Tory minister claims it is ‘strange’ people use food banks while there is an obesity crisis
These Tories really are incredible. A Tory peer reckons it’s a “paradox” that some people are getting extremely fat while others are forced to use food banks.
Can he really not see that this is the situation across the UK, in microcosm? We have people with money getting extremely fat, while those without are having to rely on charity or face starvation.*
But you know what they’d say if you pointed it out: “That’s correlation, not causation!”
It’s what they do with the DWP deaths, after all.
A Conservative minister has been strongly criticised after saying it was “a paradox” that people use food banks when the UK has an obesity problem.
Lord Prior of Brampton, a Conservative health minister, was challenged in Parliament by a Labour peer after denying there was a connection between benefit cuts and people turning to charities to feed their families.
Labour called his remarks “out of touch nonsense”, to which the former investment banker said that it was strange that food bank use had increased among those who could not afford to eat, while other people were eating too much.
“It is also a paradox, isn’t it, that we have this issue with food banks at a time when obesity is one of the biggest threats to the future.
“It is a strange situation around the world that we have both a problem with obesity and an issue with nutrition as well.
Labour peer Lord Cashman responded by telling him that people were starving in Britain.
*And don’t start on about low-quality food making people fat. We all know that too. It’s no reason to let the real fat cats off the hook.
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These guys will use anything to belittle people. Avoiding the real issues such people are in poverty and those who are fat have health issues. What are your solutions to these problems or are you there to look down on others ?
What on Earth leads you to suggest I am looking down on anyone?
I think this was a rhetorical question, aimed at the MP, rather than an assault on you, Mike :-)
Many factors are linked to poverty. A 2009 study in Montreal, where I reside, demonstrated that low-income areas have less access to quality food than their high-income equivalents. The prevalence of fast-food restaurants has been shown in other studies to be greater in low-income neighbourhoods. As well, the cost of high-quality food is generally higher than the cost of pop, chips and other high calorie snacks.
Put simply, for those who are poor, it is easier and cheaper to buy junk than it is to buy real food for you and your kids. Vendors that sell quality food are harder to find and reach, and wise food choices take a bigger chunk of your annual income in the process.
Former banker says it all, I would suggest the poor man is in the early stages of dementia and should seek attention forthwith before it progresses to the next stage.
Be careful! You’ll have Kevan Jones on your case!
Sorry Mike, but you’ve fallen into the same trap as Prior. Obesity can often go hand in hand with malnutrition as individuals eat far too much cheap ‘junk’ food to fill up providing little worthwhile nutrtion. Food bank food tends to be more nutritionally useful.
People can be both obese and malnourished suffering from the medical consequences of an impoverished diet.
Prior’s moronic mouthings show a complete lack of understanding of a quite simple issue and he should be ashamed of his stupidity and as I understand he is supposed to be a health minister he should resign immediately as he clearly doesnt understand his brief.
No, I didn’t fall into the same trap as I acknowledge what you’re saying in the article.
I was referring to para 2
Irrelevant. The article still covers the issue you raise.
Its quite often the poor who become obese because of limited diet choices. Cheap food is likely to be of the processed variety, filled with sugar, salt and packed with saturated fats and/or carbohydrates. This type of food tends to be almost devoid of nutrients. What happens is that because the body does not get enough of the good stuff, we tend to keep craving food to fill the nutrient void created by fast cheap unhealthy food.
How many poor have enough money to afford good quality food?
Just another unelected and ignorant individual.
And this bas**rd is paid from the public purse for spouting such callous rubbish.
Well, he’s a conservative peer who used to be an investment banker so he’s not exactly in touch with what is happening with ordinary people.
People on very low incomes buy food that fills them and very often these are carbohydrate filled to do just that – fill you up. They are very low on nutrients but they are all that poor people can afford.
Those who are sanctioned have zero and have to use food banks. Where is the evidence they are obese?
To eat well costs knowledge and money. Those are things most hard-working families do not have. He also needs to look at the recent statistics on the soaring rates of admittance to hospital for malnutrition. They are not obese. Neither are they made up.
Obesity is caused by inflammatory highly processed food and sedentary lifestyles, the obesity-crisis of our time is mainly a toxic food crisis and not a sign of over-consumption.
I’m obese. Why? Because I’m bedridden and there is no ILF and that means they want me to pay out £75 a week for a carer because I get PIP. Yet if I didn’t get PIP I would get my care free. So because I can’t afford a carer my two autistic children, one who is physically disabled too, have to not only do housework ( as the ILF would have paid for this to be done too but the new “care” package does not include this) in a 3 bedrooms house but they have to cook and care for me too. 290 days I’ve been fed by my children and my diet is mostly toast for breakfast and then pizza or chicken dippers for dinner because they can’t/won’t cook anything else.
Even if I was cooking for myself at the moment the prices are so high and bills are so high that I would struggle in buying decent healthy food. I did actually buy some veg the other day as I was going to write down instructions for them to do a slow cooler stew. And it was bought two days ago and it’s gone off already!!!!! It would cost me more to return it to the shop as I would have to pay someone.
The government just don’t get the impact and how backwards their cuts are. My eldest was at college studying to become a engineer. He was top of his class. My son couldn’t cope with caring for me and with getting his college work done and subsequently dropped out of college and is now on ESA as he can’t work and look after me due to his autism. He just can’t manage. If the government still had the ILF then my son would have been in university now and on his way to a fantastic job but instead he’s left looking after me. As his mum it breaks my heart but seeing as the NHS is taking forever finding out what’s wrong with me ( my nerves in my back are making my legs collapse ) then it seems I’m going to be stuck here getting fatter on one meal a
Day.
X
But which Baron Prior of Brampton was it?
There are two – father and son:
Jim Prior, ennobled by Thatcher – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Prior,_Baron_Prior#Later_years
David Prior, ennobled by Cameron
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Prior,_Baron_Prior_of_Brampton
Under the old system of hereditary peerages, at least the father was dead and buried before his son took his seat in the Lords.
The tory’s, before they start with comments like thats ‘correlation not causation’, ought to look at a statistics textbook properly before they spout comments like that, I would suggest any of the textbooks by Avery, he would be easy enough for them to understand, providing they can read. The point is, in basic terms, is that you very rarely have a close correlation between results that don’t have common cause. In other words, a close correlation between results is usually indicative of a common cause.
Conservative party please remember the famous quote that one of the founding fathers of the modern Conservative party.Benjamin Disraeli. gave us, ‘There are three types of lies; lies, damn lies and statistics’.
I take it that you do not believe Lord Prior is a statistician?
Irrelevant as to whether Lord Prior is a statician or not, his use of terms is incorrect, that is why i suggest he reference a basic work on statistics such as the textbooks by Avery. If he persists with the incorrect use of terms there are a number of valid explinations; 1) He does not understand statistics and therefore should not use it; or 2) He does not wish to infrom himself properly of the correct use of statistics, in which case, again he should not use it; or 3) He is delibrently misusing the data in which case all we can do is quote one of the founding fathers of modern Conservatism to him ‘There are three types of lies; lies, damn lies and statistics’.
I have no idea where this man was educated but it’s quite clear it didn’t take!
Well we know from Ian Duncan Smith that the Claims of educational background on their CV’s and the actuality of the education of some MP’s may not be congruent. This may extend to peers also as many are now elevated from the house of commons.
Of course they think it’s strange because it doesn’t affect them and don’t live in the real world like the rest of us do, handed everything on a silver platter, including their over the top food supplies!
Is it my imagination, or does Lord Prior look like Lord Voldemort?