We know all the anti Labour posts are really just about VAT on school fees!

It appears his luxury lifestyle needs may extend further than first thought. Yet more questions raised about Starmer's behaviour.....

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/keir-starmer-covid-broadcast-urging-work-from-home-came-from-donor-s-18m-penthouse/ar-AA1rcvGV?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=245fdbcac7fb47c8acabf9582c3238c3&ei=151

It is a bit early to come to a conclusion yet but the impression I am getting is that they very much do not think of the law of unintended consequences e.g with SEN kids and VAT on school fees, pensioners just over the Pension Credit limit and the WFA, legally accepting donations but not thinking of how it will play out with the public.

Whether this simply indicates a lack of experience in government or an inability to consider all the possible outcomes of any policies or actions I am not yet sure. I am hoping for the country's sake it is the former rather than the latter.

This. Thats even before the budget!

Same. It’s going to be hilarious when the penny drops

If the cut off point was upped I'm sure many wouldn't mind. But for those on a basic state pension it will be hard, no matter if people know someone in their own family who is different

As for rents even though I am not a pensioner nor a renter I feel for both impacted negatively by Laobur's policies. There's a thread on here about he renters' reform bill and it will make rents even higher and people will find it hard to find anywhere in a decreasing market

Yabu. My kids are in state schools. I find the hypocrisy of Keir outrageous. Each day a new scandal about his luxurious lifestyle needs. For many years we lived in a flat with a small table for studying, dining on etc. Yet Keir needs a fancy abode for his son studying GCSEs!! He is so far removed from the reality of life for most of us. He loves designer labels and luxuries from his wealthy friends.

He has no morals as far as I'm concerned.

We prepaid school fees well ahead of the election, so no issue with VAT matter. We also maxed out our annual pension contributions this year already to get ahead of the punitive budget. So in general I’m neutral towards the Labour government.

I find their hypocrisy amusing though. It gets more ridiculous every day… “my boy needed peace and quiet to study”. Seems to have forgotten many of his voters couldn’t benefit from such a thing. He gives me the ick 🤦🏼‍♀️

@EasternStandard maybe you can show similar concern for people in private rentals, many young working families, many not so young but not at the level they get any help whatsoever and whose rents in most cases have rocketed consistently every year in recent times. As I said I think the cut off point should be upped a fair bit- however I would have got rid of it as a blanket benefit- child benefit across the board changed to means tested - so why should pensioners be exempt. I feel the same about prescriptions too- think it should be free across the board or means tested.

Mind you it's not that great if he really does start to fail and we're stuck with him.

Plus if everyone is exasperated, well then we'll see.

Comes down to promises around growth imo

Yes but it probably cost the Tory Party the election in the end. Different failures. My point is Labour won’t get rid of him, they never do, and he will survive what are some pretty small beer attacks and unless there is a good opponent for him, he looks very secure.

Johnson wasn't with ease. It was a total shit show campaign by a strategist and profit driven media

Another reason I couldn't care less if Starmer gets the media off side and feels it. He can enjoy it too

As for not getting rid of him, fine by me. The others are even worse.

the operative word was in office and a winner. Corbyn was neither. Labour PMs are rare. The party never stabs them if they win an election. Whereas the Tories will kill off an election winner with some ease.

Same.
I’m not anti Labour.
I am anti VAT on school fees.

As I said they tried, but failed, with Corbyn.

@EasternStandard the Labour Party will never defenestrate a winner. That is what Tories do, see Johnson and Thatcher.

And there taking it away from the poor pensioners you forgot that

They tried with Corbyn, he refused then look at their defeat in 2019

He probably won't go until the whole party do though, fine by me. No one else in the Labour party is much better

Labour never kill their leaders in office! That is a Tory sport.

Like him or not Starmer will be hard to beat because he is going for dogged look what I did. And really he’s ahead of what is going to be his opposition. That isn’t just my view, by the way! You can read it in the Spectator

He was ripped to pieces at the conference. Looks like no one likes Keir. Hopefully, he'll be a flash in the pan and booted out at the next election. He probably won't even make it that far and will be stabbed in the back by his own party

You lost me on ‘arabella’ why on earth do you think it’s ok to single out names etc? Does that somehow make your argument more valid? It’s stupid.

And no - it’s not about the VAT. No my child is not Arabella either. Maybe - just maybe people thought KS would be better.

So now people are talking about great aunts, uncles and fathers

The pp was about mumsnetters. I haven't seen much of what was written in that post

My concern is for pensioners who really will suffer this winter, and I know Labour voters will know people they can talk about who won't. It still doesn't help that group

They have barely been in power for five minutes so I think the jury is still out as far as I am concerned. I didn't vote for them but I hope they will manage to make things better as someone certainly needs to. No, I don't agree with everything they have done so far either, don't have any skin in the game as far as private schools go but concerned about the possible unintended consequences for SEN kids and also possible impact on state schools. Will be losing WFA (I'm an oldie) but won't miss it at all, but concerned about those on low incomes who will suffer. Yes a few gaffes regarding the sausage thing (which I think is really very funny!) and also the freebies are not a good look even if legal. On the whole though I want to give them the benefit of the doubt because I want to believe that life can get better mostly for the generations after me, my DC and DGC, so I am just crossing my fingers and hoping for the best.

I think sometimes that is true. My own father has a sense of economy that belies his actual income (healthy). He grumbled to me about the WHA being withdrawn.

I reminded him that he has often said he doesn’t need it! He looked a bit put out and said that well he’s only a poor pensioner. This is a man who would happily spend that on dinner if it suited him!

Anecdata of course. But people never like losing something whatever their income.

@EasternStandard sorry I disagree - i think plenty of pensioners ( and I'm 62) don't give a rats arse about others so long as they are ok- a relative of mine to put it nicely the other week ( and he's 87) said if it's that tight then they have made poor life choices- he has over £300,000 in the bank ( not his grim flat - he still rents that from council ) He's still miffed though that he will lose WFA. My parent the same and similar cash available - it wouldn't cross their mind as to why they should indeed get it and my working son in his 20scshared rented flat with girlfriend shouldn't.

@blackfushia and what cuts would these be apart from WFA? I'm a cynic on this-and yes I think the cut off should be £22k household income - but it's a benefit plenty of working poor of non pensionable age don't get who don't have homes they own or have had inheritances etc .

My great aunt and uncle lived like absolute paupers , next to no heat on, never holidayed , old car, house needed lots of basic work- when he died and she finally did she left £212,000 plus the house and this was in the 90s. Yes there are plenty of older people who do struggle, hence why I think limit should be higher, there are also some who are just plain misers and are happy to get handouts , but unhappy if anyone else does - I think some people ( many on the left) are a bit naive about this aspect in 'some ' older people. I'm in the centre politically- I'm not a Tory- but nor am I naive enough to think you can always judge a book by its cover -