Footballer Marcus Rashford fights for free school meals

[Wilf]

As a complete aside, I wonder how Rashford's coping? Well, not literally at the moment, I hoping he's warming up for the Chelsea game. But he must have had every variety of scumbag journalist/tory going his bins, last 5 years of social media posts, pictures of him with posh car etc. I haven't seen any 'look at the hypocrite' type splashes, have there been any? If there haven't, I presume its because they think it may backfire.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

I disagree

Why? In what possible world view is poor kids being fed by others charity anything other than a source of national shame and a sign of an utterly broken system?

 

[Lord Camomile]

As a complete aside, I wonder how Rashford's coping? Well, not literally at the moment, I hoping he's warming up for the Chelsea game. But he must have had every variety of scumbag journalist/tory going his bins, last 5 years of social media posts, pictures of him with posh car etc. I haven't seen any 'look at the hypocrite' type splashes, have there been any? If there haven't, I presume its because they think it may backfire.

Yeah, as much as I admire what he's doing, I do worry*; we all know how brutal the press, MPs and the general public can be, particularly to footballers and, let's face it, black people.

Even aside from that, it's a hell of a lot of responsibility for anyone to take on. He's only bloody 22.




*not exactly saying much, it's essentially my base state.

 

[Edie]

Why? In what possible world view is poor kids being fed by others charity anything other than a source of national shame and a sign of an utterly broken system?

I guess my thought patterns are this. The Government are never gonna look after The People. They do not represent us, they represent their own interests. There’s a degree of compromise in the sense there is a democracy, and an opposition which is better (but not necessarily more competent). In my view the smaller the Government is the better. Period. Limit the power as much as possible. You shouting and screaming at em, you may as well be shouting at the tide. They don’t gaf mate. Just learn it.

And look after our own. Local Government is better than National, and local enterprises, and local businesses, and local charity is where its at. That is a system. It’s just a different one to the one you believe in.

 

[baldrick]

As a complete aside, I wonder how Rashford's coping? Well, not literally at the moment, I hoping he's warming up for the Chelsea game. But he must have had every variety of scumbag journalist/tory going his bins, last 5 years of social media posts, pictures of him with posh car etc. I haven't seen any 'look at the hypocrite' type splashes, have there been any? If there haven't, I presume its because they think it may backfire.

I've had the same thought, hero to zero media stories are lapped up.

It must be very hard to remain calm and levelheaded in responding to some of the idiots I've seen on social media, so far he's done an amazing job. But the longer this goes on the more I worry for him. He's so young, it's a lot to cope with. I suppose in some ways the fact he was famous previous to the lockdown food campaign has helped him - he'll have had all kinds of media training and I hope MU are being supportive.

 

[killer b]

I guess my thought patterns are this. The Government are never gonna look after The People. They do not represent us, they represent their own interests. There’s a degree of compromise in the sense there is a democracy, and an opposition which is better (but not necessarily more competent). In my view the smaller the Government is the better. Period. Limit the power as much as possible. You shouting and screaming at em, you may as well be shouting at the tide. They don’t gaf mate. Just learn it.

And look after our own. Local Government is better than National, and local enterprises, and local businesses, and local charity is where its at. That is a system. It’s just a different one to the one you believe in.

I hammered my postcode into the search box upthread for local businesses which are giving out lunches for kids and there's two in the whole of the city. Fortunately I can feed my kids this half term, but I don't think that's enough to cope with the likely demand.

That's not a 'system'

(thankfully I understand the council is arranging something so it should be ok, but...)

 

[brogdale]

Yeah, as much as I admire what he's doing, I do worry*; we all know how brutal the press, MPs and the general public can be, particularly to footballers and, let's face it, black people.

Even aside from that, it's a hell of a lot of responsibility for anyone to take on. He's only bloody 22.




*not exactly saying much, it's essentially my base state.

I actually think he's spent some of that Premier mega-loot that they receive on a very decent PR outfit that handle the majority of it. That's not to be interpreted as any form of criticism btw...I'll cheer every goal he scores; he's left the vermin in an absolute shitstorm.

