Free laptops and broadband promised for 270,000 poor UK families
By Vlad Savov 
posted January 12th 2010 2:14PM
posted January 12th 2010 2:14PM
posted January 12th 2010 2:14PM
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This actually sucks, OK some of the low incomes have legit reasons, but giving them things FREE? And how would those just outside the bracket feel paying £x/mo plus £xxx for a laptop, when their neighbour gets it free..
..and UK broadband is cheap as chippies.. where I am it's £25 for 2Mbps (usually 1.6, 2.2 if im lucky)
@Skate It Dont Spray It
O2 is £7 a month for 8Mbps (last time I checked).
@slimjim316 O2's £7 per month offer is only available to those living in areas where they have installed their own equipment in the telephone exchange. This is currently restricted to mainly urban areas.
If you live outwith O2's coverage you have to pay £22.50 per month for "up to" 8mbit/sec.
@Skate It Dont Spray It
Then you've to be qualified as a poor family if you really desire for a free laptop and broadband.
@Skate It Dont Spray It: How about if we give them a free puppy too?
@Bosco
24meg for £17.88
bethere.co.uk
@Skate It Dont Spray It
If you are against this, sign the petition on the Number10 website:
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Freelaptopblock/
Wow.
Going on Benefits is slowly but surely becoming a definitive career path for me.
Absolutely pathetic. Its incentives to become lazier!
@spongebob92
honestly, UK should look at what welfare does to the US.
@putaro05
Ive got to say, they are thoroughly pissing me off, and I'm not even paying Taxes at the momement. I'm 17, have a weekend job, and pay my way through things. Education, social events etc.
However, people at school get something called "EMA"...they get £30 a week just for going to school. And now there getting free laptops/broadband connections. Even at the ripe age 16 we're being taught that laziness can prevail all.
I'm not saying there arn't the odd cases where the money/laptops/whatever are genuinely needed -- but for the large part, people just need to get off there lazy arses and find out what work is.
@spongebob92
My thoughts exactly. About how many of those 270,000 families do you think are living in poverty because of LAZINESS? I'd say at least half.
@putaro05
Argh! One of those subjects that really get my back up. And as for Engadgets closing line:
"...there's no certainty that this pledge will come to pass. Let's just hope it does."
I bet me and putaro05 are just two of many millions who hope it doesn't pass
@spongebob92
Isn't EMA moreso used to help low income families who have trouble paying for necessities, such as transport, books, etc? And even if EMA is used as an incentive to get kids into school, isn't it better than them not going to school and living off Jobseekers' allowance and income support?
@SilverSurfer
In theory, I would agree...but having seen it in action, it doesn't work like that. EMA goes directly to students bank account and can be spent on whatever they want (and it usually involves some sort of alchohol for whatever illustrious activities they have planned for the weekend).
It also means that people are staying on for education just for money - when the really don't want to be there. Which is brilliant, still having the class clown disrupting the lessons, when your trying to study something that will benefit the rest of your life.
Its also the message it implants. "Hey, I don't have to get a weekend job at the moment, I'm getting £30 a week!". If that ethical code is planted into too many students head, what will Britain turn into? People wouldn't be working because of the laziness they learnt as a child. The lessons we (the student) learn from weekend work is invaluable aswell. I can quite honestly say I have learnt more skills working at a small resturant, then I have in the past 5 years of secondary school education.
Having said all that, I know people who are in genuine need of the money, and the money does go to help them through there education. But, when people start going to school cause of the money there getting, you know the clusterfuck of a government have got it all wrong somewhere.
Laziness vs envy, who would win, discuss.
@spongebob92
Thank you for raising the point of EMA, pisses me off to no end. Think about it for just a second. Just because you are in a higher earning bracket, does not mean you have more FREE cash, often there is a bigger mortgage etc. And even if the parents do have a lot of free cash it does not mean they are going to give it to the child.
Hell my friend spends £14 a week on it on a cinema card...
And i get fuck all, great isn't it?
