To finally be looking forward to a GE?

[Cadela]

The past election/PM changes have been horrendous. The visceral disappointment was awful each time.

I can’t wait to actually celebrate this year. I know, I know, Labour are going to set fire to the economy and tax everyone £3mil each and it’ll cost you 4 trillion a month to send you kid to private school, and all women will perish immediately because only Tories know what a woman is

But finally! It’s been a long fucking time coming.

Can’t wait to watch the tories fall like dominoes!

Will definitely love every minute!

It seems as though a lot of people are hung up on one or two policies - school fees being one of them.

I can't personally afford private school fees. BUT that doesn't mean I want others to have that option taken away from them either. If a chunk of people cant afford to send their kids to private school, then they will join an already overstretched and under funded state education system. And the VAT that will be made from those left, isn't going to make a significant dint in that.

Unless I am missing something that someone can politely explain to me please?

I think my feelings are more ones that it will be a sort of relief once the Tories are out of office. At least it stops things getting worse.

Most things government do should are not the subject of political difference, so just having competence will be a start.

@Curlewwoohoo

They don't need to be 'set up' they can fail all by themselves.

people voting Labour need to be mindful of what they wish for AND remember they voted them in.

I really don't want to vote Conservative either. I might just vote for the 'Crazy Party' it'll never not be a Conservative win where I am anyway.

its a clusterfuck for sure

No you’re not missing something. That’s exactly what will happen. Grammar heads are already warning that private school parents will switch to state at 11, pushing other children out of schools they would have otherwise got into.

I think a lot of people are hung up on this policy because at the moment it’s pretty much Labour’s only policy. The rest of their ideas aren’t really policies.

I dunno, I think most people vote with a bit of ‘what’s in it for me’ thing going on.
and who could blame them?
if you’re completely comfortable in all areas of your life, you can probably afford to vote in a party who will tax you more to give to the less fortunate. Or bring in policies that will have no effect on you whatsoever.

@LlynTegid that would be fine IF there was a party that was competent.

Fully agree. I feel like @ComeAlongPeggy had a hard time, without good reason. We all make decisions based on our circumstances and I don't begrudge anyone.

I do believe that the tories are an absolute shower of shits though and I cannot wait to see what comes next.

Do you understand who the boundary commission is ? It is not some Tory organisation. Every five years they look at the size of constituencies so that they can all be approx the same size with approx the same number of people in them. Proposals they make are put to consultation and if you are affected you can contribute to the consultation. It really isn't a Tory stitch up

Let us set a reminder in our phones with a link to this thread.

We'll pop back in 4 years.
Let's see how much life for people has improved under Labour.

Maybe have a look at the post by @SherbsL at 7.40 for a start. There's a whole lot of money for friends that won't be going out under Labour.

There isn’t just one tax policy, the private schools tax loophole just grabs the most headlines.
For example, another key policy is closing the tax gap - it’s reported that there was a £36billion tax gap for 2021/2022 between taxes owed and taxes paid, which has been on the rise quite considerably. This is combined with a large reduction (about half the previous amount) of civil investigations into offshore /corporate /wealthy tax fraud by the HMRC in the last 5 years. (Labour also plan to tighten up on the non-dom plan).
I wish the tax gap was getting as much media coverage and debate as the private schools policy, as it’s a really important that the public are aware of the scale of this and the shocking failures in this system - funds from which would most definitely benefit our failing public services. It certainly makes me question why there is so much inadequacy in offshore/corporate/wealthy tax and so relatively little coverage in the mainstream media about this.

My excitement and optimism is tempered slightly by:

1. The need for the government to actually call a GE - now!
2. The knowledge that Labour will be hampered by lack of money and I fear that it won't be long before people start questioning why they're not doing more, more quickly, and then having an attack of amnesia and voting the Tories back in.

Otherwise, yanbu.

A new morning and my posts have been commented on quite a lot so I’ll come back.

Ok, yes we’re wealthy compared to average. However, our lifestyle (outside school) is very simple. Our holidays are camping, my dc’s hobby is cubs/scouts (very cheap), our food shop is wherever the best value is that month etc. Our heating only goes on for the very coldest months, our car is 10 years old. We are all fine with this - I don’t care much about material things. School fees swallow the majority of my salary.

I chose to move to a small, new house with a small mortgage rather than something larger and much more expensive to run when I moved my children to private schools. So I could cut my cloth.

At the moment, SEN provision for my children in the state sector doesn’t work. I have tried and failed to make it work.

