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May 19, 2006
Undoing Thatcherism -one piece at a time.
Oh so the Govt. is going to do something about school dinners is it?
Just as a historical footnote can I point out that we got into this mess only because of a Thatcherite drive to cut public spending way back in the Eighties. Back in the day such essential services as providing school meals was done ‘inhouse’ so to speak, but suddenly schools were given their own budgets and forced to contract out to outside caterers - often going to the cheapest bidder in order to save money. So in came the outside catering business' with their unhealthy but cheap and popular-with-the-kids foodstuffs - thus all the frozen ready meals, the pizza and chips, the burger and chips, the chicken nuggets and chips, all washed down with fizzy cola drinks.
(Mmmmm I'm hungry now.)
I also haven't heard mention in these news items that providing proper decent meals might not be that easy - what with schools tied into long-term contracts with their caterers (to get a better cheaper deal, which they won'tbe able to break without occuring financial penalties) and that the kitchens in newer schools have been built with the thinking that their only purpose to defrost meals -cooking anything from scratch just isn't an option.
It’s notable that the Conservatives of that era weren’t known for their carefully thought-out planning and understanding of possible long term consequences (that quite a few Tories were always 'up before the beak' for various misdemeanours and sometimes even ended up in prison is testimony to that.)
The other great drive to cut public spending that ended with long term consequences that continues to haunt us was that great idea to contract out Hospital cleaning to outside firms…
Another one was the great pensions debacle.
The further irony of this was it was all supposed to save on public spending (IE tax-payers money) - which Thatcher then completely blew for herself by bringing in her pet project -the poll tax. Years later everywhere is still burdened by high local council taxes yet year upon year of endless cutbacks has obviously meant less and less public services and what's left being of a poorer and poorer quality. So, very well done everyone. Well done.
Posted by groc on May 19, 2006 08:26 AM