tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764541874043694159.post3973403375073311111..comments2024-03-28T12:23:39.665+00:00Comments on Coppola Comment: The "Misérables" of the 21st CenturyFrances Coppolahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09399390283774592713noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764541874043694159.post-10382888341708366232019-01-22T21:50:41.635+00:002019-01-22T21:50:41.635+00:00Lizzie Cornish, your comment has failed moderation...Lizzie Cornish, your comment has failed moderation because it makes unacceptable allegations about people with Aspergers syndrome. I will not publish comments that promote hate against people because of race, ethniciticy, gender, religion, sexual orientation, disability, sickness or class. I hope that is clear. Frances Coppolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09399390283774592713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764541874043694159.post-45151405761807096212019-01-09T23:54:39.308+00:002019-01-09T23:54:39.308+00:00"Daniel Blake is apparently unfit for work, b..."Daniel Blake is apparently unfit for work, but is running over to Katie's flat doing all manner of handiwork. I might say that he was too kind and shouldn't have been doing any of that, but nastier people than me might say that it proved he was actually fit for work." <br /><br />I saw him putting some bubble wrap on a window, screwing a door handle and cutting a shelf. He didn't run anywhere either. Jen Parkernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764541874043694159.post-75281209771970539472019-01-09T18:13:27.914+00:002019-01-09T18:13:27.914+00:00Blaming single mothers for the decline of the UK i...Blaming single mothers for the decline of the UK is about as low as you can get. Frances Coppolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09399390283774592713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764541874043694159.post-47704991484139395282019-01-09T18:11:24.882+00:002019-01-09T18:11:24.882+00:00George, no I do not have those statistics. Frankly...George, no I do not have those statistics. Frankly I hope they don't exist, since they would fuel the demands of those who wish to judge women's morals and treat those they consider "immoral" harshly. <br /><br /><br />CS, it is extremely galling to write a well-researched piece, including accurate and reliable statistics, only to have someone completely ignore that research and repeat the mindless judgemental platitudes that have been used for centuries to hurt single mothers, using as "evidence" only his own anecdotes. I feel that both I and the single parents about whom I was writing deserve much more respect. Frances Coppolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09399390283774592713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764541874043694159.post-73659280676624766962019-01-09T17:51:38.033+00:002019-01-09T17:51:38.033+00:00This comment has been removed by the author.RPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17695303458973909485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764541874043694159.post-90986418998385510482019-01-09T14:51:59.612+00:002019-01-09T14:51:59.612+00:00@Richard, thank you for posting those views, which...@Richard, thank you for posting those views, which as you rightly say are widely held. Maybe you don't realise how widely. Including even among some recently forced to turn to universal discredit themselves. <br /><br />To answer your ‘how far' question – we'd like to see these problems solved by a universal basic income, one generous enough so there would be little incentive for poor women to have extra babies just to retain a decent amount of income. (Something that did used to happen quite often before the Tories introduced their callous 2 child limit, if no where near as frequently as right wing propaganda would have us believe.)<br /><br />The more interesting question is how far *you* want to go? <br /><br />It's your side that's winning here Richard, and you have been for over a decade now. <br /><br />It's impossible to have a perfect system that 100% protects strivers while not giving any opportunity for shirkers to take advantage. The meaningful choice is between a system that's generous or one that's mean.<br /><br />You're right we should beware of over generalising from individual stories, for the big picture we can look to the stats. Tories like to bang on about reductions in absolute poverty, but as per Frances blog & elsewhere, there's a host of other stats showing just how extensive is the suffering faced by single mothers and their families. By several metrics GB now has a higher proportion of children suffering from poverty & food insecurity than the U.S. and even Romania! <br /><br />Do current trends need to continue until half the population is in poverty before your side allows an effective modern safety net to be built? Life is indeed getting more unforgiving Richard, at least here in GB. It doesn't have to be that way.CSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764541874043694159.post-41202132068329238152019-01-09T14:42:17.853+00:002019-01-09T14:42:17.853+00:00This is said with genuine great respect Frances. T...This is said with genuine great respect Frances. The work you've done on banking , universal income etc has been outstanding. But do we really need to be so hostile to someone brave enough to come over to "enemy territory" and take the time to clearly lay out his views? Our hostility to those who think differently is maybe one of the reasons we on the Left have repeatedly lost this past decade, despite good economics and morality being so clearly on our side.