School dinners

Warming to an old theme.

Of course, kids shouldn't eat junk, should have to, especially.
Of course, diet affects behaviour - it's been well documented that changes in prison diets change the incidence of behaviour among inmates.

No-one in their right mind could object to ensuring that, since kids have to go to school, they should be well fed there, and school dinners could and should be able to overcome dietry deficiencies from the home.

So, of course, that's what the Capitalist Party and it's faction in power are now offering. Except, it's been offered before, we used to have quality school dinners regulated by law - and free, even (for some kids). But in the 1980's, the Tories scrapped that law. As would any Government grubbing for savings in future, Labour or Tory. Reforms and benefits given with one hand can as easilly be snatched away by t'other.

And, of course, even if regulations aren't removed, they have to be enforced. That costs money, on top of the meals. Otherwise, contract caterers will try to cut corners, or well meaning school governers and head teachers desperately trying to stretch a budget.

And ultimately, this is not a free gift, not a gain for the workers. It is the people who own our world trying to allocate the money they pay in wages which is meant for raising a new generation of workers more efficiently. It'd be sntached back in taxes on lower pay rises over time.

The alternative is to ensure that everyone, children included, have free access to the food they need, at all times, not just in school. To ensure that we have sufficient time for ourselves to make cooking worthwhile. To base this on common ownership which cannot be revoked by the stroke of an accountants pen.

We've been here before, lets not go through it all again.