Osborne to cut all free school dinners

[TJC1]

I did, I've stated many times that benefits should be about helping those that need the help. When middle income families "take money out" they're limiting the benefits that the needy can receive.

 

Assuming the pie stays same size.

[JFKvsNixon]

Assuming the pie stays same size.

 

No, because I believe that if you can increase the size of the pie, you offer more generous benefits to those that need them. Actually if I had the option to spend the increase anywhere, I'd say that I'd improve the public services.

[Happ Hazzard]

osbornes a tory what do you expect ? I blame thatcher she started it with taking their free milk. these set of parasites would stoop lower than a snakes belly in getting what they want. where will they stop they have already gone after kids/disabled/mentally ill/unemployed people

Kids don't need free milk. Their parents can buy it for them. It's not expensive. Whereas it was expensive for foods to deliver it with all the bureaucracy etc. Plus the milk was generally warm by the time the kids got it and many didn't drink it.

[TJC1]

No, because I believe that if you can increase the size of the pie, you offer more generous benefits to those that need them. Actually if I had the option to spend the increase anywhere, I'd say that I'd improve the public services.

 

Nice to know that you treat the main contributors with such disdain.

[L00b]

No, because I believe that if you can increase the size of the pie, you offer more generous benefits to those that need them. Actually if I had the option to spend the increase anywhere, I'd say that I'd improve the public services.

I have decided that I give enough to the 'pie', personally speaking.

 

In fact, I give more to the pie than my 2 sets of public sector working neighbours, who have a higher combined income than mine and yet, because of where and how the various eligibility thresholds are set, and basically because taxable income is assessed in the UK by person rather than by household, continue to "take out" (only a little, in fairness) when I can't with my single salary supporting 3 people.

 

Enough. When the government sees fit to correct imbalances rather than sticky-plaster them ad hoc and, more importantly and fundamentally, wastes less of the pie altogether (to deliver more benefits and better public services out of the additional budgetary spend freed by culling this wastage), I might reconsider.

 

In the meantime, they ain't getting a penny more than what I've been paying, whatever and however they may shift rates, thresholds and whatnot. By means fair or foul, I care not one bit.

Edited September 22, 2015 by L00b

[JFKvsNixon]

I have decided that I give enough to the 'pie', personally speaking.

 

In fact, I give more to the pie than my 2 sets of public sector working neighbours, who have a higher combined income than mine and yet, because of where and how the various eligibility thresholds are set, and basically because taxable income is assessed in the UK by person rather than by household, continue to "take out" (only a little, in fairness) when I can't with my single salary supporting 3 people.

 

Enough. When the government sees fit to correct imbalances rather than sticky-plaster them ad hoc and, more importantly and fundamentally, wastes less of the pie altogether (to deliver more benefits and better public services out of the additional budgetary spend freed by culling this wastage), I might reconsider.

 

In the meantime, they ain't getting a penny more than what I've been paying, whatever and however they may shift rates, thresholds and whatnot. By means fair or foul, I care not one bit.

 

I think that you've misunderstood my post because if you looked at the context of the post you may notice that I was was responding to someone's suggestion of what to do with an increase with government spending, I wasn't arguing for it.

 

My whole position has been that it is a waste of funds to offer a universal benefit, and these funds are better spent elsewhere.

[Hesther]

Personal responsibility has to come into things at some point. Don't have kids if you can't afford to feed them. And if you are just one mishap away from not being able to feed them, you really shouldn't be having kids yet.

 

In that case, no one should be having kids then, according to you.

 

---------- Post added 06-10-2015 at 15:06 ----------

 

Where do you stop? I've heard parents moaning that they can't afford the actual expense of feeding their kids during the summer holidays because they aren't getting the free school meals. Maybe we should open school canteens during the summer because of that? Or maybe just provide all meals for children. And what about clothing them? That can be expensive, so free clothes as well. And of course toilet training infants is tiresome, so that should be something the state should be doing as well. And then we wonder why kids are starting school in nappies, incapable of using cutlery, unable to sit up unaided, and incapable of paying attention and learning.

 

Did you complain so vociferously when you discovered you were paying for IDS's £39 breakfasts?

[truman]

osbornes a tory what do you expect ? I blame thatcher she started it with taking their free milk. these set of parasites would stoop lower than a snakes belly in getting what they want. where will they stop they have already gone after kids/disabled/mentally ill/unemployed people

 

Harold Wilson's Labour government stopped free milk for secondary school pupils in 1968.

[the_bloke]

This will save £800 million.

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/free-school-meals-for-infants-set-to-be-scrapped-under-osbornes-spending-review-10509664.html

 

Usual SF thread going on as normal, by people arguing the toss who don't have children and don't even seem to understand which demographic of child will be affected.

 

a) Universal free school dinners is a new thing

b) Only kids from Reception to Y2 get universal free school dinners

c) Kids with parents on certain benefits will always get free school dinners

 

Do you know what benefit free school dinners has had for my 4 year old? None at all. In fact, she sometimes has a packed lunch, as I make one nearly every morning for my 12 year old anyway. Do you know what benefit it has had financially on my family? None at all, none that I notice. I haven't sat here and said 'ooh, I got paid 2.5k last month, glad I didn't have to pay for 4's 20 lunches, it would have been a real hardship'.

 

I didn't agree with the introduction of universal school dinners in the first place. I don't need the state to spend more money on my behalf, and I actually felt insulted when it was a policy that was put forward 'as children aren't being fed properly'. Mine damn well are thanks, it's called parental responsibility.

 

It seems I can't be trusted to feed my kids from the age of 4 to 7 once a day, but I can be from birth to school age and I can be from 7 onwards. What drivel.

[Obelix]

If there was no alternative, people would figure out a way to make it work. Families would pull together and support each other as they do in most countries and as they did in this country prior to the welfare state. As long as you set expectations low, people will live down to those expectations because it becomes acceptable, it becomes "the governments job" instead of the responsibility of people.

 

Just remind everyone what infant mortality was like and life expectancy before the welfare state....