<br /><br />Also point 5) is not entirely correct. I'd guess the most likely reason Richard got the wrong ideas from bars is just as his experience is outdated. Around 12 years ago, in many bars along the Spanish coast, English & Irish lasses would sometimes greatly outnumber local women. Some of them were single parents, and by talking to them you could indeed learn about their life's back in UK. Many an unguarded truth revealed in drunken conversations. Fast forward to today though and its near impossible for a single Mum to afford even a three day bender on benefits alone, let alone a flight to Spain. A very few single Mums still go on drink and sex fuelled benders of course, though not typically through any moral failing. To some it seems the only possible relief from an intolerable psychic stress that had been building up for months or years, Mums who have been wrestling with thoughts of suicide due to the idea their children would be better off without them, as they cant see a path to a future where they are not constantly struggling to look after their kids.<br /><br />All due to the sustained massive outbreak of callousness which we on the Left have so miserably failed to prevent.CSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764541874043694159.post-76173893691988786602019-01-09T14:34:04.522+00:002019-01-09T14:34:04.522+00:00Any statistics breaking down UK single parents by ...Any statistics breaking down UK single parents by cause (unplanned pregnancy, divorced, widowed etc)?George Cartyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08232682377757685194noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764541874043694159.post-70847731280215756692019-01-09T13:35:42.049+00:002019-01-09T13:35:42.049+00:001) The vast majority of single parents are single ...1) The vast majority of single parents are single because of unforeseen circumstances, not because they have chosen to bring up children on their own. <br /><br />2) Half of children in households headed by a single parent are living in poverty. Single parents are more likely to be on a very low income than any other group, and less likely to escape from it. These statistics are in the post. What a pity that you didn't bother to read them.<br /><br />3) Ten percent of single parents are men. <br /><br />4) Lack of affordable childcare is a considerable problem even for middle-income couples. For single parents, it is a major barrier to work. <br /><br />5) If you spend your time in bars in south east asia and Spain, no wonder you don't know anything about the real lives of single parents in Britain. <br />Frances Coppolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09399390283774592713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764541874043694159.post-60395886186735787492019-01-09T03:57:41.593+00:002019-01-09T03:57:41.593+00:00At the risk of posting an unpopular comment, exc...At the risk of posting an unpopular comment, except that it does represent the widespread but unspoken opinion of many...<br /><br />Having a baby is always a selfish decision. Nobody forces a woman in the uk to have a baby. And no one ever asked to be thrust into this unforgiving and complex world for a few decades until getting old and dying<br /><br />It is also extremely expensive, irrevocable and an onorous responsibility to have and bring up kids, which is why I avoided it.<br /><br />Should the state be seen to support the predominantly low educated and poor women who decide that the best thing they can possibly do is to have a baby, when they probably would have difficulty in supporting just themselves?<br /><br />There is danger of setting the precedent that having a baby could be a good career move for young and uneducated women. Housing and food paid for, just keep popping out a kid every few years until menopause would in extreme cases extend the child rearing age until 60 or so.<br /><br />There seems to abound the idea that because the uk is, superficially at least, wealthy and therefore should protect and support people suffering from the consequences of their own bad decisions and excesses.<br /><br />How far should it go?<br /><br />It's is however a pity that the UK administration constantly proves itself to be incompetent. Instead of perpetually tinkering with the benefits system, making it incredibly complicated, they should completely revamp and simplify it, leaving less room for local administrators to make random decisions.<br /><br />We have to be careful to not draw the conclusion that all single mothers are struggling and living a dreadful life on the streets from a couple of extreme examples.<br /><br />I have met many binge drinking away in bars in south east asia and Spain. Somehow they manage to stretch the various benefits to afford this and find somewhere to dump the kids.<br /><br />RPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17695303458973909485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764541874043694159.post-76667008431688379352019-01-08T09:27:37.176+00:002019-01-08T09:27:37.176+00:00Thanks Frances, I certainly agree it was bland eve...Thanks Frances, I certainly agree it was bland even the sex work performed by the single mother was sanitised but I suppose it was written to be commercial rather than a documentary. bill40https://www.blogger.com/profile/07133785926315743691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764541874043694159.post-87955044115383672352019-01-07T23:11:26.625+00:002019-01-07T23:11:26.625+00:00Sadly you are spot on with most of this. Not sure...Sadly you are spot on with most of this. Not sure judgemental attitudes towards single mothers are as common as it might seem, we're still making progress on this IMO. But cruelty or at least callous indifference to the atrocious struggle many low income mothers are facing really does seem to have regressed to pre regency era standards.