Hunger in Greece, hunger in the UK

As I write, the world is awaiting the outcome of the Greek referendum, but it looks as if the no vote will prevail.

There is a side of me that feels compassion for my fellow Europeans living in dire poverty, but another side of me reflects that most Greeks are the victims of their own cowardice.

The people of Greece elected the politicians who took the country into the single currency, and since then have persistently refused to vote for politicians who support a return to the drachma.  What is worse, the one party I can think of in Greece which has consistently supported the drachma is widely vilified and persecuted.

It now seems that a return to the drachma is inevitable, but it could have been achieved a lot sooner, and with far less pain.

Here in Britain we have a growing economy, but we still have a lot of severe poverty, and I know for a fact that my local food bank is still seeking donations.

National newspapers sometimes try to act as if they care, and I have seen reports on how people can eat cheaply.  Sadly though these reports are usually poorly written.

It is true that a lot of food can be bought cheaply in supermarkets late in the day, but there is only so much discounted food in any supermarket, and not everyone is able to visit the supermarket shortly before it closes.

Also, meal plans in newspapers are often unrealistic.  For example one plan implied that a packet of six sausages could provide both a dinner and a lunch for two people.  I make that two sausages per person for dinner and one for lunch - better than nothing I suppose.

Another problem with these meal plans is that they tend to overlook the fact that many people work, and so are unable to cook their own lunch.  Canteen lunches may well cost more than someone on the minimum wage might reasonably afford, and packed lunches are often far from appealing.

Instead of insulting attempts at meal plans, maybe Britain's national press could acknowledge the fact that successive Labour and Tory governments in this country have failed to tackle the root causes of poverty.

Related previous posts include:
Austerity versus democracy in Greece
Starvation Britain