To ask for somebody who is good at explaining things simply to explain the election.

[hellokittymania]

I don't understand anything! For example who and what are we voting for? What does each person want to do if they get elected? Who is Corbin is he good or bad? Please help me to understand what is going on. I really want to vote but I don't understand things

Yes! Employment for people with disabilities if they can work and help for those who can't. I am thinking of small businesses or self employment because some people are doing this or want to do this. People with disabilities I mean.

And I didn't go to school in the UK, but education is really important to me as well. A grammar school is a school that can make up its own curriculum isn't it? This is what the conservatives want? To make all schools grammar schools?

I really really really want to understand how things work. Also I am doing a two-year higher education course,

Speaking of that, there is something else, I am a British citizen but due to not being a resident, can't access things easily because you have to have been a habitual resident in the UK for three years in some cases to get things like disabled student allowance.

hellokitty, I think you were thinking along the right lines with your post at 14:30, yes.
Traditionally, on the economy, "Left wing" politics feature higher tax, and greater public spending, and "Right wing" politics feature lower tax and lower public spending. That is a very big over simplification, of course!
Tax can be progressive, or not: progressive tax means that the more money you have, the higher tax you pay, like income tax. Non-progressive tax is where the amount you pay is the same, regardless of income, like VAT. Labour are more likely to be in favour of progressive taxation, as some believe that this is fairer and helps close the gap between rich and poor. The Conservatives worry about putting too much burden on wealthier people, as some believe this will reduce the incentive to work hard.

Within each party, there will be a range of views; Conservative party members might range from hardline right wingers, with very traditional values, through to more centralist politicians.
Likewise, within the Labour party, there is a range of political opinions, from hardline left wingers through to more centralist politicians.

For this reason, some people (like myself) change the way they vote from one election to the next, as the parties change direction.

Also, please remember that whoever you vote for, you are not obliged to reveal which way you voted to anyone, unless you want to. And your local MP is supposed to represent YOU, even if you voted for someone else.

You are thinking of Free schools, not Grammar schools.

Tulip Siddiq and Claire Leylang? Tulip is labour. I think other is conservative.

I need to double check this. I'm guessing it's the London borrow has its own Mp.? or if you MPs

Seriously OP there are a shitload of threads about this already.

perhaps you could read up on it?

and you won't get unbiased comments about this on here - most people have political bias one way or the other

As an aside - does anyone know what steps are taken to ensure a visually impaired person can vote in a polling booth?

Are there Braille slips? If they have someone with them, is that allowed?

Found it

www.rnib.org.uk/information-everyday-living-your-rights/voting-and-elections

No, the Conservatives don't want to make all schools grammar schools.

The Comprehensive system (which most parts of the UK have at the moment) is where secondary pupils of different abilities go into the same local secondary school (unless they pay to go private). Within this school, different abilities can be "streamed" into different classes.

The grammar system (which they want to reintroduce) involves sending children to different types of school, depending on how well they perform on a test they take at 11 years old; 10% or so of the children pass, and go to a grammar school, and the 90% who fail go to (what used to be called) secondary moderns.

It is a very controversial subject, with people disagreeing on the advantages of the two systems.

Livia, I will definitely! I had to start somewhere! :)

And thank you everyone for explaining what you have.

Speaking of that, there is something else, I am a British citizen but due to not being a resident, can't access things easily because you have to have been a habitual resident in the UK for three years in some cases to get things like disabled student allowance.

I'm not sure that would change under any party tbh.

Google 'uk political system' and start there

Tina you can also vote by proxy and send somebody on your behalf or you can get a ballot sent to you but I haven't done any of these things so I have no idea how they work. I think you need to register for both of these in order to do them.

Oh, pleased you found the podcast useful! Won't help you know who to vote for, but at least you know what MPs (are meant to) do

Squishy, like Buckinghamshire! I think it's the only county in the UK to have a grammar school system. Are there a comprehensive's in Buckinghamshire as well? Or is it only grammar.

There are Grammar schools in many parts of the country. Buckinghamshire does have other sorts of schools too. No where has just grammar schools.

I don't know much about that part of the country, I'm afraid!
If it has a county-wide grammar school system, then it will have non-selective schools (ie not grammar), there, but no comprehensive schools. As I understand it, the definition of a "Comprehensive" school is that there are different abilities within the school, and therefore they cannot exist within a system where the "best" children have been removed.

I use "the best" in inverted commas, because I think that it is very hard to accurately measure the academic potential of 11 year old children in a test. Some children might be very good at maths, but very bad at English, for example. Other very bright children might perform badly on the day due to nerves, or for other reasons. Some children will have access to private coaching for the tests, whilst others wont.
It seems like a very young age to separate children into "clever" and "less clever".
Then again, I can understand why parents living within a grammar school system do all they can to get their children into the best schools. I would do the same in their shoes. In an ideal world, I would like to see ALL schools well funded, so that all children get the best chance possible of a good, well rounded education. But that costs money!

www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/who-runs-london/general-election/constituencies-and-boroughs

Can I ask for those of you who are from Milyer with London, but why is Hampstead listed under the borough of Brent and not Camden?

That should read familiar with London

Piglet, there's a difference between counties which have one or two grammar schools, and counties which have a county wide grammar school system, like Buckinghamshire.

Grammar schools in Trafford

I'm looking at the life in the UK test questions and learning a lot! I'm kind of stuck in the middle since I haven't lived here for most of my life and did not have to go through any kind of test to get citizenship or anything.

I spent a lot of time helping my mother when she applied for her American citizenship so I can tell you everything you want to know there, but need to learn for the UK! I was just thinking about her taking the test though and there is quite a lot of information. So I looked at the UK test.

Did you become a British citizen, op or were you born one. I only ask because this sort of detail is covered in the citizenship test - my pal was asked about the Boxer Rebellion for heaven's sake. Other than knowing there was one, I couldn't answer the question. They answered it , of course. I know they were also asked about our electoral system and were expected to know about it.
If you were born British but didn't grow up here, I'm really surprised you haven't picked this stuff up from your family or , frankly, from Googling it.

I'm just thinking about it and we barely touched on any other countries government in the US. In high school you have to study American government, American history , One year of world history but that doesn't get into each countries type of government. Do you learn about other countries government systems in the UK? Genuinely curious.

I'm a citizen by birth but have spent 2 1/2 years of my adult life here and we left before I started school. So I've spent most of my time learning to cook and trying to work out the NHS and everything else. First things first and believe me there is a heck of a lot to learn in this country. I think any expatriate can tell you that. Minced meat versus mince meat confuse me too .

None of my family are here and they are all extremely American. Don't even mention Trump!

And yes the citizenship test for the UK does mention the Anglo-Saxonthe war of the roses and other things that remained in the dust after world history in high school. I do remember the war of the roses but not what dates.