Those comments are less James Anderson, more Lee Anderson.
I am not surprised at all that James has stood by these comments. I think these are very much his views and like anything, he uses “other people” and “their” comments to hide behind. I have no doubt he hates the people he “helps” and views himself as somehow better.
I am self aware enough to know that James hits into a lot of my own stuff, much like Jack Monroe, with regards to poverty, vulnerabilities etc. However, it is the self awareness that means I know my limitations, and why I don’t work directly with these issues for long periods of time as it just isn’t healthy for me. The point is, I am highly aware of these characters who pray on these issues and talk absolute patronising shite around it. I use the “slow cooker” as a good litmus test - the really lazy, ignorant ones will always throw that out as a solution to poverty. It genuinely makes me furiously angry particularly as we have an election coming up which means the usual “let’s turn the working class against each other” stuff starts and James and his
tit absolutely do not help.
I am openly an ex-addict in recovery and James very very much reminds me of a former heroin addict I know who, regardless of the heroin, was a conman scumbag to end then all and he pulled the same sort of tricks as James. I always wondered if he had that sort of background as the attitudes and behaviours are incredibly similar. He also has the teeth of someone who is partial to crack and that isn’t to be unkind, it’s just a fact.