To be annoyed the Tory 30 hour free childcare doesn't apply in Scotland!

[RagingJellyBean]

It's just annoying, to be honest.

I don't like the Tories, but if we have to have them the least they could do is throw us a bone up here.

30 hours free childcare when my DD turned 3 would be absolutely fantastic. I could actually afford to live a normal life again, why isn't in Scotland? 15 hours is great, don't get me wrong, but 30 hours would be PERFECT.

HOW ANNOYING!?!?!?!

[WorktoLive]

Re tuition fees: is it true that English students to Scottish unis pay but students from other EU countries don't

Yes, Horsemad Everyone from the EU, except English, Welsh and Northern Irish can go to university in Scotland free of charge. BBC Link

It is against EU rules to charge non Scots from France, Spain etc, but I have no idea why this does not apply to the rest of the UK.

[AndNowItsSeven]

Yes Horse, that's true.

[SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius]

Yes, that's right, Horsemad.

[Horsemad]

Interesting WorktoLive, thanks.

[weeburrower1]

There's only three PFI hospitals in Scotland with parking charges.

[LaLyra]

Re tuition fees: is it true that English students to Scottish unis pay but students from other EU countries don't?

Yes because you're not allowed to treat EU students different from home students. England, Wales & NI are not individual EU members so do not qualify for that.

Just as if England decided to charge differently for non-English students they'd have to treat Spanish, French and German students the same as English students, but would be allowed to charge Scottish/Welsh/NI students the same as non-Europeans.

It's a weird glitch in the GB/EU make up.

[LaLyra]

Worktolive It's because the 4 nations aren't individual EU members.

It's the same as NI & EU students paying £3575 to study in NI, but English, Scottish and Welsh students paying more.

[Aberchips]

I'm tempted to say that if Scotland wants it's own government then you can't have your cake & eat it? Scotland gets lots of things that England/ Wales NI don't. Shouldn't you be directing your ire towards Ms Sturgeon as leader of the Scottish Parliament instead?

[Aberchips]

its - even (sorry bad grammar!)

[Puzzledandpissedoff]

It's a weird glitch in the GB/EU make up

It is, yes - but that didn't stop many Scottish MP (often the first to whine about being dictated to by "the south") rushing to vote for tuition charges for non-Scottish students

Once again the phrase "having your cake and eating it" comes to mind

[RedToothBrush]

Lets blame the Tories for SNP policy decisions and the consequences of supporting devolution.

Ok. That sounds completely logical.

[PrimalLass]

I don't hate on Scotland, but Scottish MPs sure as heck came to England and actively voted when it did not concern Scotland for non-Scottish students to get fleeced, and voted for free tuition for Scottish students when it did. They prioritized the hell out of that one.

Because their boss (Labour party whip) told them to.

And not all 'Scottish MPs'.

"The five SNP MPs and 10 Scottish Liberal Democrat MPs voted against the bill, as did former Labour MP George Galloway."

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3432767.stm

[bangalanga]

^ Spin. The vote would not have passed without the Scottish MPs.

As for being whipped, yes we are all aware that they slavishly did the wrong thing because they were told to, and lacked the integrity to say no. The term "whipped" is a name for that, not an excuse for it.

[MumSnotBU]

I always wondered why we say

You want to have your cake and eat it

Surely there is no point in having cake unless you eat it

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

I'm tempted to say that if Scotland wants it's own government then you can't have your cake & eat it? Scotland gets lots of things that England/ Wales NI don't

It's swings and roundabouts. Lots of stuff in England/Wales/NI that Scots don't get. EG you won't find SureStart centres up here, or NHS walk in centres (I think).

[bangalanga]

The idea mumsnotbu is that once you eat a cake, you no longer have a cake.

[bangalanga]

(except in your tummy as DD would point out)

[ChickenLaVidaLoca]

To those asking if 30 hours is already operational in England, yes there are a few local authorities that fund full time preschool places for the year a child turns 4. Manchester and Salford both do and have for a while. It's not available in the private sector though.

And OP, education is a devolved matter. Westminster has no right to make law for Scotland on this issue. If you want DC to be able to throw you that particular bone, what you're saying is that you want education to become a reserved matter. And you're absolutely entitled to that view, but I don't think a majority of Scots would agree.

[MumSnotBU]

Banga

I genuinely didn't get that before

Basically the fairy cake the government is allotting us is too small, that's why we're all fighting over it. Whilst most of the cabinet and the top bankers has a giant wedding cake sitting in their custom built larder.

[Bardolino]

"^ Spin. The vote would not have passed without the Scottish MPs.

As for being whipped, yes we are all aware that they slavishly did the wrong thing because they were told to, and lacked the integrity to say no. The term "whipped" is a name for that, not an excuse for it."

You mean the Scottish Labour MPs, following orders from the Westminster Labour Party, and yes, I'd agree they were whipped and weak, which is probably partly why the majority of them lost their seats at the last election.

[howabout]

Morage the maximum grant for students with family support is £1,700 in Scotland and it phases out at lower income levels than in England. The figure you quote is the maximum loan amount for students. My daughters will likely graduate with student debt of just over £20k which they will accrue interest on immediately and likely pay back in full. In England they may well incur £40k but will not accrue interest below the income threshold and may well never pay it off. I personally prefer them having the prospect of being debt free but I am not convinced they will pay less for their education.

Participation rates for lower income groups are falling in Scotland as opposed to rising in England.

Scottish Universities are also not being fully compensated for the funding difference which comes from English University's ability to charge.

I did not know about the anomaly re EU students. I half suspect this was the real reason for introducing a fee structure to England as the numbers are so much larger?

[DisappointedOne]

We get 10 hours in Wales. That's devolution for you.

[PrimalLass]

^ Spin. The vote would not have passed without the Scottish MPs.

No. But a whole load of MPS from England, Wales and NI voted for it too.

Yes, it was awful and they should never have voted it in. But it was a Labour Party thing, not a 'Scottish MP' thing.

[whois]

You voted SNP. You wanted more independence/devo-max. Now deal with it.

[formidable]

Jesus is there nothing Scots won't complain about? :)