To ask why voters don’t care about state schools?

[Lycidas]

Polling suggests that schooling has declined as a priority for voters. Why?? Unless your children are safely ensconced in a private school, can’t people see the:

• Relentless slashing of school budgets
• Atrocious SEN provision which impacts all
• Teachers leaving the profession in droves
• Too many stressful high stakes exams

Why have we accepted the dire provision of state schooling in this country?

Well birth rates are dropping so presumably there are proportionally fewer people who are effected hence a decrease in voters who consider it a priority.

I don't think it's so much that they don't care, as that there are so many issues to care about all at once, with brexit and the NHS and everything else. The great mystery is why anybody votes tory while knowing that they are going to trash the economy and destroy public services.

For me, education is still a concern, and hugely important, but other things have leapfrogged it.

1. They don't have children/grandchildren.
2. Their children/grandchildren go to a private school.
3. They don't vote.
4. They are blinkered about the world of politics and current affairs and haven't got a clue.
5. They don't give a shit because 'I'm alright Jack'

Well birth rates are dropping so presumably there are proportionally fewer people who are effected hence a decrease in voters who consider it a priority

The education of our children should be everyone’s concern. It is foolish to think otherwise. Sadly, many of us are utter fools.

"The great mystery is why anybody votes tory while knowing that they are going to trash the economy and destroy public services."

Because the alternative is communism (as proposed by comrade Corbyn) which has destroyed economies across the world.

I think for many people the underfunding of their health service/police have a bigger direct impact compared to the underfunding of schools. If you've not got kids then they won't know what things are really like. They'll assume that things like iPads and computers (which may not have been standard in their time) mean that schools have money but are wasting it on expensive stuff like that. I think that while exams are harder than kids who took them 5+ years ago, they may be comparable to what older people took so they might think so what?

“Because the alternative is communism (as proposed by comrade Corbyn) which has destroyed economies across the world.”

This.

Because the alternative is communism (as proposed by comrade Corbyn) which has destroyed economies across the world.
Wow, someone has drunk the Daily mail Kool aid!
I suggest you google communism and find out what it is. Here is the FT, that bastion of Marxism (...), noting support of leading Economists for Labour’s policies-
www.ft.com/content/d29b4cbe-0fa4-11ea-a225-db2f231cfeae

I don't think it's so much that they don't care about schools, more that there's a misplaced belief that the cuts will affect someone else's child, or that they'll be ok in the event of cuts to public services so therefore it's fine.

It's a bit like the man on Question Time who claimed to earn over £80k a year but claimed he wasn't even in the top 50% of earners. Some people haven't a clue about national trends or averages.

Add in the years of misinformation about schools and public services, that the Tories have cut them all back and are now claiming they'll be spending loads whilst coming nowhere close to proper funding and it's no wonder people out of the sector fall for it.

There was the "little extras" money a few months ago as well all designed to make school staff seem grumpy and ungrateful to Joe Public.

Don’t do a Donald! Learn the difference between socialism and communism.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/do-you-know-the-difference-between-a-communist-and-a-socialist-a6708086.html

For the hard of thinking....there is a huge difference between communism which has destroyed countries and socialism which has not. Look at Finland, look at Denmark etc...socialist economies which are stable.

I don't really care about the school's. I don't like how the education system teaches children it makes me feel uncomfortable as I do not teach my children the same thing's as they are taught in school. I am guilty of saying that they are taught the wrong thing's. The system should focus on the essentials ie maths, English, science, geography, and arts and sport. The school gets to choose what they teach now and the main lessons are lesser then they us to be. I think sending children to school can cause more confusion later on in life. So the gov is creating a dangerous society.

It's not that people don't care. It's that people don't trust Corbyn will improve things just by throwing money at it and running up huge debts which will jeopardise the whole economy.

If there was an opposition party which voters could trust, they'd be romping home with a whacking great majority.

There are so many things to care about. Why educate if there are no jobs, or the country floods in clkmate disasters.

Education is my key voting issue because i work in a school and have 2 children in school, one of whom was the victim of the SEND funding crisis and had no education at all for one year. I dont think people really understand what impact the lack of funds is having in schools because schools work so hard to minimise it.
That said, its possible to look at a third world country and see children learning english fluently in a mud hut with no electricty and i guess people think they can fill in the education gaps at home but cant provide round the clock social care or operate on themselves.

Corbyn is not looking to Denmark and Finland

He is looking to Venezuela, Bolivia, look how that is working out

Look at Finland, look at Denmark etc

Countries which are completely different to the UK in virtually every way, such as geography, industry, demographics, population, etc. It's like comparing Apples with Oranges.

State schools are low on my list of priorities. I'm thinking about the NHS, public transport, conservation, idiotic proposals to allow self identifying gender to become a legal right.

None of which means I don't think that state schools are not important. Just that it's not at the top of my list.

Education is only going to be a priority for those using it or working in it. Same as the nhs is likely to be a priority for people that need to use it more often, tax issues are going to be a priority for people that pay a lot of tax but take relatively little from the state.

It’s natural for people to prioritise the issues that personally affect them the most, but brexit is overtaking them all for many people.

Look at Finland, look at Denmark etc

Countries which are completely different to the UK in virtually every way, such as geography, industry, demographics, population, etc.

Population of Denmark - under six million.
Population of the UK - thought to be pushing 67 million.

Since 2001, the UK's population has increased by more than the entire population of Denmark.

How much more do you think it will increase in the next 5-10-20 years, where in the UK do you think most people will want to live, and what services do you think they will be most in need of?

Now you can either accuse me of racism, bigotry and xenophobia for asking the questions, or you can have a good hard think about how much money is going to be needed, where it's going to come from, and where and how it should be spent.

You can know the difference between Communism and Socialism and still think neither is a good idea.

The public perception for many is that state schools are doing quite well. England and Wales are climbing up the PISA rankings and the proportion of schools rated Good and Outstanding by Ofsted has increased. It is not a system seen to be ‘broken’ like the NHS or our relationship with Europe.

I don’t want to get into a discussion about whether that perception is or is not true.

Because the alternative is communism (as proposed by comrade Corbyn) which has destroyed economies across the world.

Show me how the Chinese economy has been destroyed.

China has the second largest economy in the world if you look at the GDP and it's purchasing power positions it as the world's most powerful economy, it has the largest foreign exchange reserves in the world and is the largest manufacturing economy and exporter of goods in the world.

The UK government debt - under the Tories - is 85% of the GDP, the Chinese government debt is 16% of the GDP. The UK current account balance deficit is 18 billion, the Chinese current account balance is not in deficit as it stands at 195 billion US Dollars.

Yes, the communist government in China has really damaged their economy.

Corbyn would saddle my children and grandchildren with massive debts so I can have free broadband and cheaper London rail fares, while he fools himself that government run monopolies are the most efficient type of business so wastes more money appropriating private companies. No thanks.

i think people care about schools, they dont believe Corbyn will be able to sort them out, especially as his only plan on most things seems to be throwing money at it. his broadband plans (which i know a bit more about) are laughable. And if you look at wales and scotland (which both have a labour bias) their schools are worse than England in the rankings. As towel says - why lumber our kids and grandchildren with massive levels of debt