To marvel at privately educated Keir Starmer's hypocrisy?

[Bursarysadness]

Both Kier Starmer and his wife are privately educated. Kier's senior school converted into a private school in the second year of his attendance and he has received a generous full bursary up until his A levels. He has built his life and his success on this education, supported to the end by the bursary funded by the same schools and parents he is now trying to destroy. It pains me as my children receive 50% bursaries from a brilliant local school. We've worked incredibly hard to cover the remaining 50% but it has been worth it, seeing how my children blossomed. We had a very different experience in their primary state schools, including bullying and racism. We don't live in a great area. We have just been told that the school will probably reduce all their bursaries to be able to lower the fees for the non bursary parents who are now struggling because of the VAT introduction. I don't know what the future for my children is now and they have so many close friends where they are. They are both academically brilliant and work very hard - hence the bursaries were granted. I feel so depressed that, from what is becoming obvious, they won't be able to benefit from the generosity of bursaries the same way Kier Starmer did when he was a child ..

@Heidi75 "
I don't need to say anything more about it. It's quite self-explanatory"

Not to me it isn't. I think you do need to say more.

@Bursarysadness What do you think Starmer should do/should have done to avoid the charges of hypocrisy?

I find it best to not worry about politicians or anyone else being hypocrites. It won't change them and just makes you bitter and angry.

My kids attended/attend private school because it was/is the best option for them.

It's shit if your kids have to change schools though, I hope you can find a way around that so they can stay at their school.

@Heidi75 Also, why is being a hypocrite a pre requisite of being in the Labour Party?

You caused confusion for me by saying the champagne socialists are acting from spite and envy. My understanding of the term is a wealthy person who supports Labour. This doesn't make sense in terms of the accusation that they are envious of private school parents who can't afford VAT.

If it just means a Labour Party member who likes champagne I cannot see what the problem with that is.....

She absolutely was @5128gap ! If you google it, you will see she has a lot of very bad press for it. She is super left. It's awful

I think he should appreciate the value they do or can bring and not punish or target them the way he is @CurlewKate . He should appreciate that they are part of the education landscape not against it. Through bursaries and scholarships they offer opportunities to those who have no means.

@Bursarysadness "He should appreciate that they are part of the education landscape not against it."

Ah. But he's not abolishing them. He's just closing a loophole.

It’s a poor school, then. Have they had an Ofsted inspection recently? You can write to Ofsted to tell them your concerns.

It sounds nothing like any state school I have ever known.

No, I don't.

Can't?

Except that is not what it means and you know it, as does everyone else!

@Heidi75 fair enough. But just so you know, you're not making any sense!

It's not a loophole - that implies there were loops already and people found a way through them. Education is not vatable, that's not a loophole it's a fact. No country in Europe charges VAT on education. In fact, it contravenes 2 clauses of ECHR regulations.

I don't care whether you don't get it or not, it's perfectly clear

Education is not VATable, I agree.

This with bells on

It's going to be though. That's why we've got 1001 threads of people bleating about it.

FWIW generally speaking 'champagne socialists' are a good thing if they support labour values and you are a labour supporter. Particularly so as they are likely to be from a class of people more likely to vote elsewhere to preserve their own self interest. If having the odd glass of champagne sweetens the bitter pill of extra taxation (and VAT) then bring it on.

Maybe consider the VAT addition to private school fees. He is removing the choice his family had from others who might choose it.

Perfectly put @Lifelover16

He's not removing the choice. Private schools aren't going to disappear.

It's just that if the private schools choose to pass some/all the VAT on to the parents then the private school fees will go up.

When the government increases tax on petrol, do you look at that as the government "removing the choice" to drive?

@IFollowRivers "It's going to be though. That's why we've got 1001 threads of people bleating about it."

It's not education that's being VAT-ed. It's luxury education.

My children go to a state school and have not experienced racism.

What’s your point?

@Lifelover16 "He is removing the choice his family had from others who might choose it."

Starmer? He didn't go to private school.