[QUOTE=Dezzy;10939621]Except that the criticism is aimed squarely at the government, not the people stepping up. The point (Which should be clear to everyone not making excuses for the government) is that restaurants and companies shouldn't have to do this. The government are relying on charity to do their job for them and that's gross.[/QUOTE]

I have never denied that

And it's only temporary, when the cuts to wages and job losses really start to bite after Christmas then we'll probably see the offers of help start to dry up, as much as many will want to help they will be in need themselves.
That's when the reality of this vote will hit. Community help is fantastic but is it sustainable long term, I don't think it is.

At that point more and more families will be in poverty and in need.

Surely after the criticism of this, although muted in most of the media
Even this ignorant and uncaring lot must back down and put this service in place.
I mean I know they haven't an ounce of caring but seeing this shocking own goal they've set up against themselves.

Surely they will now cave in.

Although listening to Ben Bradley Con MP for Mansfield this morning, I wouldn't hold my.breath on that one.

There's a real row brewing over an MP being called scum.
Well, scum can be defined as being low, vile or worthless.
That Clarkson creep qualifies for 2 of those descriptions quite easily probably.
In my view.

Even moreso if this service isn't put in place by the government backing down on it..
Albeit them being dragged kicking and screaming to do so.

Unbelievable any would still even try to defend them.

Accurate.

https://scontent.flhr2-1.fna.fbcdn.n...61&oe=5FB918FF

...the face of homelessness has changed so much though, that’s where all of the government funding has been focused as we’ve seen, working on solving that...

....oh...

....that’s exactly though, why the government don’t run effectively in ‘business’ terms...why for instance, the ‘books never balanced’ in schools when they were more government run...in terms of finance, they run much more efficiently as academy’s for the very reason that they don’t have all of the ‘pots’ that aren’t always needed but that can’t be spent because they have a label on them that says something else...It’s like a household not having enough for their food bills, but having a pot of money put aside for a holiday, even though they won’t be taking that holiday...but the family is being prevented from spending on food bills because the label says ‘holiday’....it’s a crazy system, it’s a government system that makes no sense at all...it’s not confusing at all to use money that’s there, it makes perfect sense...

Ministers accused of showing 'contempt' for schools in row over laptops for self-isolating pupils...


Ministers have been accused of showing "contempt" for schools after officials slashed the number of laptops for self-isolating pupils.

Headteachers were emailed about the plans by the Department for Education (DfE) on Friday evening, the day after a legal duty on schools to provide immediate remote education for anyone at home came into force.

The email explained that since schools are more likely to have groups of children self-isolating rather than closing entirely, the allocation of laptops will be changed to reflect this.

Bu the move was met with a backlash from headteachers who said the number of laptops they had been promised was slashed overnight.

Chris Dyson, the head of Parklands Primary School in Leeds, said his laptops were cut from 61 to 13.

He wrote to the DfE saying: “You disgust me with the contempt you show disadvantaged schools. I am embarrassed to have you leading us. You are inadequate in every single way and should feel disgusted with yourselves.”

Meanwhile Sarah Murphy, head of St Werburgh’s Catholic Primary School in Merseyside said it was an "absolute joke" that her laptops had been cut from 32 to six.

A legal duty on schools to provide good quality remote education for self-isolating pupils came into force on Thursday.

The Government used emergency powers to issue a directive to schools to ensure children at home have immediate access to remote education that "aligns as closely as possible" with what their peers learn in the classroom.

Nick Brook of the National Association of Headteachers, said: “It beggars belief that within 24 hours of making immediate access to remote learning a legal requirement, the government has announced that it is reducing the number of laptops schools are eligible to receive.”

Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said that ministers need to act with a "far greater sense of urgency" to ensure laptops are delivered in time.

“It’s clear that the rapid rise in infection rates across the country is leading to many more pupils needing to access remote learning, and the demand for laptops is outstripping supply at an alarming rate," he said.

Mr Barton said it is right that distribution of laptops should be prioritised to those who need them most, but added that the decision to reduce the number of laptops for some schools is a "significant blow".

A DfE spokesperson said: “The scale and speed at which the department has delivered laptops and tablets to children who need them over the past six months is unprecedented, with deliveries now set to total over half a million by Christmas.

“As we move into half term, and in the context of significant global demand, we’re updating our allocation process to more accurately align orders with the number of students schools typically have self-isolating, ensuring as many children as possible benefit from receiving a device this term.

“We have already purchased an additional 96,000 devices and continue to work closely with our suppliers to ensure delivery despite the increased global demand.”

...we’re a Christian country, we need to be teaching Christianity...and Jesus said...’...suffer little children...’...and the government said...’...yes, why not...let’s do that...’....

Holding Christian beliefs or not, the Christian values are very strong and good ones.

Sadly, those in power who CLAIM to hold such values don't demonstrate them at all.