We don’t qualify for bursaries but both children do have academic and music scholarships that take 5-10% off fees.

So yes. My salary is good (now), but our household only has one salary and I earned not much more than minimum wage for many years as a junior doctor. Yes I’m paid more than the poster who also works for minimum wage in the NHS but that comes with years of specialist training and enormous pressure and responsibility. I would also struggle without the wrap around care that our schools provide because although my hours are fairly “regular”, they are also long!

As others have said, I don’t have huge confidence in any of the political parties at the moment but if school fees are significantly increased then my children (and many others) will stretch the already massively oversubscribed and struggling local schools. I’m not sure how that helps anyone.

I would also probably join the many, many state school parents supplementing with additional help out of school (funnily enough tutoring and specialist SEN support for state school students isn’t frowned upon even though that is also pretty expensive).

Our schools are large and have been doing all they can to reduce the impact on parents if Labour do win and go ahead with their plans. But there seems no doubt we’ll feel the financial hit at some point.

As another PP has said, it might reduce the amount our schools are able to do within the community.

I don’t think labours plans for independent schools will benefit the families with children at state school. Not one bit. I think it’ll just add pressure to the state system.

I'm pretty sure even the Tories are looking forward to it at this point. The last five years or so must have been awful for anyone with an ounce of intelligence or decency. And even as a never-Tory voter, I think there are some decent MPs out there.

I can't wait for labour to get in. I very much hope they'll immediately move us a bit closer to Europe.

I think the schools thing could backfire. I don't like private education but I also wouldn't like a huge influx of wealthy kids into the good state schools, shunting less well off kids into worse schools.

Ability to buy your way into a good catchment area would become even more important if they tax private school fees, not exactly the goal they're working towards.

The very knowledgeable John Curtice disagrees with you.

And I don't know what polls you're seeing (Tory Central?) but in seeing the opposite.

@Another76543 You’re right. I know several parents with primary age children now actively thinking about moving to areas with excellent grammar schools.

It's not just about ''giving to the less fortunate' though is it? This isn't Sherwood Forest. Most people I know don't vote based on their bank balance, but on the services they, their families and friends need the most. Like health, education, policing etc. The only ones who vote based on tax reductions are the ones who can afford private healthcare and education. And that's a minority. Austerity has not worked.

Nothing to do with the £400 billion the country borrowed over covid so we could all sit at home doing nothing. Lockdowns have crippled this country. Look at Sweden's economy - they didn't lockdown. The knock on effect on the nhs and people's mental health and physical health has been disastrous - waiting lists and huge numbers of people of working age not working, generating tax income, so the only alternative to fund public services is borrowing. The Govt does not have its own money - only borrowing or tax. The country spends c£300 billion a year on welfare alone. Starmer will inherit a poisoned chalice and his ideological taxing of non dons and private schools will raise next to nothing. He has committed to stick to Tory budget plans so my question is what will change ? I'm uninspired by it all. And to cap it all he doesn't know what a woman is so I fear for women's rights

I think the majority of independent school parents (or prospective parents who maybe are now reconsidering) will move into the catchment of the best state schools, do everything they can to get their children into the selective grammar schools and supplement their children’s education with a lot of extra tutoring.

Children already in the state system will not benefit. State schools will become (even more) segregated and many will lose the support currently given by local independent schools.

The impact this VAT policy will have on mainstream education is being hugely overstated. The people who send their kids to private school will have to do as everyone has to do when outgoings increase and tighten their belts. The thing I do think we should be lobbying Labour for though is improved processes and practicalities for better SEN provision - for all. That doesn't mean the VAT policy is wrong, though.

Nice they have the money to make that move. Wouldn't a move like that cost as much as the tax anyway?

Perhaps they're all on doctor salaries and can afford it.

So @ComeAlongPeggy and @eise you are basing your whole vote on one issue?! The angst on MN about this labour policy is startling. Most people pay vat on everything, it could be that people struggle to buy many important items, have basic building work done etc because of the vat, but you think a luxury such as PE shouldn’t have vat on it? If it happens private schools will prob do as much as they can to try and absorb the extra but private education is definitely a luxury. So many people worrying about how they may no longer be able to afford to buy their children’s privilege.

Because many aren't that bright clearly if they've kept this shitshow in power for so long!

@Zonder i was referring to this article - im
in no way advocating or wishing for a Tory victory but I do not believe labour will deliver the changes people think they will.

https://news.sky.com/story/labours-future-success-is-less-clear-cut-after-the-local-elections-13128314