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Smurf said:
Should we nationalise evening meals to ensure every child gets a proper evening meal? Should we nationalise bed time stories to ensure every child gets a proper introduction to reading? Children's teeth are horrendous in parts of the country. Should we nationalise evening brushing of teeth?

We need to get real.
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Get real? What's real about those daft equivalences you've just made?

Choose what you want - more families on benefits so they get free childcare, or childcare assistance so people can get to work. Every other developed country does it better than us. We need to sort it.
 
Keepitgreen said:
Its a real tough trade-off, trying to work out if we are better off with my wife not working as many days and therefore saving the childcare costs, but getting less money through the door. We also know the value of her being able to spend more time with our daughter; can't put a price on that.

You're right that her turning 3 will help us; though its a weird one when you're not using a state nursery. We can't use a state nursery, cos they close down for all the school holidays i.e. 2 weeks at easter, 7 weeks in the summer, etc. No way we could get those amounts of time off work, so we have to pay a private nursery.

With those, the 30 hours a week the state will cover becomes only 22 due to them being open over said holidays. And its 10 hours a day they charge. The benefit therefore isn't all that great; and in my case we will lose the grandma day when she's 3 anyway so it almost cancels out as we'll need 4 days.

Like BTH says above, all this is massively off-putting to folks wanting to have kids. More than off-putting really; it can just make it impossible. Unless you choose a life on benefits.

On that point; it's confusing this, when the same folk who moan about folk on beneifts, then moan about getting decent childcare provision as well. You can't have it both ways man. Other countries understand and acknowledge this, and help folk out far, far better. Why can't we?
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Aye it's all coming back to me now. We were the same, used a FT nursery and the free hours were aggregated over the entire year so you ended up with 20-odd a week. The tax-free childcare account helped a wee bit too, total faff though. Top tip: you can still use that tax free childcare account to pay for stuff even when the kids are at school e.g. after school club, breakfast club etc
 
blue toon hibby said:
These costs are scary! As grandparents of a 2 yr old, we look after him three and a half days a week. It costs us close to £50 a week in fuel picking him up and returning him, then there’s the additional heating, washing, food etc. My daughter could get more hours work but we need a day off too! If she had to pay the childcare costs you mention, that would be half her wages gone. Her plan is to take the maximum free childcare when the bairn turns 3 yr old and - hopefully - increase her hours then. No doubt we’ll still have the cost of picking him up and dropping off at nursery as my daughter works 20 miles in the opposite direction from where we live. The set-up and costs are discouraging young folk from having more kids - it’s a vicious circle.

One local firm in Peterhead (a sizeable employer) provides a “free” crèche for employees’ children and I can’t help thinking this is the way forward though it wouldn’t be feasible for smaller employers unless resources were pooled.
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Firstly BTH, well done on the support you're providing your bairn/grandbairn. The country at large is lucky folk like yourself take this on. It'll be great for the bairn too, to spend time with you guys.

Secondly, yes I like the provision of childcare at work. Agree it should be encouraged, and I'd say even assisted by the state where possible. It could share the costs, reduce the burden and help folk in the sense of being able to drop-off and pick-up their bairns from somewhere mega convenient. Win-win for all concerned.
 
paigntonhibby said:
Polanski now calling for " free" school meals for all primary and secondary schoolkids
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Implementing universal free school meals (UFSM) in the USA has resulted in significantly higher meal participation rates, reduced food insecurity, and better student health outcomes, including lower obesity prevalence. Additionally, these programs reduce school suspensions, ease financial pressure on parents, and support improved educational focus by ensuring students have access to nutritious food.

There's tons of benefits to giving bairns their lunch - not just for the bairns themselves but society. Again, most of Europe kicks our arse at this as well:

www.euronews.com

School meals in Europe: Which countries give free food to students?

A quarter of children are at risk of poverty or social exclusion in the EU. Some families have difficulties in feeding their kids. Five EU countries provide universal free school meals for at least some ages. Others mostly supply meals for the students whose families get income-related benefits.
www.euronews.com www.euronews.com
 
Hibee Kev said:
Aye it's all coming back to me now. We were the same, used a FT nursery and the free hours were aggregated over the entire year so you ended up with 20-odd a week. The tax-free childcare account helped a wee bit too, total faff though. Top tip: you can still use that tax free childcare account to pay for stuff even when the kids are at school e.g. after school club, breakfast club etc
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Aye its a faff, I'm forever doing a mad rush at the end of the month when we get paid to get the cash over to HMRC, then over to the nursery :monkeyhide

Thanks mate I didn't know that - not used a club yet but will 100% be doing so
 
Two Headed Boy said:
How would people feel if similar policies were means tested?

