To think that people who agree with VAT on private school fees but not on university fees, are hypocrites?

[Blanket601]

If Labour add VAT to private school fees, they should also add VAT to university fees. Or no VAT on either. The principle and rule, should be the same.

Why is only private school education being platformed. I think we all know why.

No they don't. University staff have around five weeks annual leave each year.

Raman spectroscopy of an apple and an orange is basically identical with fructose peaks at 626 and 1265 cm-1. With a pectin peak at 1061.

Similar can be said for orange juice with bits and apples.

I guess it depends on the university and seniority but it's 44 days +7 bank hols in my siblings case.

44 days would be 9 weeks . Not sure what type of university your sibling works at. I have worked in a lot of Russell group universities during my career and have never worked at one where staff get 9 weeks annual leave plus 7 bank hols each year. Perhaps your sibling actually works part time and just hasn't mentioned it.

You do make a good point here. Really government could have created some counterbalance to hedge the position better.

This would have included starting to make provision for public sector pension liability from the windfall from the treasury. This would in principle counterbalance. The future interest rate increases.

Moving this pension liability back onto the balance sheet over a number of decades would make good sense as it could crystallise the liability for the period it was paid for. Unions may go for this as well as it would allow members to port there pensions and have more flexible scheme rules.

This could be set as a blue print for other sectors.

Ratings agencies would similarly be keen on this as there is a substantial unknown liability.

Short term thinking by any hue of government as always.

Cambridge give 29 working days once you take off public holiday so 5 weeks and four days.

Oxbridge, definitely full time.

Well 10.2 weeks if you count in the bank hols. So 2.4 months near as dammit.

I'm struggling to think of almost any job where you don't need to be able to explain your self to someone else. Even the almost hermit like software developer, high strain rate shock physicist, accountants friends as they have advanced in there careers then communicating is really key.

Clearly course content does vary but Russell group uni that I went to.. well was quite 💩.

There is isn't an "Oxbridge" university. As I said, if you exclude bank holidays at Cambridge university they get 29 days not 44 days. 29 days is 5 weeks and 4 days. It is similar to what you would get in most professional jobs.

Also universities somehow have managed to opt out of the European working time directive and contracts will state that you have to work whatever hours are required to do the job. This in reality means many academics don't take off anywhere near their allocated annual leave.

Wombat

I know there isn't an Oxbridge, I was trying to be a tiny bit ambiguous not to cause waves in my siblings workplace.

Why would discussing the annual leave "make waves" and why narrow it down to just two universities if you were genuinely trying to be ambiguous?

In hindsight I should have top 10.

Well if there are different contracts in the university for similar roles then it's the kind of environment where Jante law is strong.

As you can imagine in some specialisms staff might be desperate to get a position and in other subjects the university might be desperate to keep it recruit staff so offer different contracts ( including more holiday) .

I know it can be tough to get through the early part of an academic career but if the goal is r&d then industry is often more effective ( to start with they understand the current and future needs better). And as discussed preparation of undergraduates for the wider world I believe that in many cases a better set outcomes could be delivered within the resources consumed.

May be the area we have lost is the research institute/ Fraunhofer organisations like Mira/ pira etc to pick a couple.

But the detachment from industry still ends up with hobby horses in many cases from the horizon 2020/ fp7 programs I have been involved in.

Stop waffling. The fact your sibling works in a university does not make you an expert on how university contracts work. Universities do not give differing amounts of annual leave to people in similar roles. If they particularly want someone they would give more senior position and/or start them on a higher point on the salary scale.

Too many claiming benefits and housing and all sorts of nonsense. All profess to be so ill but then jet off to Benidorm and IBEEEEEFFFAAA. Britain is currently surviving on one brain cell. Unfortunately the numb skulls can vote. They are mostly totally unable to work out what certain policies long term will mean.

But how do you deal with that. Poll tax? I can't see that flying.

Increase the link between contributions and social security entitlement?

Certainly moving state pension back towards serps and providing some sort of governmental bank account for pensions may work. This already partly exists here where you can buy back years of contributions. In other countries with a more contributory social security system then you can pay more tax by choice to get better benefits upto a certain level.

It’s sad that you had a bad experience at University, perhaps whilst there it’s worth speaking to them about that
Dh and I and our three kids, comprising 8 Universities in total between us didn’t.
Dh and I were at Uni between 1985 and 1992, my sons 2018 to present day.

Exactly this. Race to the bottom. I think the envy gang don’t see they are too at the bottom - who knows.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/keir-starmer-slammed-refusing-rule-144647883.html?guccounter=1

That's nothing to do with VAT. Tuition fees have not reason for many years.

https://news.sky.com/story/labours-bridget-phillipson-criticised-for-refusing-to-rule-out-tuition-fee-hike-13142619

Phillipson has also refused to rule out fee increases.

And so it begins

Annoys me how he always refers to ‘The working people’. Keir that is most people. He uses it as if it’s a special group of people who should vote Labour. Bizarre

Does he really mean ‘the working class’ people? If so he should say it and show his arrogance.

Since when has anyone thought tuition fees would remain the same forever? It's nothing to do with VAT.

Everyone knows tuition fees will increase at some point but that is not the same as charging VAT. It's nothing to do with this thread and a bit desperate to imply that it does.