tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post8317350785470378283..comments2023-10-24T14:51:45.756+02:00Comments on Bloggertropolis: Cheaper Not To WorkStevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02133900289384226725noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-80042125362218724292011-10-11T09:54:57.199+02:002011-10-11T09:54:57.199+02:00Jenny: it's a war of attrition. The rich are t...Jenny: it's a war of attrition. The rich are trying to breed us out by making it impossible for us lower orders to raise children. That's my theory. And I'm not at all a paranoid conspiracy theorist or crazy or anything at all like that, honest. <br /><br />Much.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02133900289384226725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-4150961847240554222011-10-11T00:01:01.532+02:002011-10-11T00:01:01.532+02:00According to word of mouth, this state of affairs ...According to word of mouth, this state of affairs has been going for years and years and years, and I mean since the 1970s at least. One's forced to the conclusion that every UK government of every political persuasion for the last 40 years WANTS parents to find it tremendously hard to fund childcare. I'm truly baffled. Yet one part of me thinks that there must be a reason otherwise they wouldn't keep doing it.Jenny Woolfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16881781466502273314noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-49080412584345515802011-10-08T08:58:26.362+02:002011-10-08T08:58:26.362+02:00Owen: sadly not - creche facilities are non-existe...Owen: sadly not - creche facilities are non-existent.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02133900289384226725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-56751304521390523182011-10-08T04:15:22.226+02:002011-10-08T04:15:22.226+02:00Ouch... that's just wrong... and wrongheaded.....Ouch... that's just wrong... and wrongheaded...I guess taking them to work with you is not an option?Owenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12622587942009516590noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-38567781017943738502011-10-07T10:27:17.175+02:002011-10-07T10:27:17.175+02:00Lunarossa: seems to me the best solution is for me...Lunarossa: seems to me the best solution is for me to work in the UK but send my kids to school / nursery in Italy!<br /><br />Emma: 9 weeks?! Oh my God. Over 2 months? That's crazy!<br /><br />Moohbahfooka: is this code or something? Do you work for MI5? Or Blankety-Blank?<br /><br />Being Me: oh, you utter temptress!Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02133900289384226725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-56598715905981357462011-10-07T07:52:39.995+02:002011-10-07T07:52:39.995+02:00Listen to The Vix!! :D At least, come for a field...Listen to The Vix!! :D At least, come for a field trip to see for yourselves.... I could shout you both that coffee I promised all those months ago.Being Mehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08600427311498297800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-47107579964376694512011-10-06T20:34:23.019+02:002011-10-06T20:34:23.019+02:00As an NWO MPD agent working under cover as a humbl...As an NWO MPD agent working under cover as a humble███████████████all I can tell you is that█████████████████████████████████████████<br />██████████████████████████████.<br />And then I heard them break into that old Etonian anti-anthem:<br />...♫ Plebians never, never, never shall be other than wage slaves ♫<br /><br />http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~noelh/Political.htmMoohbahfookanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-66795180224762297612011-10-06T19:19:02.484+02:002011-10-06T19:19:02.484+02:00I think it's about the same here in the USA wi...I think it's about the same here in the USA with most people getting very few weeks holiday and paying through the nose for childcare. Not to mention that there are nine weeks summer holidays here for working parents to shell out for childcare!! Yes I said nine weeks.<br /><br />I don't know how you do it - or how any two parent working family does it! I'm just blessed to be a stay at home mum I guess.MommyHeadachehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03924035710478459520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-68453768054017177522011-10-06T19:13:33.064+02:002011-10-06T19:13:33.064+02:00Totally agree, Steve. A lot of people (especially ...Totally agree, Steve. A lot of people (especially mums) have to choose between work and kids because of the cost of childcare. Italy is not a great example for a lot of things but childcare is free of charge. (not that this helps much now as there are no jobs!). And so it should be. A friend of mine who's a senior police officer and earns much more than Cameron, not to mention all the perks of his job (free 4x4 with leather interior, free trips to the FBI headquarter and FBI meetings around the world), complains all the time that he is highly taxed because of us with kids. But who is paying for his (and his similars') priviliges and his future "golden handshake"? Us and our children...I sometimes feel sick...Ciao. A.xlunarossahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15231055955991137579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-19970890393312996722011-10-06T08:57:31.619+02:002011-10-06T08:57:31.619+02:00Löst Jimmy: not at all; your rant expresses it all...Löst Jimmy: not at all; your rant expresses it all perfectly. The pyramid has been inversed and we are all still not just at the bottom but also at the pointy end, getting crushed by the weight of bullshit above us.