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AIBU?

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Original poster

Scrapping EMA

342 replies

TrollinaTrollpants · 13/12/2010 12:19

will poor people really miss it?

OP posts:
GypsyMoth · 04/05/2011 18:18

to be fair,dd has looked and looked and applied for all jobs she sees

luckily for us,there is a new centerparcs opening in next village in 2013 so there will be stacks of jobs locally by the time my other dc are looking!

mrspat · 04/05/2011 18:22

Ilove tiffany .... I wasn't saying your DD isn't a lovely girl or hard working, I was just stating fact EMA is for help towards education not shopping or concerts!!!! FGS it is exactly statements like that, that does make people frown upon all the kids that recieve it, if she isn't using it for her education then she doesn't need it, that is why it's there not for new look ! sorry as you pointed out this is a disscussion and that is only MY opinion.

ohanotherone · 04/05/2011 18:26

In the last recession, in 1992 I got a small amount of a form of EMA that was just targetted to really poor people and we had to fill in lots forms and it was distributed by the school, I think it covered uniform and books. Some boys without dads got it aswell. We all still needed jobs and I worked 18 hours per week as a kitchen assistant aswell. I think that it was good to have something and always felt it unfair that people who were on the dole got an income yet people who stayed at school generally didn't. I think that was a good system, that if you were keen to stay at school and really needed help some was there.

expatinscotland · 04/05/2011 18:26

'After travel she is only left with £1.50 a day for lunch anyway not exactly living it up.'

Then you make it yourself, it's cheaper.

It's your job to feed your child until he or she is old enough to do it him/herself, not the government's.

Besides, you still get Child Benefit and some TC for 16-year-olds in FT education.

Since EMA is going, it's a moot point now, I agree that people earning under £20K shouldn't pay tax. But that won't happen, either.

JustCallMeGrouchy · 04/05/2011 18:28

get free bus passes for any distance over 3 miles.

I wish ds does not get one and were 8 miles from collage and has to pay adult fairs £30 a week and no before anyone asks he doe snot get free dinners either and he has to buy his equipment as well

usualsuspect · 04/05/2011 18:29

My ds has to pay full adult fare to college

because we don't all live in London ..believe it or not

RobF · 04/05/2011 18:30

It's amazing how EMA is now viewed as "essential" by some people, despite it only being around for 6 years. And we still have record numbers of NEETs.

expatinscotland · 04/05/2011 18:30

It's also a pretty sad state of affairs when a parent thinks they're 'lucky' their adult child 'helps'/does their fair share in the home.

I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of young adults get 'kicked out' of the family home because they refuse to do their fair share in the home. I'd kick mine out without a second thought if they lounged around and did FA, I really would.

mrspat · 04/05/2011 18:35

I do feed my kids thank you very much, but as I said £1.50 is not really living it up, again you are entitled to your opinion , I suppose you think she should walk bare foot to school and only survive on bread and water all week will that make everyone feel better, or should she just forget her dreams or any chance of a decent life because she comes from a low income family? The kids can't win nowdays either they are lazy and feckless because they don't want to do anything or they try and get an educationand they "don't know they're born" because they got a little bit of help which is going to be taken away from them.

adamschic · 04/05/2011 18:38

Mine is getting it at £30 a week and will still get it at £20 next year thankfully, they tried to take it off her year but had to back down for some reason. She works when she can find a job but has just finished one job and is having trouble finding another.

She needs it and I feel really sorry for the ones coming up won't receive any help.

mrspat · 04/05/2011 18:39

I said perhaps I was lucky because my kids don't expect payment to help unlike a lot on here who say their teens are lazy and do jobs at home for money FFS is it a sorry state of affairs to think my kids have been brought up to help at home without payment ?! god almighty I was actually praising my kids or is it not correct on MN to be proud of them?

adamschic · 04/05/2011 18:40

Mrspat, they should also think themselves lucky to have a job and not expect to be paid for it either! Perhaps they should pay the mill owner just for the privilege of coming to work.

expatinscotland · 04/05/2011 18:42

'I suppose you think she should walk bare foot to school and only survive on bread and water all week will that make everyone feel better, or should she just forget her dreams or any chance of a decent life because she comes from a low income family?'

WTF? So if you don't agree with someone's opinion, that means they're suggesting we bring back the workhouse. Yeah, okay. Hmm

We're low-income. This is a Tory government and there will be plenty of cuts and they'll stick.

So instead of moaning about what we're no longer going to get from the government, we have to find a way round it - go to work on opposing shifts again, create jobs, etc. to get more money.

It's time to change the way of thinking, because the EMA's the way of the DoDo bird.

I consider it my job to make them know, all the time, that they have control of their dreams, not the government. So £30/week isn't going to stand in their way.

Life's very unfair.

expatinscotland · 04/05/2011 18:44

I didn't vote for this government, but I have to lump it. No, it's not fair. That's how it is.

mrspat · 04/05/2011 18:44

WTF?! why has this turned into an attack on me? my children help at home big bloody deal, I feed them clothe them and yes they do get money , they just don't expect payment to run the hoover round or wash up !! no wonder I usually just lurk and not post !

RobF · 04/05/2011 18:47

Maybe schools should help pupils find part time jobs.

IMO far too much time in school is spent on preparing kids for HE and not nearly enough on giving them practicle skills that they need to be able to cope with the real world outside of academia. I think too many teachers have come directly into education without having any experience in the world of work.

expatinscotland · 04/05/2011 18:48

At no point were you 'attacked' according to the Talk guidelines here.

This is a discussion forum and people are allowed to quote a poster and post an opinion, even if it differs.

That is not considered an 'attack'.

The fact is all this money is going to stop. So people are going to have to find a way to make up the shortfall or revise their plans.

How you do it or not is up to you, but the writing's on the wall already for plenty of us.

usualsuspect · 04/05/2011 18:48

I never paid mine to clean or do stuff around the house either

adamschic · 04/05/2011 18:49

Mrspat, my last post was tongue in cheek. I wouldn't pay mine to help either but saying that she doesn't help much. We are getting there with that though.

mrspat · 04/05/2011 18:51

Expat.. I am also a parent who makes sure her children know every day they are the only ones that can make it happen for them, I have stated they will continue their education reguardless we will find the money from some where we always do, it's just the idea that all the kids that get EMA are not using it for what it was intended for that gets me, some kids like my DD go without somethings so they can have an education not all of them expect the goverment to pay for it. £30 is going to be missed in my house but as I said we will get by it is just going to get tighter.

usualsuspect · 04/05/2011 18:53

Of course we will get by we have no fucking choice really

Doesn't make it right though..and I like whinging about the bastard Tories Grin

mrspat · 04/05/2011 18:55

OK I appologise for the word "attack" didn't realise Adamschic was talking toungue in cheek and took it to heart Blush

I just get very passionate about the way Teenagers are portrayed, especially as I have very lovely ones myself and yes I do count myself lucky when I see and hear what others go through with theirs.

mrspat · 04/05/2011 18:57

I love whinging full stop :o

usualsuspect · 04/05/2011 18:58

Yeah me too

MN sends me on a whingathon full stop just lately

noddyholder · 04/05/2011 18:59

It is unfair as it will stop a great number of people going to college because of the cost of books materials fares etc. It is certainly cheaper than paying JSA and produces someone with a higher level of education. There are NO part time jobs here even the many uni students have no work and many adults with f/t jobs are taking on extra evening bar work and saturdays etc in order to make ends meet.And that will become even more prevalent when interest rates rise which they will. I don't know where my ds and his age group are supposed to look for jobs apart from in teh service industries