A bit of a coincidence writing about the cost of childcare then seeing the Guardian has written a much better article I ever could.
Summer holidays cost parents £8.6bn apparently. It says parents will spend an average of £660 per child over the next 6 weeks. I won't spend that much, I haven't got that much though it works out to £100 a week. Easily spent....
I was thinking see, as I was scrubbing the cooker, that London may have all these free museums and parks (if you don't go to Tory held Battersea where they want to start charging children), but this is the first summer I'm not carrying my son on the back of my bike.
That means a bus or tube to all these free places, free events.
Fuck.
Of course on any day trips I'll bring sandwiches and tap water. No canteen lunch for us!
There's a kung-fu week that costs £90 for the week..food, entertainment, training etc all in. Parents have said what a good deal it is. It might be, depending on what you're looking through. Shame they don't do credit... I could try ask the Foca... Means I could guiltlessly do my pub job...
I'm looking forward to hanging out with my boy though. Might be the last year he looks forward to hanging out with me!!
Here's the article
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2011/jul/22/summer-holidays-cost-uk-parents?CMP=twt_fd
Though to end I have to say the only way to avoid the high costs of childcare, whether you outsource it or do it yourself, is not to have children at all.
Helpful aren't I?
Friday, 22 July 2011
End of term, end of year!!
A year ago I was in tears not knowing if my son would be at his school this year, as we faced our imminent eviction.
His school report came back on Monday - fantastic. He's above average for everything except music and pe where he's at the national average for his age.
He bought his work home two days ago, and I know I'm biased but his stuff's brilliant! I've been reading through it all, like his viking work for History: "Dear diary, How dare them, I just want to kill them but that would be a ruin to God's creation. How stinky are they, they smell like dead fish!"
I'm really proud of him for trying so hard and doing so well. I'm really proud of the school for challenging him and encouraging him.
He's going back in September, into Year 4 - blimey doesn't time flash fast! I will keep praying all the dreams I have for his education, stay on the path that they are on now.
It means I must continue to live here, somehow... or be lucky enough to bid for somewhere in this catchment my boy has lived all his life.
Let me not think about that though. Let me simply enjoy the time we are going to have together.
Maybe some of his school friends will be kicking around over the holidays. That would be good, I know that's what he would like!
Happy end of scchool year if you have children too! Always a poignant moment!
His school report came back on Monday - fantastic. He's above average for everything except music and pe where he's at the national average for his age.
He bought his work home two days ago, and I know I'm biased but his stuff's brilliant! I've been reading through it all, like his viking work for History: "Dear diary, How dare them, I just want to kill them but that would be a ruin to God's creation. How stinky are they, they smell like dead fish!"
I'm really proud of him for trying so hard and doing so well. I'm really proud of the school for challenging him and encouraging him.
He's going back in September, into Year 4 - blimey doesn't time flash fast! I will keep praying all the dreams I have for his education, stay on the path that they are on now.
It means I must continue to live here, somehow... or be lucky enough to bid for somewhere in this catchment my boy has lived all his life.
Let me not think about that though. Let me simply enjoy the time we are going to have together.
Maybe some of his school friends will be kicking around over the holidays. That would be good, I know that's what he would like!
Happy end of scchool year if you have children too! Always a poignant moment!
Don't begrudge me working mothers...
The summer holidays are upon us!
Phew!
Phew?
I am fortunate I haven't had to battle to find my son childcare in a market where many centres are closing down due to the cuts in government funding. Monday morning my son and I can get up at our leisure and then plan what to do, together.
He's allowed to sit in the pub with me, not ideal, but at least there's no panicking to find someone or some place to take him while I work there.
Why then am I saying don't begrudge me working mothers?
A meeting last night, at the school, about the after school club. A preliminary meeting about what to do now council funding has reduced.
I'd been called in the morning asking whether I could represent those with concessions.
I was late getting there so listened to the various models being discussed - two members of staff, school governer, four parents including me, thrashing out ideas.
Then one says that the service could be "considered a "luxury" for those on income support who " don't actually need the service."
