Poverty in Shetland

[angelpie]

Hi, has anyone had to use the Food Bank in the last 12 months, is suffering from fuel poverty or just struggling to get by financially on Shetland and willing to talk confidentially to me about their experience? 

 

I'm writing an article and need some information from people who have actual experience. 

 

Hope to speak to you soon. 

 

NJ

[Colin]

Could be wrong but, I would have thought that anyone who could afford a computer/internet connection in order to reply to your post would hardly be as badly off as they say.

[angelpie]

It is possible to use the computer at the library for free though. 

[orkneypaul]

Deposited 5 Brussel sprouts 2 years ago and with enhanced interest rate just picked up 5 cabbages, food banks seems the way to go.

[Colin]

It is possible to use the computer at the library for free though. 

On a Sunday?

 

That we should need food banks is a disgrace.

 

That there are people who cannot afford to heat their homes is a disgrace.

 

That there are people who are struggling financially is no surprise.

 

Welcome to the land of "have's" and "have nots"

 

Instead of writing (yet another) "article" on the issue, why not try and do something about it?

[Ghostrider]

For what its worth, you might get a more favourable response if you were a little more forthcoming and specific about your subject and intentions.

 

For example, what is your motivation for writing your article, and who are the readership expected to comprise of (assuming it is intended for publishing), and providing your own definition of "poverty". Someone who has expectations of being able to heat their entire house to 80-85 degrees permanently and keep multiple lights and tellys on the majority of the time to constitute an "adequate heating regime", and that costs them more than 10% of their income, is a whole other ball game to someone who needs to spend 10+% of their income just to keep one room at a habitable temperature.

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

When you can only get a food parcel from a rather well off organisation (the Salvation Army) by going to local government (Social Services) or by using another charity (the CAB) to tick the necessary boxes, there's something fundamentally wrong.

 

There's something fundamentally wrong in expecting smokers, drinkers, drug addicts to stop in order to qualify for a food parcel.  This isn't the Salvation Army of years ago.  The government is being criticised for saying that obese people on benefits should be forced to get help losing weight in order to get them off benefits, yet does anybody criticise the Salvation Army for basically adopting, on the face of it, a parallel stance?

 

It's all well and good saying that the library has free internet access; it might have escaped the OP's notice but I'm willing to bet that there's a fair number of folk outwith Lerwick who don't even have the money to cover the bus fare to get to Lerwick.

 

We shouldn't be in a situation where folk are reliant upon food parcels but by the same token, the Salvation Army shouldn't be relying upon others to do their assessments for them.

[angelpie]

Thank you Colin and 1Crankymofo,

 

I am writing an article which will be published in a newspaper - which one currently undecided. Its a non political piece i.e. I wont be taking sides or apportioning blame to any party. 

 

What I'm looking for is the truth in order that we can understand why it is that Shetland, a wealthy island with less than 2% unemployment, still needs a food bank. 

 

I'm interested in what is currently considered to be poverty and the peculiarities of our life in Shetland that make things more difficult and expensive. 

 

The reason I want to speak to people who have used the food bank in particular is that I am looking for real life stories. This is a phenomenon of our time and I would like to document it from a Shetland point of view, I also need to understand what it feels like to ask for help and what the process was like. 

 

I also am interested in Colin's point of view, someone who is not personally suffering but has his own opinion. Colin, as you feel the need for action, can you tell me what you think has caused the need for food banks and what you think can be done to reduce the need for them? 

 

My motivation is partly to document it and partly to see if there is something that can be done to reduce the need. What do people think?

 

NJ

[Colin]

OK, so you are writing an article that may, or may not, be published in an, as yet, unknown newspaper.  Presumably you hope to be paid for writing the article and, if it keeps you out of a food bank, good stuff...

 

As for being interested in "my point of view".  You don't know me so I'm a little surprised as you seem to have presumed quite a bit about me, my personal circumstances and, why I "feel the need for action". 

Why not make up my point of view for me?

 

Your claimed motivation is to ducument it(?) and to see if something that can be done to reduce the need(?).

 

Document away but, are you really in a position where you can effect any change? 

 

You might, someday, be in a position where you can shout about it in a newspaper but, that only lasts for one day at best and is then forgotten.

 

Lets face it, the "have's" of this world are grimly hanging on to what they have and, in many cases, trying hard to increase their holding whilst the "have nots" generally do not have the means or ability to challenge or change the situation.

 

Politicians, "action groups" and individuals might blether and waffle over the inequality of things but, it is nigh on impossible for any of them to change human nature.

 

How many people reading this would be willing to share what they "have", equitably, among those that "have not".  Would you?

[brian.smith]

OK, so you are writing an article that may, or may not, be published in an, as yet, unknown newspaper.  Presumably you hope to be paid for writing the article and, if it keeps you out of a food bank, good stuff...

 

As for being interested in "my point of view".  You don't know me so I'm a little surprised as you seem to have presumed quite a bit about me, my personal circumstances and, why I "feel the need for action". 

