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Free school breakfasts - whatever next - M (22nd Apr 2025 - 11:51:41) So it's starting today, breakfast clubs free food and childcare. Aren't we the lucky ones paying for the little darlings breakfast! We don't get an increase in the personal allowance but we're expected to be okay feeding other people's kids. The world has gone mad..... never mind the toilet issue of who goes where,its now who can get free breakfast. It used to be if you can't afford kids don't have them not now it's all free and where will it end,free supper clubs to support after school activities no doubt. This country and in particular Starmer and his cronies will spend our money without a second thought about the ordinary tax payers. Probably all gender neutral toilets on the way to be used of course after free breakfast.

Re: Free school breakfasts - whatever next - D (22nd Apr 2025 - 12:52:48) I think it's been going some years, David Cameron bought it in but there are more from today. While pensioners who have paid into the state for over fifty years freeze, they have to feed Vicky Pollard's kids. Good old Labour.

Re: Free school breakfasts - whatever next - Pensioner (22nd Apr 2025 - 13:36:22) This government sucks. Soon pensioners will be paying for everything so the young people don’t have to work. Labour and the unions are a bunch of robbers.

Re: Free school breakfasts - whatever next - Simon (22nd Apr 2025 - 15:22:55) Pensioner - is that the same generation of pensioners that have benefited from a rise in property prices like no other generation has? The same generation that likely didn't pay for or end up in £000's of debt getting a university education? Same generation that it seems the majority voted for Brexit, restricting the movement of young people (that pensioners themselves enjoyed for years)? Same generation that flocked to Spain for retirement to improve their lives but are so anti anyone coming to the UK to do the same? The same generation that have just had an above inflation pension increase in April 25?

Re: Free school breakfasts - whatever next - D (22nd Apr 2025 - 16:16:43) Simon, where DO you get these ideas from? I'm sorry you despise pensioners for working and saving hard all their lives without the benefits parents and children have today. They worked hard all their lives and never shirked out of it with excuses such as mental illness, etc. If I remember correctly, tax payer funded childcare and the extension of free school meals into school holidays as well, was bought in by the Conservatives in response to the countries army of single mothers claiming they couldn't work because of lack of childcare. The childcare and children feeding off the taxpayers table was provided, enabling the single mothers (and fathers) to get a job. Then they used the excuse of they wanted to spend quality time with their children.

Re: Free school breakfasts - whatever next - Sam (22nd Apr 2025 - 16:23:41) I’d say Simon’s response is probably one of the best ever on this forum, I’d also add separately that complaining about this government or indeed that one is fine but not one of those complaints offers an alternative. I’d like to see more solutions proposed, because as it stands it’s just moaning. The country democratically decided to dumb the previous bunch of lying idiots out of government, and happy or not with the current crew, many of the problems already existed and in fact have been created or mismanaged by the previous government.

Re: Free school breakfasts - whatever next - D (22nd Apr 2025 - 17:16:55) Simon, referring to your remarks about university education, as I understand it the debts you refer to are only payable when the graduate is earning a certain level of income. Until then, nothing is paid back, if a graduate never attains that level of income, it is written off. Going to university is a choice, not a requirement. In my day before the educational grants one can get now, only people who were worth going to university went. They went with a clear career plan and going to university was a step in the process of achieving this. None of this going to university for a three year piss up. Given the record number of people going to university shouldn't the country be in a better state than it is with all these clever uni-educated people? What are this countries graduates doing wrong for us to end up in this mess?

Re: Free school breakfasts - whatever next - D (22nd Apr 2025 - 19:03:27) Last note to Simon, a lot of the pensioners you refer to were working before we even went into the Common Market (as it was called then) so they have had the "restrictions on movement" as you call it. Happy pensioner bashing.

