To ask a question about conservative policy

[Moremoneynow]

Okay. Here goes - this is not a bunfight.

I earn just above minimum wage at present. This, as you all know, will go up to £7.20 in April. This will make a significant difference to my weekly pay packet. I will also be much better off because of the 30 hours childcare and there's a law come in relating to travel which means I will be on more money still.

AIBU to think maybe the conservatives do value low paid people?

I'm not a politician, I just know I'm going to be better off. And that's not a bad thing ...

[DisappointedOne]

I'm sure you feel very differently about Tory policy when you have to pay for basic healthcare or schooling for your children out of that £7.20.

What new law on travel?

[Moremoneynow]

But I don't

[DisappointedOne]

Soon. ;)

[Moremoneynow]

I'll watch this space. I haven't seen one word about paying for schools or healthcare.

[BertPuttocks]

Many childcare providers won't be able to afford to offer the free 30hrs. They only get a small amount of money for each funded child and can barely cover costs. This will only get worse when they also have to pay the increased minimum wage to their staff.

That's without going into all their other policies...

[Moremoneynow]

So you don't feel the minimum wage should have gone up, or you don't feel children should have funded childcare?

[Hezaire]

An aside note. Are you sure you're getting the 30 free hours? I thought they had backtracked on that and were only doing it in certain areas...

[Moremoneynow]

It's definitely in our area but I don't know about nationally. So am trying to understand :)

[acasualobserver]

Fingers crossed you never have to survive on benefits under a Tory administration.

[Hezaire]

Mine too. But I'm waiting for the catch... It will make a big difference to you and lots of people if it works our

[DisappointedOne]

You haven't noticed them running down the NHS and selling off massive chunks of it to private businesses like virgin? What do you think will happen when less money goes in and companies want to make profit? Better service or worse? It will get to the point where you can't get to a GP without going private, can't get to see a consultant without going private, will wait years for an operation unless you go private. Going private = paying for it, either with your money or by paying premiums to insurance companies.

Same model will follow for schools.

Those on lower incomes will be kicked to the kerb once they've finished sticking knives into the disabled.

[Moremoneynow]

I hope not, acasual, but you'll have to give me a bit more than that.

I'm not after a bunfight. I am trying to understand. I've been reading for months about how it's all doom and gloom under a conservative government but for me that's not the case. If I'm wrong - tell me. But you'll need to explain why.

[Moremoneynow]

OK disappointed.

But you're saying things you think will happen. have they? Is there actually a policy which states parents will have to pay for children to go to school?

[DisappointedOne]

It's right in front of you!

[DisappointedOne]

Michael Rosen posts some great stuff about what the Tories are doing. Check him out on Facebook.

[Moremoneynow]

That people are paying to go to school?

[DisappointedOne]

You still haven't said what this new travel law is, by the way.

[BertPuttocks]

"So you don't feel the minimum wage should have gone up, or you don't feel children should have funded childcare?"

I'm not sure how you got that from my post.

My point is that if the government truly wanted to support this scheme they would have at least provided enough funding to cover the actual cost of it. You may live in one of the pilot scheme areas but realistically it's not going to be happening on a national scale unless there's a big increase in funding.

[Moremoneynow]

Disappointed, it won't affect you. Trust me makes a big difference to me though.

Bert I am on minimum wage, comprehension probably isn't my strong point.

[arethereanyleftatall]

Yanbu op.
My understanding is their strategy is that it pays to go to work. That's a good thing.

[MaidOfStars]

My understanding is that a minimum wage makes some poor people poorer.

It's a really arbitrary threshold and the money has to come from somewhere.

Employers employ fewer people, or put prices up, or reduce growth, or go bankrupt. And the last thing we want is for employers of unskilled and/or low skilled workers to employ fewer people or go out of business.

[DisappointedOne]

What they are doing is right in front of you. Just do some reading around the subject. They discredit the service and then dismantle. Look at railways and mining if you want to see how it happened in the past. The Tories are doing the same now with health and education. The result will be as our train services are now - expensive and poor performing. Just because they haven't announced it doesn't mean it's not happening.

The Last Leg do some pretty easy to digest summaries of it too.

[Moremoneynow]

But disappointed, you seem to be saying what you think will happen not what is actually literally happening.

This minimum wage is making me richer. Not richer, but better off.

You're telling me to read around the subject - where?

[DrDreReturns]

If the minimum wage increases then employers that employ minimum wage staff will obviously have to pay them more, which they will pass onto the consumer. So it's a double edged sword. Increase the minimum wage and low paid people will earn more, but some prices will go up.

[Moremoneynow]

So does that mean we're against it going up?