Has the Government done anything so far which we can say is of benefit to society?

[Waltraut]

I don't really want to talk economics, mainly because there are opposing views of how the Coalition's approach is going to pan out [understatement]. I'm quite interested in the "small" things that governments do to make life fairer, safer, easier, more productive, or simply more pleasant for the citizens of a country.
I honestly cannot think of a single thing.

The VAT rise was not a great move but much better than increasing income tax of NI. At least now everyone contributes not only the workers.

Also like; Free schools (shame there aren't any in my area yet), scrapping ID cards, cutting the welfare bill and the council tax freeze... and finally getting Labour out, just a shame that we are stuck with the lib dums.

The expansion of apprenticeships was a good thing.

TheSecondComing... as a lone parent myself I know there are extra costs. But it was Aliceliddel's statement that disabled lone parents would 'lose £3500' that made me think that disabled lone parents must get something that able-bodied lone parents don't qualify for. Is that not the case?

Those figures are from The Children's Society, haven't looked on their website. I guess it's the kind of anomaly you get if you abolish bureaucracy and introduce the universal payment?

So it hasn't actually happened yet?

No, it will come in with Universal Credit in2013. So we've got 2 years to agitate, educate, organise. [coalitionofresistance.org.uk], [anticutsprotests.co.uk], UKuncut, etc

Do you have advanced details of the Universal Credit and how it will be calculated? I haven't seen anything announced yet...

Capping housing benefit so unscrupulous landlords don't take councils for a ride and unemployed people can't end up in mansions.

The scrapping of ID cards, the repealing of many laws that restricted civil liberties, ending child detention of asylum seekers to name a few non economic benefits.

'ending child detention of asylum seekers'

Any proof that this had been done? All evidence shows that children are still in detentions centres. This was a great thing to say they were going to do, but they HAVEN'T done it.

'Do you have advanced details of the Universal Credit and how it will be calculated?'

Yes. All benefit levels will be reduced or it wouldn't be happening.

I can't think of anything of any worth. All I know that is going to change is that I will lose my CB and dd's school is an academy, and nothing has changed at it.

Listening to the programme about free schools in Bristol on Radio 4 last Sauturday confirmed all my worst fears about them. Free schools are going to be very bad news. No-one could argue with the principle of provision for SN, but free schools just hand the power to fools with wrong agendas, and they aren't going to work out well, in my opinion.

Although I have enjoyed not seeing a single advert about the dangers of smoking to make me feel bad since the Tories won. That's been nice.

Thanks, Dave!

The aims and objectives of the Jigsaw School are laudable, but I don't think the free school idea is the right one, or that it is the way to go across the board. Whilst I get the frustrations of those who know at first hand that something should be done about SN provision, the majority of Free Schools are middle class parents trying to keep their children away from the schools in the areas they've chosen to live in, and the results are potentially toxic.

Although it's not something I know about first hand, I'm prepared to accept that SN provision may well need re-thinking or change.

In respect of the other point, it's the 'if they're bad schools' that's the rub. If parents dislike a school because of its intake, and they set up another, then the other school suffers as a direct result of that. Especially if, as in Bristol, they buy land in one postcode because it's cheaper, but don't let any of the children within that postcode in, because they're only interested in providing for their own children and the children of their friends.

It's probably on iPlayer or whatever, the programme I'm thinking of. I wasn't sure before whether I was letting my ideological bias inform my fears about free schools, but the exact way this one in Bristol has panned out does seem to flag up the kinds of issues I would have expected and been suspicious of.

I can! They have promised that when "call me Dave" is ousted as leader his forehead will be used to generate electricity as part of the world's largest solar array. Should put the output by at least 5%.

Osborne has offered his services as a target in the archery in next year's Olympics. This will save at least £50.

Who says the Tories don't care?

@hedley