New type of poor: Middle-class poor

ArtSmart

IzzyWizzy wrote: »

There was hardly anyone at my last place of work who wasn't in a band.

Was your band called Thin IzzyLizzy?

ps. i'ts annoying that a muppet like this guy is getting air time, as if he represented the average Joe (on Joe)

My name is URL

goodie2shoes wrote: »

there's no such thing as poor in this country anymore, only people who do not have the coping skills to manage or budget properly.

too many folk hanging onto a lifestyle they can no longer afford.

Yes there is. Plenty of people have little or no income whatsoever. Many don't qualify for benefits for whatever reason and have little chance of upskilling or finding employment. Pretty difficult to manage a budget properly when you don't know from week to week what that budget is going to be.

martomcg

My name is URL wrote: »

Yes there is. Plenty of people have little or no income whatsoever. Many don't qualify for benefits for whatever reason and have little chance of upskilling or finding employment. Pretty difficult to manage a budget properly when you don't know from week to week what that budget is going to be.

I'm guessing you're not one of the people you refer to in your post?

Budgeting is easy and obviously minus miscellaneous random expenses everyone should be able to work out a weekly or monthly budget.

The only people who

don't qualify for benefits for whatever reason and have little chance of upskilling or finding employment

are people who can be supported by someone else (i.e parents, etc) or else homeless people/gypsies.

If you are unemployed and cannot support yourself there are numerous benefits you can apply for.

There are many options including FAS courses for up-skilling.

Its easy for people down on their luck to blame the government, society or someone else instead of getting out there and doing what they need to.

Not really the point of this thread tho.

ArtSmart

My name is URL wrote: »

Yes there is. Plenty of people have little or no income whatsoever. Many don't qualify for benefits for whatever reason and have little chance of upskilling or finding employment. Pretty difficult to manage a budget properly when you don't know from week to week what that budget is going to be.

Url, if one is an Irish citizen with no visible means of income, one is entitled to support - initially from a community welfare officer, then the DSP (if contacted - the SVDP will help - especially in the food side of things.)

So let's keep thing is perspective - otherwise a topic like this becomes easily dismissed.

What is unfortunate about this particular case getting publicity, is that it does not serve those in need well.- in fact it does the opposite - as is evident from some of the replies on this thread. This guy's situation is far from being a standard situation.

Yes, there are 'new' poor and they face difficult situation, especially not being used to the mechanics and availability of various processes - but let us stop saying that some citizens of Ireland cannot feed their kids because of income reasons.

goodie2shoes

My name is URL wrote: »

Yes there is. Plenty of people have little or no income whatsoever. Many don't qualify for benefits for whatever reason and have little chance of upskilling or finding employment. Pretty difficult to manage a budget properly when you don't know from week to week what that budget is going to be.

sorry i disagree totally.
my parents reared 10 children without any form of SW, and in tougher and more unforgiving times.
they didn't whinge, they just got on with it.

folks now are far too soft, and expect far too much, too easily.
sorry mate but you wont be getting much sympathy from me.

Scruffles

bluecode wrote: »

At 57, getting a real job of any sort is well nigh impossible. No one wants 57 year old men. Once you're over fifty even getting a job within your profession is slim. I personally don't think I'll ever have a real job again. Neither will he.

not all the time.
dad worked as a forklift driver/warehouse sorting until his retirement age when he chose to retire and a few years later, he is still being phoned up by the company asking if he wants to come back,they also phone him for advice.

he shoud look for normal jobs and get them done for ageism if there is evidence of it.

Cee-Jay-Cee

He worked in the uk so how has irish society let him down. Go back to the uk and see how we'll you will survive over there. I have no sympathy for him. He's a thief and he's using that story as an excuse.

bluecode

Yes that's all very well but what if your Dad tried to get a job elsewhere? He's obviously well regarded by his previous firm but that might not translate to other jobs. He might not find it so easy.

I know a guy, he's nearly sixty too. A great worker. We got him to do up a house for us. He cannot get a regular job. He keeps himself going through using his contacts. He would be an asset to any company but it's unlikely he will ever get back into the workforce proper.

Ageism is out there and it's impossible to prove unless they say it to your face.

There are few 'normal jobs' out there for older men who have no experience in them. Experienced that myself. When you consider how few jobs there are for experienced young people. Consider how few there are for inexperienced older men.

Kinski

ArtSmart wrote: »

Url, if one is an Irish citizen with no visible means of income, one is entitled to support - initially from a community welfare officer, then the DSP

No, JSA is means-tested, so even with no income an applicant may not qualify. Also, having an address is vital when trying to access such things, so those with none have real problems; homeless people can easily fall through the net and find themselves without support, facing the stark choice of entering homeless shelters, which have an incredibly bad reputation, or else trying to eke out a life without welfare payments.