To feel so upset about the government censorship?

[Utterlydisillusioned]

This has just appeared in my news feed and I feel so upset and disillusioned. I was a labour voter, thinking we voted the bad guys out but I'm now really scared about what we've let in...what on earth have we done...? https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2024/08/17/education-secretary-bridget-phillipson-private-school-tax-r/

No, i dont. If thats the case then its a real disgrace from all concerned.

But it's not shutting down free speech. It's a convention and something politicians have always done. The fact that the Torygraph is writing about it now thaty Labour are in power is just typical Tory media hypocrisy. There are plenty of other ways for people to speak out. Free speech is not being stifled - it's just that a lot of people who didn't vote for this government are suddenly complaining.

Not sure what the other ways are. I have been following the discussions in the group and some of the families have reasonable concerns and questions - they are writing to the mp's and getting no replies, the schools and employers (for military families) dont have access to any further info. For those at risk, information isnt particularly forthcoming. Im not aware politicians have always deleted comments minutes after they have been coming in but if so, shame on them all. They are paid for by tax payers to represent them and they cant even give us the time of day.

The only Bridgets I know are in their 60s or older - and in fact the actress who played Bridget Jones is 55 [!!] it's a name that's really fallen out of fashion

If every* *single post her account makes is greeted by a deluge of the same stock complaints from private school parents about the VAT issue then of course the posts will be deleted.The account exists to give information on all aspects of the department’s work, not pacify an organised group of malcontents.

Very few people care about this issue. They may feel a certain compassion for the small minority of children, who seem clearly to have been raised to be horrified by state schools and their students and now face the prospect of becoming one themselves, but the majority of people blame the parents.

back to Bridget - I know one in her 30s. She’s called Bridie.

Do you think so?

It doesn't bother me in the slightest. Everyone does it.🤷‍♀️. Including the Telegraph.🤣🤣🤣

The kids will be fine by the way btw. Unless they’re utter dickheads, but they would suffer for that at any school.

They are paid for by tax payers to represent them and they cant even give us the time of day.

BP is SoS for education and also Minister for Women and Equality - she is paid more than an MP for holding this wide brief - looking at her recent FB posts she has posted about Childcare, Safeguarding, Child Poverty etc which have got a bit lost in all the spam about VAT on private school fees - it's not the big issue for her as it is for you - she has many other pressing matters to attend to

MPs on the other hand are paid to represent the electorate so unless you live in BP's constituency in Sunderland she's not representing you

Also note that the Telegraph is still the only outlet running this confected 'story' more than 24 hours later

What a storm in a teacup! Tory paper posts "news" about the Labour government doing something they don't like, that their own people have done for years.

Top comment, says it all. Get a grip people.

Surely telling you why he thinks it's a good idea is answering your question. The fact that he didn't agree with you doesn't mean that your right to free speech was being stifled. Rather the contrary, given that you were allowed to ask your question in public.

Likewise Johnson telling lies wasn't stifling free speech. He was doing all sort of other offensive and unconstitutional things but, at that moment, he wasn't preventing anyone from exercising free speech.

Free speech does not mean people agreeing with you.

If you post on someone else's FB thread, you accept that they can delete your comment. If you don't like it, post it on your own thread.

Seems to me all the questions raised have been answered by the government many times over. If these people really want to know those answers, they could find out very easily. There's not a lot of point any government minister spending time on social media answering the same questions over and over again.

What precisely that has happened in the last six weeks do you say is similar to 1984?

Excellent question @Marseillaise

All those points have been addressed SO many times. During the run-up to the election, and in various TV and radio interviews for starters. If these people were actually interested in the answers they could have found them with no difficulty at all.

In fact, most of them have been answered in this and countless other MN threads, because it's easy enough to work out the responses even without asking the Minister.

How exactly is it shutting down free speech when the posters concerned are absolutely free to post the same comments all over the place, including their own FB pages?

Free speech doesn't mean that you have to get an answer to every question or comment you make. Free speech simply means freedom to ask the question or make the comment.

I can't honestly see how it would be feasible to run a government if ministers were required to reply personally to each and every comment that turned up on social media, especially when they're all virtually the same. That would be absolutely insane.

If the individuals concerned really can't get answers from anyone, and can't find the answers which have already been published - which is very hard to believe - then they need to go to their MP's constituency surgery, write to the relevant Department, or just get legal advice.

'Free speech' isn't serving this pressure group well because it seems like they're not getting the answers they want to hear

Unless they live in Clacton. I understand there's not much point trying to get to the MP surgery there.

Complaining about no response after writing to MPs at the moment is a bit disingenuous. When our new MP was elected I read something saying people shouldn't expect any responses any time soon as there was so much to do settling them in and in the first few weeks they were bound to get loads of letters.

Our old MP would never reply faster than a month anyway.

I was replying to someone telling me parents should reach out in different ways. I totally agree the gov can't reply to social media comments. I just dont think they should be being deleted because they dont suit the rhetoric.

This is part of the problem. The gov have just announced the policy will take effect from January. Private schools require a terms notice to leave. For those children whose family rely on bursaries or perhaps are on affordability edge, its not giving them much time. During the election labour said the policy would be implemented from next school year not mid school year.

Why, on this occasion do you feel ‘so upset’ and ‘disillusioned’

its not ok but it’s hardly breaking news. Your apparent reaction is way over the top.

😂😂

It does. But to give MNers credit I'm sure they can do maths ......

"Why do you care more about the 97% in state compared to the 7% in private".

If that person was privately educated I think they should be more worried about them 😂