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.

In this area, all the farmers are minted.

Absolutely. It seems they are increasingly veering away from this!

Based upon my 33 years of teaching, I totally agree with you and fully support your daughter in this. Headteachers, more than any, should know better.

Exactly! I thought the same, it’s very strange and really not going to get the point across to “the left wing echo chamber” they need to try again.

No one was stopping doctors or teachers from taking their kids along to a rally.
Or anyone taking their kids for that matter

It's really annoying it is being held on a snowy day for parents who don't support the campaign.

I said this to DH this morning.
We have snow here and I would be torn between looking like I support this and/or want my childs school to make a political point OR my DC having wet feet

Clearly I must be coming from a different background but I honestly can't comprehend how anyone doesn't own at least one pair of wellies 😀

It depends very much where you are. Our local big fruit farmer is absolutely loaded - campaigned vociferously for Brexit and has been moaning ever since that he can't get enough pickers and that locals are 'too lazy to work' (wrong, local unemployment is under 2% and no-one wants to work on a fruit farm for pennies). Most others in the area are very much "gentlemen farmers" who are up in arms about IHT. Basically the stereotype red-faced, huntin' and shootin' types in tweeds and a Range Rover. Fuck 'em.

Go to a hill farming community in Wales or North Yorkshire, or a dairy farm, and it will be very different - borderline poverty, very low take home pay for relentless backbreaking work. But many/most of those farmers are tenant farmers so won't be hit by IHT anyway.

My DC are not at school in their wellies. They are in London in their wellies.

A local farmer took his own life a couple of weeks ago because of the state of farming.

I find your comment insensitive.

Not all farmers are rich. It is mostly sheep and dairy farming round here.

So? People take their lives literally every day, I don't believe they are all farmers.
What about tge headteacher who took her life , where was the mobilisation of children to object to ofsted?

I live in north yorkshire and the farmers are not poor!

Yes, that was awful.

However, I will repeat that not all farmers are wealthy, especially those near me in South Yorkshire.

I happen to know the family involved and it felt a little close to home.

I just wish posters wouldn't keep pushing the narrative that all farmers are wealthy.

Even kids in Chelsea have wellies - so they can waft around in a tutu and fairy wings with them on to "create (insta) memories"

As I’ve mentioned before.
No one is stopping anyone from mobilising their children

Typical response of someone who knows nothing about the threat to small farms from this ruinous policy.
Do you live in Islington?

Absolutely ridiculous! What did they do when nurses or Drs were on strike?

The far right are egging on ordinary farmers again against a Labour government and want to cause mayhem for them. The majority of farmers already voted for Brexit and they are seeing hardships from this (as are we!).

Farmers and landowners can actually plan for IHT in advance by setting up Trusts so they don't have to pay anything. If an ordinary person leaves a £3 million property, they will have to pay 40% on it. Why shouldn't rich land owners? Also with the new policy, they still only need to pay 20% and have 10 years to do so.

Besides land values will fall and more farmers (currently estimated at 500) won't have to pay anything.

Bizarre how so many mumsnetters know one farmer and make wild assumptions about the entire farming community.

Please listen to real farmers and their concerns. Many were interviewed at the farmers protest today (which I imagine most of you commenting here did not attend).

But as I imagine most posters here are REVELS (rich enough to even vote labour), the plight of the underdog will be of limited interest.

52% of the population voted for Brexit
53/54% of farmers voted for Brexit
55% of men voted for Brexit

Not really such a majority then…….

Please stop with the offensive ‘far right’ tropes to demonise working people.
I attended the rally today and find it extremely offensive how wealthy urbanites are seeking to dismiss the very real fears of hard-working farmers.

Yes most are round here too and keep on buying more and more land around their house. They put forward a local planning suggestion to build on one of the plots of land that they bought so they could make even more money! Sod actual growing of food! Others round here have planted whole fields with bird food crops through the latest farm incentive scheme as that pays a lot more than food.

The only farmers who aren't rich are ones on tenancies and hill farmers.

Are any of your BBC ‘experts’ farmers?
No? I didn’t think so.
Oh, but a ‘journalist’ from a ‘farmers magazine’ is clearly an expert too.
How about listen to real farmers affected by this pathetic tax grab rather than your north London ‘experts’.

Please stop with the offensive ‘far right’ tropes to demonise working people.
I attended the rally today and find it extremely offensive how wealthy urbanites are seeking to dismiss the very real fears of hard-working farmers.
@GreekDogRescue

I'm sorry but the protest has been adopted by far right people such as Tommy Robinson.

Bill Gates is one of the largest owners of farmland in the US.
When you have put all the small family farms out of business they will be bought up by billionaires and corporations who have little interest in wildlife and sustainability.
Well done anti farming lobby.