Children, Children, Children
Monday, November 13, 2006
It's been a day of 'For God's sake think about the children' in Welsh politics today.
First, the Conservatives promised to change the 9 to 5 culture of the British workplace.
Alun Cairns, the Welsh Tories' Enterprise spokesman, told me that he wants businesses to become more flexible, so that parents can fit their work around parenting routines.
The Tories will give rate relief to businesses that change their ways, so that more parents can pick their children up from the nursery at midday, as Alun does.
But Plaid think they've trumped that: they'll give parents money towards childcare.
Ieuan Wyn Jones, Plaid's leader, told me that if they are elected in May's Assembly elections they'll make sure every family has access to cheap, affordable child care.
And all this on the back of Labour's pledge on Saturday to eradicate child poverty by 2020.
No word yet on childcare from the Welsh Lib Dems. They obviously haven't heard that over one in four Welsh children live in poverty.
But it won't be long before we hear from the Lib Dems too. Most of the political parties have realised that children aren't voters, but they *are* vote winners. Expect many more family friendly policy announcements in the run up to May.
Labels: Alun Cairns, Child poverty, Ieuan Wyn Jones, Labour, Lib Dems, Plaid Cymru, Tories, Welsh Assembly Election 2007
posted by Blamerbell @ 5:58 pm,