I said nothing, just smiled at one of the members of staff, as with her fingers she put the word "luxury" in quotations. Well, you do have to be careful what you say....
Not long after this, following a discussion on the number of concessions vs the number of full paying parents, this mother says she is a single mother and needs the service because she works.
Then she say that her son goes to a football club twice a week that costs her £3. £3 a week! My turn to think "lucky you!" Lucky, all kinds of children, disadvantaged or not.
The discussion banded around different models - get more parents paying full price? Reduce the ratio of concessions? No-one wants to lose this service and no-one wants to see existing staff face redundancy because the costs can't be met.
I spoke up at the end but citing my pub job, not my volunteering. Citing the paid stuff, not the unpaid stuff backing myself up with figures I was given at the citizen's advice bureau.
"It's an emotional issue," said the governer and unfortunately yes it is..
I failed to articulate any kind of defence for mothers on "income support". I know so many and most of them through the volunteering I do. I thought of Lucky and her mental breakdowns, other mother's I've met who are under so much pressure it is actually better for their child to be in the safety of the school/playcentre. I didn't say that though. No! Public speaking isn't my strong point... practice my weakness though, isn't that what I wrote yesterday?!
The purpose of this post as I digress further and further into all this, is the greatest assumptions made on "income support" mothers are often made by single working mothers, in my experience anyway. Maybe they feel that they can point the finger and they are only saying what other people are thinking. The mother yesterday didn't know I was a stigmum, though did at the end...things are never as clear as you think they are, we should all try to support one another really through these inflammatory issues....
I want after school clubs in all schools to keep going. Can they? Will they? In deprived areas too?
I do not know the best model but do know that if the number of concessions is reduced, a whole load of single working mothers as well as single non working but other stuff going on mothers will be fucked. Lone fathers too, of course, but they don't get peoples heckles up quite so much when discussing entitlement or access to things....
Monday morning my son's childcare has been outsourced - to me!
I don't know what we will do but it's London. There's the science or history museums, Tate or National or Portrait galleries, all free if it's raining. There's the heath where I shall spend endless hours being goalie. There are other things going on that you have to pay for. Very little is cheap.
Affordable childcare. The bane of many a parents' life.
(Unless they are a banker in which case they have scooped up some of £14bn in bonuses in this last financial year - £2bn more than in 2008/2009 according to the Mirror. "More than 323 staff at state-run Royal Bank of Scotland shared a pay and bonus pot of £375 million - an average of 1.16million each." (20/7/11p.14) Gosh, one could take ones nanny on holiday with them with that kind of cash....how kind the government to cut their tax and cut your services.... I don't know what more I can say...)
Phew!
Phew?
I am fortunate I haven't had to battle to find my son childcare in a market where many centres are closing down due to the cuts in government funding. Monday morning my son and I can get up at our leisure and then plan what to do, together.
He's allowed to sit in the pub with me, not ideal, but at least there's no panicking to find someone or some place to take him while I work there.
Why then am I saying don't begrudge me working mothers?
A meeting last night, at the school, about the after school club. A preliminary meeting about what to do now council funding has reduced.
I'd been called in the morning asking whether I could represent those with concessions.
I was late getting there so listened to the various models being discussed - two members of staff, school governer, four parents including me, thrashing out ideas.
Then one says that the service could be "considered a "luxury" for those on income support who " don't actually need the service."
I said nothing, just smiled at one of the members of staff, as with her fingers she put the word "luxury" in quotations. Well, you do have to be careful what you say....
Not long after this, following a discussion on the number of concessions vs the number of full paying parents, this mother says she is a single mother and needs the service because she works.
Then she say that her son goes to a football club twice a week that costs her £3. £3 a week! My turn to think "lucky you!" Lucky, all kinds of children, disadvantaged or not.
The discussion banded around different models - get more parents paying full price? Reduce the ratio of concessions? No-one wants to lose this service and no-one wants to see existing staff face redundancy because the costs can't be met.
I spoke up at the end but citing my pub job, not my volunteering. Citing the paid stuff, not the unpaid stuff backing myself up with figures I was given at the citizen's advice bureau.
