What should be free but isn't

[mummyrabbitpeppapig]

I'll start. Sanitary protection and condoms.

Basic sanpro - actually I think PPs suggestion about reusable sanpro being free is a very interesting and sensible suggestion. I don't use reusable sanpro - but if I could get it for free, I would probably switch, or at least at the moment I use a mixture of tampons and pads, and I would probably switch from disposable pads to free reusable ones at least. Interesting idea and made me think a lot, thanks to the person who posted that. And it was interesting about the same idea for nappies too, although I'm more conflicted about that because people do choose to have children whereas obviously menstruating isn't a choice, so I'm not sure how I'd feel about free nappies.

Prescriptions. People saying we should means-test them are talking bollocks lol, it would cost MORE MONEY to provide resources to means-test everybody than it would to provide EVERYONE with free prescriptions. Those figures can be found easily by a quick google. It's why places like Scotland provide them free for everyone because it's CHEAPER to do that than means test (sames goes for lots of other things too btw).

University tuition fees - I'm not sure whether I'd draw the line at one undergrad degree per person or something like that though to stop it spiralling out of control? Debateable. But loads of other countries provide free undergrad degrees, it's hardly a radical idea or anything.

Dental care, eye tests, glasses, and a pair of prescription sunglasses if needed (perhaps opticians could set a level at which this would be necessary? idk). Wearing sunglasses protects your eyes from cataracts which would cost more to treat than to provide people with a cheap pair of prescription sunglasses so again it's counterproductive not to provide them!

School uniform is probs a good idea too. I mean, if you're going to impose a uniform on people, surely it should be paid for rather than forcing poorer families to fork out for it? Or maybe that could be restricted to just families who are eligible for free school meals or the pupil premium or something? Then there would be no need for any extra expensive means-testing.

Water

Well you can always just put a water butt outside and drink it. It's just that purifying it and making it fit to drink does cost money.

No, it fucking doesn't.
If some people didn't get the right to pollute our drinking water for free, then all water except rain water and sea water, would be fit to drink.

Transport of water to houses should be paid for by taxes. If purification of water is necessary, that should be paid for by those who polluted it.

Rainwater, by the way, is not drinkable because pollution (that, again, companies get to do for free) and also because it contains zero minerals, which isn't exactly good for human health.

People have a right to be able to go to the next river or rivulet and be able to trink from that.
The one who polluted that water ought to be held responsible and made to pay if that is not the case.

Prescriptions and dental care should be free to carers. Carers save the govt a fortune and yet have to pay for prescriptions and dental care from their paltry £63.10 per week carers allowance! It is important that carers are kept healthy enough to continue in their caring role.

I would happily see an end to gluten free foods on prescription (I have a child who needs gluten free food) as gluten free foods are widely available now which wasn't the case when they started prescribing them and there are plenty of foods which are naturally gluten free and not expensive.

'People have a right to be able to go to the next river or rivulet and be able to trink from that.'

And animals use it as a toilet, so it's polluted with giardiasis, certain forms of organisms that cause dysentery and other nasty bacteria that comes from animal faeces.

I personally feel that charging for hospital car parking coupled with it being not available is disgusting. If you need radiotherapy where I live, you need to pay to park, wherever you park - hospital, surrounding roads and multi-storey. Considering that's generally daily sessions for a few weeks I think that is sickening. Plus all the spaces will be taken.

Basic sanpro - actually I think PPs suggestion about reusable sanpro being free is a very interesting and sensible suggestion. I don't use reusable sanpro - but if I could get it for free, I would probably switch, or at least at the moment I use a mixture of tampons and pads, and I would probably switch from disposable pads to free reusable ones at least.

So you would only switch to reusable, if reusable was for free, but non-reusable wasn't?

I already pointed out why making only reusable sanpro free won't help those women who can't afford to buy it.

In my opinion all kinds of sanpro should be free for everyone.

