Is Liz Truss going to scrap free childcare?!

[ShrimpingViolet]

This story is worrying:

www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/oct/06/revealed-rightwing-slash-and-burn-ideas-that-could-be-blueprint-for-truss?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

I have no idea how we'd cope as a family if this happened, coupled with everything else that's going on at the moment with the cost of living.

I hope to god other MPs speak up about this so it can be stopped. Is it worth writing to local MPs to ask for assurances?

I've never paid for childcare in my life because we have a closeknit family. I can't imagine there are grandparents out there struggling to find work who turn down time with their grandchildren because they aren't being paid?

That's sad. I'd assume families who are close are already providing free childcare. All our children are passed around each other for convenient childcare. I can't imagine paying for the privilege of being parted from my children. But I thought it was illegal to pay someone for it unless they were a registered provider was my point?

Maybe your family could afford to provide free childcare or were already retired. it is not the same for everyone. There are many people in their late fifties or early sixties who have to claim benefits and are hounded by work coaches to find employment I in a job market which is not always fair to older jobsearchers) who would probably jump at the chance to look after grandkids if it got them off having to do 35 hours jobseeking a week.

All well and good if you have family available to help. Not everyone does. My mum was 39 when I had my baby, she was working full time!

They're clearly right wing nut cases, led by gormless incompetents. I'm waiting for the riots if any of this gets through.

@bingbummy I don't understand your point? If we all had family to help we'd be fine but most of us don't!! You are extremely privileged to be in the situation that you are. Saying 'i can't imagine paying for the privilege of being parted from my children' isn't a nice thing to say when so many people on here don't have any other choice.

You'll always find some extreme case if you want to believe right wing bollocks but if you want to grow the economy you need women in work, and you therefore need childcare. Every European nation pays for childcare.

Do you want more poverty? If so, cut childcare. Do you want a smaller economy? If so, cut childcare. Do you want fewer nurses and teachers? If so, cut childcare.

The proposals from Tufton St nutters are intended to transfer more wealth back to the wealthy. If you are in the top 5% these policies will benefit you. If you're not in the top 5%, cutting that individual's childcare will make you poorer.

I don't even use childcare, never did, happy for my taxes to pay for it for others because we all need a functioning economy.

Depends which people we're talking about. Clearly Liz doesn't care about the prols only her rich pals

You take 10% of the kids out of nurseries and give their money to GPs instead, margins get fucked, nursery closes, nursery staff out of work, parents have to leave jobs.

The policy is completely fucking DESTRUCTIVE. Women will leave the workforce. GPs, teachers, surgeons, dentists, lawyers, retail, everyone - do we really want to make it harder for them to be in the workplace?

If you think this is a good policy economically or socially, you don't understand what would happen. The whole point is to remove childcare.

This is one of the ideas her cabal of right wing supporters have come up with. It isnt a policy but you know someone will think its a good idea.

Hopefully she'll be reined in well before being able to execute this horrendous policy. We are retired and actually do two days a week childcare for our grandson - he goes to an excellent nursery for the other three. We are delighted to do this and feel it gives a nice balance to his week - no way do we want paying for it. The absolute priority must be well-funded nurseries. The Scandinavian countries are so far ahead of us in this, depressing that the Tories want to take us further backwards. Surprise, surprise!!!! I pray they lose the next election and we get a Labour government to start rebuilding the country. However they'll have a huge task on their hands after twelve years of austerity and destruction of public services.

Is it only me who thinks LT has been bribed a gazillion pounds by rich tory donors to go in and cock everything up so they can then put in someone else with half a brain cell and be seen, comparatively, as much better?

Or maybe not even bribed they knew she was thick from the off but thought as she wanted to be PM they'd appoint her with the intention of letting her cock things up to the depose of her get the PM they really wanted elected and turm some unpopular policies around to look better.

I mean surely anyone would know that even if you do believe in the trickle down bollocks now is the absolute worst time to announce a tax cutting cost cutting programme?

No I don’t. She believes this stuff. She’s been labelled a more extreme right wing conservative for a decade now - I’m not sure why people are surprised about this! Then again I guess people aren’t political geeks like me 🤣

Being right wing doesn’t automatically make you a Nazi - I think that’s why people struggle when it presents as someone who looks “normal”.

her ideas are not mainstream and they haven’t really for a long while. She co wrote a (terrible) book stuffed full of this shit

Is it only me who thinks LT has been bribed a gazillion pounds by rich tory donors to go in and cock everything up so they can then put in someone else with half a brain cell and be seen, comparatively, as much better?

I think there might be something in that. I said similar when she was elected. Go and google "the glass cliff". It's the propensity to promote women more during times of chaos and economic upheaval, so you can essentially blame them for all the shitty decisions that have to be made, then sack them once things have settled, and promote a proper man into his rightful place again...

Good quality childcare is expensive (and should be if we want childcare workers to have a decent wage).

Giving people money to pay their friend or mother in law, will end up with more children in unsuitable environments and missing out on important social, educational and nutritional input.

Of course lots of people already use informal childcare and in most cases they children will have a lovely, nurturing experience, but I don't think it would be right for public money to be put in the pockets of those who might equally just shove kids in front of the TV, eating junk all day.

My parents couldn't look after my kids, I'd have had to give up work if we didn't have subsidised childcare, and taken the hit to my career, as I was earning the lower salary . There are two things (at least) wrong with assuming grandparents will look after their grandchildren:

1. People move around much more for work than they used to, so grandparents are likely to be much further away.

2. Parents are having children much later in life. I had mine in my mid to late thirties. When my kids have kids, if they have them at the same age as I did I'll be well in to my 70s, possibly approaching 80. Not really a fit 50-60 year old ready to run after toddlers for 10 hours a day while their parents work!

That's not even taking into account all the other reasons that people don't have their parents around and willing to do childcare.

Let's hope this doesn't happen - I'm now a higher rate tax payer and more than willing to pay extra tax to support a fair system of childcare, but without the support early in my career I wouldn't be able to.

About the worst thing you could do to grow the economy is cut free childcare hours so I don't think it will be as straightforward as that - where are they going to get all their minimum wage/no rights workers from if they have no one to leave the children with?

I suspect they'll give a minimal payment per child to families and change the legislation so people can set up daycare baby farms a la USA.

I don’t really know the details etc but this would concern me for some dc

My DD doesn't go to sleep until 9:30pm. Doesn't leave much time for stuff after she's asleep.