Marcus Rashford and the 'free school meals'.

Be careful sitting on that fence mate.... you'll get splinters in your arse....

 

Same old outlook as most of the other things political for me.

It comes down to responsibility.

Whose responsibility is it to ensure that kids are fed during the school holidays. Is it the parents or is it the government? For me its definitely not the government.

It shows the problem with a lot of these short term measures. Instead of getting the credit for doing them in the first place the government (of whatever colour) get a kicking when they stop. All it encourages in the long run is for them to stop giving short term assistance to people who genuinely need it.

 

I was discussing this with my wife this morning. It's a difficult one. She works in a primary school with a lot of deprived kids and it seems to her that the ones who are worst off are the ones whose parents are working in low paid jobs, and some of the kids whose parents have never worked are the ones coming to school in new Nike trainers etc. I may be generalising a bit, but to me it's the parents responsibility..but if the parents don't take that responsibility should we allow kids to go hungry. I think not but don't know the answer.

 

no matter what you think it is never the child’s fault and they are the ones who will suffer from this. If they don’t need free school meals then why have them at all? It’s ok saying the parents should take responsibility but we all know they can’t sometimes through no fault of their own and sometimes to blame yes but that’s life. That’s what a government does spend money to help people better their situation.

onto the main point I thought it would have been a quick easy win for the government and a chance to use it in future debates. A nice easy win for them and at not too great a cost in the scheme of things. Another political own goal and I think another u-turn will come down the line.

 

We are a very very rich country. Bring everyone with us. It’s quite simple really. Give the kids a chance and don’t lose another generation. Those kids will grow up and make the same mistakes as the other deprived ones are doing now.

 

Will the child suffer or will the parents just have to prioritise money into a different thing? It's not like all income is being stopped for them just the extra bit that was for short term help.

Free school meals have always been term time obviously - holidays have been provided by the parents. That seems like a fair sharing of the responsibility to me.

It would have been a quick win I suppose to look good but that shouldn't always be what politics is about. If you say something is a short term measure then nobody should be surprised when it ends.

 

What money are these parents not prioritising currently? I think you base your views on what the sun tell you that they are sat with a widescreen tv and the latest PlayStation and are choosing not to feed their kids

 

I agree. No child should have to go hungry in this country. Full stop. But I was highlighting the unfairness.where some parents will deprive themselves to ensure their child is fed and has shoes to go to school, but by doing so they receive less support than the very small minority of parents who will take take take and put there own interests above feeding their child. I reiterate that no child should be allowed to go hungry and I do not know the answer.

 

I don't read the Sun, I don't actually read any newspaper religiously. I base my views on my life experience, growing up on a Bradford council estate (where my Mum still lives) and the things I see. Try not to make assumptions about my life, it's unbecoming.

I didn't say they weren't currently prioritising. I'm saying that if the £15 per week vouchers are removed then it doesn't necessarily follows that the kids won't eat. The moneyt will just need to be found from somewhere else like it has been during every single school holiday in the past.

We know the pressure to extend the policy in the short terms is a smoke screen, it's just going to come up to score political points whenever it ends because the opposition want to take away any credit the government can generate from putting the assistance in place in the first place and extending it once already. It was never designed to be permanent.

 

Why when it comes to helping people do we always focus on the same minority you read about in papers? Why do we not focus on the thousands upon thousands of honest folk who have fallen on hard times or simply can not afford to feed their kids decent meals and use free school meals as a nice way to get their kid a meal?
It’s the same with benefits. We always focus on the few who use them for the wrong reasons. Immigration is the same, we always focus on the rapists and murderers And never focus on the doctors or nurses etc who come over.
Free school meals will never be a solution but it is a big help at a time when more and more people are going to need it. There is so much more to he done to help parents of course but those types of things take years to come into effect. This is a win for now

 

If it’s as easy as finding money from somewhere else, why don’t we stop them altogether then?

 

Because that isn't the sharing of responsibility that the benefit system is balanced on currently.

 

Is that not what I just said? And I am not talking about people I read about in the paper I am talking about my wife's first hand experience working in a school in Leeds with a very high proportion of deprived kids.

 

First thing you do as a parent is feed your kids and then worry about the rest afterwards. Our kids never went to school on an empty stomach. Even when I was out of work they were fed first at all times.

Any parents who neglect to feed their kids are an utter disgrace. Don't give me the argument about not having enough money. Beans on toast cost next to nothing as an example.

Or get down to the supermarket for the knockdown food that is almost out of date.

What Rashford is doing is admirable but the real issue is educating parents that their kids come first before the booze and fags. Sadly that is a task that no government has ever been able to do.

 

You based your views on the government. It's clear!

A government followers wearing a blue suit and holding briefcase that has prawn sandwiches in! Would't shock me if you are one of them government blue nose door knockers who press the buzzer on my electric gates to try to get in who I tell to feck off through the camera speaker.

 

Agree with all that. Unfortunately some parents, albeit a very small minority, are incapable. It's not just booze and fags, its drugs too.

 

You talk utter bollocks.

 

I suppose it depends who's kids they are with this government.

Look at support for business in local lockdown, everywhere has been left to fend for themselves, suddenly when London falls into tier 2 a new policy is announced today for enhance support.

If the government can afford to give the country £10 off their eat out meals then they can afford to feed children who need it in a time of high unemployment due to people's businesses and jobs being hit due to Covid restrictions.