Wear wellies to school to support farmers?

[GrumpyDullard]

My DC's school sent out a message this afternoon to say all kids should wear wellies to school tomorrow to support British farmers. I googled it and found out it's a campaign to oppose the removal of the inheritance tax exemption from agricultural land.
We're a rural community so a lot of parents will support the campaign, which is fair enough, but it seems wrong to force everyone's kids to take part in a protest against the government without even explaining what it's about. I'm afraid my DC will stand out if they're not in wellies, but I don't want to take part in this.

⛄️🤣

Here is a great video by two young lads breaking down what it means for farming families. Something a lot of people just don’t get.

x.com/alexharmstrong/status/1858643356756439057?s=46

Completely inappropriate.
Whatever next?
Go draped in the Palestinian flag/Israeli flag?
Teachers should remain politically neutral.

I thought schools and teachers were run ragged and overworked? Clearly not if they've got time for getting involved politics.

Nothing to do with teachers. This is a campaign orchestrated by the Conservative Party. Have a look at the board of governors in your typical rural school and I can guarantee that more than half
of them will also be local Conservative association members. (and Rotary, and on the hunt committee - there’s a ‘type’). There’s your answer.

Why use Clarkson’s farm as an example? Still don’t get it.

Sounds like the council have stepped in here - I just saw this on a local group:

"I think the local authority have stepped in and told schools that they can't support No Farmers No Food because it's a political campaign. Schoolname messaged yesterday cancelling the event and said that other schools had been told the same thing.

Obviously some kids will come to school wearing wellies anyway, but hopefully there'll be less pressure & more of a free choice.

A lot of the farmers round here are land rich but cash poor, and their DC go to the local state schools.

@ReadWithScepticism I did think of adding stickers to the wellies to say "These are apolitical wellies" but now I've decided (fake) fur-lined (fake) leather boots are best as they'll keep her feet warm and can't be construed as a political statement.

What is wrong with rotary clubs?

It's a shame really - it's a reasonably sensible policy very badly implemented. If the value had been set higher (say £5m plus), so that up to medium sized family farms were excluded, it would be much more defendable.

Larger farms really should be sorting out their succession properly anyway IMO. (I mean, smaller farms should too, obviously, but it's more challenging, and they're the ones most likely to have not done it).

I’m not sure using Clarkson’s Farm as an example really does show what it means for farming families when the bloke is on record saying he only bought the farm so his family could avoid inheritance tax, tbh

This. The government is not anti-farmers. It's anti very wealthy people getting out of paying a tax that everyone else pays. Didn't Jeremy Clarkson brag that the reason he'd bought a farm was to avoid tax? My DH is a former farmer and always supports farmers but thinks this tax is a good thing for farming. It will stop big business from buying up farmland as an investment to avoid tax.

What it means for farming families is not the point. Schools taking part in political campaigns is the point. A sponsored sleep out is one thing, or jeans for genes, but even that is problematic if your kids haven't got jeans.

I'm also really angry at an item of useful and sometimes necessary clothing being turned into a political statement.

The facts: The Govt state a direct descendent(s) can inherit £1.5 million (or £3m if jointly owned farm) tax free before then being subject to 20% tax (half what the rest of us pay) which is both interest free AND payable over 10 years. It says this will impact the 500 wealthiest estates and almost 75% are not impacted at all by this change. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/what-are-the-changes-to-agricultural-property-relief

This.

It's nice that they're organising this protest to help Jeremy Clarkson avoid paying tax.

Were the kids at the teachers rallys? Or doctors who were fighting for decent pay rather than a reduction in their tax relief?

Oh no! my heart bleeds for them! The poor mites.

Shall we apply that to everyone who has huge but illiquid asset holdings?

Exactly.

Wearing wellies at school is so impractical and the teachers won't be in favour of it for that reason alone!

Good for you OP for contacting the head teacher!

I must be honest and say I don't know enough about this issue right now to argue my point but if it closes a loophole that stops people like Clarkeson from buying up farms to avoid paying IT then surely that's a good thing? Obviously not for your 'average' farm but I've read that these farms/farmers won't be affected, or not very much anyway.

Im also admittedly naive on this matter but surely everyone else who owns a business or property that then passes it down to the next generation on their death, means the people/person inheriting have to pay IT too? Like I said, I'm not particularly sure if the ins and outs of all of this but I do know that suggesting children wear wellies in school is daft!

....and unlawful.
My dd is a teacher and her head has demanded all staff wear wellies to show their support for the farming community whi h their s hool is in.

No.

The govt could always reclaim the duchy of Cornwall back into public ownership. Save £11 million ambulance parking fees in one fell swoop amongst other things

as for the farmers who wil actually be impacted by this. My heart bleeds. Not.

the public need to actually educate themselves as to the actual facts regarding this policy before supporting some tax avoiders throwing a stop in their John Deere

as for the welly protest…….

Nothing at all - just pointing out how in rural areas you bump into the same group of middle-aged well-off men who have a finger in every pie and run the community to their benefit. It's all an extension of the mantra of "the natural party of government". They really think that it is their divine right to run things as they see fit. And if you fight back against it they can make life very unpleasant indeed for you and your family because they are on the school board of governors, the local planning committee, the local hunt, the local NFU branch, PCC, commons association, etc.