Won't take no for an answer -

[Observer II]

I remember back in the 50s and 60s, when we were kids, asking Mum and Dad for this and that,  and if they couldn't afford it, you got a firm "NO";  which ended the mithering.  Now we seem to have moved on to where kids expect anything they desire and a "NO" probably results in tantrums.   Seems this expectation persists into adulthood now, so that if a footballer like Rashford starts to clamour for free school meals, you get an immediate bandwagon formed, and it becomes a case of the tail wagging the dog in terms of Governance.   Whilst in principle I don't believe any child should go hungry, I would like to know exactly why they do.   The priority for any parent is to feed and cloth their kids,  so what are they doing with their cash ?   Is it spent on fags and booze, or other non essentials or is it that it's simply not enough ?    Do they know how to cook a descent meal, with cheaper cuts of meat etc ?  EG:  Offal provides some of the most nutritious meat available and can be the cheapest.   In my day, school meals cost 5 bob a week, but with inflation it's now more like £12,   but that's for when they are in school, it's surely a parental responsibilty when they are at home ?     

[asperity]

While I have every sympathy for the "no child should go hungry" campaigners, I don't think that expecting the government to sort it out is the right way. For a start I refuse to believe that every child in the country is in danger of going hungry so therefore a more targeted response is required, meaning that a local response is the way to go. The government has already given local government extra money to cover this sort of thing. Also local businesses having been stepping up and offering free meals. Central government has shown countless times how hopeless it is at doing anything constructive, and I can never understand the calls for more government!

There has been a lot of "whataboutery" flying because of government throwing money around like a madman, so whats another billion or so between friends, but it doesn't work like that. Of course Labour won't let an opportunity like this to go to waste when it comes to criticising the government but without having any plan of their own other than throw money at it. Marcus Rashford embarked on this campaign because, he said, he remembered going hungry some days when he was growing up. He was born in 1997, I wonder which government was allowing him and his friends go hungry while he was in school?

[Confused52]

As I know you realise the calls to do more come from the usual Labour politicians who are playing to their core supporters just to criticise the government. This is their way of showing politically responsible opposition in a national emergency. They just do not know what to do so this is what we get. A lot of people will remember their utterly selfish and unhelpful performance. Rashford is being helped by media figures take a look at order-order.