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Politics

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

What ideas and suggestions would you like us to pass on to the new government?

181 replies

Carriemumsnet · 15/06/2010 22:23

We are meeting with government in the next few weeks and we'd like to pick your brains. Obviously times are tight and most government departments will be anxious to find ways to increase efficiency. Do you have any thoughts about how things could be made simpler and easier, perhaps by using Mumsnet to implement services or offer support currently offered in other ways? Are there particular services that you think warrant special protection and should be ring-fenced? Or any particular ones that you feel are badly implemented/ wasteful? How could Mumsnet work with government to make life easier for parents? For example should Mumsnet be promoted by Midwives and Health Visitors to parents when they leave hospital or have their final visit? Could Mumsnet be used as a job-share hub? We know you'll have lots of ideas and suggestions, so please post them here and we'll try and pass on as many of them as we can.

Thanks, MNHQ

OP posts:
umf · 16/06/2010 11:18

1:1 care during labour needed urgently.

Leave off the haranguing breastfeeding campaigns and instead fund enough midwives so women who want to do it have the support they need.

Alouiseg · 16/06/2010 11:51

I'd like to second what slug said about making absent parents financially responsible for their families. The state should not automatically act as a father figure when a parent leaves.

worriedandstressed · 16/06/2010 11:59

Scrap Health in Pregnancy Grant.

Count maintenance payments as income when calculating tax credits. It is ridiculous that it is not counted at the moment.

PollyTechnique · 16/06/2010 12:37

I think Mumsnet could be good as a two-way communcation tool with government departments. But rather than the somewhat chaotic webchats , we could have a Government Feedback topic.

Threads could include all aspects of government - education, social services, benefits, nhs, etc, etc.

We could post questions, our front-line user experiences, comments, and suggestions. This would NOT be for discussion between Mumsnetters, but would be the "in-box" for a minister/junior minister to look at and come back periodically to answer all our posts.

Unlike a webchat, ministers would have HOURS to research issues and come back with detailed repsonses. If posters use it seriously and constructively, ministers might factor in what we say into their policy decisions.

PollyTechnique · 16/06/2010 12:38

Abolish Child Benefit for high earners.

Promote a sexual abstinence message in schools; this would save money, with fewer pregnancies, fewer abortions, fewer stds, fewer single mums on benefits...etc.

bbee · 16/06/2010 12:39

don't get me started - it's not worth the time anyway.

funnysinthegarden · 16/06/2010 13:14

Listen to Oliver James? Pass legislation to ensure that men and women get an equal opportunity to care for their children by way of equal and more generous paternity/maternity leave.

Litchick · 16/06/2010 13:39

Please ask the govenment to stop interfering in the minutiae of our lives.
Most of us are perfectly capable of running our families without being told what to feed our children, when to put them to bed, what to teach them etc In particular ask them to back off home educators.

Please let them concentrate their time/money and resources on the most vulnerable in our society and leave the rest of us alone.

Also, ask them to stop fannying around the edges. We need to deal with the economic situation or all our childrten will suffer in the future.

ilovemydogandMrObama · 16/06/2010 14:06

Pensions. It's all well and good for Nick Clegg to say the final salary gold standard is not affordable, but DP has been putting money into his pension for past 15 years. Seems to me that's the responsible thing to do -- saving for one's retirement.

Why is this deemed ripe for interference and what assurance can the government provide for people who have been putting money into their pensions for a long period?

Lymond · 16/06/2010 14:35

End HiP grant and the £250 for each new baby that they can access at 18, all that guff. That stuff staying but there being fewer health visitors or midwives would be a travesty.

Spending however millions on the bookstart scheme of giving each family free books, whilst the libraries have been losing funding, has also been ridiculous. Cut bookstart instead, and send every family an invitation to get a library card for their child. Stop libraries from selling books of so early - I keep buying perfectly decent condition kids books for 20p each - cheaper than in a charity shop.

Every time I've phoned NHS 24 they've directed me to A&E.

I would make it necessary to pay for your own meals while admitted to hospital. Will also end waste as many people have their own food brought in. (Could be free for people on benefits/pensions, like with the free school meal scheme)

boiledegg1 · 16/06/2010 15:09

Lower the burden of red tape on small businesses and simplify taxation. Do all possible to stimulate job creation.

Agree with Slug and Alouiseg to make absent parents contribute to their families financially - the state shouldn't be a surrogate parent.

Raise VAT on luxury goods such as electronic gadgets.

Cut the defence budget.