Yes, helping poor people, well that's just wrong. The first thing I always think about is myself and my taxes. What about me?
"Give us your poor, your tired, your huddled masses longing to be free"...OH WAIT!
to David Cameron, when you become Prime minister remove benefits
@(Unverified)
isnt this where DC (ah lol) is going for? All for remove benefits and everyone must earn their living..no scrounging- except for the possible no inheritance thing
@(Unverified) actually I should have said no benefits except to mentally ill or physically disabled people.
and no, dropping out of school at 16 because you didn't past your GCSE's because you were high or in labour doesn't count as mentally ill.
Even people that support the torries don't like cameron.
@Wwhat The problem for the other parties is that some (significant minority) of their disheartened supporters do though
@Wwhat
You really are full of shit, aren't you?
@KrisRoberts
Ah, a cameron supporter, well that's an insult to yourself I cannot top.
What a colossal waste of money.
@Xax
Agreed. What kind of laptop and broadband are they giving them for over a grand each?
@Xax pr0n for the p00r.
@ilh
Macs, sheesh, can't you see the picture?!
So everyone is getting a 17" MacBook Pro? (from the picture)
@Eduardo
That's what I was thinking haha. They won't be able to give much if they're going out 17" Macbook Pros.
Also kind of funny if this were really happening: Apples are a bit of a status symbol, no? So if this program happened to give Macs, won't it suddenly give the wrong image? Haha
@Eduardo LOL, my thought was, "wait a minute, if this kid is one of the "poor" people, they need to rethink their strategy, because I don't consider myself poor but I sure as hell can't afford a 17-inch MBP."
Can they eat the Laptop? If I was poor I'd want food
@Jaylittles531
ahem....ebay is their best frnd....
@Sakzzz Ya but have you seen how much a Grilled Cheese Sandwich goes for I mean just cause Jesus was on it come on its still eatable.
@Jaylittles531 Even better mass-produced http://www.thisnext.com/item/C9BAF23A/Holy-Toast-Maker
or DIY http://www.blacktable.com/gillin041202.htm
Government is over rated D:
Sorry I don't like the idea either, its a waste of money which could go elsewhere.
When I was at school (only 30 now) there was no broadband and internet was very expensive, pc's weren't cheap either.
Now I know you're all asking how did my parents keep up with my grades and how well I was doing, it was quite simple really, we had parent's evenings and a piece of paper with our grades on.
I don't mind a leased approach where you pay £5 a week for a laptop (like a 12" netbook say) and then get a reduced education only broadband for a few quid more. Why should they get full internet when we have to pay for it and they don't.
Why should the lower incomes get more free things, as it is those just outside the 'low income' bracket are usually worse off than the lower income ones. It's even more annoying when the likelihood is that the people who will get the free things are most likely the ones who have never worked etc
@LSG501
The biggest problem is creates you just illistrated perfectly
it creates an "US" and "THEM" social classes.
The Caste system all over again.
I thought humanity has been making progress?
I'm still waiting for the day when I, the single, hard working person get something - ANYTHING - back from this Government.
@Joanna D There was no reason to vote for Labour in the previous election yet they waltzed it in, maybe they'll do it again.
@Joanna D
Drive on any roads, lately?
@jonnythan I pay £410 / year for my road fund license. What's your point?
@808Alex
they got what.. 5 mil votes.. the same amount of people who fit in the benefits group
@Joanna D Out of curiosity, what industry do you work in? Then I might be able to provide you with an answer.
@Joanna D
Pride?
British welfare safety hammock, now with even less reasons to work.
For the cost of a laptop a child could buy a calculus book, chemistry book, english book, a history book, and a calculator.
I guess browsing 4chan is just as important.
@One Love
Exactly. What about me? What the fuck do I get as a reward or incentive for being successful? Fuck all, all my taxes spent on extraneous luxury technology for the ickle wickle poor people.
If they're all getting Macbooks as shown in the picture, I better start failing in life soon.
Free MacBooks? :-)