Dear Richi Sunak

[CarolineFields]

I have been a teacher for 30 years, and have at different times been head of department and head of year. Unfortunately, as a mother, it was impossible for me to full fill these roles because of the workload, so I resigned from both.

I made sacrifices to support my child through state school and university

I couldn't afford to replace my glasses, the prescription I used was 5 years out of date.

I have one pair of school shoes, and because I can't afford the bus, and walk 5 miles to school several times a week, I leave my shoes at school, because if they wear out I won't be able to replace them

I used a 10 year old asthma inhaler rather than pay the prescription charge for a new one.

The cats and I shared one heated vest under a duvet rather than turn on the central heating

I save a little bit by charging my phone and laptop from a camping style solar panel - I don't know how much this actually saves, but it must be something, right?

Holidays were camping, by public transport, off peak.

I am middle income, middle class, and consider myself reasonably comfortably well off- no serious worries about housing or food, as so many people suffer with daily.

I have never, in my wildest dreams considered the ludicrous and insane extravagance of taking out a sky tv subscription.

I understand that to some people this is a top priority, as football is such a crucial aspect of our countries cultural life. People who do take this out, will be making massive cuts elsewhere

I am very sorry, but I cannot begin to understand where you are coming from, believing that missing out on sky TV is some sort of sacrifice or deprivation.

I am stunned. I am gobsmacked. I can't take it in. I don't know what to say. I am reeling. I am so shocked. I don't know what it would have been possible to say to alienate me more than what you have just said.

I am sorry. I am struggling to articulate the depth of my astoundedness. It is like my soul can't absorb the words and gags on them. Its like a soul emetic

Good news OP.

I checked the Specsavers site for you.

You can get NHS vouchers and such for help if your glasses prescription is complex, as I would assume a £300 one would be.

You can also get.help in a lot of other circumstances too, but I wouldn't want male any.more assumptions.

Pop your specs on, have a look...
https://www.specsavers.co.uk/offers/great-value-for-nhs-customers

I don't need a food bank! As I said I feel relatively well off, as I have no shortage of food ( well not these days, I certainly did when I had a toddler in child care) Most of my money went on being a single mother

I am not entitled to any help. I am a normal person on a normal income. The only difference might be having been a single mother, paying mortgage and childcare out of one salary, and then supporting child through university.

But no, I am not entitled to any NHS vouchers.

Also out of interest, dental care would be completely outside the realms of the possible, but luckily, I don't need any

The point is, bloody Sunak considering himself deprived, and saying his parents had to make unreasonable sacrifices to send him to the most expensive school in the country, without any clue of what sacrifices normal income parents are making every day to send their children to nursery, or state school, or university.

And incidentally, have a peek into any school workroom, many teachers will have eft their school shoes under their desks, so as not to wear them out on the journey too and from school. More than half in my staff workroom, certainly.

And I certainly sacrificed meals on a regular basis to pay for childcare when I had a toddler

So yes, I am totally shell shocked at our so called PM complaining at lack of Sky TV so he could attend the countries most expensive school.

The man is so far from normal life that I can't even begin to grasp how he can be so ignorant.

What the hell is he talking about?

no I don't. I am just a normal person muddling along like everyone else, on a normal income, juggling around to make ends meet. I don't have any worries about food or housing. I consider myself very very lucky and well off in that respect.

none of my friends or colleagues are very different - I have some friends better off, some friends worse off, but most are somewhere around the middle like me.

but you do seem to share their total ignorance of the normal lives of normal people all around you

the people around me, me duck, are actually hard up and living on a social housing estate.
The hardest up people in society.
Actual, real, true and proper poverty.

Not hyperbolic nonsense invented by someone who describes them self as "middle class, comfortably off"

I quit teaching and took a 12k pay drop, I can still afford shoes, prescriptions ans sky. Teaching is good money what are you spending your money on? I hope this doesn't make you reel too much.

