Children, children come on now! (talking of School) The itinerant musician has a point
(hmm itinerant -- peripatetic sounds better doesn't it??
)
EEEeee, when I were a lad we got free milk and reet good free dinners at School and me Mam and Dad could never have afforded the prices today! (I vaguely remember Orange Juice in the mix somewhere?) There was the situation in past years where "Mam" was a homemaker and rarely worked so kids close to school could go home for lunch, that has gone sadly. This is a more complex issue than it seems, our Society changed radically in the 1960's away from one of the majority receiving relatively low wages but enjoying a lot of state subsidies to assist them, toward one of reasonable salaries and paying your own way, ending up today with a scrambling dog eat dog uncaring tread on anyone and lie about everything one, better isn't it?
? Isnt it?
We are approaching a tipping pointy of reversion where the few live incredibly well and those on reasonable standards find themselves moving inexorably toward a poverty line, we have embraced "the American Way" where you can lie, steal, rape and probably murder if you are wealthy------------- just don't get caught being poor!
I agree that "the wealthy" do not need such subsidies, and they wont send their kids to state schools anyway, but for £144 a month I would expect to be able to feed a child quite a wonderful School Lunch if such things as buying and menu standards were properly carried out. Now for 2 children, £144 a month from the average family budget is a LOT of money! I can understand that people would be reluctant to spend that unless they knew that a) it was nutritious and enough of it and b) they would eat it! (got to look and smell nice too!).
The thing is this is another case of dumbing down and artificial standard creation. There could only be a few reasons that this would be awarded to all children during their first years:-
There is general concern at the health of small children -- doubt that is it
Nobody must be known to being assisted -- kids don't care about things like that! Adults cause those prejudices not children -- we had loads of kids at School who would shout out "free dinners miss" when the money was collected.
A cheap shot at vote winning -- the most likely!
I would rather see us spending some tax cash on going back to free milk for Children at least to age 14 regardless of income, free school meals for parents below a certain income level, (cash collection via direct debit or monthly bill for others -- then any kids who do get them free wouldn't be known?) but above all a national change in management. It can be done, look at the Military and NAAFI who purchase just about all the food served in Military Mess everywhere. Intelligent buying and proper menu can produce a good cooked lunch for children at a lot less than it is costing now, but it needs real commitment for at least a 5 year period!
Its not funny being poor, believe me, and those free meals need to be for as long as that family need them, not just 2 years which will be the next "trick" once they have won a few cheap votes.
It really is true that the last man to enter the Houses of Parliament with honest intentions was probably one
Guido Ffaulkes -- better know to you all as Guy Fawkwes!
I don't like our Society at all, and I like the lying conniving pocket lining b*****ds who call themselves Politicians the least of all!
Up the Revolution Brothers and Sisters!