<br /><br />It's incorrect to assume women working in the grey economy would fall out of DWP stats. And a good thing too, otherwise there would likely be many more mental breakdowns, deaths from malnutrition etc. There's too many willing to work in the grey economy in some parts of country for all to make living from it as a sole source of income, so some need both 'work' and still make their claims.<br /><br />There's a lot of variation in how demanding the JSA/UC 'proof of job search' is. It depends partly on the discretion of their assigned job worker. (Itself a function of local targets, how much basic decency the worker retains, whether they perceive the mother as a striver, etc.) Few mothers are actually forced to spend the nominal ~34 hours per week looking for work. Once they've uploaded their CV, some just have to log on a few times each week, make a few clicks to apply to jobs, field a few phone calls, make a weekly visit to the job centre, and overall give up less than 10 hours per week of actual time. (AFAIK the job centre workers never explicitly tell the mums they can get away with this though, and Im sure there are some who take the 34 hour thing literally)<br /><br />Generally it's middle aged men who are given the least leeway & help by job centre staff, often those who realistically have no option of finding either legit or grey economy work. That said, if one had to choice, relieving the pressure on mothers should be the first priority.<br /><br />At least this past couple of months, on both sides of the Atlantic, there seems to have finally been an increase in media attention on the plight of low income mums.CSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764541874043694159.post-63530456074440706062019-01-07T22:35:27.888+00:002019-01-07T22:35:27.888+00:00I, Daniel Blake is not just the story of a white m...I, Daniel Blake is not just the story of a white male. It is also the story of a single mother with two kids. <br /><br />My main issue with the film is that it is not hard-hitting enough and there are too many inconsistencies. For example, Daniel Blake is apparently unfit for work, but is running over to Katie's flat doing all manner of handiwork. I might say that he was too kind and shouldn't have been doing any of that, but nastier people than me might say that it proved he was actually fit for work. The end was sad, but nasty people might say that there is no indication that the heart attack had anything to do with his benefits sanction. I don't think a really strong film would have left loopholes like this open. <br /><br />Also, many real-world examples of refused ESA claims, JSA sanctions and appeals are far worse than anything depicted in this film. It could have been really harrowing, but instead it was a rather gentle tale. Frankly I found it about as challenging as the Full Monty - which I remind you is also about unemployment, poverty and benefit claims. <br /><br />I'm sorry to hear about your illness.Frances Coppolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09399390283774592713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8764541874043694159.post-85723327855470710402019-01-07T22:13:03.242+00:002019-01-07T22:13:03.242+00:00I think your comparison is a little unfair as the ...I think your comparison is a little unfair as the film I Daniel Blake told the story of a white male and having read this I think it's a pity a sequel featuring the problems of single parents hasn't been done and I hope it will be. But write in defence of Blake I must.<br /><br />I doubt you remember but I met you briefly after a Positive Money conference for about 20 seconds in 2016, on New Years Eve I collapsed with double pneumonia which changed my life, it was my 5th bout of pneumonia in since 2007 and 4th time hospitalised. <br /><br />I well remember having the WCA it was exactly like the film. They wanted to know about everything except my condition and I thought pointing out four doctors said I shouldn't work would be enough. I was of course found fit to work as I could raise my hand to my shoulder whilst humming God Save The Queen or some such thing. I scored zero points despite the fact I couldn't walk more than 50 yards, they told me to use a wheelchair. Quite how I was supposed to propel it I don't know. <br /><br />I was fortunate to have strong family and social connections, I was mortgage free and could tell them them to stuff their money and did. It was some 8 months before I was back on my feet and against doctors orders I started working from home. I can do most stuff on a PC but I know a lot of the gigs I get are charity and could be far better performed better by someone else and certainly far quicker. <br /><br />I'm glad Daniel Blake was made the way it was and that the lead character was who he was the story needed telling. I know you're not saying it shouldn't have been told but the comparison of situations is a little unfair, I know because I was there. <br /><br />bill40https://www.blogger.com/profile/07133785926315743691noreply@blogger.com