Re: Free school breakfasts - whatever next - Sam (22nd Apr 2025 - 19:25:27) Some of you have entirely lost it! Moaning about your tax funds being used to feed children at school. The future doesn’t belong to old people, it’s our children that will be the future so to begrudge facilitating a meal for them so they can study without being hungry in a failed society that has ridiculous numbers of kids going hungry.. your view is shameful. To then separately claim or at least associate failures in this society at the feet of graduates. Also shameful behaviour. There are some serious prejudices going on here and all of them absent of facts. Wouldn’t surprise me if can locate all these sorts of views in the daily mail. This country is broken, and fixing it is well beyond the abilities of any party or government. We are utterly broke and continue to make stupid decisions led by an influenced majority.

Re: Free school breakfasts - whatever next - Simon (22nd Apr 2025 - 19:37:44) D - thanks for your replies, honestly not pensioner bashing but can see how it came across that way. I visited my 80 year old parents over Easter and these points came up for discussion, and they agreed with all of them. The free breakfast clubs are costing the taxpayer £30m, given the £135billion spent on pensions, I think it's a small price to pay so that some children can have something to eat in the morning. You can argue that their parents should be doing it but it's not a perfect world so why should children suffer when we have the ability to help.

Re: Free school breakfasts - whatever next - Sally (22nd Apr 2025 - 20:55:37) These people who have more unplanned and children which they can’t afford need to have their support reeled in. Maybe to get social welfare after the first child there needs to be a compulsory visit to the local hospital for the snip and the tying up of there reproductive organs to save the taxpayer money and stop these good for nothing wasters from completely screwing up the economy. And also they need to have a shave so they are presentable for a job interview!

Re: Free school breakfasts - whatever next - D (22nd Apr 2025 - 22:40:01) Thankyou for your courteous response, Simon. I would mention that pensioners (most of them anyway) have paid into their pensions all their lives, they are not getting something for nothing. As with the public hysteria over civil service pensions in the tabloids thirty years ago, they are only getting back what they paid in. I agree that children shouldn't suffer but at the same time pensioners shouldn't have to foot the bill (I refer to the cessation of the winter fuel payment with no notice) but the elderly never have been treated very well in this country. There seems to be a bottomless pit of money when it comes to children and the mentally ill but sweet f.a. for the rest of us. We'll have to agree to differ.

Re: Free school breakfasts - whatever next - M (23rd Apr 2025 - 09:40:57) @Simon You may choose to help with free breakfast for all kids,but i don't, however i can't opt out. Its funded from central government and whatever i may choose ie opting out doesn't count. I never calculated for 8 years of the personal allowance being frozen and being dragged further and further into paying tax on my pension. So i for one can't afford to help in real terms whilst you say you can, but its not possible to opt out of the tax regime. Feeding other people's kids isn't on my priority list,it wasn't provided when my kids were in school we had to work, both of us around the kids to put food on the table for them including breakfast. This feeding other people's kids is just unacceptable to me and my family and too was discussed around the table over Easter. It stinks quite frankly.

Re: Free school breakfasts - whatever next - Pensioner (23rd Apr 2025 - 10:16:06) Simon sorry you feel that way about pensioners you’re parents a little bit younger than me I can only say for myself. Started work at 15 the week after leaving school cycling to work gradually got better jobs qualified as a mechanic over the years worked my socks off 16 hours a day two children went self employed ran my own garage for 40 years never stopped working for anything even illness yes managed to buy a house 15 % interest on the loan . Feed my children and they had most things NO hand outs no food banks wife went out house cleaning to make ends meet. Payed all my taxes for over 50 years including a second tax on earnings above a certain level being self employed. Managed to have a private pension they tax that as well yes the house is worth a bit but no good to me when I die they will take a large chunk of that to . So I’m not in favour of supporting feeding other people’s kids . Many of the younger generation will not start paying tax if ever until they are in their late twenties or thirty’s so only will pay about half the time of us older generation. And of course many won’t work at all .

Re: Free school breakfasts - whatever next - A different M (23rd Apr 2025 - 13:07:02) Made me laugh on BBC Breakfast when a father being interviewed said his daughter loved having her "second breakfast" with her friends at school. "Second Breakfast" says it all really........ a total waste of tax payers money!