 

[brogdale]

Unless against the Gills, obvs. (Cup...maybe)

 

[Edie]

I hammered my postcode into the search box upthread for local businesses which are giving out lunches for kids and there's two in the whole of the city. Fortunately I can feed my kids this half term, but I don't think that's enough to cope with the likely demand.

That's not a 'system'

(thankfully I understand the council is arranging something so it should be ok, but...)

Wow Leeds is a much better place than Preston! (Point taken tho).

 

[Wilf]

I've had the same thought, hero to zero media stories are lapped up.

It must be very hard to remain calm and levelheaded in responding to some of the idiots I've seen on social media, so far he's done an amazing job. But the longer this goes on the more I worry for him. He's so young, it's a lot to cope with. I suppose in some ways the fact he was famous previous to the lockdown food campaign has helped him - he'll have had all kinds of media training and I hope MU are being supportive.

I imagine Fare Share will be doing a fair bit to help on the social media stuff. Having said that, most of the stuff I've seen looks/sounds to be non-corporate charity speak and is almost certainly him posting up directly. Sounds calm under pressure, perfectly judged, right to the point. I'm sure some advertising/PR outfit will be trying to give him their campaigner of the year award. Hope he tells them to fuck off.

 

[Wilf]

I actually think he's spent some of that Premier mega-loot that they receive on a very decent PR outfit that handle the majority of it. That's not to be interpreted as any form of criticism btw...I'll cheer every goal he scores; he's left the vermin in an absolute shitstorm.

I did wonder about that, though on balance his tweets sound a bit too human to have gone through those filters. If he was using a PT firm presumably we'd have the media pointing fingers?

 

[killer b]

Wow Leeds is a much better place than Preston! (Point taken tho).

TBF I know a few places that don't seem to be on the list, but they're all fast food places offering a free 7" margharitta pizza or portion of fried chicken and chips or whatever. It's food and I'm sure they're well meaning, but the nutritional content is pretty dubious. Either way, patchy coverage reliant entirely on local altruism results in massive and dangerous gaps, which is why we have a welfare state (in termtime at least)

 

[killer b]

(I reckon most of the charities you're thinking of that carry out this kind of work are mostly funded from state grants too tbh)

 

[brogdale]

I did wonder about that, though on balance his tweets sound a bit too human to have gone through those filters. If he was using a PT firm presumably we'd have the media pointing fingers?

Been out there for some time. tbh.

 

[Wilf]

Been out there for some time. tbh.

Ta.

 

[dessiato]

 

[Artaxerxes]

View attachment 235693

Only since 2010?

 

[Streathamite]

As a complete aside, I wonder how Rashford's coping? Well, not literally at the moment, I hoping he's warming up for the Chelsea game. But he must have had every variety of scumbag journalist/tory going his bins, last 5 years of social media posts, pictures of him with posh car etc. I haven't seen any 'look at the hypocrite' type splashes, have there been any? If there haven't, I presume its because they think it may backfire.

I think he probably needs to hire a lawyer, and to contact United's PR people - just as a precaution

 

[Streathamite]

I guess my thought patterns are this. The Government are never gonna look after The People. They do not represent us, they represent their own interests. There’s a degree of compromise in the sense there is a democracy, and an opposition which is better (but not necessarily more competent). In my view the smaller the Government is the better. Period. Limit the power as much as possible. You shouting and screaming at em, you may as well be shouting at the tide. They don’t gaf mate. Just learn it.

magical alternative solution; organise collectively and militantly to rouse public opinion, to form mass movements for change, and to force governmentsto listen, and act accordingly. Also, elect the sort of MPs which leads to big government with a genuine social conscience, and a commitment to social and economic equality.
Every single honest tory believes "the smaller the Government is the better", so as to relieve government of all of its' social obligations.

