Radio 4 and Starmer

Thanks Mamie.

Free school breakfasts, healthy eating?
Cereal, toast. jam and over sweetened fruit juice?

eazybee

Free school breakfasts, healthy eating?
Cereal, toast. jam and over sweetened fruit juice?

Sounds fine for children as a start to the day.

Bread and breakfast cereals are fortified with vitamins and minerals. The milk on the cereals = calcium. A bit of jam is fine. The orange juice will probably be a small portion so hardly detrimental in the great scheme of things.

Far better than what many children were having (or not having) for breakfast, I would imagine - and at no cost to parents.

What’s the problem🤔

I’m guessing eazybee is proposing gruel as the alternative?

Mollygo

Possibly Scandinavian countries have faith or even see, that their higher taxes are actually going to the services that they need.

Mandatory Social Insurance:
Germany has a compulsory long-term care insurance (Pflegeversicherung).

Germany has a mandatory social insurance system for long-term care, meaning most residents pay into a fund that helps cover the costs of care for those who need it.

Paying higher taxes is not as easy as it sounds.

What it really means in the UK, is that the poorest may or may not pay tax out of the little they earn or the benefits they get.
The middle will be squeezed of every last drop they have,
and the better off will find ways to avoid paying.

Your last paragraph has hit the nail squarely on its head, Mollygo

I'd add that the 'better off' will go on getting richer and richer and eventually there'll be little left for anyone else. Not my conclusion, Thomas Piketty's. The economist who has written the definitive book on the acquisition of wealth in the 21st Century.

We had a BUPA "benefit" for a while years ago.
We were younger with no conditions.
It was worth more than that then I seem to remember!

Hear, hear Mollygo and MaizieD👏👏

LizzieDrip

Hear, hear Mollygo and MaizieD👏👏

Absolutely agree!

👏👏👏

eazybee

Free school breakfasts, healthy eating?
Cereal, toast. jam and over sweetened fruit juice?

Please don’t say that! KS promised healthy breakfasts.

LizzieDrip

Thanks Mamie.

Hope it was clear. I didn't have time to edit as our neighbours appeared to help with our glut of cherries!

Mollygo

eazybee

Free school breakfasts, healthy eating?
Cereal, toast. jam and over sweetened fruit juice?

Please don’t say that! KS promised healthy breakfasts.

Give them a nice sugar rush to start the day...🙄

Labour had an easy time in Opposition for years and are clearly unprepared for the much harder task of Government. I am very disappointed so far and quite shocked that they haven't spent time in Oppositon developing policy and how to implement it. Of course the Tories were even worse but I fear if Starmer doesn't get a grip we shall see Farage in No. 10 which would be an even worse shot in the foot than Brexit.

Hope it was clear. I didn't have time to edit as our neighbours appeared to help with our glut of cherries

Yes, it was very clear and very informative Mamie.

I am generally interested in how these things work in other countries. Obviously it’s possible to google, but much better to gather experience ‘from the horse’s mouth’.

TBH I hope we don’t go down that road in the UK … but forewarned is forearmed. Much appreciated!

Enjoy the cherries🍒🍒🍒

Casdon

I’m guessing eazybee is proposing gruel as the alternative?

Hahaha In my children’s breakfast club, which is still going and was always free, choice of cereal, both sugar free, toast, with or with jam or marmalade, milk or water to drink. For children a very satisfactory breakfast.

LizzieDrip

Cossy

I have some questions too:-

Mamie What is the current rate/s of Income Tax and do you pay National Insurance.

Teazel What exactly is covered by BUPA for £100 a month? That seems incredibly low? How old are you and are you in perfect health?

Last time I had BUPA cover (as a work “benefit”), it was worth £400 a month, it did not cover any pre-existing conditions and had an excess. I just cannot see how BUPA can offer a service such as this for £100 a month?

