VOTE Labour and

[DistinguishedSocialCommentator]

AIBU to feel this will happen un a Labour government???

From what I see and IMO, the Labour lot on the whole believe in aspirations but only for themselves

Older people will vividly recall the the hideous tax rates under labour - between 1974 and 1979 the paye tax rate was up to 80%. Then there was a tax on top of that for so-called higher earners of 18%. This equated to 98%

I don't trust Labour, nor do I trust the Torties. Liberals, IMO they will sell your soul down the river to get a sniff at number 10

As I said I don't trust any of them. But if you are working, worked hard, been prudent with your money and have savings, decent private pensions in the pipeline and possibly a property or two that you have worked for, for your retirement and not wasting your money and want to leave some behind for your kids, GC etc rather than throw it away on the hand to mouth life - then if Labour comes into power, you are totally and truly F'd

Labour rants they will do this and the other - the last time they almost bankrupted England,

If you are working hard being prudent with your money and made sacrifices to send your kids to a private school as many Labour MP's do on pay at almost 100k - they are eager to put VAT on this part of education. The MPS whose pay is a couple of times above average pay will be able to afford it - will you??

Me, my family, relatives have all worked hard, not on benefits, never lived in social housing and not thrown our money away but been prudent to be self-sufficient and pay our taxes to support our country. If you are like us, then trust me, under Labour, you will be shafted hard.

I'm not sure if I will vote tory or an independent but this circus of Tories and Labour taking turns to lie to the nation is not on and yes, most politicians lie and will lie and say anything to get into number 10 and if your feel that is not true, then you must be on another planet

Wonder if any journalist will go back here and ask this bloke who he is going to vote for

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-56805144

@Dibblydoodahdah

No I did not say that, scroll up you must be confusing me with someone else.

If you don’t think many will be forced to leave the sector then how do you also think they will be able to influence the improvement of state schools by their “passion”. Nonsensical!

I don’t think many will leave but if posters on here are correct and many will actually leave then perhaps that passion will help. What are you still confused about?

You’re missing the point. The VAT policy will do nothing to help the children you refer to and harm others in the process. And it won’t be the most privileged that will be impacted. It won’t impact the genuniely “rich” or “elite”.

You quoted the above comment from me but that was a response to the person who referred to it impacting the most privileged per cent. That’s where the confusion lies. You didn’t use my quote in the context it was meant to be used in.

Why would they? Weird comment.

Presumably he won’t be voting Tory, though.

If my current Y10, going into Y11 in September has to leave his private school right in the middle of his GCSE’s, my ‘passion’ isn’t going to be directed at improving the state school he moves to. My ‘passion’ is going to be aimed at e mailing/calling the school and all his teachers, plus Governors, on a daily basis, to ensure they are putting the effort in to getting him through his exams.

No doubt he won’t be able to take the same subjects he’s currently halfway through, so they will have to teach him new subjects in less than a year. I’m not directing any ‘passion’ into getting the rest of the school up to standard. I’ll be a complete pain in the arse parent though.

I think once Labour lay it all out once the GE is announced, and they reveal their policies and how they’re going to pay for these policies, people will get a better understanding of what the alternative to the Tories is going to look like, and I predict a fall from their current lead in the polls. Whilst they’re currently being wishy wash’s about how they’re going to raise the money for the utopia they’re promising, people are going to realise that there’s only so much tax they can squeeze from the wealthy, the figures are not going to add up, and they will be coming after middle England to plug the gaps. Same old story I’m afraid….

washy

I think once Labour lay it all out once the GE is announced

Keep up - GE was announced yesterday!

So you intend to embarrass yourself and your son by throwing a hissy fit, at an already overburdened public school and the staff of said school, because you're too poor to afford the private education you believe that you're somehow entitled to?

Your son has only one year left. I'm not sure it was a sound financial proposal to send him at all without at least enough in reserve to pay for a year. What was your plan if you hit a personal financial issue? Or if the school suddenly put up it's fees of its own accord?

Agree with this.

@edwinbear

I could be wrong but I understand when Keir Starmer's school changed from state grammar to private, kids already there had their fees waived until 6th form? Precisely to avoid the situation your DS might be in, of massive schooling disruption nearing exam year.

I highly doubt most private schools could afford to do that but I wonder, if Labour are deadset on bringing in this VAT policy, Labour would consider a way of doing it so it only applies to new entrants? Or at least waive it for kids going into exam years.

Meanwhile I still don't get why people think the VAT thing will improve inequality. If anything it will get worse, as I suspect many people with younger DC not yet at school who planned on private will consider the alternative way to pay for education. By buying a house near the better state schools (which prices less wealthy families away from those schools). The best way to address that real issue of inequality is more social housing that's equally spread out across different areas. Then communities would be more mixed. Perhaps not popular policy for some but it's one I'd personally like to see.

Oops! So they have. Last I saw it was just a rumour that July was going to be the date.

This. If you can’t beg, borrow or steal another 20% for a year you had no business sending him there in the first place.

@Anotherparkingthread Moving schools in exam year is highly disruptive and stressful for kids.

Keir Starmer should know. When his grammar school changed to private, he and others already at the school had their fees waived until 6th form.

