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Mealy-mouthed opposition



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Published Date: 06 October 2008
I am aghast at Labour's outburst at the Scottish Government's admirable move to implement free school meals for all five- to seven-year-olds (your report, 3 October).
Labour has indeed lost sight of its roots; it was after all Attlee's Labour government that first introduced free school meals for everyone and many of us back in the old days when Labour seemed to actually stand for the people that mattered, campaigned vehemently against Thatcher the Milk Snatcher and the Tories' 1980 Education Act, which saw the destruction of the universal provision of school meals in Britain. This blatant shift in Labour's policy and recent criticism of the SNP's free school meals policy is the very type of cheap political point-scoring that has over the past ten years seen those who campaigned under the banner of the Labour Party all those years ago to leave in droves.

CAROLINE WEINTZ
Stuckleckie Road
Helensburgh, Dunbartonshire



The full article contains 157 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 05 October 2008 8:44 PM
  • Source: The Scotsman
  • Location: Edinburgh
 
1

Linda,

Edinburgh 06/10/2008 08:08:45
It's all part of Labour's master plan to stop sensible policies such as Local Income Tax and free school meals as they might increase SNP majority next time round.
2

Martinh,

06/10/2008 08:23:05
Free school meals for 5-7 year olds is a good idea, and should be supported. The criticism relates only to the lack of clarity as to how the package (£40-£50 million p.a) is to be paid for. The SNP Government has made it clear that no new money is available to cash strapped local authorities to implement the policy, so that can only mean cuts and redundancies (aka 'efficiency savings') elsewhere. A responsible Government must be financially accountable, just announcing populist measures is not good enough.
3

Mikey,

06/10/2008 09:42:25
Martinh is being disingenuous. It has already been pointed out to him how the school meals are paid for. If he fails to understand, then I think he has a problem he should have attended to, pronto!
4

Martinh,

06/10/2008 10:13:34
#3. Half of Scotland's 32 local authorities cannot afford to implement the policy. Of the remaining 16, 13 are still 'examining the cost of the move' and only 3 local authorities have said they could afford to provide free school meals for p1-3 pupils. So the Scottish Government should provide the money or the policy will fail.
5

Mikey,

06/10/2008 15:04:43
As you well know, Martin, the councils have already signed up to providing free school meals! If they have no money, what did they spend it on? Did they think free school meals were a joke? Did you?
6

Martinh,

06/10/2008 16:51:09
#5. Its not a question of where the money was spent but on how it is allocated by each council. Aberdeen Council seems incapable of governing responsibly and the Lib Dem-SNP council in Edinburgh are more concerned with buying expensive ceremonial robes for their councillors whilst letting day care centres for vulnerable adults close. Councils signed up to the principle of providing free school meals for 5-7 year olds, but many I suspect expected the government to provide extra funding for one of its flagship policies.

There is no point in asking me why half of Scottish councils cannot implement the policy without extra funding, ask them. Of those 16 will include administrations of various political pursuasions so it is hardly a partisan admission by political opponents of the SNP Government.
7

James F,

East Ayr 06/10/2008 23:55:33
Each council was given sufficient funding to pay for the school meals. Those who are not puting the policy of free school meals into effect are out to score political points against the SNP at the expense of children's health. I don't think this is forgiveable.

 

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