The point being that more effort and better management from the parent/s is more likely to be the real problem. It's just too easy to blame others, especially the government.

More planned parenthood is what's needed I reckon.

I think Joey you are going to be in for a bit of a rough ride when you move to Ireland, the grass is not that much greener (pardon the pun), there will always be varying views wherever you live, I understand the Garda are under particular scrutiny at the moment for one million breath tests logged that were not actually undertaken, one million in a country the size of Ireland, the mind boggles :laugh: My brother in law spend 13 hours in A and E on Sunday night/Monday morning before he got to see a Doctor and though they diagnosed an infection didn't even provide him with antibiotics to be going on with until he filled his prescription.

I don't think that's the answer tbh. There's a real culture of social welfare as a lifestyle for some people and getting pregnant, getting a house from the state etc etc seems to be a part of that. It's a maddening attitude when you're working your ass off to pay taxes etc and you see these people who's whole way of life seems to be to scam the system and live off the state for their whole life but I personally believe it's working on changing those peoples attitudes and outlook on life is the only way it would get better. It's like they have this idea ingrained in them that this is the only way they can live their life, there's no motivation from parents or teachers or their communities to encourage them to strive for more or to tell them that that is even possible, that's what I've seen in my experience anyway

It worked for me 30 years ago. I grew up. You are completely missing the point. Too eager to UK bash Joey. You are in for a shock if you think anywhere else is a shangri la.

Great post Naimh. I agree with every word except that there is no motivation, there is. I had a couple of wonderful teachers at school who were life changing.

Aw Jaxie,that is sad but I get what you mean,we have it good today compared to years ago imo.

Well not that ages I'm not in my dotage yet!

lol, Sorry didn't mean to age you,I really find it hard to accept that anyone is suffering from hunger here unless it's bad parents who cant be bothered to shop and feed their children,even if you only got a fiver a day you could feed them.Veg are 29p at Asda,you can get sausage £1 for a frozen bag ,I just don't get all the poverty thing.

I agree with you, it's not really about a Jam sandwich. The point is that no matter how poor you are a parent can manage something if they aren't being neglectful. There are lots of things you can buy very cheaply that make a healthy meal.

That's wonderful for you Jaxie but not everyone does have those teachers who will take the time to motivate students and also even if there is sometimes influences from family and friends stops them from getting the message through as well. I do have masses of respect for anyone who manages to break that loop though, it takes a fierce strength and determination of character I think

I think part of the problem these days is teachers are so bogged down in paperwork that they don't have time to inspirational.

Yeah very true

But there are special people out there still. My kids school had some wonderful teachers too, though admittedly I do live in a more affluent area now. Also (I feel like I keep bleeding my personal life all over the place sorry) I have been to my childhood primary school several times to give talks/workshops to the kids about what I do now. The area is still pretty bad but I think it's wonderful the school invites people in who came from there and have become more successful to talk to the kids. I always say to them, I was you, I was sitting right where you are now. So I think schools do make efforts to inspire children in rough inner city areas.

Well, i can only speak from my own experiences, I grew up in an area that would be considered "bad" I wasn't from the council estates there and my parents did ok and had a hard working ethos so I always wanted to work myself but I went to school with alot of people who weren't like that. Most of the teachers only concentrated on the ones who put some effort in and just left the others to their own devices

I'm happy to take that chance,watching a govt.in the UK taking a sledgehammer to people sick and disabled,ignoring the warnings of charities who are on the front line of trying to help people.
The hardening attitudes of some in the UK,thinking the weakest and poor don't exist because they don't see the need to be poor.
Or thinking it right the poor are kept down and should live more as 3rd class citizens.

Not for me,any of that,maybe things might not be better elsewhere but all I see is things getting progressively worse for the poorest,weakest,sick and disabled in the UK.
It will get extremely worse in my view if this hardline hard hearted govt.gets a bigger majority too.

It all leaves me dismayed and almost ashamed of being British.

It will do you good, then, to experience life outside the UK. See how ashamed you feel when you see how other countries operate. Until then it might be good to remember that this country is full of wonderful, caring, committed people from all parties and backgrounds. Imagining one group of people is evil incarnate makes me think you've never experienced real evil in any form.

Oi what are you saying about Ireland? :fist:

LOL... I didn't really mean Ireland x

That's where Joey is moving to :p

I tend to agree, no where is perfect and there are a lot of things the UK gets right.

Yes, I see that. It makes me despair when I see people saying how they're ashamed of being British, like this country has nothing to offer if it isn't approved by them. There are problems still in Ireland, I'm sure, but you're not ashamed of your nationality, and neither should you be.

Yeah, that's how I feel. There's right and wrong everywhere. I've been fortunate enough to work in a few countries and travel quite a bit and the thing I learned mostly is that wherever you go, people are people, some good, some bad.

I know :laugh:

Oh I'm off to London actually for the weekend in June :hee:

Labour treated the sick the elderly and disabled far far worse.....1000 people starved to death in stafford hospital alone....we had the filthiest hospitals in europe with endless mrsa....trebled the wages of the bosses, the trust management boards and bankrupted the public purses as they always do....then send thousands of soldiers under equipped to an illegal war and did nothing for injured soldiers, nothing about military hospitals....the endless cover ups of endless abuses in care homes and nursing homes and hospitals.....how can labour pretend to care more about public servives, when it is them that frivollously waste all the public money? bunch of hypocrites