A Very Dickenish Winter
So, you have insulated your home, or are on the mind-bendingly long waiting list to do so. You have put in your energy efficient light-bulbs, stuffed draft excluders in every nook and cranny and have even taken the useless, nausea-inducing, advice of 1 million a year Jake Ulrich of Centica and put on two woolie jumpers. Yet, sadly and inevitably, you are still cold and thanks to inflated fuel prices you are probably starting to feel hungry too.
Perhaps you are not managing to feed the kids their five a day, (though how any low income family ever did is beyond me), cos you now have to choose which meals need to be scrapped, breakfast? lunch? Dinner? It’s a unacceptable quandary to land families in.
Maybe you are one of the families who have the dreaded date the bailiffs are coming to make your few possessions, kids toys, or your very home. If you live in Manchester, where over half the families are existing in poverty, you are probably facing one or more of these problems, yet no one seems to be outraged. I would have expected the people of Manchester to be taking to the streets in protest, yet, despite the Labour party conference this week, the streets are surprisingly vacant.
Maybe we are all too cold, hungry, and depressed?
Or maybe there is a sigma attached to being poor?
Why Don’t the Poor Protest?
“I don’t want people knowing i cant put me gas on” says mum of two, Sally, from Ancoats, “it’d be shameful. People’ll think I’m a bad mum.” Julie also from Ancoats agrees, “yeah, it’d be awful, marching along, people looking at you like your some scum bag”
When did being working class become something to be ashamed of? Maybe I fell asleep and missed something. I too am skipping meals and going cold, but I’m not ashamed of this fact. i am working class and i am poor. I don’t blame myself for this. Capitalism depends on the poor, without us it couldn’t function. My families woes are the product of this global game. I refuse to be forced into the shadows in shame. The poor are the majority, despite what telly may depict. Don’t be fooled into thinking everyone has it better than you, they don’t, only a few do. Don’t be hoodwinked by DIY shows and GMTV’s attempt to tell us ‘people are relocating to Spain due to the credit crunch’. What rubbish! The real victims of the credit crunch can’t go any where! They are stuck in a mire of potential homelessness and malnutrition. Shelter the homelessness Charity state that ‘400,000 (are) falling behind with rent or mortgage payments’ with ‘one in four households suffering stress or depression due to today’s sky-high housing costs.’
So don’t let embarrassment stop you from being active! Don’t let shame keep you on the margins! The time is now to contact your Local M.P, women’s group, or Union, fight for a fairer deal, sign the petitions being circulated by
Amicus. The Union’s campaign for energy justice.
The NEC’s campaign to end child poverty
Barnardo’s vital campaign to end child poverty
Shelter, the housing charity’s campaign to end homelessness.
The Right to Fuel Website, a campaign demanding ‘a warm, dry, well lit home for all’
End Child Poverty Protest. Info on the march to end child poverty Sat October 4th 2008.
We all have a right to food and shelter. We all have the right to equality. We all have a right to be poor and proud!
The Months Ahead
I don’t want to add to the gloom too much. I want to offer some relief in the form of some helpful links. I am aware the poorest ion society have extremely limited access to the Internet, (normally through the sparse public libraries that are left) so i am hoping the good people who read this will pass the information on via word of mouth.
SHELTER, For help with housing advice
EBICO, A not for profit energy supplier
The Wood Street Mission, provides clothing, toys, and bedding for families in manchester and salford
The Wesley Furniture Project, for low-cost furniture for those on benefits and low income
The Phone Coop, for ethical telephone and broadband provision
Manchester Credit Union. For Savings and low intrest Loans
The Samaritains. For emotional Support for those in mental distress
National Debt Line. For help with Debts.
I really hope these links help someone out this winter. If any of you out there know of any other help avalible to low-income families in Manchester, please email me so i can put up a link.
Well, I send you all my best wishes and will hopefully see you on a protest march or two!
