As he drives back, it doesn't take him long to work out that his personal wealth stands well below the bottom 10% threshold; his most valuable possession is the 10-year-old car, perhaps worth about £1,000. Then there is an eight-year-old computer with a broken disc drive, maybe £50, a temperamental DVD player and some hi-fi equipment, perhaps another £50 together, the beds, the secondhand sofas, of indeterminate value, and the glass-fronted display cabinets, a present from his mother – "maybe they're worth £100 for the two of them, if I'm generous".

Most of the parents at his daughter's school are in a similar financial situation, he guesses, but the subject is never discussed. "Too stigmatising," he says.

Back at home, his 20-year-old son is playing with a tiny puppy in the narrow hallway. Both sons left school at 16 (like Chris), and, like their father, are now claiming jobseeker's allowance. The puppy is a new arrival, but will not be staying for long – grown dogs eat a lot of expensive food.

Good parenting is a priority, and Chris took time off work to be with all three children in their pre-school years. He has helped teach them to cook, supported the elder boys' steps towards independence, encouraged their interest in music and is helping the middle child apply for a Prince's Trust grant.

The sale of his mother's house a few years ago meant that he was able to put £5,000 each in three trust funds for his children – money that he won't touch.

He is not materialistic (although he minds a little that he can't afford to buy his daughter free-range eggs) but money troubles do have an impact on his ability to be a good father. Piled up on the table are bailiffs' notices that announce that agents "have today attended your property with the intention of levying and removing your goods".

The poor family is clearly lazy.

OP why bother?

Conservatives clearly believe that the poor either are lazy and don't try or they only need to make the effort to climb up the socioeconomic ladder if they are hard workers. No need to bother them with any sort of reality.

>>54597
So what is your solution steal from rich and give to the poor? That is morally unjust.

>>54604
No, people should agree on moral norms and principles upon which a society should be governed and its resources distributed, e.g., through taxation and spending. If someone believes giving a hand to your fellow man is morally unjust, then they're just a bad person - most people are good, though, which is why people begrudgingly accept taxation.

What's 100% better than 0%? Not a lot.

>>54619
Even Benjamin Franklin said you should make the poor people uncomfortable so they want to leave poverty.

>>54619
That is still missing the point. Conservatives didn't abolish welfare so its foolish to say they don't care. IN FACT a recent book came out showing they give way more to charities than liberals do.

>>54604
ROBIN HOOD WANTS TO HAVE A WORD WITH YOU

>>54624
he said a lot of things, in a different era to ours with different rules, knowing now that America no longer belongs to the people but an elite, Ben would be as butthurt as Michael Moore to see his once great nation present such a disgrace in its place.

>>54633

John Birch Society doesn't count as a charity.

I hate the fact people seem to think the more you earn is reflective in how hard you work.
It's really not, shame that the people who work hardest are often paid the least, but I couldn't expect the middle class to say that anyone earning less than £20, 000 isn't lazy.

>>54633
It's only natural that the people who state that people who push more compulsory wealth redisribution schemes think that they must be compulsory, as nobody would give anything. This is projection at its finest.

>>54671
Capitalism's incentivisation is to be as ruthless, immoral and borderline illegal as possible. Most of its devoted followers are quite rightly scared of change but not to their own benefit. Socialist ideas are necessary to keep a balance and divide the wealth in such a way that greed is not the primary fuel to keep a country running.

Hurr Durr greed is good idiots need to STFU and stop defending the people that don't give a shit about you.

>>54678
People don't like to give money, but they have to in order to maintain our collective level of civilisation. Without a strong state, we'd descend into barbarism. It's a moral imperative to make sure people contribute - if it wasn't, there'd be much greater dissent against taxation.