[joeysteele]

Originally Posted by Livia

I have it on good authority - ie gossip from the Tories I used to work with - that the consensus of opinion in Matthew Parker Street is that Theresa is keen on calling an early election while they're unexpectedly doing well in by-elections and while Labour's ratings are low. I really, really think that would be a mistake all round.

I think the temptation to hold one,needing to overturn the fixed term parliament act or hope for 438 MPs to vote for one,must be hard to resist.

She may be wiser waiting for the new boundaries.

Elections can be difficult,fought amidst the EU issue could have problems for all Parties too.

You know I cannot bear the woman but it must be an almost unable to resist in part idea, for her to dive in for an election.
Labour also would find a problem as so many policies,even popular ones, have flaws as to planning or funding of same,such as this School meals policy.

If I were PM however,I think I would be seriously thinking of an election soon.
Although I equally think the polls are not as wide as suggested.

[Kizzy]

Originally Posted by Livia

Sigh.... I said "as Brillo has said..." to save me stating it all over again. How come I can't do that, but you can?

Will you please leave me alone? It's tiresome having to explain myself to you continually. Do you think joeysteele can't answer for himself? That's who I was talking to. Not you.

This is a forum, you address me both directly and indirectly, I can interject where I see fit to.

I see it's ok for people to kick their heels up about tax breaks for married couples and the like not caring of the cuts that have to be made to absorb those?

Here is some information for you, the 'squeezed middle' were priced out years ago.

'Over five years fees are up by an average of 21pc across Britain. Over 13 years - the duration of a child's full schooling - fees have roughly doubled.'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/investing...rivate-school/


“Children living in poverty often suffer more ill-health and absenteeism from school and cannot concentrate when they are hungry.

“Teachers and other public service workers are struggling to pick up the pieces caused by this Government’s economic and social policies. It has a responsibility to tackle, not generate, poverty and homelessness.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/ed...-a6813306.html

[parmnion]

An easy promise to make cause that shower of lying ****ey bastards are about 20 years away from getting back in.

[Kizzy]

Originally Posted by Ammi

...it's hard to think of any positives with this, it seems like such a strange proposal by the Labour Party...since the introduction of Universal Free School meals for Key Stage 1 children by the present government, it's meant a huge cut to school's budgets because for each pupil registered as eligible for free school meals, each of those pupils received pupil premium funding to help with their attainment...this funding is vital to also enable schools to be able to subsidise so many things for families who otherwise would have their children missing out and therefore not having the same opportunities as other children have..with the present system of Universal Free School meals for the first 3 years of a school life, it's meant that families no longer need to apply so therefore the funding for their children is not given in the absence of an application....what is being proposed here is to extend that 3 years to 7 years, a child's entire Primary School time...?...so saving many millions of pounds I presume with that alone...?...and that saving and that revenue being taken directly from the families who need it most....just crazy as and an awful proposal that really needs serious thinking about....

Hello Ammi welcome back

Was thinking do schools have to factor in the costings of school meals provision into their annual budget, if so would that then be be freed up for other things with that debt removed?

[Brillopad]

Originally Posted by Kizzy

This is a forum, you address me both directly and indirectly, I can interject where I see fit to.

I see it's ok for people to kick their heels up about tax breaks for married couples and the like not caring of the cuts that have to be made to absorb those?

Here is some information for you, the 'squeezed middle' were priced out years ago.

'Over five years fees are up by an average of 21pc across Britain. Over 13 years - the duration of a child's full schooling - fees have roughly doubled.'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/investing...rivate-school/


“Children living in poverty often suffer more ill-health and absenteeism from school and cannot concentrate when they are hungry.

“Teachers and other public service workers are struggling to pick up the pieces caused by this Government’s economic and social policies. It has a responsibility to tackle, not generate, poverty and homelessness.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/ed...-a6813306.html

What's the relevance of that when children entitled to school meals get them anyway. The issue is with giving them to children whose parents can afford to pay for them. We cannot afford to waste public funds like that. The thing is simply an attempted vote winner.