"It's an emotional issue," said the governer and unfortunately yes it is..
I failed to articulate any kind of defence for mothers on "income support". I know so many and most of them through the volunteering I do. I thought of Lucky and her mental breakdowns, other mother's I've met who are under so much pressure it is actually better for their child to be in the safety of the school/playcentre. I didn't say that though. No! Public speaking isn't my strong point... practice my weakness though, isn't that what I wrote yesterday?!
The purpose of this post as I digress further and further into all this, is the greatest assumptions made on "income support" mothers are often made by single working mothers, in my experience anyway. Maybe they feel that they can point the finger and they are only saying what other people are thinking. The mother yesterday didn't know I was a stigmum, though did at the end...things are never as clear as you think they are, we should all try to support one another really through these inflammatory issues....
I want after school clubs in all schools to keep going. Can they? Will they? In deprived areas too?
I do not know the best model but do know that if the number of concessions is reduced, a whole load of single working mothers as well as single non working but other stuff going on mothers will be fucked. Lone fathers too, of course, but they don't get peoples heckles up quite so much when discussing entitlement or access to things....
Monday morning my son's childcare has been outsourced - to me!
I don't know what we will do but it's London. There's the science or history museums, Tate or National or Portrait galleries, all free if it's raining. There's the heath where I shall spend endless hours being goalie. There are other things going on that you have to pay for. Very little is cheap.
Affordable childcare. The bane of many a parents' life.
(Unless they are a banker in which case they have scooped up some of £14bn in bonuses in this last financial year - £2bn more than in 2008/2009 according to the Mirror. "More than 323 staff at state-run Royal Bank of Scotland shared a pay and bonus pot of £375 million - an average of 1.16million each." (20/7/11p.14) Gosh, one could take ones nanny on holiday with them with that kind of cash....how kind the government to cut their tax and cut your services.... I don't know what more I can say...)
Thursday, 21 July 2011
While everyone's obsessed with Hackgate
While everyone (by that I mean press and politicians) are all obsessed with Hackgate (and what a story it is so I'm not surprised) the wheels of parliamentary legislations continue to whirr in the background.
I heard on Monday (monday?) that the coalition had earmarked $1bn of NHS services to be put out to 'competition' and of the services likely to be privatised, children in wheelchairs is one....
Very sneaky, very very sneaky...There should be rows about this in the commons but the Tories are probably well happy Miliband won't let go of the coulson/bskyb/ thread so they can pass through a few more punitive policies.
Yesterday I got an email from a guy at Shelter telling me the House of Lords were discussing the housing stages of the localism bill which of course has massive ramifications for everybody.
I was surprised he gave me the link but simultaneously really grateful aswell. I contacted him ages ago to ask if he'd write to Dobson see but they're working on similar projects. This one directly affects me and I write of course on behalf of those in similar situations to me.
I emailed him back asking if Shelter were taking any volunteers in its policy and research departments and he said to keep an eye out for adverts but they do have a "large number of applications"...
Heart sinkage, if you can imagine my heart sinking. The competition not only for jobs, but the competition to work for free... I did all that trying to get into journalism....
Yeah, so while everyone's obsessed with Hackgate I'm feeling a little defeated...the housing bills are going through which I spent two years trying to avert the damage it will cause.
Ah well, best get down the pub. Last week there was a punter there reading the Sun.
"Why do you?" I asked him. "Instead of say, the Mirror?"
"Sport" he replied.
Yep, down at the Last of the Locals, they know who Murdoch is but he isn't someone or this saga something they really care about.
Make mine a double...
I heard on Monday (monday?) that the coalition had earmarked $1bn of NHS services to be put out to 'competition' and of the services likely to be privatised, children in wheelchairs is one....
Very sneaky, very very sneaky...There should be rows about this in the commons but the Tories are probably well happy Miliband won't let go of the coulson/bskyb/ thread so they can pass through a few more punitive policies.
Yesterday I got an email from a guy at Shelter telling me the House of Lords were discussing the housing stages of the localism bill which of course has massive ramifications for everybody.
