I suppose if you contract out your ideals to the market then there is no case to answer

@michael_merrick That’s not what she’s getting hammered for. And gosh if only she were a member of the governing party & so could do something about it.

@LeeDon1982 Oh yes, the replies are choc full of people disagreeing not at all on principle, but only on the fact it hasnt been implemented

@michael_merrick The actual proposals are to make places "available." There's no mention of pressure or compulsion.

@TomABacon Agreed

@michael_merrick That's not what her tweet said. She misrepresented the Labour policy and deserves the metaphorical hammering.

@drpaulitious It was part of a thread, which said this explicitly, which was drawing upon years of her saying this, explicitly, which is why lots of the criticism is about her saying this, explicitly

@michael_merrick Perhaps if @Conservatives had not based its offer on high house prices @miriam_cates might have a soap box to stand on

@michael_merrick Naturally. Even the mildest defence of parental opportunity to be with their own young children will precipitate a meltdown. The choice for politicians is whether to be forthright or cravenly dishonest about this issue. @miriam_cates deserves credit here.

@michael_merrick She’s right.

@michael_merrick It’s pathetically predictable. Speaking to mums at school it’s clear that they’re happy with a little work, but their kids are their priority and they don’t live to work.

@michael_merrick Astonishing the number of people who are happy to see themselves as little more than cogs in the barely functioning GDP machine

@MrsBurgin I think you've got this the wrong way round - many parents can't *choose* to stay home with their kids, and all the incentives and taxpayer funding is on subsidising not doing so, evennif they want to. Seems reasonably and right to point this out, continually.

@michael_merrick No, she’s getting hammered for criticising Labour’s support for people that need to go back to work because they can’t afford not to.

@michael_merrick It’s amazing how the govt will pay anyone to look after children apart from their parents 🥹

@michael_merrick She’s an MP in a party that has made either option almost impossible for most parents. I can’t trust anything she says.

@michael_merrick It’s not “pressuring women to get back to work” to give them the option of childcare so they can choose to go back if they want to.

@michael_merrick One of Labour’s other commitments is to longer statutory maternity and paternity leave, and a review of shared parental leave. Those are policies to make it possible for parents to care for their babies for longer.

@michael_merrick There is maternity and paternity leave. Something the Tories want to get rid . She doesn’t want paid maternity or paternity leave either because she is a greedy Tory. She doesn’t want child benefit either for more than two kids.