Just to name examples of 3, when in government Widdecombe, Rees- Mogg and the truly vile Ian Duncan Smith.
All holding they claim, Christian beliefs yet in power are the most heartless of individuals especially to those sick, disabled or at the poorer end of the scale.

Full hypocrites.

I like the caption in your post, I think it speaks volumes on this cruelty to children issue..
Nice one Ammi.
Sadly also totally true too.

Parents' priority should always be to provide the best possible lives for their kids, and food is always part of that.

But that's not always possible without help when it comes to unprivileged families. Free school meals schemes exist for a reason, and should always be honoured all year round, in the form of food vouchers when the schools aren't on.

I completely agree with all that.

After all this was just to extend it for school holiday periods too.
The fact the government choose to make a refusal to do so from them, is again I say beyond defending.

Only they and their MPs did too.
Speaking volumes again.

Indeed. Prioritise over ALMOST everything else, yes. Sadly the number one priority for pretty much every family has to be housing costs, before anything else, because a full belly isn't much use without a roof over your head.

Things also get complicated fast e.g. plenty of people need their own transport for their job, so again, car and fuel costs then have to be a priority or the situation gets even worse.

And lastly of course the elephant in the room; its not the kids fault if their parent is irresponsible, or an addict, or just plain selfish. "They shouldn't have had kids if..." is such a moot captain hindsight statement. They DID have kids, and what her or not the adults involved "should have had them", the kids themselves don't deserve to suffer for those mistakes.

Well exactly - "even" the children of wasters who can't be bothered to work deserve food, as shockingly revolutionary that may seem.

...there must be a huge amount of unused funding which has been allocated over time for universal free school meals for Key stage 1 children...so many early years children/parents prefer their own lunches to be taken but the funding is there and has been there for several years for every Key stage 1 child...so many parents as well who have reasonable incomes who have always expressed the lack of need for it and who would have preferred lower incomes to benefit from these funding pots../...grants etc...

...strangely in the many years I’ve worked in schools...I’ve met very few ‘waster’ parents...regardless of what we’re led to believe at times, they’re quite a rare species, I think...

Devon is far too classy for such specimens though ;)

Nah they're obviously mostly apocryphal, I was just using the worst case scenario .

...yeah, I think with most of the low income parents that I know and have known through my life....?...they would always ensure their children’s food and any needs their child(ren) had, over their own, you know...and often going without themselves...but that in turn means that a child is being cared for by a parent who isn’t caring for their own health.../...either physically or emotionally, which is far, far from acceptable...let alone, ideal...so provided lunches for a child is such a huge help, but for too many a much needed help as well...it’s just sad that it takes a young sportsman to see those things but a government blinding themselves to it...

There's an element of them having their Sunday best on for the school/teachers I think Ammi. We've had incidents at my daughter's primary school (and it's a nice school) with some of the boys watching hardcore porn and then coming to school quoting it/play acting it/making comments to the girls/on a couple of occasions even trying to inappropriately touch girls.

Really quite serious stuff.

The head teacher assures us that the boys parents have been informed and have been in to meetings, that the parents are shocked/horrified/disgusted/will be putting a stop to it immediately...

... I know for a fact that half of these parents don't give a **** or even find it funny/"boys being boys"/have done absolutely NOTHING to stop it and it still goes on.

Not that that's the same as not feeding kids (though I would personally still call it neglectful) - but I guess my point is, the story that these parents are presenting to the school and their thoughts/reactions are not necessarily their actual thoughts as soon as they exit the school gates.

To add to the above; this isn't an income thing it's definitely not just the lower income boys, it's the whole range.

Yeah I think it's a column a/column b thing...

I used to live on a council estate, and some of the people in nearby houses would fit right into an episode of Shameless - there were plenty of "bad backs" and "epilepsies" which meant they couldn't work, and curiously got worse when they had to swing by the job centre ... BUT their big TVs were from Cash Converters, or cost a few pence a week at Brighthouse, or were from the bloke in the pub...

A Channel 4 documentary could make it look like they were scamming their way into the life of riley, when really they were slightly playing the system for a second hand version of it. And really, who cares about minor indescretions like that compared to what goes on in Westminster?

And, I will add, I have no doubt they'd sell their flashy TVs if it meant feeding their kids. But they should never have to.

These zones are getting good help, Ammi.


[Mancunians and Liverpudlians unite to
provide free half-term meals to children
after Marcus Rashford campaign

In South Manchester, just around the corner
from where Manchester United star Marcus Rashford grew up,
one cafe bar is responding to the call to offer
free meals to children and their families who desperately need it.
Rustik in Didsbury will be providing free breakfasts
during the October half-term, just one of many
businesses who've rallied together to support
the footballer's campaign to end child poverty.
It comes as a senior Conservative politician said
the party had "misunderstood the mood of
the country" over the extension of free school meals.
Ella Routledge is the manager here and she believes
as a local business they have an important role
to step up and help locals who need it.]

https://news.sky.com/story/mancunian...paign-12114372

Gonna be some obese issues in a few months if this community spirit keeps up.