I was surprised he gave me the link but simultaneously really grateful aswell. I contacted him ages ago to ask if he'd write to Dobson see but they're working on similar projects. This one directly affects me and I write of course on behalf of those in similar situations to me.
I emailed him back asking if Shelter were taking any volunteers in its policy and research departments and he said to keep an eye out for adverts but they do have a "large number of applications"...
Heart sinkage, if you can imagine my heart sinking. The competition not only for jobs, but the competition to work for free... I did all that trying to get into journalism....
Yeah, so while everyone's obsessed with Hackgate I'm feeling a little defeated...the housing bills are going through which I spent two years trying to avert the damage it will cause.
Ah well, best get down the pub. Last week there was a punter there reading the Sun.
"Why do you?" I asked him. "Instead of say, the Mirror?"
"Sport" he replied.
Yep, down at the Last of the Locals, they know who Murdoch is but he isn't someone or this saga something they really care about.
Make mine a double...
Behind the Murdoch masks...
On Tuesday, while Murdoch & Son were being grilled by the Select Committee, I went down to parliament to protest!
Later a Guardian journalist asked me why I'd come and I said: "I don't know!" because, well, I didn't!
My friend had called saying she was going down to Parliament, and although I had to be at a meeting somewhere else, I thought it would be quite cool to go with her and catch the vibe.
We got there and my friend goes: "There they are!" and I'm like: "Who?"
A good looking guy in a suit, another good looking guy not in a suit. A pile of t-shirts at their feet with another pile of masks with Murdoch senior's face on next to those.
"Ooh! I know them! They're the puppeteers!"
It was surreal I tell you, peering out of those masks at all the photographers, some of them coming up so close you thought they could see you through the card.
My heart was beating and I was feeling all flushed and sweaty (like Murdoch junior looked when I later caught the programme on my return home) as though I was doing something wrong, which I wasn't (which is more than Murdoch's junior can say given recent cheque sign offs to hide criminal corporate malpractice...)
That night I watched the news to see if I could see my murdochself but it seems our gathering was eclipsed by a man who'd managed to sneak into the committee room and throw a foam pie at Murdoch senior, and in pure, can't make it up theatricals, Murdoch senior's wife springing into action in kung-fu like fashion throwing the pie back into the protester's face!!!
I've been trying this morning to upload an image of the sea of murdoch faces of which I was one but I can't.
I don't know how other bloggers do it, I pressed the 'add image' icon, but nothing doing but anyway, hope you get the picture!!
Here's the url which isn't quite the same as having the image there but hey ho, just felt like sharing mine and stigs adventure!
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2011/7/20/1311181614160/Avaaz-demonstrates-outsid-008.jpg
Oh, and I did tell one journalist that I was leader of the I Don't Know party, which roughly translates as knowing why I was there but unable to articulate it, so don't quote me, unlike my friend who gave two really quite fabulous interviews about how there needs to be a change of culture in our media!
You gotta play to your strengths see, but nothing wrong in practicing your weaknesses...another time perhaps, another time!
Later a Guardian journalist asked me why I'd come and I said: "I don't know!" because, well, I didn't!
My friend had called saying she was going down to Parliament, and although I had to be at a meeting somewhere else, I thought it would be quite cool to go with her and catch the vibe.
We got there and my friend goes: "There they are!" and I'm like: "Who?"
A good looking guy in a suit, another good looking guy not in a suit. A pile of t-shirts at their feet with another pile of masks with Murdoch senior's face on next to those.
"Ooh! I know them! They're the puppeteers!"
It was surreal I tell you, peering out of those masks at all the photographers, some of them coming up so close you thought they could see you through the card.
My heart was beating and I was feeling all flushed and sweaty (like Murdoch junior looked when I later caught the programme on my return home) as though I was doing something wrong, which I wasn't (which is more than Murdoch's junior can say given recent cheque sign offs to hide criminal corporate malpractice...)