I was also thinking that the £100 per month for BUPA seems very low, Cossy … interested to know what it covers🤔

We are pensioners, not working, so don't pay the equivalent of National Insurance. We are taxed as a household and get exemptions for age. I think taxation starts at 11,500€ per household, but if you Google tax thresholds in France, the details appear. We are in a higher bracket.
As far as I can tell, for a single person household the threshold for top-up insurance seems to be 10,500€.p.a.

Thank you Mamie Seems your system works pretty well.

However my understanding is Farage favours the USA system of (non) health care

LizzieDrip

eazybee
Free school breakfasts, healthy eating?
Cereal, toast. jam and over sweetened fruit juice?

Sounds fine for children as a start to the day.

Bread and breakfast cereals are fortified with vitamins and minerals. The milk on the cereals = calcium. A bit of jam is fine. The orange juice will probably be a small portion so hardly detrimental in the great scheme of things.

Far better than what many children were having (or not having) for breakfast, I would imagine - and at no cost to parents.

What’s the problem🤔

I agree about the better than nothing,
but since DH has been lectured on the danger of eating meals principally carbohydrates which will encourage diabetes, and the Second Nature course I was referred to for lower cholesterol and to reduce the chance of developing diabetes, claims that breakfast should not be mainly just carbs.
I don’t think the House of Commons Breakfast menu offers just cereal and toast.

Cossy

Thank you Mamie Seems your system works pretty well.

However my understanding is Farage favours the USA system of (non) health care

You do know that, despite their 'insurance' system, the French state directly invests more money into their health service than does the NHS?

www.health.org.uk/features-and-opinion/features/how-does-uk-health-spending-compare-across-europe-over-the-past

Neither does the school breakfast menu, in my local school anyway. Fresh fruit, porridge, peanut butter and high fibre cereals. They use the 50/50 bread as some children won’t eat wholemeal bread. Schools have discretion to purchase food that is suitable.

Cossy

Thank you Mamie Seems your system works pretty well.

However my understanding is Farage favours the USA system of (non) health care

Like everything in France the bureaucracy is massive, but it does work. We have our green cards where everything done is registered by doctors and hospitals and the top-up dealt with without our intervention. As an individual you are responsible for a lot more, so manage your appointments (online) and keep copies of all your records. You also get to see the cost of treatment.
We hand over 30€ to the GP and then get reimbursed. Outside of hospitals medical professionals are effectively self-employed, but well regulated. We get a GP appointment with our own doctor within three days.
DH has had amazing, cutting-edge treatment for cancer.

Of course our cancer treatment is good here but we present late for screening so apparently tend to have more intractable disease.

My brother in law (a doctor whose family were French) said the French hypochondria serves them well in regards to disease.
He said, they don't tend to sit on minor symptoms.

I suppose most things ard also cheaper if caught earlier.

Casdon

Neither does the school breakfast menu, in my local school anyway. Fresh fruit, porridge, peanut butter and high fibre cereals. They use the 50/50 bread as some children won’t eat wholemeal bread. Schools have discretion to purchase food that is suitable.

Thanks Casdon
All this endless meaning is tedious,

NotSpaghetti

Of course our cancer treatment is good here but we present late for screening so apparently tend to have more intractable disease.

My brother in law (a doctor whose family were French) said the French hypochondria serves them well in regards to disease.
He said, they don't tend to sit on minor symptoms.

I suppose most things ard also cheaper if caught earlier.

Yes I would say that is true 😂.
Everyone wants details of my husband's treatment in a way that I don't think people would ask in the UK.
Everyone (including delivery drivers) says, Comment va votre mari? and Bon Courage. 😊

Not sure you know too much about the purchasing power of schools.

My opinion of Starmer hasn't changed. He should listen more, this new 2 tier system is a farce. Not a fan of Rachel but I see her as a lone figure taking the flack for others decisions. Why can’t he have how own opinions and lead but he sways to and fro. Just as he did through Covid, he sits on the fence until he sees whats favourite no doubt he is pleasant chap but so soppy as a leader.