Hate attacks against poor people are fashionable at the moment.
Even people in the most dire of circumstances are fair game for bigoted attacks and smears.
Katy Hopkins is a prime example. Katy is the most minor of media ‘personalities’ (a failed contestant on a reality TV show) but got widespread coverage for her comments attacking people who are so poor they must rely on a food bank.
It should be remembered that to be eligible for a box of food from a food bank one must fill in a detailed form proving your poverty and even then you can only receive one voucher for three days emergency food if a care professional like a doctor or a social worker issues you with one.
That sounds like a slow, humiliating and temporary measure to me – if I had the money I would go to the shops every time before putting myself through that. But food banks are not for people with choices – they are a desperate option for desperate people.
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