand. Say what???? Who is the mug here? £186 to live on after rent and bills? Anyone can live on this for food and then some. Are you serious? I am an immigrant who has never claimed any benefits, but I am ashamed ….. where is your pride? Maybe we should scrap the benefits system for certain persons completely, resulting in forcing people to make a plan to make a living – instead of complaining and scrounging, they will make jewellery, clothing and other items that people need and want. Heaven forbid that people whould be made to work for a living! Your priorities are completely skewed!
KSH2009
I support Edwina. I would like all those expensive things you can afford when you claim benefits, but I choose to work and to contribute to the system. I am the middle man, not rich and not poor, but I pay for everyone else who chooses (being the operative word) not to work. I resent paying my taxes to feed the lazy people who think the world owes them a favour, and not just food but also expensive dogs, 50″ TV’s, fancy phones, lovely clothes, nice house. Judging by the size of some of them, they clearly are not starving, in fact they are revelling in too much food and opulance. it’s about time the government got really tough.
Mr Roshan
As tragic as this case is, this is one case and they did not die of starvation (a medical term), nor were they in a state of starvation. Nor is there any evidence that they would have obtained benefits under any previous system nor do we know the full facts of their case. So please, Owen Jones et al, rise above mere anecdotes and show me the communities/groups of people dying of/suffering from starvation in the UK.
Mr Roshan
And BTW, ‘hungry’ does not really mean anything if you want a factual, meaningful and statistically accurate discussion. Sustained true hunger leads to starvation – a medical condition.
Iansawyer
I suppose it depends on what you call starving. We don’t have the scale of starvation that folk in drought and famine struck areas of the world do. She’s quite right in stating that people in the UK have an odd set of priorities – “food vs luxuries like cigarettes or lottery tickets” I earn money to feed myself and my family. If we were really starving, the TV would be first to be sold.