Get rid of bookstart, CTF, HIP grant. Get rid of surestart excepting deprived areas.

gaelicsheep · 16/06/2010 15:35

When I suggested to NHS 24 that I'd take DS to A&E rather than wait hours for a call back that never comes, they said I wouldn't be seen without a referral.

Re Slug's and other's comments - the child maintenance system would work one hell of a lot better if they would stop going after the easy targets who are doing their best. It's too much like hard work to chase the deliberate non-payers - much better to try and bankrupt those who are already doing their best. Oh, and mothers are equally responsible for financing the children that they jointly conceived, in case anyone is in doubt of that. It is not all down to the father at all.

gaelicsheep · 16/06/2010 15:37

Is anyone from Mumsnet Towers actually going to come back on this thread to direct debate or further explain the idea about becoming a new Govt information service?

Lavitabella · 16/06/2010 15:51

I have always found NHS direct to be very useful.

I think maternity pay at 90% should be for 3 months not 6 weeks. SMP should also be paid for 12 months not 9. Father should be given the same rights to as mothers to go to antenatal appointments even unpaid/make time up elsewhere.

I don't think that child benefit should be paid to parents in this country whose children live oversea's. Same as winter fuel allowance to pensioners living abroad.

I think that the 48 hour working time directive needs to be looked at. I think if you are hourly paid you should be allowed to work extra hours to supplement your income if you choose to. However I do not agree with salaried staff signing contracts that automatically agree to work more than 48 hours even if it says you can sign out, we all know how well that would go down. A lot of companies in many industries use this especially in hospitality/catering, when other staff are on holiday, staff have to cover them by working an extra day. Which in reality reduces your own holiday.

Lavitabella · 16/06/2010 15:51

I have always found NHS direct to be very useful.

I think maternity pay at 90% should be for 3 months not 6 weeks. SMP should also be paid for 12 months not 9. Father should be given the same rights to as mothers to go to antenatal appointments even unpaid/make time up elsewhere.

I don't think that child benefit should be paid to parents in this country whose children live oversea's. Same as winter fuel allowance to pensioners living abroad.

I think that the 48 hour working time directive needs to be looked at. I think if you are hourly paid you should be allowed to work extra hours to supplement your income if you choose to. However I do not agree with salaried staff signing contracts that automatically agree to work more than 48 hours even if it says you can sign out, we all know how well that would go down. A lot of companies in many industries use this especially in hospitality/catering, when other staff are on holiday, staff have to cover them by working an extra day. Which in reality reduces your own holiday.

vesela · 16/06/2010 16:14

I'm a Lib Dem and a coalition supporter and would hate to see Mumsnet working with the government to deliver anything. Totally agree with gaelicsheep. As I said, I'm a government supporter, but I'm very about "Big Society" plans if they're going to involve a lot of interface between government and independent organisations. I'm not in favour of that, or project-style government (we've had too much of it as is).

If you as Mumsnet feel that x or y changes to the law would help you to operate better as an independent forum in which parents can provide advice to each other, then I'm happy to back calls for such changes, though. (To me, Mumsnet looks as if it functions brilliantly as is - I don't run the business, though!)

In terms of just making suggestions to them, though, you could point them in the direction of the rape defendant anonymity threads on Feminism/Women's rights - thanks (someone has probably mentioned that already - I haven't read the whole thread).

SanctiMoanyArse · 16/06/2010 16:32

Something I would really really like pointed out to them

I get Frank Field'ds idea about stopping CB at 13 even if I don't support it

But do the Government realiser that it's a tax on being a carer?

Think about it@

child hits 13, you lose CB, can't cope financially, you can at least trey to work / increase hours

Disabled child hits 13, you lose cb (and hrp?), you can't go out to work any more than whenb they were 12, you lose.

As I say, tax on being a carer.

It's multiplies iof you have NT kids too: you can't replace the Cb with them any more than if they were disabvled if you have caring responsibilities.

And typically the tiny provision they do have here (summer clubs) stops at 12.

vesela · 16/06/2010 16:35

i.e. can they drop the proposal for anonymity for rape defendants?

vesela · 16/06/2010 16:37

sorry, x-posted with SMA. Wouldn't carers be exempt? (am assuming here)

gaelicsheep · 16/06/2010 16:37

I would also like to remind the Government that CB has a second purpose ie it is used to assign NI credits to stay at home parents. What would happen to that if it was means-tested? I hope they're not suggesting that because someone's spouse earns more than X, the SAHP doesn't need a pension of their own in the future!

SanctiMoanyArse · 16/06/2010 16:42

Vesela no idea, not heard anything. Which is why I want it raised you see.

