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

"The politics of envy" is such a sneering lazy load of nonsense.
Wanting more egalitarian policies in some areas is motivated by envy. Even if it was (it isn't), the idea that that makes it morally reprehensible and should be sneered at relates to an old testament view of the world (and a selective one at that - greed is also a sin).

It's not 'politics of envy' to want a society where even the lowest paid can afford a safe home, heating, food, transport and a bit of recreation. This is a rich country, but it is hideously unequal.

🤷‍♀️ If state schools were better more private school parents would send their children to state school.

Instead they look at their local in catchment sink comprehensive school and think fck that, I’m paying for private. That’s what I did anyway. I realise that is a privilege, I’m wealthy enough to do so. I went to a brilliant state primary, an horrendous state secondary, and equally horrendous college for A Levels. My high school finished at 16.

I became successful despite my schooling not because of it. I had supportive parents and am reasonably intelligent, so I got out of the circle. 90% of the people from my year in school didn’t go to university (this was just before Blair’s policy of everyone going to university for no apparent reason).

And so when it came to my own children, I wasn’t going to send them to a similar school.

Why haven’t state schools improved? They need more investment, not less. And this pitiful levelling down policy from Labour, isn’t going to do the trick. Quite the opposite I’m afraid.

But here we are. Some people are petty. They are bitter and this is for Labour a vote winner. Sadly.

VAT on education is both morally wrong and also a wrong policy that will backfire.

Yes

Morally wrong? No more morally wrong than being able to buy privilege.

So you mean you yourself would not do anything to advantage your children? You think that would be morally wrong? My neighbours who both work 10 hours a day in very demanding jobs and drive an old car in order to send their special needs daughter to a small private school, they are wrong are they? Morally bankrupt. How dare they! You think it's not enough that they are saving treasury tousands a year and paying their own fees now they have to be taxed on those fees aswel? Which doesn't happen anywhere else. Actually many governments in EU fund small private schools to make them more affordable and to compensate for revenue they save, that on top of making them tax exempt. How dare they! Investing in their young people and leveling them up. Outrageous!

You won't stop people doing best for their children. If not private schools there will be tutoring, inheritance, extra activities, buying houses by best state schools or leaving the country, while vacated spaces will be taken by overseas students.

I guess you are happy for your taxes to go up so we can just get rid of all private schools altogether which will mean over 4 billion pounds a year will have to be found to fund state ones?

Oh and don't think for a minute that elitist private schools will be affected. They can easily absorb extra costs and so will their rich parents . It will be students on bursaries that will be affected so you will have even less diversity in our political scene and even more privilege.

And how will VAT on school fees resolve those issues? I want those things too but the VAT policy will not bring them about.

What are your suggestions?

Well said 🙌

It's not 'politics of envy' to want a society where even the lowest paid can afford a safe home, heating, food, transport and a bit of recreation. This is a rich country, but it is hideously unequal.

But it is politics of envy when it's a policy that ends up costing the government more money than it raises. Same for the additional rate tax which had negative net revenue. At that point, you're adding a further drain on public expenditure and doing the reverse of levelling up. Yes, the 'rich' may pay more but what's the point if it has a negative consequence on public finances?

When Hugo, Tarquin et al are sitting in bigger classes with teachers who are spread even more thinly, the lowest paid are priced out of the better state schools or having longer commutes to school as there's not enough free places in local schools, who wins? Or the 'rich' decide to take their tax revenue elsewhere and go to one of the British schools in the US or wherever.

Our local state schools are already full to bursting. Free land is green belt so fraught with planning issues and, in any case, it takes time to build. All it will do is reduce the quality of education for state school pupils and cost the government more money so I don't believe it's the right answer.

Well I’ve said for years that we need to build a lot more low cost social housing as the selling off of council houses has been disasterous for people on lower incomes. If people paid less for their accommodation then many (if not all) of the problems you refer to could be resolved. We actually have one of the highest minimum wages in Europe, it’s the cost of rent that makes it difficult for so many people. I am also a big supporter of low cost childcare for all. And by all, I mean all. No cut offs and silly cliff edges for higher earners.

‘I am not better off. My children are not in private school.
Still I would not vote labour.
I don't agree with VAT on education’

i see the turkeys are voting for Christmas again…

Grim how utterly patronising you are. Urgh.

i see the turkeys are voting for Christmas again…

Wow what a startlingly original cliche.

@blue345 state school rolls are falling nationally because of demographics. You can't assume that the VAT policy will cost more than it raises.

The fact is that any woman voting for Labour is voting against women’s rights. Whatever anyone things about private schools tax.

When Labour say they will protect women’s safe spaces, that is a lie. Because their definition of women, includes men.

Absolutely hideous. Our girls and women will not even be able to get safely changed in a changing room or go to the toilet, for fear of a predatory man, legally, being there.

Nevermind the theft of women’s sports places, women’s awards, women’s scholarships etc.

So women shouldn’t vote for Labour. But I’d never say ‘turkeys voting for Christmas’ - awful.

@Timeisstiking this again.
There are so many more issues affecting women: the effective legalisation of rape, the slashing of council services, health and education, the unwillingness to address housing. All these things disproportionately affect women. Many voters are able to see the bigger picture.

Vote Labour and you can have the same as we have in Wales. Batshit ideas and dodgy financial dealings. Throw in long NHS waiting lists and councils wasting money on 20mph road signs then cutting services as well.

I genuinely hope labour get in purely so the rest of the country can see what they are like, after all Starmer has said that Wales is the blueprint for the Labour party.

Truss was interviewed by a man who mused raping Jess Phillips. Truss was the choice of the Conservative membership.
The justice system is so worn down from the police to courts to prisons rape victims wait years to be heard and we shorten prison sentences for domestic abusers.

The Conservatives most recently were voted in on Get Brexit Done, levelling up and fixing social care. I don't need to discuss the negative impact of Brexit you'd have to be an idiot not to recognise it, the levelling up funds will be spent on potholes and national service and social care - well the great stride there is suppressing wages by slashing local government budgets by 40% and limiting visas.

And if we are going to talk batshit let's talk Rwanda -

The Public Accounts Committee report on Rwanda won't get much airtime, but it's a devastating read.

"little to show for the money spent…continually failed to be transparent with Parliament…fell woefully short of reality...does not have a credible plan".
committees.parliament.uk/publications/4…

x.com/redhistorian/status/1795939780510847382?s=46&t=Uw4lJNwxFZFnX0Xs3doHYg

Yes, but they would always blame the Tories for any new fuck ups. I feel the same with the major we have in London.

Yep. It isn’t going away. See Lloyd Russell- Moyle. He’s gone now thank goodness. No coincidence.

https://unherd.com/2023/01/the-labour-party-has-a-woman-problem/

Ah so stupid of me for not engaging in politics of envy and not believing that leveling down will level me up. I must be such a turkey. So silly of me to worry about policy that will hurt many children, widen the privilege gap and won't raise enough money while putting more pressure on state schools.

I must be so stupid to believe the best leveling up for families and women is universal childcare, which Labour is strongly opposed to.
They pretend to be for "working people" as long as you stay in your place while they enjoy their wealth and insist to be just like you.

Exactly! Sounds like they love the underdog so much they want to preserve them. All down and middle classes disappearing.

Meanwhile Sir (🤮) keir et al live in their million plus houses, sending their children to the most desirable state schools, telling us women have dicks. Fck off Labour.