EMA

[Libertine]

God I love you.

xD Gayer.

[Samilktray]

xD Gayer.

[Libertine]

Oh, so that's how you wanna act is it?!

Bring it.

[Samilktray]

Oh, so that's how you wanna act is it?!

Bring it.

Gigidy.

[Sods]

I dont get EMA.

Im not really bothered by it either.

[Libertine]

I dont get EMA.

Im not really bothered by it either.

Thanks for that.

[The People's Hero]

I never intended this to get personal - and in my view it hasn't.

I apologise to anyone who does feel offended by it.

I've given my views and explained them.

As for Flynny, I do feel I should say something. Although the system itself has a number of clear flaws, I'm pleased that it has worked out for you. You are obviously an intelligent chap - in fact, I often forget how 'young' you are - you should take that as a comliment. Well done on getting in to Bristol. You've obviously worked hard for it and there is no reason to believe you won't continue to. This is a victory for the system.

I don't think EMA is evil - I just think for the money being spent out, it could have been done a bit better.

But I'm going to drop this now. It's getting a bit heated on some fronts and I don't want to upset anyone... I am afterall an outsider taking something of an objective point of view.

[Sods]

Thanks for that.

No worries.

[BigGibbo]

I never intended this to get personal - and in my view it hasn't.

I apologise to anyone who does feel offended by it.

I've given my views and explained them.

As for Flynny, I do feel I should say something. Although the system itself has a number of clear flaws, I'm pleased that it has worked out for you. You are obviously an intelligent chap - in fact, I often forget how 'young' you are - you should take that as a comliment. Well done on getting in to Bristol. You've obviously worked hard for it and there is no reason to believe you won't continue to. This is a victory for the system.

I don't think EMA is evil - I just think for the money being spent out, it could have been done a bit better.

But I'm going to drop this now. It's getting a bit heated on some fronts and I don't want to upset anyone... I am afterall an outsider taking something of an objective point of view.

Don't be so soft, you haven't said anything wrong!

[Libertine]

TPH

That's the thing, I complete agree with your points about people using it on sh*te. It should go to a few select people who genuinely need it.

[The People's Hero]

Don't be so soft, you haven't said anything wrong!

Well, that goes without saying, but sometimes you have to let people think what they want to think. Agree to disagree. You can only argue for so long. It's fine when there is scope for progress, agreement etc, but in this case I don't think its the case.

[Flynny]

Re-phrase to "...it stops kids who get EMA working all hours and neglecting their college work..."

What about the kids whose household income is above the threshold who don't get EMA? Is it OK for them to be working all hours just because their parents earn more than others?

The government has made this global assumption that anyone who earns more than the income threshold has disposable income of up to £120 per month per child.

The scheme is seriously flawed. I'm not against EMA as long as everybody or nobody is eligible as I said many posts ago, together with more sensible proposals for its application (see http://www.foxestalk.co.uk/forums/index.ph...&p=1118448)

Awarding EMA should be nothing to do with household income. It should be based upon the child's performance at school pre-16 and thereby encouraging the child to take responsibility for whether he/she receives it or not.

How can it be based upon a figure regardless of how many dependant children that figure has to support in the family environment.

As it stands, EMA is a devisive, ill thought-out scheme.

Higher income correlates very strongly to higher grades. The point of EMA isn't to be an award for "achievement" because the highest achievers are usually already pretty well off as it happens. What balls.

TPH: Cheers mate, sorry for the guilt trip and sorry if it seems solely aimed at you. It wasn't.

Don't be so soft, you haven't said anything wrong!

Feelings and logic don't match up too well. A lot of people haven't said too much wrong but when people seem to feel so strongly against something thats helped you it can still be upsetting even if their arguments are sound. Unfortunately half the arguments in this thread aren't sound in the slightest anyway. I should probably remember this next time I attempt to tear theists a new one, anyway.

[The People's Hero]

No worries.

We should have another thread like this one though - it's been fun.

