Why are Labour and Phillipson shutting down democratic debate?

[Another76543]

Yet again, another petty social media post about private schools. I understand that many people disagree with private education. Many people agree with it. Why are Labour trying to stop democratic debate around this policy which disrupts the lives of many children? Her Facebook page also appears to be removing any comments she doesn’t agree with.

If you truly believe in something, have some backbone and stand up for your principles. Don’t try to silence those with a different opinion.

The post also shows a serious lack of comprehension of the tax system. This has nothing to do with tax on private schools; it’s a tax on parents. It’s the parents, not the schools, which have to pay any VAT.

For some reason, the Labour Party don’t want scrutiny of any kind. They don’t want this policy questioned. I assume it’s because they realise that the numbers don’t add up and don’t justify their actions.

Yesterday media were reporting that Tories were arguing that places for special needs children should be VAT exempt. No mention of reversing any imposition of VAT. Looks as though there's no political gain in opposing the policy.

And its always the consumer who ultimately pays the VAT on goods and services. Not just parents paying public school fees.

They obviously cannot defend it. It’s embarrassing to avoid the debate, but being shown up would be even worse.

BP’s tweets are shocking.

Probably for the same reason they refuse to do an impact assessment

Any reality or scrutiny is railroaded

I agree. I honestly think they'd rather this policy cost the country money and damaged vast numbers of DC than they actually do an impact assessment ahead of implementing it. It would take a matter of months to assess whether it will actually achieve what they say it will and what the negative impacts will be on society and on individual DC. But no, they're determined to force it through without any scrutiny whatsoever. Typical bloody Labour.

She is happy to post on social media saying “our students need careers advice more than private schools need AstroTurf pitches”. She is shutting down discussion even though her actions are showing gross hypocrisy, by using the very astros she is suggesting private schools should cut back on. From The Telegraph:

Bridget Phillipson played hockey on a private school’s astroturf hours before suggesting independent institutions didn’t “need” the pitches, The Telegraph can reveal.
The Education Secretary made a viral social media post on Saturday mocking cost-cutting measures schools are making ahead of the Government’s VAT raid. She wrote that state school pupils “need careers advice more than private schools need astroturf pitches”.
However, Ms Phillipson has been accused of hypocrisy for posting the comments after she spent the afternoon playing on the astroturf pitch of a prominent private school, where fees are upwards of £25,000 per year.
The MP for Houghton and Sunderland South, who was voted player of the year by her teammates in 2023, is understood to have scored a goal during the match. The game took place at 12.15pm – around five hours before she posted the tweet, which was viewed 5.8m times, at 5.41pm.

Another lightweight politician governing by sound bite. She’s no Yvette Cooper.

Because the tories are not trying to stop this because they care about SEND children or children who are barely scraping by. They care about their children and their mates who don't want to pay more tax. They're not trying to protect ordinary pupils.

Those trying to stop this policy care about all children, state and private, SEN or not. It’s not going to benefit anyone.

@Another76543 no, they really don't. If the tories cared about children they wouldn't have done half the things they did whilst in power.

As an aside, all the state schools in my town have astroturf pitches! Not all the independent ones do. In fact, the independents sometimes rent the state school pitches on a Saturday to play matches there!

Why won’t Labour do an impact assessment?

If stands up to scrutiny surely you and they would want that to go ahead?

Same as the WFA no assessment, why not?

@EasternStandard personally I don’t know, and I'm not too bothered. But I just don't think it's right to pretend the tories care about anyone other than them and their mates

Because they are govt by sound-bite. They have no real, well thought out and costed policies and so have to rely on small minded divisiveness.

As a govt, so far, they have been embarrassingly bad. We (all of us) deserve better.

Labour are in now and even if you are ‘not too bothered’ because you support them this is a policy that will have an affect on all children

Really substandard and incompetent not to assess the impact.

@EasternStandard that is not the point I am making. The tories are not trying to stop this bill because they care about children.

Labour voted down the ask for an impact assessment

This is on them.

This is what I don’t understand. Why are they so anti doing an impact assessment? If they really think the numbers stack up, then show us (with an independent assessment - not a report written by your mate).

In 2017, they claimed that their figures showed that 4000 pensioners would die if the WFA was removed. Fuel bills are far higher now than then, so the impact is likely to be worse. Why are they only keen on showing figures when it suits them? Why are they are trying to hide the truth from people, and shutting down any discussion.

Equally, Labour are not trying to implement the policy because they care about children. It will have no positive impact on any child. If they believe otherwise, why can’t they provide an independent assessment?

It seems any question to Starmer isn’t answered but some pointless reply.

No impact assessments on WFA or VAT
Can’t deal with questions

He appears out of his depth

Phillipson is on juvenile SM rant mode

This is way too important for this.

🎵 it’s VAT on school fees thread 🎵

🎵 disguised as something else 🎵

🎵 as there aren’t enough of them 🎵

🎵 already 🎵

Why do people click on threads they don’t want to read?

It’s about shutting down democratic free speech and refusing to engage in a grown up debate. It’s not just VAT. It’s the WFA as well. We live in a democracy. Those questioning any policy (on whatever area of life) should be given a chance to have their say.

Do you even know who the previous Ed Sec was and did you ever check her Twitter feed? She used to post twaddle but no one gave a shit because it wasn’t being whipped up into outrage.

Politician posts party political stuff on Twitter and manages social media presence is not a story.

I can’t recall the previous Ed Sec suggesting that parliament shouldn’t be discussing controversial issues, or trying to remove any criticism of her policies. I don’t have an issue with politicians having an opinion. I do have an issue when they try to stop free speech, impeding democracy. I’d say that about any politician, not just the Labour Party.

Difficult to justify class envy.