Thread 21 Starmer - Casting Nasturtiums

[DuncinToffee]

Previous thread https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/_chat/5298316-thread-20-starmer-spring-statement?page=40&reply=143217222

Respectful and supportive discussion of things political and beyond

Cat, dog, flowers, haberdashery tax most welcome

Your points are valid Itsgettingweird, although im not sure i fully understand all of them, but I'm not sure you can speak for all SEND kids as they are all such different needs
E.g. milder forms can often have, in my experience, complex other symptoms e.g. anxiety, a smaller classroom helping their needs whereas other kids SEND are fine in a bigger, busier class

Thank you, my intention was not to derail

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/apr/02/us-anti-abortion-group-expands-campaign-in-uk

A rightwing US group backing an anti-abortion campaigner whose case has become a new source of UK tensions with the Trump administration is significantly expanding activities and spending in Britain.

And according to the Scot National, an anti-abortion group active in Scotland has received over £1 million in US funding, representing a nearly 300% increase in two years.

Ach, it is hard to decipher tone on the Internet sometimes, so could well be me being over sensitive.

Is this about the anti-abortion campaigner breaching a buffer zone?
the same campaigner unsuccessfully challenged the validity of the buffer zone when it was implemented so it wasn’t accidental move. I suspect it was designed to stir up publicity and fundraising for their campaign.

I hope you can find answers. Even though you respect her decision, not knowing must be awful for you.

I think it is
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/who-livia-tossici-bolt-triggered-free-speech-donald-trump-b1220063.html

some of you have let yourself down a bit IMO

No. Not condescending at all.

Who amongst us have never let ourselves down.
Ahh.

BTW @Daddybegood if you are miffed by BP accepting Swifty tickets you must be apoplectic at the inumerable freebies the previous incumbents accepted !
Also, people at the lower end of the income scale who work so hard for unfair wages are never going to be able to afford private school are they.
It is a rich person's privilege , generally .

Good to hear your opinions , as ever on MN people can agree or disagree .

As I say I have interpreted this as part of a planned campaign. The ADF UK is interested in funding test cases - abortion clinic buffer zones appear to offend them. They had speakers at the recent ARC conference.

The Warnock report was not solely responsible for inclusion. That was written in a time those with send were institutionalised. It was about them having an education.

Special schools weren’t closed as a direct result of that report. The Warnock report didn’t advocate for that.

inclusion done correctly works.

I’m well aware of that.

Both professionally and personally.

my da with a high IQ attended school with an EHCP due to complex needs.

But there’s a big mistake that having send means needing an EHCP. And EHCP is for pupils who needs can’t be met with what is usually provided within MS school.

there’s no doubt often the issue is the school not providing what it should - but that ain’t a need for an EHCP. It’s a need for more accountability which disappeared with the academy model.

Well yes Kasistyleaftea, I was indeed apoplectic with the previous Tory government: not just the freebies, PPE fast lane, incompetence etc - just awful

I just hoped the new Labour Govt would be different, and was annoyed with the explanations KS & BP gave for their freebies (I.e. the 20m flat & Taylor Swift concerts) that they didn't want their kids to suffer all the while chucking out red meat that disrupts other kids education (particularly SEND).

...and don't get me started on following the Tories hard brexit I.e. outside the SM & CU, & copy/paste Tory tax & spend policy

And, since you bring it up, one of the main reasons why I dislike the PS VAT policy is because bursaries will be cut. 160k kids receive some kind of bursary at UK private schools, 40k entirely free or effectively paid for by wealthier parents paying full fees - it won't be the wealthy that hurts from this VAT I assure you- most of them prepaid & won't pay a penny - infact their fees will be lower as the schools can now reclaim VAT from the last 10 years

I find it really shocking that we seem to be going backwards. It was such a welcome advance for women in 1967 when abortion was decriminalised, little did I think that nearly 60 years later women would be subjected to this kind of bullying by misogynists.

@placemats I am so sorry to hear your news. I'm assuming that something has happened to make you think that this is a possibility and that must be upsetting, even if you are respecting their right to be uncontactable. I'm afraid I wouldn't know where to start looking for information, but my thoughts are with you. Unmumsnetty hugs.

I certainly dont understand why people would object to buffer zones around clinics. As if women dont have enough to deal with, without random people approaching them outside.

Capital Punishment next? Coming in to the 60th anniversary of the last executions. 7 April 1965.

I really did hope the unpleasantness at the end of the previous thread wouldn't be repeated on this one, but it seems to be happening.

I am awaiting Trump's speech later on.
The amount of people who are rumoured to be cancelling trips to the USA ( phone news) could just be the start of us boycotting American goods, not in an organised way, just because.
They can shove their food too , it has always been rank when I have been to the USA.
So there.

@Karistyleaftea I wouldn't go to the US right now for sure.

I bet bloody Trump is revelling in the fact that everyone is waiting with bated breath for the tarrifs announcement.

@BIossomtoes it does seem as though we are going backwards in lots of ways.

Do we import much food and drink from America apart from alcohol, fizzy drinks and junk food?

Sweetcorn?

So maybe there is not that much foodwise we can boycott as consumers.

Jack Daniels? DH bought some Japanese whiskey instead this week. I thought he would laugh at my suggestion to stop buying JD but he wholeheartedly agreed

Brewdog is off the menu as well, both for their treatment of their workers and their support of Musk

I can attest re bursaries, sadly.

We stopped contributing for another child at our DC’s school - the same amount as the VAT increase (6k per annum). We were evidently not alone in doing so.