Perhaps we should avoid EMA and religious issues for a bit though!

[Bert]

Its a fooking con, im in college, and do my parents give me £30 a week, for my college stuff, do they bollocks, yes they give me my food, and drink when im at home, but clothes, pens, pencils, etc i have to pay for with my job, (although they have just paid £40 for college books/ trip money) and £25 car parking pass.

but people in my class who get EMA spend it on Fags, Booze, and drivin, lessons, all because their parents didnt try hard when they were at school.

Its a **** con i tell you, **** con

I can see the point you tried to make. But it was worded very poorly, maybe you should take up English for your studies.

The statement you actually made was very silly. Some people have learning difficulties and lots of other reasons why they don't do so well at school. To say people recieve EMA because "their parents didn't try hard enough in school" is unbelievable. I'm sure every single parent tries to give thier children the best upbringing that they possibly can.

There is a number of reasons why people get EMA as already covered in this thread so I won't go any further, but just think before you post next time, especially on a topic where things can get personal.

[Flynny]

No worries.

We should have another thread like this one though - it's been fun.

Perhaps we should avoid EMA and religious issues for a bit though!

Traffic wardens it is then.

[Libertine]

Traffic wardens it is then.

Get a life.

Hamsters please.

[Bert]

Traffic wardens it is then.

Good call.

[AoWW]

Get a life.

Hamsters please.

I had a hamster once. He was called Toffee. I left my Mum in charge of him when I went to Uni... she claims he died but I'm convinced she buried him alive while he was hibernating.

[The People's Hero]

I had a hamster once. He was called Toffee. I left my Mum in charge of him when I went to Uni... she claims he died but I'm convinced she buried him alive while he was hibernating.

Justice for Toffee.

Perhaps an exhumation and post-mortem in in order?

[lcfc_jme]

Its a fooking con, im in college, and do my parents give me £30 a week, for my college stuff, do they bollocks, yes they give me my food, and drink when im at home, but clothes, pens, pencils, etc i have to pay for with my job, (although they have just paid £40 for college books/ trip money) and £25 car parking pass.

but people in my class who get EMA spend it on Fags, Booze, and drivin, lessons, all because their parents didnt try hard when they were at school.

Its a **** con i tell you, **** con

You're a complete **** sometimes, you really are. If I didn't know better, I'd suggest that you were just bitter because you don't get EMA.

I see the point you tried to make, but my word you sound like a ****. Yes, people who get EMA are lucky in some respects, as it's free money, really. I can also see why you think it disadvantages people from more affluent backgrounds, as they don't get this "free money" on acount of what their parents earn. Harsh, yes. But the people from more affluent backgrounds are generally better off in many other respects than those who receive the full £30 EMA. Maybe the people not receiving EMA have to go out to work, and people feel that disadvantages them in their studies. And maybe the people who get EMA (Jesus what a stereotypical view) don't work and instead blow it all on booze, fags and God knows what else. Probably drugs in your deluded mind as they so clearly don't care about their studies, just the money. Hmm.

On a different note, the system is flawed and it's easy to con it so you can still receive EMA regardless of what your parents earn. Many of my friends at college did it, a lot didn't. Depends on the person.

For the record, I like the principal of the EMA system, though its application isn't so great. I got £30 EMA every week, but I still had myself a part-time job (which I received a lot of mockage for) and had time to concentrate on studies as well. And I'll be going to uni in 2 weeks, as you yourself know.

That's the thing, I complete agree with your points about people using it on sh*te. It should go to a few select people who genuinely need it.

You mean like spending it on Leicester games??

I agree with your last point though, pal.

[Guest]

I clearly wasn't defending the basic concept of EMA, I was defending the "typical recepient". The type of people that don't seem very popular judging by some of the assumptions made, not just by you, by by other people on here.

I think that the "mobile phone shouting / picnic eating in libraries" comment by Lisa proves my point.

How long have you been at Uni? My statement is based upon fact and personal experience.