Re: Free school breakfasts - whatever next - er (23rd Apr 2025 - 15:06:36) Please... An article in the news yesterday saying you shouldn't eat first thing in the morning until you've been up an hour or two moving about, for your body to adjust, a lot of people can't eat breakfast in a rush at 7.30am, especially children. So for a lot of kids, maybe they aren't hungry at 7.30 and it's not just about money. But the teachers realise hungry kids aren't going to learn or behave as well. Giving them the option of a small and healthy breakfast a bit later on is a cheap win win situation for all, I'm sure we all care about our community and it's children as responsible members of the community, whatever our age! We spend billions on war, which you may argue is money well and necessarily spent, we spend £30 million (someone said) on giving our kids a healthy and timely snack at school, I think that's a very wise community investment, let's not be the miserable grown ups, going on about our poor old pensions, the pubs are inundated with old people stuffing their faces on gourmet burgers and chips, all around the country, every day, while kids sit at school with empty tummies. Whoever's fault it is or isn't, there are well off pensioners, well off parents, poor pensioners and poor parents and everything in-between, wealth does not correlate to 'good' in a linear absolute, we cannot 'castrate' poor people anymore than we can 'euthanise' poor old folk who can easily burn through £100,000 of tax payers money each on state funded (but privately owned) care homes every year, as a community they are all our children or parents, that's how a caring society should look at it, because... 'it takes a village to raise a child' I've noticed a growing trend to wash our hands of our own responsibilities to society and just blame the one or two people doing their best to look after children for everything that's wrong with society!

Re: Free school breakfasts - whatever next - M (23rd Apr 2025 - 16:09:27) @er Whatever soap box you're on it's time to get off it. I don't support feeding other people's kids, and I'm clearly not the only one. Civilised society and community are expensive and while we continue to support migrants in this civilised society and community we will all be poorer. Supporting feeding other families kids when you can hardly feed your own family is an idealistic and simplified approach. You clearly aren't struggling and sound like someone in the government elite out of touch and in your own bubble.

Re: Free school breakfasts - whatever next - Oldie (23rd Apr 2025 - 16:18:08) er how the heck do you think the kids of yesteryear ie war years and just after got on . Mum and dad provided what was available the kids grew up big and strong not fat and useless and they were taught to eat everything that was put in front of them and clean their plates because food was in short supply. Yes families did help out those that had nothing and I mean nothing there is absolutely no need for children to go hungry these days with all the benefits and food banks. Parents should be able to look after their own children without the help of others as for well off pensioners pull the other one .

Re: Free school breakfasts - whatever next - Scott (23rd Apr 2025 - 16:57:02) er A fantastic perspective and I totally agree. A very well put thoughtful few paragraphs.

Re: Free school breakfasts - whatever next - D (23rd Apr 2025 - 17:05:12) Sorry, er, don't agree with you on this one. I have parents in their eighties with cancer and they've had their heating allowance taken off them to pay this. They can barely afford to feed themselves never mind the single mother up the road who has deliveries from the food bank only to throw the bits she doesn't like in the bin. You mention responsibility, I agree, and it starts with being responsible for your own children.

Re: Free school breakfasts - whatever next - Charlie (23rd Apr 2025 - 17:24:51) Er I have to agree with M and Oldie. The words “Soap Box” came to my mind too. Interestingly you state in your post “I've noticed a growing trend to wash our hands of our own responsibilities to society”. I would change that to: “I’ve noticed a growing trend to wash our hands of our own responsibilities.” My own son and his wife have to leave very early in the morning for work and the school provide a breakfast club and parents pay for this. I think this is a helpful and sensible arrangement. Please don't reply "Oh but some parents cannot afford this" but they can afford expensive cars, holidays abroad, Sky TV, Smart Phones - I could go on but that would be boring. I am sure there are a small minority in society who are really struggling and there is help out there for them.

Re: Free school breakfasts - whatever next - D (23rd Apr 2025 - 18:23:39) Does this mean parents won't need so much in child benefit?

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