The ‘sacrifices’ you are making and have made are very much your choice. It does sound rather Dickensian for a middle class teacher to be existing in such a frugal way. Rishi Sunak doesn’t belong to the worlds’ of ordinary people. I’m assuming he was grappling desperately for something to say that indicated some sort of ‘poverty’ and got it massively wrong; but then you would if you’re a billionaire married to a billionaire 🤷‍♀️

Teaching is good money what are you spending your money on?

On the basis of the original post, I'd guess that it's adjectives

He was pressed about things he couldn't have as a child. I think as the media like to do they have spun it out of context to make it sound like he was complaining....

A child cannot help the circumstances they are born into.

I had a black and white tv and was grateful for it. If I was asked for things I could have had I may have mentioned more tv channels. Honestly I wouldn't think more of it.

It's amazing what politics does to people. The media spin on things, politicians having cement and milkshake thrown on them. Also people on the internet saying they can't afford £9.90 for a prescription but they can afford over £300 for glasses......

I don't know how you expected people to sympathise. I know many teachers who have a single income home. They are very comfortable and not pleading poverty. Perhaps you need to review your finances.

I would discourage using out of date medication but I'm sure you already know that.....

Apologies should have said things I wish I could have had.

A teacher of 30 years should know that the UK PM is in fact Rishi Sunak and not Richi

and a lot of people are a lot worse of than me. I didn't say they weren't. in fact I specifically said I consider myself comfortably off. But any parent paying a mortgage and childcare is going to be making sacrifices and economies, Especially a single parent with no cm. I am just literally stunned and gobsmacked that anyone can be so moronic as to describe not having sky tv as a sacrifice parents have had to make to send their child to the most expensive private school in the uK

Do you know how food banks work? You can't just rock up at one and ask for food. You need to have a referral slip either from SS, MH team, GP or similar. I cannot see a scenario under which the OP would fit the criteria for the food bank voucher.

And I don't need one. I am a normal income parent juggling and managing as everyone does. I had to miss meals when I had a toddler in full time nursery and was paying a mortgage single handed. I suspect most parents in that situation do. But even then, I would not have needed a food bank. I just needed to skip a few meals.

Rishi is in his 40s so sky was probably a couple of hundred pounds to sign up and around £10 a month subscription fee when he was in school
He really is so out of touch.

Where do people live the bus fare is capped at £2? It certainly isn't in South Wales.

This is what confused me.
OP, as an experienced teacher, you must be on around £40,000?
Not a fortune, but to state that you can't afford a £10 prescription charge, especially as your children are grown up and no dependents?

We lived on my husbands £40,000 salary in outer London for 3 years whilst our children were little and I took time off with them by choice, with no benefits apart from the £20 a week child benefit, as a family of 4 buying formula nappies baby clothes etc.

I don't need any suggestions! I'm fine! but I can't take in that ** yakking on about not having sky TV as a "sacrifice" made to go to the most expensive possible school in the country.

Because every normal person on a normal income is making sacrifices many orders of magnitude greater than that on a daily basis just to put their children in normal nurseries, and normal state schools, and normal universities.

I don't mind, I am perfectly happy and comfortable. I have juggled, and sacrificed, and managed, and still do, to some extent.

I can't take listening to that man though. He has no idea what the word sacrifice means. he has no idea what normal life is. He has not a clue, not the faintest, vaguest clue that he is so, so so ultraprivildeged that he might as well be a different species. not a normal human living in the normal world at all

Oh do give up, I’ve met teachers who couldn’t even spell my son’s name correctly when writing home about him. Hardly the most important part of the post.

the Tories have absolutely decimated the education system in our country.

Not everywhere.
In our area there are at least 3 'commuinity pantries' where can get food on an honesty basis, no referral needed.
And a couple more where can pay £2 per bag and fill up to 5 carrier bags, so a full shop for a tenner.

And incidentally, have a peek into any school workroom, many teachers will have eft their school shoes under their desks, so as not to wear them out on the journey too and from school. More than half in my staff workroom, certainly.

I imagine the vast majority of them have been left there because more comfortable shoes are worn until they get in to school, rather than poverty. Everyone used to have 'commuting shoes' in offices too.