Temporary abolition of maternity leave being proposed by Cameron's strategy guru

Edith I wouldn't even be surprised if they abolished all rights, so we become mere serfs toiling for their benefit. Up the revolution!

The article also says he proposed the abolition of all consumer rights - a far more worrying concept.

Don't you get the feeling more and more that our country is run by a couple of know it all public school boys who haven't left their teenage days behind them.
It's like Kevin the teenager's posh cousin (maybe that one who asks for bitty on Little Britain) is running the country .

Heady Fairy... that's pretty much what is happening with Planning Officers!

I am not sure that anyone in the coalition gov knows what they are doing. I think they have ideas, make them as extreme as possible, publicise them and see what the public reaction is to gauge what they can get away with. Like selling off the public forests...

wooo hooo! Now all you feckless mothers, back to work with you beatches... you're a drain on society, tsk tsk!

It really doesn't sound like this is being seriously considered, more like a silly 'creative thinking' exercise. I agree it's a bit weird and disturbing that such an example is being used, but lets not panic just yet!

headfairy for Prime Minister!!

I've got a bonzer way to save millions and pay off the debt in weeks. Abolish government. We'll appoint a panel of qualified volunteers, you know the sort, doctors, teachers, managers, policeofficers, fire officers, soldiers/military types, journalists, engineers, scientists they can all give an hour or two a week (see? Big society?) and make all the decisions for areas in which they have some expertise, and we'll get rid of those corrupt, expensive, self serving MPs and save ourselves billions in the process!

That made my stomach turn, I hope it is not something Cameron is considering. It just can't be, it's insane!

Come to think of it, it's probably quite fun being Steve Hilton. I wonder how much you get paid for a job like that?

Oh, do buck up! Here in The Real World, we recognise that The Country Can't Afford It and it's just red tape that stifles business. Protective clothing for buiding sites, steel works etc now consists of flipflops and beret.

I actually wouldn't have minded....

If I could take my baby to work with me, could have half an hour off every couple of hours to feed her. Have a cot set up in the corner of my office and perhaps a nice area next to my desk with some toys and a nice padded mat to play on. Oh and an extended lunch break to allow me to catch up on sleep because I'll have been up at least twice in the night. Oh and a bed to have that nap in. And obviously ad hoc breaks if my dd needed something, a quick nappy change or something. And naturally I'd have to have her sitting on my lap so I wouldn't be able to work as fast. As she got older she'd grab the mouse or bash the keyboard, but they won't mind will they? Oh and of course I'd need to leave work at about 5pm (instead of my normal finishing time of 10.30pm) to get dd home to have her bath and get to bed (unless they'd like to provide a nice clean warm bathroom for me to bathe her and then a nice dark quiet bedroom for her to sleep in). And they'd also have to provide a car park space for me because I couldnt' take a sleeping baby home for an hour on the train.

Sure I wouldn't mind :o

When you look at the whole range of things he's suggested, it's clear he just throws ideas out without any thought for legality, practicality, or any other issues. I guess that's what he's being paid for, and then other people look at the pile of random stuff and try to decide if there is any of it they can make use of.

He also thinks we should not have any consumer rights for 9 months to "see what would happen" - on fine, I'll just not make any major purchases for the time being, as I'll have no security if they are a total scam, that'll be great for the economy won't it

So what do they propose instead then? All pregnant women get sacked? You have the baby in a two week holiday and back to work you go?

Like YaMa I just hate this government, but it's OK because, as I'm a woman, they hate me right back.

It doesn't say much for Cameron that he has surrounded himself with such complete twats (Steve Hilton, Andy Coulson).

However, this story reads like it has been leaked by the Lib Dems to make them look good, while making the rest of the country worry about job security. So it doesn't say much for them either.

Same subject the FT Quote "But perhaps his most ambitious unfulfilled plan was to scrap maternity rights."

The impression I'm getting is that this is yet another dingbat idea that no one is taking seriously. Cameron needs to gently usher this gentleman into nice room with no nasty, hard, angular corners and lots of pretty crayons then lock the door. Last thing the country needs is more fear about job security and employment/maternity rights.

I fucking hate this government.

"Why do I suspect they've allowed the story to leak so that whatever proposal they do agree on seems 'moderate' in comparison?"

Seems to be a theme doesn't it?

Govt - We shall do this utterly ludicrous thing that no one will support!
Everyone - Oh no you wont!
Govt - On reflection, having listened to all of you, we wont.
Everyone - What a reasonable govt for listening to our views!

Why don't we throw some more ideas around in the air, even if they are just silly:

• why don't we introduce a strategy that all unelected strategic advisors are sacked and replaced by internet forums?
• why don't we bring in a policy of compulsory re-employment of strategic advisors as unpaid child-carers for a temporary but undefined duration?
• Why don't we throw Steve Hilton out of the window?

Anyone else got any ideas to air?

I did read the article, thank you.

I can't see why anyone without another agenda (ie getting women out of the workplace and back into the kitchen) would even suggest it.

Hope you've all read the article before screaming abuse. It sounds very much like peolpe just sitting around throwing ideas in the air. I don't imagine for one minute that the government would do that. But things have to be aired even if they're stupid. And actually, if no-one is allowed to say things that may cause offense then free speech is stifled. I'm not suggesting that everyone should be rude and abusive, but talking things through is a fairly good way of working through a problem. let's not get hysterical.

Surely that will never get through? They would lose all women voters in one go!