"Time with weans'... you canny buy that"

The Tory plan for nurses at home for all now babies has merit. Yup, I said it; a Tory plan that has merit. But its not merit for the detail , but the principle of invest in the earliest years at home, so that we can reap benefits as a nation in the later years.

The answer however, is something much more radical than the 6 days of support the Tory’s are suggesting, welcome a recognition of the potential of state influence as it is. The really radical investment would be in extending both maternity and paternity leave. Other countries are much more generous and I would argue for both parents being given up to a years leave which would be taken in sections, concurrently or consecutively until the child is two.

Those that argue that the economy wouldn’t cope miss the point. Happy parents who have had the space and time to bond well with their kids make happier employees. The key years in development are the first two and the more time parents have with their kids over that period the better the bond and so the child's development. Better balanced kids make better citizens and so we all benefit. It is an investment in the long term for all of us.