Can be wrong =/= IS wrong.

EMA is a financial carrot to encourage people to stay on, it's not the same as being "pushed" which implies a hefty bit more stick. Not only this, but it stops kids working all hours and neglecting their college work, for the most part.

I can say honestly I'd probably not have got into Bristol without it. One of my B's was by 4 marks, if I'd have been working all my weekends I could easily have lost that. At the same time my family situation couldn't have been more dire. Mum was making about 12k, my dad fooked off for the 2nd time in 2 years, this time with another women, and he left my mum pregnant and now with kids aged 0, 16 and 19. I'm the first person in my family going to university and I'm going to a fucking good one. It's a miniscule amount of money in context and if it helps one kid in a hundred it's fucking worth it. Frankly I don't give two shits if half of you aren't trying to be personal, it's insulting.

Good for you, I am glad you made it. I would like to add that I was the first person to get into Uni in my family. I qualified for the full grant because my parents did not earn huge amounts of money. I managed this without any financial handouts from the government, and had to work for any spending money.

My problem is with the concept that undecided teenagers need a cash incentive to stay on past the age of 16. There have been, and always will be, those who come from lower income families that stay on. I'm sure it must be nice to be paid for the privilege. But you can't deny that EMA isn't seen as a way for some teens to stay on at school or college, who would not have stayed on if that money wasn't available and have done so because they see it as the easy option. However nobody has suggested that all 6th formers are like this.

The other point is it doesn't stop kids working all hours. It stops some kids from working all hours. This government bangs on about equality and getting kids from all backgrounds into further education, but it's not is it. There is no level playing field. There are some kids whose parents fall outside the criteria, but in real terms the families are no better off than those that fall within it! This suggests to me that it is not an aid, designed to stop students from needing to work, but a bribe to encourage more students to satisfy government targets.

As I have previously said, I would rather the money went towards helping those at University with fees and living costs to deal with, and not younger students still living at home, and benefitting from free education.

[James.]

As I have previously said, I would rather the money went towards helping those at University with fees and living costs to deal with, and not younger students still living at home, and benefitting from free education.

That's it. There it is. In a nutshell.

Plus you need a bigger fund for alcohol and drugs at university than you do at school. So you will be glad for it in the long run.

[Dr The Singh]

That's it. There it is. In a nutshell.

Plus you need a bigger fund for alcohol and drugs at university than you do at school. So you will be glad for it in the long run.

Just to add my 2 pence piece, EMA stinks, majority will gain nothing interms of education and study!! £30 is nowhere enough for the real poor to remian in education. Those that really want to study would do without EMA. The negative aspects of how the money could be spend outway the positives, there's no control and justification on where the money actually will be spent!!

[Tabou]

I hate the fact I have no internet at home. I miss all the good discusions!

Depeche Mode were right, enjoy the silence.

[Wycombe Fox]

Good for you, I am glad you made it. I would like to add that I was the first person to get into Uni in my family. I qualified for the full grant because my parents did not earn huge amounts of money. I managed this without any financial handouts from the government, and had to work for any spending money.

My problem is with the concept that undecided teenagers need a cash incentive to stay on past the age of 16. There have been, and always will be, those who come from lower income families that stay on. I'm sure it must be nice to be paid for the privilege. But you can't deny that EMA isn't seen as a way for some teens to stay on at school or college, who would not have stayed on if that money wasn't available and have done so because they see it as the easy option. However nobody has suggested that all 6th formers are like this.

The other point is it doesn't stop kids working all hours. It stops some kids from working all hours. This government bangs on about equality and getting kids from all backgrounds into further education, but it's not is it. There is no level playing field. There are some kids whose parents fall outside the criteria, but in real terms the families are no better off than those that fall within it! This suggests to me that it is not an aid, designed to stop students from needing to work, but a bribe to encourage more students to satisfy government targets.

As I have previously said, I would rather the money went towards helping those at University with fees and living costs to deal with, and not younger students still living at home, and benefitting from free education.