I’ve been meaning to write this since some commenters on the Guardian website sniffed that they didn’t want to eat bean goulash or mushroom soup. Bully for them. I do. Then yesterday, I was forwarded an article by Shirley Goode, the 80′s doyenne of budget cooking, about me, which didn’t read as all that complimentary … Read more
An article in the Guardian recently claimed that ‘austerity has been hijacked by the moralisers’ – and judging by George Osborne’s latest announcement that ‘austerity works’, it seems they were right. As though it’s all just ‘cosy frugality’, as though we are all just living in a snapshot of a nostalgic poster of post-War Britain. … Read more
After speaking on panels and at fringe events on food poverty and the bedroom tax, at the Labour Party conference, Green Party conference, and TUC congress recently, this Tuesday I will be entering unfamiliar territory in Manchester, to address the Tories on the rise of food bank use as the direct result of cuts to … Read more
From today’s Independent on Sunday: “When the first Pink List was published in 2000, it was essentially a list of 50 influential people who were brave enough to be “out”. This year we received more than 1,300 nominations and had to reduce thousands of potential contenders to just 101. The judges decided that a Pink … Read more
While in Sainsburys earlier picking up £2.69 of shopping (fromage frais, apples, rice pudding, orange and grapefruit juice and lots of kidney beans, if you’re curious) I couldn’t help but notice the following: As someone who buys pretty much the same items every week, spending around a tenner a time, I know the prices of … Read more
Del Thomas’s Facebook page, 1527hrs, today. In a hastily-deleted tweet, Conservative candidate Del Thomas compares gay people to Paedophiles. Del Thomas, in his thirties, is a street pastor, Tory campaigner, and primary school teacher. He stood for election in Victoria ward, Southend, in 2012, losing to Labour Councillor Ian Gilbert. It is unknown whether he … Read more
As ever, it’s been a bit of a week. Although I’ve already squeaked to those on my private Facebook page a few days ago, I can finally let a big cat out of a straining bag and tell you all that as of today, I have a Brand New Job as a full time trainee … Read more
PROTESTERS were forced to sit through tonight’s council meeting half naked after being asked to remove their t-shirts by Council security staff. Prior to entering the Council chamber, Mark Sharp, Patsy Link and Sheena Walker from protest group SKIPP had been wearing tshirts emblazoned with the slogan ‘SCRAP THE CABINET.’ They alleged that they were … Read more
“Food prices are soaring, and food itself, particularly budget food, is under scrutiny following the horsemeat debacle. Careful shopping and home cooking are suddenly a national priority. And with Government cuts hitting benefits, they are high on the political agenda, too. This has driven Helen Goodman, Labour MP for Bishop Auckland, to try living on … Read more
Dear George, I would like to address your comments that have been in the national media today, Thursday 4th April. When asked whether Mick Philpott, the now-notorious killer of six of his seventeen children, behaved in the way that he did as a result of the benefits system in the UK, you replied: “It’s right … Read more