Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

Raw.

Were you in the same form at Eaton as Cameron?

The EMA will be academic soon as the age limit to leave school is being raised to 18. If 16-17 year olds are getting EMA teh why don;t 11-15 years old get it. They need fares, books etc as well.

Yes but they have less need to sneak down the pub with their mates :)

They still have computer games to buy - all my son's friends who get the ema spend it on 'toys' of one description or another.

Most of my son's friends as well. They can't believe the government gives them pocket money to go to school.

Perhaps you children have a limited circle of friends.

So speaketh Billy Nomates.

Hilary.

Perhaps, it is a pity that your father didn't have any Mates.

Hilary
He still has his school friend Stan

Here's an idea. Instead of giving them 30 a week and getting them used to living on money for nothing from the state how about paying them for some kind of community work if they want the money.

I'd never heard of this EMA thing until a couple of weeks ago. Can any child in the sixth form get it?

"EMA has now closed to new applicants. No applications are being accepted for the scheme."

I take it that means NO then, Doc.

It only applies if the household income is less than 30k then you receive different amounts in bands. It stopped for new entrants on Jan 1 this year. EMA will only be paid up to the end of this academic year for current recipients.

up to 20,817 per year 30 per week
20,818 - 25,521 per year 20 a week
25,522 - 30,810 per year 10 a week

Oh, I see. So presumably it's all part of the last Labour government's attempt to manipulate the employment statistics by bribing the dimwits to stay at school?

Fred, this will be my last response to you.

I certainly wasn't privileged enough to get anywhere near eton but what I have done is worked damned hard for everything I have with nothing but hassle from the public sector (hence my slight but understandable bias.)

If i wanted spending money when at school I got a job. I didn't expect to be bribed by the state, nor did I rely on my parents. It is easy to buy loyalty from youngsters who don't understand the consequences (and i'm not that old myself.)

.

hilary
It was also an attempt to get kids to vote Labour in gratitude.

I guess stunts like that which prey on innocents just go to show what low-life scumbags Labour really are, Haystack.

There is a certain amount of EMA jealousy at my son's college. A number of kids getting EMA wear designer gear and get plenty of pocket money as well. Their parents are on benefits and have 'cash' jobs as well.

One of the kids lives in a household where there are several adults with 'cash' jobs. A relative owns several restaurants and all the family works for cash in them. They have a large coucil house, which is free because of benefits. There are huge plasma screens all though the house and they have several nearly new cars. They are asylum seekers from a country where there is no problem with them going back. They were let in under Labour.