People like me, who would like to have reusable ones but balk at the price, would switch to reusable, but homeless women and poor girls who don't fancy carrying a bag with their used reusable pads home from school, would be able to buy ones they can throw away.

Realistically, if you only made reusable pads free, then they would be thrown away by those who don't have the option to wash them. That would cost a LOT of money, and then lead to you giving up the experiment because it "didn't work" and "people are ungrateful".

'People have a right to be able to go to the next river or rivulet and be able to trink from that.'

And animals use it as a toilet, so it's polluted with giardiasis, certain forms of organisms that cause dysentery and other nasty bacteria that comes from animal faeces.

And those animals are owned by a human who could pay for the right to pollute that water.

When I was young, the generally accepted scientific opinion was that you could drink from springs when there were no domesticated animals grazing nearby.

So no, random deer shitting there isn't the problem.

Sun cream on prescription for under-18s?! Come the fuck on! Calypso and own brand sun creams are cheap as chips! Parent your own kids and take responsibility for them!!

Exactly expat. Imagine the cost of trying to do that!

I do think some people do just want something for nothing!

@VestalVirgin have you ever walked on an upland moor? Wild animals die in streams. 'Natural' bugs multiply in the little pools. Animals poo nearby, and their urine drains into the watercourse.

'When I was young, the generally accepted scientific opinion was that you could drink from springs when there were no domesticated animals grazing nearby.

So no, random deer shitting there isn't the problem.'

So yes, it certainly can be. And those 'scientists' were talking out their hole. People have been avoiding drinking from rivers and rivulets without boiling off the water first for centuries, hence, why even Saxons were using quite complex skills to well water. You were very lucky you didn't get sick. It's not called 'bever fever' for nothing.

We get free prescriptions in NI, but I do think you should have to pay a nominal amount like £2.50 for them to stop people taking advantage of the system for paracetemol and other common cold , flu and hayfever drugs.

@expatinscotland and of course for many centuries the safe drink was either mothers' milk or brewed.

Training for people who work on the railways.

treatment for SMA. i have a friend whos family member has this and are having to do shitloads of fund raising to send him abroad to receive treatment, poor babys only around 4/6 months old!

'have you ever walked on an upland moor? Wild animals die in streams. 'Natural' bugs multiply in the little pools. Animals poo nearby, and their urine drains into the watercourse.'

This. Just finished reading a biography of a woman who grew up as a Scottish traveller in the 1920s and 30s, lots of references to finding wells to drink from and avoiding river water because um, it can make you sick or kill you, even in areas with no farming or the like nearby.

Can't say I fancy drinking out of my local stream, given that its silty as fuck...

Vestal I hadn't read the whole thread when I posted, so I hadn't seen your post. You make some great points, I'm not sure why you have to write in a way that is so confrontational though? It is a bit off-putting when I'm more than happy to learn and consider other people's ideas. As I said in my post, I thought that person's ideas were interesting and I hadn't thought about it before, just as I hadn't thought about the issues you raise either, which is actually embarrassing as I work with the homeless sometimes! The issue of obtaining a constant supply solely of reusable sanitary pads may well make the provision of them unsustainable, you're right, I hadn't thought about that before, so thanks for that.

Water and sewerage up to the level where people might be taking the mickey by filling large swimming pools or watering golf courses etc.

Apart from the above, if no one's said it yet, headlice treatments.

Mind boggling that CF medication isn't free when thyroid medication is.

Not understating thyroid conditions at all, but what is the rationalization for making those prescriptions free but not inhalers, CF meds and other lifelong/life saving meds?!

But then again where do you draw the line.. one could say that most meds are necessary and/or life saving. It can't all be free. We are fortunate that we don't have to pay the full price for some of these medications (£££ - £££££££)

Depends how you define "should". Ideally many more things would be free, but surely someone has to pay for everything somewhere along the line.

The basics should be accessible to everyone though. Water when out, medical care, education, and enough free public toilets.

vestal virgin, you really, REALLY need to do some research before spouting nonsense all over the internet.

tesco do free eye tests for everyone