Would folk be as against free childcare, school meals, bus passes etc... if they were available to households earning less than 2 average salaries for example (around the £70k per annum mark)?
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I think I'd be more inclined to split school meals by state or private school. Far less admin (or none really) and takes away any stigma for bairns getting it. I remember the different colour of dinner ticket at school depending if you were getting it free due to poverty or if your parents had paid. Bit crap.
 
Keepitgreen said:
I think I'd be more inclined to split school meals by state or private school. Far less admin (or none really) and takes away any stigma for bairns getting it. I remember the different colour of dinner ticket at school depending if you were getting it free due to poverty or if your parents had paid. Bit crap.
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If it’s purely to ensure all kids have one decent meal a day then fine, recoup the cost from parents wages or benefits
 
People that support Greens...are following a delusional Communist,open border...proven Liar(wizardry like)!

How can anyone honestly hope that that Charlatan can be trusted to run a country.

Though that fairy Fabian stalin...isn't doing much better.

There is better options however!
 
I wonder what he's proposing?

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Sancho Panza said:
Utopia. Only this time it will work. Probably.
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There's some on here who want that unfortunately Sancho.

I believe some of us are in a neo fascist, hard right, extreme right, far right category because we would rather have truth than 'community cohesion'.

Things like a woman doesn't have a penis type thing 😁
 
Sancho Panza said:
I can't see past his tiny hands.

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Wee hands aside I think tweets (and similar) like that are pish!

He will receive whatever a year blah, blah.

He might not get elected. I know he probably will, but it's not certain.

He might not become a Minister. A few things need to happen before that happens and none of them certain by a long shot!

Welcome to pish politics by pish nomarks on twitter.
 
Oh if the wee weirdo green geezer gets elected then fair enough.

It's what the voters want. It will be suck it up buttercup time.

It might even make for interesting times if the SNP need the greens in government again.
 
Jack said:
Wee hands aside I think tweets (and similar) like that are pish!

He will receive whatever a year blah, blah.

He might not get elected. I know he probably will, but it's not certain.

He might not become a Minister. A few things need to happen before that happens and none of them certain by a long shot!

Welcome to pish politics by pish nomarks on twitter.
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Why ? If its factual
 
emerald green said:
Nothing in the facts precludes him from becoming an MSP.

What next? Dinnae vote for him/her coz theyre a fat bastard, or they have a lazy eye, or are bald, or are jewish, or pakistani or gay or something....
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Polanski has already said he wants rid of certain types of folk......


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paigntonhibby said:
Why ? If its factual
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It's not factual though, it's all supposition.

For him to become a Minister certain things have to happen. None of them have happened and none of them are certain.

Jack is going to buy a Bentley on Saturday.

Aye fine, it's possible, but Jack first of all has to win the Euromillions on Friday night.

This boy firstly has to be elected.

The SNP needs not to win an overall majority.

The SNP, despite a record of going it alone mostly and having their fingers burned the last time, need to negotiate and agree a coalition.

The green party will probably need to have some sort of conference where the members agree to a coalition. I think they did the last time.

The greens need to agree who will represent them. He might not be one of those selected.

And other stuff besides.
 
Jack said:
It's not factual though, it's all supposition.

For him to become a Minister certain things have to happen. None of them have happened and none of them are certain.

Jack is going to buy a Bentley on Saturday.

Aye fine, it's possible, but Jack first of all has to win the Euromillions on Friday night.

This boy firstly has to be elected.

The SNP needs not to win an overall majority.

The SNP, despite a record of going it alone mostly and having their fingers burned the last time, need to negotiate and agree a coalition.

The green party will probably need to have some sort of conference where the members agree to a coalition. I think they did the last time.

The greens need to agree who will represent them. He might not one of those selected.

And other stuff besides.
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And the green long run aim is to ban anyone on the 'right' apparently. 🤣
 
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