We're not exempt from much- out allowaqnce is taxable, don't get free eyetests or anything much.

Thry might make kids who get dla exempt of course but we'd still lose for the nt ones iyswim. There's only one set of aprents, after all!.

I hope this is soemthing they've thought about; I don't mind CB being taxed and will be happy to pay when back on our feet- we always were.

ANTagony · 16/06/2010 16:47

Stop the nanny state. Make society take some responsibility for itself again. We should all help to look out for our neighbours - be they young or old, we should all pick up the odd bit of litter, scrape the paths outside our homes in the winter, report vandalism to the police who should give a dam, before it gets out of hand. If a child is abused over a long period of time it is societies responsibility and unlikely to be one over worked social worker scape goat. Spending millions on an enquiry just leaves less cash available to spread social workers case loads. Why do enquiries need to cost such ludicrous amounts of money? Same for litigation in the NHS. Can't we have a standard if you use the NHS disclaimer rather than litigation stopping funds being available for medical treatment.

Make it possible for clubs and societies to function without endless red tape, insurances and paperwork. Parents need to take some responsibilities for who they leave their children with, what activities and risks are involved. If we carry on the way we are we'll all live in high gated houses and lock each other out.

Have more respect for the role that stay at home parents have and the silent unpaid support many offer our communities fundraising, helping at the school, playgroup, nursery, after school, filling in the blanks for people stuck for nursery care, looking after elderly neighbours. Don't force us back to work by cutting things like child benefit and tax credits.

Consider what the benefits are of the free school provided nursery places - especially when schools are using a whole classroom and qualified teacher(s) for this provision. Originally set up as helping mothers retrain and get back to work? Much as I love the four 2.5 hour sessions term time only, the cost must be astronomical and what you can actually achieve in the 1.5 hours 4 days a week you have left after dropping off and setting of to pick up I'm not sure. This also seams to have replaced/ made un-viable some of the cheap playgroups run by wonderful (generally women) who have years of experience in helping little ones to socialise - which is after all the major thing we are trying to teach at this age. If you are genuinely low income the working tax credit childcare support element kicks in which provides far more practical support for enabling parents to get out to work.

Allow GP's to sack patients who repeatedly don't turn up to appointments. Just because it doesn't cost them direct it doesn't mean it doesn't cost the rest of us. Rewrite the crazy GP's salary package that means they get more money for fewer hours than senior hospital consultants.

Encourage use of our pharmacies as is common place in Europe where you pay for a GP. Provide funding to encourage pharmacists to set up consultation cubicles as in Germany and allow them to prescribe drugs for common ailments - again taking pressure of GP's.

Protect family learning in our schools - I've been involved in a scheme and seen some parents really flourish - l don't know how it can be quantified in numbers and on graphs. But I know of children who've gone from being disruptive and not involved in the group to really joining and fitting in. I've seen women gain in confidence and get interviews, qualifications and jobs. Its an important relearning of basic values which need to be educated because they have been lost. Like basic cooking and interacting with your children.

Protect our rural schools. They may not look as though they stack op on paper in comparison to more efficient inner city multiclass schools but they provide a hub to the community where the shop, post office, library bus, pub, church and transport system have disappeared.

ilovemydogandMrObama · 16/06/2010 16:50

Having spent numerous hours of my life trying to find an out of hours pharmacy, why can't hospitals have a 24 hour pharmacy open to the public?

Am sure the 'hospital only' prescriptions red tape can be over come, but would mean that people in need can locate and get their medicine.

SanctiMoanyArse · 16/06/2010 16:57

Antagonby- I kwym wrt to litigatio9n and the NHS but if you (as an example of someone I know) have your child vaccinated, tehy sustain admitted severe damage and you lose your home, job etc as a result- that amount of oney is what keeps your child in nappies and with a carer until they pass away.

There should be a mmid road; somewhere where we allow for mistakes and errors (the NHS almost killed me (misdiagnosed eclampsia as anxiety) when I was having ds1 but then they saved me and him so I was more than happy to let them off!) whilst allowing protection for the most sevely damaged people.

HerBeatitude · 16/06/2010 17:56

"Oh, and mothers are equally responsible for financing the children that they jointly conceived, in case anyone is in doubt of that. It is not all down to the father at all."

Only 2/5 of fathers pay maintenance, and most of them pay maintenance that nowhere near reflects the cost of bringing up a child. When 5/5 are paying 50% of the cost of children, then you can lecture mothers about how it's not all down to the fathers. At the moment, it's nearly all down to the mothers.

Please tell them to recognise the social and economic evil that is sexism and to start treating it in law and education, the same way they do racism.