Why? This place is already full of whinging Aussies......

Yeah I was thinking the same myself Polly

M25. Not completely crap, but getting very close to being crap from its original intention.

But just think how it has slowed the pace of modern life in Britain. The only place in the South East where one can sit for hours completely motionless!

Its funny I the thought of driving on the M25 has always filled me with dread, since being back I have had to use it 3 times and never had a hold up

Can you let me know when you are next going?

I use it regularly and it's never that bad. Slow in parts, but you expect that.

Not completely crap, but crap for a few million. Seemingly there are now more people now who are classified as working poor than there are unemployed poor. Totaling 13 million people in all.

Source: Tonight programme . 6th March " The rise of the working poor."

Synopsis:

"After years of belt-tightening it seems that things may be looking up. The government says there are more people in work than ever, and the economy is growing at its fastest rate since the start of the recession. Does this tell the real story of life in Britain? For the first time since records began, there are now more working households living in poverty than non-working ones, but increases in the cost of food, power and childcare have left many families struggling to make ends meet. Wages that have failed to keep pace with inflation have resulted in many wondering if it is worth going to work at all. Aasmah Mir reports and asks what can be done to help the working poor."

Mind you there is a huge distinction between the poverty of need and the poverty of want, nonetheless, it puts into context some of the euphoria surrounding recent employment figures.

Is it really 13 million? Very high. These days the poverty of want seems to be included in the poverty of need (foreign holidays, good TV's, meals out, etc.).

Frankly, I think the statistic quoted for the programme needs looking at carefully. The recession has shown up the problems with using a relative standard of poverty -- 60% of median incomes, with the result that as the median income has dropped, so has the number of poor.

One of the more surprising facts about incomes, given the stress the coalition has placed on reducing the welfare bill, is that benefits have not dropped as much proportionately as earned incomes, but I'm not sure I can see how that results in more working poor than unemployed.

It occurs to me that the reason may be that virtually all pensioners have been taken out of poverty by the pension income guarantee, taking a big chunk of benefit claimants out of poverty.

That figure is ludicrously high but probably appeals to the DM readers out there. As you say it obviously includes those who cant afford the latest flat screen. The number in genuine poverty would be a fraction of that figure.

It is the difference between relative and absolute poverty.

If all of the UK enjoyed an average standard of living ten percent higher than the rest of Europe, then we would be relatively well off.
Even if zombies ate Europe and they were all hiding in caves. And all, including us, were living in absolute poverty.

Relatively speaking though, we might still be well off. Just starving more slowly.

This seems to have been written by a zombie. WTF do you mean?