Poverty in Shetland

[hjasga]

Colin, you cannot simultaneously deride others for being presumptuous, while you yourself make the baseless assumption that angelpie is not also carrying out "boots on the ground" research in conjunction with this request. It is possible (and, indeed, sensible) to use as many channels as are available. Your manner in this thread has been quite aggressive and I cannot figure out why. Whatever angelpie's reasons for wishing to write this article I don't see any need to attack him or her as you have here. 

[Middlin]

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

Hi Angelpie

 

If you look on the Shetland news site, there articles regarding poverty by Citizens Advice, whom I'm sure would have some statistics they could share. I also see that the Althing Debate is about poverty. Might be worth attending as this could provide good fodder for your item.

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

Some newspapers pay people to write articles ... 

[paulb]

why not. could try your old local newspaper. 

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

why not. could try your old local newspaper. 

 

Because writing an article about poverty and receiving payment for it just wouldn't sit right with me at all, that's why not.

[JGHR]

 

why not. could try your old local newspaper. [/size]

 

Because writing an article about poverty and receiving payment for it just wouldn't sit right with me at all, that's why not.

 

Do you expect journalists, academics, or researchers to work for nothing, or do you think that people just shouldn't write about poverty? What about charities and aid agencies which are devoted to fighting poverty, do you think that their staff should also work for nothing?  

 

As an aside the OP never said they were receiving payment for their article, did you have a point to make by raising that, or are you simply trolling? 

[Colin]

 

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.

 

No and, No <G>

[Colin]

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.

Correct.

 

I was born and raised in a mining community (so I know what poverty is) where just about everyone had a vegetable garden and just about everyone had an allotment.  Sharing was the order of the day.  We would offer a man who grew onions a swap for potatoes etc.  Surplus was frequently given to those who were unable to dig their own gardens/allotments.  Local shopkeepers would also purchase surplus vegetables direct from allotment holders.

 

Thing is, the last thing we wanted back then was somebody writing about us in order to make themselves 'feel good'(?) about it.  Why? Because we didn't perceive it as a 'problem' and, we knew it would come to nothing..

 

These days we have organisations such as the CAB who are well respected at all levels and, when they issue a report, notice is taken of it.  Can the same be said of one person who claims to be writing for a newspaper (although he can't tell us which one or whether, or not, his article may be published at all) who displays an obvious lack of knowledge on his chosen subject in so much as he has to ask for 'life stories' in order to build a case?

 

Is Shetland a 'wealthy' place?  Yes and No. 

1st off, let's assume that 'wealth' is based on little bits of paper with pictures of the queen et al on them..

 

Like most communities elsewhere, there are a number of people who have lots of little bits of little bits of paper and there are many more who have few or, none at all.

 

By definition, the community itself (via the SCT) is wealthy but, this 'wealth' is not distributed equally among the general population in so much as individuals are not allowed to claim what might be perceived as a 'rightful' share.  Instead, this wealth (which is controlled by a handful of unelected people) is used for the betterment(?) of the entire(?) community by investing(?) it in various money making(?) schemes which, because they offer 'employment' simply serve to maintain the status quo. 

 

I would argue, quite strongly, that part of Shetland's annual oil income (what's left of it) should be distributed, annually  and equally amongst all members of the population over the age of 16 with more than 10 years residency.

 

That in itself would go some way to alleviating fuel (and other types) of poverty.

[Colin]

Colin, you cannot simultaneously deride others for being presumptuous, while you yourself make the baseless assumption that angelpie is not also carrying out "boots on the ground" research in conjunction with this request. It is possible (and, indeed, sensible) to use as many channels as are available. Your manner in this thread has been quite aggressive and I cannot figure out why. Whatever angelpie's reasons for wishing to write this article I don't see any need to attack him or her as you have here. 

And you cannot make the "baseless assumption" that he/she is as, no such claim has been made.

 

I would hazard a guess that the first port of call was, probably, facebook then, maybe, here whilst getting out into the cold, rain, wind etc.to do some 'real' research was pretty low on the list of 'things to do'.

[paulb]

(**MOD EDIT - name removed **)  i was not talking about poverty.  

[hjasga]

 

Colin, you cannot simultaneously deride others for being presumptuous, while you yourself make the baseless assumption that angelpie is not also carrying out "boots on the ground" research in conjunction with this request. It is possible (and, indeed, sensible) to use as many channels as are available. Your manner in this thread has been quite aggressive and I cannot figure out why. Whatever angelpie's reasons for wishing to write this article I don't see any need to attack him or her as you have here. 

And you cannot make the "baseless assumption" that he/she is as, no such claim has been made.

 

I would hazard a guess that the first port of call was, probably, facebook then, maybe, here whilst getting out into the cold, rain, wind etc.to do some 'real' research was pretty low on the list of 'things to do'.

 

 

I made no such assumption. My post doesn't depend on that being the case. 

 

However, you were initially a bit rude, a manner you have decided to ham up further descending into full on beliigerence. You know nothing of this person and are attacking them as if they are incompetent and lazy. You come across as somebody with a bit of a chip on their shoulder about something else, that you have needlessly decided to take out on somebody who made a very fair and reasonable request. 

[Suffererof1crankymofo]

 

 

why not. could try your old local newspaper. [/size]

 

Because writing an article about poverty and receiving payment for it just wouldn't sit right with me at all, that's why not.

 

Do you expect journalists, academics, or researchers to work for nothing, or do you think that people just shouldn't write about poverty? What about charities and aid agencies which are devoted to fighting poverty, do you think that their staff should also work for nothing?  

 

As an aside the OP never said they were receiving payment for their article, did you have a point to make by raising that, or are you simply trolling? 

 

 

There's lots of data already out there done by such researchers (Rowntree, for example) regarding poverty.  Many aid agencies do have unpaid volunteers who do work for nothing, if by nothing you are measuring it as being no money.

 

I replied to a point made, I personally would not seek to make money at the expense of others' unfortunate situation - that's me.

 

Not all journalists are exactly brilliant at reporting the facts these days, if anything, the standard of journalism has declined somewhat over the years into snippet misleading headlines.

 

The OP may well indeed work for a charity but they don't say.

 

Now, are you just trolling?

[paulb]

i just thought an journal from up here published in London would be interesting. just think what you could write about. our politics culture even daily lives are very different to city life. 

[Colin]

I made no such assumption. My post doesn't depend on that being the case. 

 

However, you were initially a bit rude, a manner you have decided to ham up further descending into full on beliigerence. You know nothing of this person and are attacking them as if they are incompetent and lazy. You come across as somebody with a bit of a chip on their shoulder about something else, that you have needlessly decided to take out on somebody who made a very fair and reasonable request. 

 

Rude?  I would have said "concise and to the point" in pointing out the flaws in the op's original request.

 

The original post seemed, to me anyway, as an attempt to sensationalise (newspapers were mentioned) a very serious problem by someone who may have no direct knowledge of it's extent but, thinks that they can "make something of it".

Minimal information was provided other than that the 'article' may, or may not, be published in an as yet un-named newspaper.

In other words, "let's write it first and then see if anyone wants it".

 

I couldn't care less whether or not the op gets paid for it (none of my business) but, it seems pretty obvious that he/she is "taking a punt".

[JustMe]

Colin said ""I couldn't care less whether or not the op gets paid for it (none of my business) but, it seems pretty obvious that he/she is "taking a punt".""

 

I see nothing in what the OP has said so far that supports the above statement.  Could simply be that the OP has a genuine concern about poverty in a wealthy place like Shetland and that their article will be seeking to publicise that such poverty can and does happen and perhaps to look for answers to the problem.