That night I watched the news to see if I could see my murdochself but it seems our gathering was eclipsed by a man who'd managed to sneak into the committee room and throw a foam pie at Murdoch senior, and in pure, can't make it up theatricals, Murdoch senior's wife springing into action in kung-fu like fashion throwing the pie back into the protester's face!!!
I've been trying this morning to upload an image of the sea of murdoch faces of which I was one but I can't.
I don't know how other bloggers do it, I pressed the 'add image' icon, but nothing doing but anyway, hope you get the picture!!
Here's the url which isn't quite the same as having the image there but hey ho, just felt like sharing mine and stigs adventure!
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2011/7/20/1311181614160/Avaaz-demonstrates-outsid-008.jpg
Oh, and I did tell one journalist that I was leader of the I Don't Know party, which roughly translates as knowing why I was there but unable to articulate it, so don't quote me, unlike my friend who gave two really quite fabulous interviews about how there needs to be a change of culture in our media!
You gotta play to your strengths see, but nothing wrong in practicing your weaknesses...another time perhaps, another time!
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Cover-up or coincidence - the dead whistleblower?
You can't make up how this phone hacking story is unfolding - executives resigning, police commissioners resigning - but I did not expect the shock I got last night.
Having watched the brilliant and damning Panorama documentary where an ex News of the World journalist, Sean Hoare, agreed to be filmed blowing the whistle on his old employers if his solicitor was present, I went onto Twitter for some mental company, for my head was full of it. Following a 'trend' would be like talking about the programme, hearing what other people thought about it, 'discussing' it in 140 characters.
There I discovered that Sean Hoare had been found dead at his flat that morning.
I was so shocked.
I'm still shocked.
It's all over the front pages this morning - The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Mail.
His death is "unexplained" but "not suspicious".
It's a blinding coincidence in a local scandal that's finding its way Stateside with each passing day where Murdoch has so much more to lose.
I can't help myself though, all these "unexplained" deaths.
That man Kelly, over the weapons of mass destruction thing, was said to have committed suicide which was contested and contested by people who knew him.
Jennyfer Spencer wrote a note to the CNJ asking them to investigate her death then died and suicide was ruled out in her case, and it was accepted as "unexplained" - Unexplained? Didn't she explain it? In her note?
You just don't know do you?
But England's not as twee and lovely as I like to think it is because the world isn't as twee and lovely as we all know it isn't.
Did you get in the way Mr Hoare?
Thank you for your bravery.
Rest in peace.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/18/news-of-the-world-sean-hoare
Having watched the brilliant and damning Panorama documentary where an ex News of the World journalist, Sean Hoare, agreed to be filmed blowing the whistle on his old employers if his solicitor was present, I went onto Twitter for some mental company, for my head was full of it. Following a 'trend' would be like talking about the programme, hearing what other people thought about it, 'discussing' it in 140 characters.
There I discovered that Sean Hoare had been found dead at his flat that morning.
I was so shocked.
I'm still shocked.
It's all over the front pages this morning - The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Mail.
His death is "unexplained" but "not suspicious".
It's a blinding coincidence in a local scandal that's finding its way Stateside with each passing day where Murdoch has so much more to lose.
I can't help myself though, all these "unexplained" deaths.
That man Kelly, over the weapons of mass destruction thing, was said to have committed suicide which was contested and contested by people who knew him.
Jennyfer Spencer wrote a note to the CNJ asking them to investigate her death then died and suicide was ruled out in her case, and it was accepted as "unexplained" - Unexplained? Didn't she explain it? In her note?
You just don't know do you?
But England's not as twee and lovely as I like to think it is because the world isn't as twee and lovely as we all know it isn't.
Did you get in the way Mr Hoare?
Thank you for your bravery.
Rest in peace.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/jul/18/news-of-the-world-sean-hoare
Monday, 18 July 2011
The hacking scandal - the movie
I've been desperate for a bit of humour surrounding the News International hacking scandal with its twists and turns and dips into farce (news international execs grilled by MPs tomorrow and saying they won't answer all questions...)
Oh the intrigue!!
I love this!
Oh the intrigue!!
I love this!
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