Thread 47 Sunak : The Ship of Fools sails on

[DuncinToffee]

The countdown to the General Election continues

Previous thread https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5082182-thread-46-sunak-dont-rain-on-our-parade?page=40&reply=135651872

Here it is

https://x.com/olly_quinn/status/1796980216360821123

UPDATE: Derbyshire Police said: “We wish to confirm that we have received a number of messages in relation to claims of election fraud, raised due to concerns around marketing material. An incident has been created and will be reviewed.”

x.com/politlcsuk/status/1797025918868693377?s=46&t=Uw4lJNwxFZFnX0Xs3doHYg

That's good news @Notonthestairs

Slightly tangential story (haven't seen a thread elsewhere)

So some pasty faced cunt like Grant Shapps (if that's his real name) whose closest encounter with real war may have been a rather over energetic game of "Risk" thinks he can tell some of the bravest men and women in the UK what they can and cannot do in the names of their consciences and expects them to go "Yes, Mr. Shapps. How high ?"

Soldiers have to obey orders. But only legal once. Soldiers that obey illegal orders are called "defendants".

I'm realy not a massive flag shagger or one that likes glorifying war. But in this case - bloody well done the British squaddie.

They don't like it up 'em.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13484763/Who-ordered-military-personnel-knee-FA-Cup-Final-did-ignore-Defence-Secretary-Grant-Shapps-vow-end-woke-culture-military.html

Interesting thread from Dan Neidle on the ever trending topic of private schooling/the Baines Cutler report - includes a bit of helpful discussion on the different approaches to surveys.

Exclusive: how the Independent Schools Council created a misleading headline on VAT which its own authors say is statistically meaningless. And they say they told this to the ISC.

x.com/danneidle/status/1797211773117870387?s=46&t=Uw4lJNwxFZFnX0Xs3doHYg

I already started sharing it

I think there will be many more similarly unreliable reports released to prop up headlines over the forthcoming weeks (and beyond).

Love this. Public servants are not robots. 😍

Nearly lost you all there!
Home to see the county news highlighting why nationalising the water companies needs to be prioritised (see also the Bramley drinking water in Surrey as the latest in the saga) https://www.kentonline.co.uk/whitstable/news/pipe-taking-wastewater-further-out-to-sea-won-t-solve-sewag-307615/

Story in the Telegraph today of a private school closing because of VAT on the fees. That's VAT that isn't yet being applied by a party that hasn't been elected as yet and would then have to enable that policy.

Well people are planning and moving their children accordingly. The first schools to go will be those already struggling, obviously. Every family I know who uses private knows at least 1 child in the year moving.

That school currently has just 40 students, space for 150. They were always going to struggle regardless of VAT

I suspect that's the story that was around earlier in the week, in which case the Telegraph is a bit slow off the mark. If it is that case, the notice on the school's website nowhere mentioned VAT and said it was because of falling rolls.

Let me think, which party was in power when inflation was soaring and bills were going up, meaning that parents were having to decide against private school for their children, leading to those falling school rolls?

They are using 2 different schools as examples

One of the schools got a terrible ofsted in 2017. So that might have something to do with the falling rolls. I suspect that's not been mentioned much in the press.

news.sky.com/story/robert-largan-police-review-tory-candidates-election-adverts-13146813

Wowsers!

Dan Hodges et al insisted that Angela Rayner should stand down when she was investigated for election fraud. I wonder whether they'll take the same view in relation to Langan?

It's just...mindblowingly dishonest!
Reform AND labour mentioned on his election ads!
Really covering all bases....

https://x.com/MrAndyNgo/status/1796877330788339814

Missed this yesterday. "Hate marches" indeed, strangely not mentioned by the Tories, presumably so as not to alienate the fan base

(Tommy Robinson march ostensibly "anti-Hamas" but featuring all kinds of right wing type stuff. Thread worth a read but 😱)

Are we trying to send it to French beaches instead??

Bravermans been all over FB the past few months stating the reason they can't provide specialist education to those with send is the VAT.

They have been crap before it was even on the table.

Rolls are falling anyway due to falling birth rate. I believe the current year 6/7 are the peak years but not 100% sure about that. Any all through schools should already have been planning for that.

Small independents are a risky move if you don’t want to take the risk of the school closing.

It's not the VAT policy because that isn't in effect yet.

So what is it?

Now, the whole byzantine system is being tightened and trimmed, as the DfE tries to tackle the costs of its own failings. Its so-called Safety Valve programme currently involves about 40 English councils, and there is mounting evidence of what it aims to do: in return for immediate bailouts, there must be cuts, some of which seem to run counter to basic matters of law. Documents from Cambridgeshire county council acquired via freedom of information requests by the charity Ipsea (or Independent Provider of Special Education Advice) admit to a push to “increase the number of refusal to assess and refusal to issue decisions” for EHCPs. In Slough, there is “a new operational policy for ceasing EHC plans” for young adults. Norfolk county council brazenly aims to “turn the tap off” for EHCPs.

The Safety Value includes reducing places at independent schools for kids with SN.

This school is in Norfolk - a local authority subject to the DfE's Safety Valve SEND financial intervention scheme

This agreement requires Norfolk to place 126 fewer children and young people with SEND in the independent sector this year, and ~800 fewer each year by 2029

x.com/captaink77/status/1797294413909033457?s=46&t=Uw4lJNwxFZFnX0Xs3doHYg

Sorry messed up the editing - last 2 paragraphs relate to the tweet.

The rest is largely taken from this article

amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/may/19/education-westminster-cuts-sex-education-special-needs

Vote Labour get strikes? I’ve got some news for you Victoria…