The taboo subject of paying people to have children.My grandmother came to town once a month on a horse and cart. Those days Jersey was no bigger but far more sparsely populated, as was the world. Then smoking was safe, as was working with asbestos cutting it with asbestos particles being inhaled. The work place as a miner all those years ago was very dangerous and the miner's favourite friend was a canary. If it keeled over in its cage deep below in the workings it meant the air was toxic and there was a good chance humans would die if they did not get out fast.
The simple point is that times change and with it perceptions and facts. Jersey and the world only sixty years ago were very different for an example the world was empty of humans compared to today.
Front page of the JEP is the story about Maternity Law. Lets get one thing right up front, I am not in any way against children, the world would be a very sad place without them.
Chief Minister Le Suer was against funding nursery places. In my opinion he was right. Free places for up to thirty hours a week was voted and agreed. This will be reduced to twenty hours a week this month as part of the austerity measures, with parents having an option to purchase back the extra ten hours.
Maternity law plans shameful says the JEP quoting Dr Elena Moran. I agree fully with the part of the article that states,
" The woman and the child need to come first, There should also be the right to split maternity leave between the mother and the father. In terms of equality women shouldn't be forced to have the child caring role. It should be up to the parents. "
Unquote.
The magic words there are its up to the parents. With the painful and traumatic physical experience of childbirth should automatically trigger time off work for the mother.
The truth of the matter is the couple has decided to become parents. The mother may have the better job. If they are so concerned about their lovely new child which one is going to give up work to nurture guide and teach or is it back to work, to earn loads of money to pay for a nanny or pre-school or possibly burden the grand-parents.
Head of the Labour party Mr Milliband has confessed that labour got it wrong by having a weak immigration policy. Edd Balls right hand man to Gordon Brown confessed that they were wrong in not regulating the banks properly. They also need to admit that the Labour Government was the main architects of the nanny state paying people to have children and trying to destroy the wonderful family unit, who accept full responsibility for looking after financially and morally their offspring.
Before critics say that the UK should be followed, they should study what a complete welfare state shambles the UK has become, in which case Jersey needs to decide for itself whether to become a nanny state and bankrupt in the process. Help to the needy without any doubt, not to those choosing to have children they are the responsibility of parents, with support for children in education and medical needs assisted by all taxpayers single or otherwise.
The article below written by a woman goes deeply into the subject, which may shock but smoking and asbestos were all thought of as the norm but are now not. The following article makes interesting if uncomfortable reading for politicians and "some" parents who rely on the welfare state to provide for their children.
Quote.
This would restore responsibility for individuals and their families, while looking after those who are truly incapable of looking after themselves, end dependency and remove the ever more intrusive control of individual lives by the state.
Instead of a welfare state which has so infantilised and demoralised us, we need a welfare society. Our culture needs to grow up at last.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/columnists/article-450789/How-welfarism-destroying-Britain.html#commentsBB