 

[Espresso]

He's 22 and doing immeasurable good. Twenty two! Dear me.
I just hope that all the people around him are looking after him. There are all manner of big fat rich hateful nasty Tory arses who want to blacken his name and turn the media against him. I wish and hope that all of them - the hateful sods - fail and crash and burn

 

[Edie]

magical alternative solution; organise collectively and militantly to rouse public opinion, to form mass movements for change, and to force governmentsto listen, and act accordingly. Also, elect the sort of MPs which leads to big government with a enuine social conscience, and a commitment to social and economic equality.
Every single honest tory believes "the smaller the Government is the better", so as to relieve government of all of its' social obligations.

You have a lot more faith in national representative democracy than I do. Good luck to you.

 

[Streathamite]

You have a lot more faith in national representative democracy than I do. Good luck to you.

No, I really don't, but I do have faith in the power of grassroots, bottom-up, mass organisation to achieve change. It's why kids aren't still being sent up chimneys, how we got the vote, workplace rights, TU rights...in fact, every right we enjoy - and which is under attack, right now - came about that way.
We need to get that back, and I think people are slowly getting angry enough to make it possible.

 

[Edie]

No, I really don't, but I do have faith in the power of grassroots, bottom-up, mass organisation to achieve change. It's why kids aren't still being sent up chimneys, how we got the vote, workplace rights, TU rights...in fact, every right we enjoy - and which is under attack, right now - came about that way.
We need to get that back, and I think people are slowly getting angry enough to make it possible.

Except when you actually see grassroots, bottom-up, mass organisation to achieve change you don’t like it as it’s not done by the Government.

 

[xenon]

Can confirm. Checked in to see what’s going on under the line over at daily mail towers and whoever they are commenting there they love this, symbolic of the whole idea of small state, fend for yourself, not the governments job to feed the feckless etc isnt it. Maybe some people find this return to normal reassuring after all the profligacy of the ‘whatever it takes’ stuff from sunak.

doesn’t everyone believe in standing on your own 2 feet doing the best you can all that shtick. I mean, I do. Keep the government involvement in your life to an absolute minimum. But you know kids going hungry people who can’t get by on the shit wages and rent seaking necrotic late capitalist farrago of an economy. As opposed to do with self resourcefulness I have lived off the state quite a lot, wish it was otherwise but you know. These people are tedious maggots that should be swept away. The Daily Mail lot I mean. Sorry bit drunk and incoherent

 

[xenon]

Why? In what possible world view is poor kids being fed by others charity anything other than a source of national shame and a sign of an utterly broken system?

exactly, it’s fucking abysmal. There are people that take the piss. A lot of them are in Westminster

 

[purenarcotic]

Except when you actually see grassroots, bottom-up, mass organisation to achieve change you don’t like it as it’s not done by the Government.

What we are seeing is not an example of what you are describing. These children have existed long before COVID, long before austerity even; what happens after half term? What about all those without children struggling to feed themselves? I think what we are seeing has a capacity to grow into something bigger and better, but it is not yet what you describe I don’t think.

 

[MrSki]

 

[MrSki]

 

[Streathamite]

Except when you actually see grassroots, bottom-up, mass organisation to achieve change you don’t like it as it’s not done by the Government.

Huh???
That's exactly the key criteria - that such change is forced on government by mass action (and yes, grassroots-driven), rather than passively waiting for the paternalistic state to toss a few crumbs in our lap. It has to be that way.

With respect, |I think you're kinda missing the point. The sort of change I want - and the type of organisations I think we need to achieve that - are not charity. They are enforcing, rather than weakening, the important principle that provision for the social and economic needs, and welfare, of the people should, must be the responsibility and obligation of the government of the day.

Charity - however well-meaning and admirable those providing it are, ditto their intentions and motivations - is ultimately a cop-out. It enables governments to wriggle free of those obligations, which Tories will always seek to do. We must engage in explicitly political action to stop them doing so.

Right now, unfortunately, thousands upon thousands of children need that charity. They have no choice. So - chapeau! To all those cafes, and restaurants, and the rest who have magnificently stepped up over the past couple of days.
But it can never be a long term solution. It's a band-aid on a gaping wound.
We're talking about two different types of grassroots, bottom-up things.

 

[MrSki]

Seems to be catching on.