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02133900289384226725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-3682051677893851562011-10-05T23:47:37.357+02:002011-10-05T23:47:37.357+02:00Good post Steve. I certainly have never felt more...Good post Steve. I certainly have never felt more disenfranchised than I have during the past year. It feels although we are in a society run by Monopoly Men who are happy to rob the vunerable and hard working of their cash while lavishing handouts on the banking class. Add that with the fact the country is laying off 10s of thousands of workers and the Government is ready to criminalise the fact you haven't got a job. And to top it all the Public Sector worker is the new Pariah! It's like an inverted Totalitarian state on a sugar rush.<br />Sorry for the simplified rant.Löst Jimmyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09907139441842698894noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-16039207790542932882011-10-05T21:02:43.204+02:002011-10-05T21:02:43.204+02:00Dicky: that's not a bad idea. People still sen...Dicky: that's not a bad idea. People still send kids up chimneys to clean them, right?Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02133900289384226725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-14133999343856456862011-10-05T18:59:05.353+02:002011-10-05T18:59:05.353+02:00I have a solution Steve: make the kids go to work ...I have a solution Steve: make the kids go to work during half term while you have a rest. Make them earn their keep. I remember having that problem when my kids were younger and so my ex *cough*-wife (sorry, still have trouble not calling her the bitch in public) got a job in a school.<br /><br />You have my sympathy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-25062790031897833002011-10-05T18:48:42.550+02:002011-10-05T18:48:42.550+02:00Vix: I've heard that from a number of sources....Vix: I've heard that from a number of sources... and the Southern hemisphere does appeal, I must admit.<br /><br />Rol: it's the same old story - those who try get kicked back down and those who scrounge get an easy life.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02133900289384226725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-2957932697819847792011-10-05T16:02:49.273+02:002011-10-05T16:02:49.273+02:00I sympathise. One of these days I'll write a p...I sympathise. One of these days I'll write a post about Job Centres that penalise people who try to get work (even if they only earn small amounts of money for doing so) and award people who do fuck all... making it easier to sit on your arse than do what the job centre is actually asking you to do.Rolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02103804480646939038noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-29855481967433060692011-10-05T14:58:28.038+02:002011-10-05T14:58:28.038+02:00I have to say Steve (and yes I am biased I know), ...I have to say Steve (and yes I am biased I know), but Aus and NZ offer a far lower cost of living and a far higher standard of living, IMHO.vegemitevixhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08499944412217904302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-84831541242795559192011-10-05T14:42:36.589+02:002011-10-05T14:42:36.589+02:00TimeWarden: that gate thing was a metaphor for lif...TimeWarden: that gate thing was a metaphor for life, wasn't it?<br /><br />Being Me: Australia is somewhere me and the wife often muse about, I have to say...<br /><br />Very Bored in Catalunya: 90 euros a month sounds very reasonable and affordable. Our trouble is we don't have any family local to us... so no support network to rely on!<br /><br />Marginalia: as I've said above, we're looking into childcare vouchers and get tax credits. As to your last suggestion... I'm working on it!<br /><br />Keith: I can't drive and I've just got used to the fortnightly collections. Bah humbug.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02133900289384226725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-11550620667448578272011-10-05T13:52:41.359+02:002011-10-05T13:52:41.359+02:00Never mind, you will soon be able to drive on the ...Never mind, you will soon be able to drive on the motorways at 80 MPH, and your bins will be back to being collected every week. <br /><br />What more do you want ?Keithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03070505642533336362noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-9699908698311314562011-10-05T13:52:23.972+02:002011-10-05T13:52:23.972+02:00Steve, not having children I haven't had to fa...Steve, not having children I haven't had to face your difficulties. <br /><br />However, a couple of observations. What do you do about the main summer holiday? The kids are off longer than your total annual leave; do you have to fork out for care at sometime during the summer break?