17 March 2008

The "Family-Friendly" Conservatives

I always get a bit confused when David Cameron starts talking about being family-friendly.

Cameron wants to take the UK out of the EU's Social Chapter ... which would remove legal protection for part-time workers and end the rights of women to extend maternity leave.

With the EU Social Chapter, 7 million part-time workers have gained protection against discrimination. 4 million parents have gained the right to take unpaid parental leave. Everyone with a caring responsibility has the right to take unpaid emergency leave.
So, er, not families that have caring responsibilities for older parents, or families that depend on part-time work, or, basically, families with women in them?

David Cameron doesn't want you to pay attention to what he was saying in March 2007, that withdrawal from the EU Social Chapter would be a "top priority."

He wants to keep up the marketing job, the spin exercise, and expose his young family to TV camera attention, and build an image of being family-friendly, when he's preparing anti-family policies as soon as he's elected.

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