What Crisis? (Part Two)

[New Judge]

Earlier in the year I queried why a local authority took it upon itself to feed the children in its area free of charge:

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question1205273.html

But now it seems that none other than the Deputy Prime Minister has jumped on the bandwagon. “All pupils at infant schools in England are to get free school lunches from next September, Lib Dem leader and Deputy PM Nick Clegg has announced.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-24132416

“The change - for children in reception, year one and year two - will save parents about £400 a year per child.” (so presumably will cost the taxpayer at least that amount).

It’s strange that government policy is announced at the party conference of the mob that hold only 9% of the Parliamentary seats, but no matter. It is estimated that this will cost around £600m (though my sums make it a bit more than that). Mr Clegg clearly has an expansion of this scheme in mind (“We will start with infant school pupils…”).

Just recently a similar sum was quoted as being the cost of pensioners’ bus passes and was said by some politicians to be “unsustainable”. So why is this scheme (which will undoubtedly expand considerably) affordable, whilst pensioners’ bus passes are not?

[Dodger666]

It's good to know that the extra income tax some pensioners will pay thanks to the freezing of age related allowances will go towards feeding the kids of the well off. If parents choose to have kids they should pay to feed them themselves.

Can you imagine David Cameron's daughter, Florence, starting school in September 2014 and getting free school meals?