[Kizzy]

Originally Posted by Brillopad

What's the relevance of that when children entitled to school meals get them anyway. The issue is with giving them to children whose parents can afford to pay for them. We cannot afford to waste public funds like that. The thing is simply an attempted vote winner.

Maybe less and less parents can afford them? means testing them I would think with 0hr contracts and things be a nightmare paperchase, that could be avoided.
Its kind of like a little tax break if you'd prefer to look at it like that what are school meals now about £10 a week? so that's approx £40 a month saving for families during term times.

[Toy Soldier]

I personally don't think they need to be free for all, other than perhaps to simplify the process and remove administration issues (keeping track of who is and isn't entitled at a school level). On the other hand, the supposed means testing currently is bull**** from what I can see... It is essentially only available to families who are not in work or only in a small amount of part time work, it is not available to families who are in work but on low income... Whose overall household budget is probably the same as or lower than families out of work (due to things like travel costs and crippling private rents, etc.)

It needs to be heavily adjusted upwards and be based on overall household income, NOT something so arbitrary as receiving full Child Tax Credits but no Working Tax Credits (this is how it currently works).


But then to go back to what I said earlier, to be totally honest the quality of school meals is still poor. Despite all of the action that's been going on around them for years. My eldest is still 7 so paying for them isn't an issue yet (all kids get them free until age 7) but next year... I just refuse on principle. The food they give them is simply not £2 a day worth of food. Cheap, bought in bulk, cooked in bulk, nutritionally void crap. Most of the kids barely touch it anyway, a couple of bites and then straight to play... They don't want to "waste" their lunch time actually eating . Will be back to packed lunches for Little Ms Soldier.

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

I personally don't think they need to be free for all, other than perhaps to simplify the process and remove administration issues (keeping track of who is and isn't entitled at a school level). On the other hand, the supposed means testing currently is bull**** from what I can see... It is essentially only available to families who are not in work or only in a small amount of part time work, it is not available to families who are in work but on low income... Whose overall household budget is probably the same as or lower than families out of work (due to things like travel costs and crippling private rents, etc.)

It needs to be heavily adjusted upwards and be based on overall household income, NOT something so arbitrary as receiving full Child Tax Credits but no Working Tax Credits (this is how it currently works).


But then to go back to what I said earlier, to be totally honest the quality of school meals is still poor. Despite all of the action that's been going on around them for years. My eldest is still 7 so paying for them isn't an issue yet (all kids get them free until age 7) but next year... I just refuse on principle. The food they give them is simply not £2 a day worth of food. Cheap, bought in bulk, cooked in bulk, nutritionally void crap. Most of the kids barely touch it anyway, a couple of bites and then straight to play... They don't want to "waste" their lunch time actually eating . Will be back to packed lunches for Little Ms Soldier.

No primary schools that I've ever come across have canteens here, everyone brings a packed lunch and most schools don't allow, crisps, chocolate, sweets or fizzy drinks

[Toy Soldier]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

No primary schools that I've ever come across have canteens here, everyone brings a packed lunch and most schools don't allow, crisps, chocolate, sweets or fizzy drinks

My dad talks about how he used to take two potatoes to school, they would be hot in the morning and he'd have them in his pockets to keep his hands warm and then he'd eat them at lunch time.

I assume this is still standard school lunch practice in Ireland.

[Niamh.]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

My dad talks about how he used to take two potatoes to school, they would be hot in the morning and he'd have them in his pockets to keep his hands warm and then he'd eat them at lunch time.

I assume this is still standard school lunch practice in Ireland.

Of course

[Kizzy]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

My dad talks about how he used to take two potatoes to school, they would be hot in the morning and he'd have them in his pockets to keep his hands warm and then he'd eat them at lunch time.

I assume this is still standard school lunch practice in Ireland.

That's both practical and delicious! Why the heck didn't I think of that?