Also if the state school is already overburdened, how will having extra kids join help? Especially in exam year and possibly needing a last minute subject change so needing extra support to catch up.

The absolute irony of saying people are stupid, then saying vote reform. My God 😂 of course, you won’t see it, though. Reform would be tories on steroids, do you realise that? Do you even know what they stand for? Have you read their manifesto, and if so, did you notice any glaringly obvious fucking idiotic policies?

Shhhhh, just let them crack on, it’s good for Labour.

The Reform Party is just what this country needs! [struggles to maintain a straight face]

VATs a burden on everyone. I hope it’s one day abolished in entirety.

Yes I’m voting labour. I have no idea really what they are proposing and I do quite like Rishi. He’s quiet, considered and just seems to get the job done calmly and has given the country some stability. But the rest of the Conservative Party are wildly out of control. The truss et al still lurk about and then you have the Rwanda nutters. I honestly do not know what planet they live on. It can’t go on.

Im quite confident they will get in. I am a swing voter and have never voted against the majority.

I do despair for this country when I think back to news reports from when Boris Johnson was running.

BBC interviews with elderly shoppers saying "Well it would be nice to have a prime minister with a good sense of humour, so yes I'll be voting Boris" etc.

This is what we're up against!

What happened in Leicester?

Completely agree !
I wouldn't wish the last 24 years of Labour government on my worst enemy. We have the worst education, dental service, a health service with half the population on waiting lists in excess of 2 years and a huge budget deficit.

*AIBU to feel this will happen un a Labour government *

I'm not sure what exactly you mean by this very garbled statement, but I lived and worked and had children under successive Labour governments (from 1997) and it was far far better than under the Tories, particularly since 2016. Public services were properly funded, the NHS worked, tax wasn't wildly higher than it is now and certainly close to 3 million people weren't relying on foodbanks.

*This equated to 98% *
Now I think you know that's not true. Anyway, why are you talking about the 1970s? That's more than 50 years ago!

Your whole argument that people who work hard and are prudent with their money are the ones who can send their children to private school doesn't stand up - plenty of very very hardworking people nevertheless can barely afford the basics of life due to the erosion of working people's rights under the Tories. In a country with so many many people struggling, VAT on private school fees is only a concern of a very very tiny minority, and even then will only make a difference to some of that minority.

not on benefits, never lived in social housing and not thrown our money away but been prudent to be self-sufficient and pay our taxes to support our country

This is an illusory throwback to some Victorian fantasy about a Protestant work ethic - the people who benefitted the most under the Tories were those who are basically gamblers (merchant bankers/hedgefund managers) or used their connections to the party to get favourable contracts and took advantage of favourable tax breaks.

Tory lies exploited many of those who do live on benefits to convince them that Brexit would make everyone richer (as well as the Little Englanders).

Enough already of the Conservative Party broadcast and the usual fear-mongering. Just look at the reality of most people's lives and admit it - the Tories have royally shafted the majority of people.

Well, you need to look to Westminster as that’s where they get their money for the NHS, education, and social care and Wales has a higher proportion of elderly and people in poor health so needs more per head. I’m in Wales and whilst I agree everything’s shit, it’s no worse overall than elsewhere really. At least Wales are giving free school meals to every child now because of the COL which I think is a good thing. Also my relative only had a 6 month wait for a ASD assessment compared to up to three years in England. Not all bad, whatever you happen to dislike.

So when the Tories introduced their nasty council housing policies that uprooted families from where they were sending their children to school was that cruel and unjust? It affected far more people than VAT on private school fees will. Despite their (completely bogus) charitable status, private schools are businesses so if you can't afford to buy their services, tough - unless the schools themselves don't want to pass on the 'cruel and unjust' extra fees to their customers.

You're deflecting into different issues. The fact is that the person I was replying to feels entitled to things they may not be able to afford. If the price of lurpak goes up and I have to drop down to buying the Aldi version I don't then call up Norpak and berrate them every day because I don't like the product as much.

Lots of people who are not in the position to pay for private schools have survived, sending their children to state school, often going without true essentials.

There is no argument that it may be disruptive but op has plenty of options she finds the increased amount or moves them to state school before September so they have a final year at the new school. Children move schools for all kinds of reasons at all kinds of times. She has options that aren't available to many, for example if she doesn't like it she can pay for private tuition to supplement a state school education, with all the money she is saving on private school fees. She can find the extra finances for a full private education, which she should have thought about and prepared for really as a responsible parent who would like to avoid disruption to her child's education. or she can send him to state school like everybody else without feeling the need to make daily phone calls to the poor sods who are trying to give every child at the school the best education they can with limited resources.

It's enormous amounts of entitlement. It's not as though anybody is trying to deny her child access to education, she has options but she's doesn't like them as shes too snobby for the free one and too skint to buy the expensive one.

If the worst thing in life you have to worry about is VAT on your private school fees, then give your heads a wobble. Pay the increased fees if you can/want to. If not, advocate for, and engage in, good state provision.
Look around you at our struggling public services and think about the kind of country you want your kids to grow up in. Should it be one where they will have to step over increasing numbers of homeless people and foodbank users on the way back from their private school? Or one where they can play a full part in a diverse, caring society which lifts up the most vulnerable?