<br /><br />I'm not sure subsidising the service would help. That subsidy has to be paid for. The usual people who cough up in extra tax would be people just like you. You're likely to be no better off.<br /><br />I'm afraid things are not going to get better for a while. The overhang of personal debt in family budgets, significant price rises and zero, even minus, wage increases puts many families in a very uncomfortable place. <br /><br />My only positive suggestion is that you look to see whether you're claiming all the benefits you're entitled to. They're not "hand outs", they're what you've been paying for. <br /><br />Oh, and of course, get that book accepted and a large advance.Marginaliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01175372147298306908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-77228459333768185152011-10-05T13:19:04.647+02:002011-10-05T13:19:04.647+02:00Our village charges €90 per month for full time nu...Our village charges €90 per month for full time nursery (although it does cost extra to have them looked after during the siesta. During the summer holidays the over 3s can attend summer school - which costs between €50 and €80 per month depending on the activities you want your children to do. We don't have half terms, just summer, easter & xmas hols. <br /><br />But, I think the biggest difference here is family. The majority of working mums rely heavily on their parents or inlaws to take & collect their offspring from school or nursery. I guess europeans on the continent tend to move around less?Very Bored in Catalunyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07695203425270299420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-25482896876532786642011-10-05T08:19:02.205+02:002011-10-05T08:19:02.205+02:00Ugh. You don't paint a very pretty picture of ...Ugh. You don't paint a very pretty picture of your homeland. And I can absolutely see why. Emigrate? Recommendations? Hmmm... you know the bias will get the better of me and I will just say anywhere in Aus! (even though my previous comment wasn't a terribly good advertisement)Being Mehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08600427311498297800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-89723109169468262662011-10-05T08:12:20.100+02:002011-10-05T08:12:20.100+02:00I had a teacher at school told us we'd spend m...I had a teacher at school told us we'd spend much of our lives saying things aren't fair. He used to stand the other side of the farm gate drinking coffee while we traipsed through the cow shit on our weekly cross-country run!TimeWardenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06853837867256272087noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-72516767949247333242011-10-05T07:46:00.895+02:002011-10-05T07:46:00.895+02:00Gorilla Bananas: maybe we are just far more virile...Gorilla Bananas: maybe we are just far more virile as a nation than the damned Frenchies, the hun and the I-ties? There must be a scientific explanation rather than me just being racist but right. ;-)<br /><br />Amanda: run my own Daddy Day Care? I have enough grey hairs as it is! We are waiting it out. Once the youngest is at school my wife can at least go back to ful time employment and then will be on a much better wage. It will also half the amount of care we have to pay for. School holidays are always going to be a problem though.<br /><br />John: I often think that myself. Economically it must have been an impovement for the country too - a planned shut down for a couple of weeks and then everybody back to work. Bring back factory holidays!Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02133900289384226725noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-37020498928568930782011-10-05T00:09:07.702+02:002011-10-05T00:09:07.702+02:00bring back the 1960s
holidays...... I spent them ...bring back the 1960s<br /><br />holidays...... I spent them on Prestatyn tip with mates.....digging for treasure.....watching tv at my extended families' houses or walking the streets....<br /><br />cheaper and simplerJohn Going Gentlyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14958171262765033946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35009574.post-42124510613579365142011-10-05T00:03:25.292+02:002011-10-05T00:03:25.292+02:00You're still welcome here Steve, the rabbit hu...You're still welcome here Steve, the rabbit hutch survived the earthquakes you know.<br />I know exactly your situation, when the Whovian and the Scowly were younger it was a nightmare trying to work full time and keep them in childcare. Then they got older and we had to find school holiday programmes for them to attend, which they always hated and I got the "why don't you stay home" sessions from them both. <br />It does get easier, just a matter of waiting it out. Sometimes we were lucky to find another family where the mum didn't work, and I paid her to have my kids during the holidays - it was cheaper but you do have to have trust in the other mum!<br />Sympathies and good luck, maybe you could run your own Daddy Daycare for other peoples kids too if you're at home with yours?The Sagittarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05513045101496737031noreply@blogger.com