Why not make up my point of view for me?

 

Your claimed motivation is to ducument it(?) and to see if something that can be done to reduce the need(?).

 

Document away but, are you really in a position where you can effect any change? 

 

You might, someday, be in a position where you can shout about it in a newspaper but, that only lasts for one day at best and is then forgotten.

 

Lets face it, the "have's" of this world are grimly hanging on to what they have and, in many cases, trying hard to increase their holding whilst the "have nots" generally do not have the means or ability to challenge or change the situation.

 

Politicians, "action groups" and individuals might blether and waffle over the inequality of things but, it is nigh on impossible for any of them to change human nature.

 

How many people reading this would be willing to share what they "have", equitably, among those that "have not".  Would you?

Very strange point of view Colin. I for one frequently share my resources with people I perceve rightly or wrongly to have less resources than me.I accept not all are like that and yes I would say I was in the section of "have" I dont see the point in being singular and properous when I can do my bit however small maybe if others took the same view then we wouldn't be in the mess that we are. Attacking the op solves nothing

[Colin]

OK Brian, maybe I did 'attack' the OP a little but, you appear to have made the same assumptions as he/she did.

 

The reason is quite simple in so much as the op's whole approach appears to be 'flawed'

 

1st.  Using the internet/web sites to canvas information might be OK for some things but, the group(s) he is claiming to investigate would (in the main) be unable to respond as they do not have the facilities and, therefore, would not know of his request.. 

 

2nd.  "Using the Library computers" doesn't cut it because of the points I made above and because anyone in that much poverty is unlikely to travel to Lerwick in order to take part in a survey they do not know of, being taken by someone they do not know who may, or may not, be able to publish his/her results in a newspaper.  They would probably spend the bus fare Iif they have it) on a bag of tatties and tin of beans instead.

 

3rd.  Using the internet to gather information is, at best, lazy and, imho, is no substitute for good, honest "boots on the ground" research.  Go to the people, don't expect them to come to you....

 

fwiw;

I have "shared and given" all my life.  Not to the point where I have left myself "short" but, where I can help, I have done so.

These days, I am tired of "sharing and giving" as I have long realised that those who have the most give the least..

[Colin]

OK Brian, maybe I did 'attack' the OP a little but, you appear to have made the same assumptions as he/she did.

 

The reason is quite simple in so much as the op's whole approach appears to be 'flawed'

 

1st.  Using the internet/web sites to canvas information might be OK for some things but, the group(s) he is claiming to investigate would (in the main) be unable to respond as they do not have the facilities and, therefore, would not know of his request.. 

 

2nd.  "Using the Library computers" doesn't cut it because of the points I made above and because anyone in that much poverty is unlikely to travel to Lerwick in order to take part in a survey they do not know of, being taken by someone they do not know who may, or may not, be able to publish his/her results in a newspaper.  They would probably spend the bus fare Iif they have it) on a bag of tatties and tin of beans instead.

 

3rd.  Using the internet to gather information is, at best, lazy and, imho, is no substitute for good, honest "boots on the ground" research.  Go to the people, don't expect them to come to you....

 

fwiw;

I have "shared and given" all my life.  Not to the point where I have left myself "short" but, where I can help, I have done so.

These days, I am tired of "sharing and giving" as I have long realised that those who have the most appear to give the least..

[JGHR]

OK Brian, maybe I did 'attack' the OP a little

In that case, the decent thing to do would be to apologise and, after that, stop.

[paulb]

yes the is povety about. some folks are indeed hungrey. some  housebound old folks are often down to at most one meal a day. if a vulnerable person cant remain warm in their homes in 2015 then both nationally and as a community we have failed them. our most vulnerable folks should not be needing to wrap up warm and just remain in one room.

 

sound advice but wrong to need to. if in one of the richest countries in the world we are still allowing folks to die of the cold we must be condemned. with the real attack on benefit claimants and there really is. the deliberate use of sanctions for imagined faults means people are regularly falling below what even our government says is the minimum to survive.hence the need for food banks. bevin would be shocked.

 

another issue often missed is our cost of living with rent being high, food costs very high with no discount retailer, transport is very limited and expensive if you live out wit lerwick. lighting and heating being needed for longer and more often and no mains gas fuel costs are limited. 

 

using social inequality definitions clearly show our poor are very badly off. forget the views forget culture and sports what do we do for our poor. i suggest we need to re look at what we are using our oil money on. just because our central  government is betraying those in need does not mean we as a small community should  

[brian.smith]

Colin I did not mean to have a go I was just pointing out that in rural communities there are things we can do and have done for years food banks is not a new concept as the OP thinks we shared have shared food for years to bring the cost of living down for those who do not have access to it with regulations the sharing of that food is now illegal (home kill) I can understand the selling part of the law but providing food to the community at cost is surely historical. Shetland without oil and gas is a rural community and I am not born and bred I came from Perthshire and certainly it was the way it was done there the ancient trade of barter no money just looking after each other.