UK Sugar Tax - It's War!

...interesting thread which made me think of, the all too many, children in this country who are born into poverty, do not benefit from a decent education, receive poor parenting, lack of opportunities and are on the sharp end of discrimination. I think the stats will show that they will probably die earlier, (Life expectancy of some communities in the UK is less than 55) probably from many of the habits that animate some of the posters on this thread. We are already seeing people in poverty being demonised for being poor are we now going to see the demonisation of people who do not lead a healthy life style?' the reasons for addiction (obesity, smoking, alcoholism or dare I say it RAD) are probably quite complex I would suggest. For me free healthcare is one of the greatest achievements of a civilised society and I am proud the UK still, just about, leads in this.
 
They aren't being demonised. There is a better way. I came from a typical post war working class family. Dad a Bricklayer, Mum a Tailoress. They had not a lot, we lived in a council house. My Mum would take us to our Aunts first thing in the morning, walk us there then catch two buses to work. Work all day at a sewing machine then go back on two buses to pick us back up then walk us home. She would then cook a full evening meal in time for my dad to come home. Not once, never did I hear her complain about her lot in life, never. She could make a meal from nothing and often had to. I heard stories of my Mum pawning her engagement ring to buy us a Christmas dinner because Dad was out of work due to the weather one year. He wouldn't dream of signing on the pancrack. I'm not looking for sympathy, they didn't look for sympathy or making us out to be special, lots of families have similar stories, they simply got on with life and always gave my Brother and myself a good life. I work among people all day in my job, so called deprived families. I see it every day. You will hate me for saying this but they have no money for food for the kids, no money to clothe them. They have money for cigarettes, Stella Artois, Cannabis, Staffordshire bull terriers, 50inch Tv's and the bookies. Sometimes poverty is merely a matter of prioritising the little money you have. I have worked in homes with Dog poo on floorboards, kids wearing nothing, naked while Mum and Boyfriend sit on the sofa smoking dope and playing the playstation.
I now wait to be hung drawn and quartered.
 
...yes I accept your point and there will always be terrible circumstances such as you describe. My early years were also tough and I remain thankful that I was able to secure some of the opportunities that came my way but I am also mindful that there go I but for the grace of... I am all for taking responsibility but the circumstances you describe in your post sound also like serious mental health problems and would perhaps be better tackled in a different way to demonisation.
 
@wayne mattison Don't know why you'd be hung drawn and quartered it's only the truth. I've been to similar houses, worked with plenty of the kids of such families. To me (excepting drug addiction) it still comes down to education and opportunities to a large degree and I don't just mean going to school. You can go back hundreds of years and get the same story of some excruciatingly poor people doing their best to maintain standards and others who seem to revel in their debasement. It's one of those great right wing rallying cries, the feckless poor naturally predisposed to be scum because it has some truth in it. Whilst I'm sure there are some who are irredeemable I'm also sure that most of them would change with the right input. The feckless wealthy have other people to tidy up after them.
 
I personally just think the Treasury saw 500 million up for grabs. However, like the credit card surcharge fiasco it will back fire. The majority of products have been reformulated, sales will decline, employees will be cut and production may even move to Poland.
Coca Cola is closing two sites, with the loss of 300 jobs.
 
I know I'm old fashioned but when my lad comes home and complains to his Mum that his partner of choice hasn't washed his clothes, ironed them nor has she even attempted to cook a meal in almost six months and that he is missing fruit and veg I have to have a rye little smile to myself because he is finally learning life at home wasn't too bad.

How do kids reach adulthood and still expect someone else to do all that stuff for them?
 
How do kids reach adulthood and still expect someone else to do all that stuff for them?
It's the way of the modern world. We do not give kids chores anymore, if you do they will not do them unless you male them sometimes it isn't worth the trouble as it all ends in arguments and bad feeling and as such they learn no life skills whatsoever. They may come out of University with a degree but they can't cook, clean, iron or do anything that requires life skills which is why many remain unemployed.
 
It's the way of the modern world.

I recall a conversation with a friend several years back. His grandmother had died and he was concerned about how his grandfather would cope with looking after himself. He went to visit his grandad at home, and was shocked to see how he didn't know how to use the cooker/washing machine etc.

It seems that there will always be people unable/unwilling to learn basic life skills if they've always had someone else do it for them, regardless of the era in which they were raised.
 
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Coca Cola is closing two sites, with the loss of 300 jobs.
I used to work at Sidcup as a fork truck driver in 1998 but got laid off due to falling sales when Sunny Delight was launched. It was quite ironic the so called healthy orange soft drink probably had more sugar and other weird & wonderful additives in it than coke!
 
I used to work at Sidcup as a fork truck driver in 1998 but got laid off due to falling sales when Sunny Delight was launched. It was quite ironic the so called healthy orange soft drink probably had more sugar and other weird & wonderful additives in it than coke!
Amazingly Coca Cola tried to improve sales with Dasani :)...
 
I used to work at Sidcup as a fork truck driver in 1998 but got laid off due to falling sales when Sunny Delight was launched. It was quite ironic the so called healthy orange soft drink probably had more sugar and other weird & wonderful additives in it than coke!

I once bought a bottle of Sunny Delight by mistake when I was hungover and thought it was orange juice. It was gopping. :(

Dasani was highly amusing, especially the advertising slogans based on their lack of understanding British vernacular.
 
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