The Irony.. PM's donation was for ‘son to study for GCSEs’

[JustSpeechless]

PM suggests £20,000 donation was for ‘son to study for GCSEs’ | The Independent

Sorry if there are other threads, but I did search and nothing came up.

“My boy, 16, was in the middle of his GCSEs. I made him a promise, a promise that he would be able to get to his school, do his exams, without being disturbed,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“But if you’re a 16-year-old trying to do your GCSEs and it’s your one chance in life – I promised him we would move somewhere, get out of the house and go somewhere where he could be peacefully studying.

So its OK for the PM to be worried about his child's "one chance" GCSE year being disturbed ...but he's not so worried about other people's children feeling stressed during their GCSEs by introducing the private school VAT during an academic school year.

I don't have a child in private school doing their GCSEs. And I know that there are lots of people who support the VAT and those who don't.

But I think there is a midline where lots of people on both sides of the fence agree making this change during an academic year is not fair on the kids in key exam years...and I am one of them because not all parents have a Lord Alli to step in to ensure their child's "one chance" GCSE year is not being disturbed.

For Voting:

Unreasonable - I am with Keir and I am not really bothered with other people's children's "one chance" school year being interrupted.

Not Unreasonable - I agree Labour should not interrupt the academic school year and introduce the VAT in September 2025.

There was media outrage. The difference is that the Labour Party are lecturing the public on privilege and telling them to tighten their belts whilst accepting luxurious gifts themselves (all tax free). It’s the hypocrisy of the situation which makes it worse. They’re telling pensioners on £12k a year that they don’t need help with heating whilst accepting luxurious accommodation and fancy holidays themselves.

And private nurseries.

Most of Johnson's estimated £6.4 million came after he left office (making the claim propaganda/misinformation) so it certainly doesn't compare to a current PM with his snout in the trough while in office. The No 10 money was a blind trust and Johnson ended up not using it and paying himself which is ridiculous. It's arguable the amount (£30k?) to refurbish No 10 is far too low because it's not like it can be redecorated with a bit of poundland woodchip.

Now I'm defending Johnson of all people! But truth matters more than how much I despise him.

I dont give a shit about private education becoming more expensive. There are plenty of state schools and if they are good enough for the plebs, then theyre good enough for everyone.

And yet Rishi Sunak went to watch sports and sat in the crowd with everyone else ...

The Labour Party are saying that the state schools aren’t good enough though. That’s why they are saying they need more funding.

Maybe Southampton FC didn’t offer him a box and I doubt very much that he was a season ticket holder with a paid for seat.

Who exactly are those competent people? Rayner? Momentum?

OP's view (apparently): parents paying for their kids to get a better educational experience at private school for years and years is Good but Starmer accepting a donation so his son gets a slightly better educational experience for one summer is Bad.

Is OP a hypocrite?

In the Labour party?

OMG the contortions that Labour supporters are prepared to go through to justify their party leader's hypocrisy! Keir has said two things about this 1) that he just wants to be able to take his DS to the football and 2) that it wouldn't be safe for him to sit in the crowd with all the other supporters. We know that 2 is bullshit, because Rishi Sunak and Prince William and George manage to safely sit with the rest of the crowd. So why keep repeating this lie to justify him sitting in a box?

There was plenty of outrage. Most of it from the Labour party. Who are now doing the same.

Yeah, he doesn't strike as ultra high IQ.

"Return off sausages" FGS

The difference between private nurseries and universities compared with private schools is that nobody needs to send their dc to a private school. I think the people on here who are furious are never going to accept that the Labour Party want to act in the interests of the entire country and that may mean tough decisions which impact upon them. Much the same as the poorest and most vulnerable people have had the shit end of the stick thanks to the Tories austerity policy and all that flowed from it from the past 14 years.

Nobody? Children with SEN who can't get an EHCP? Children with SEN who do have an EHCP naming a private school because the state school can't provide for their needs? Children of parents in the military? Talented children from lower socio-economic backgrounds given scholarships to attend music and dance schools to get vocational training? There are plenty of good reasons why some children have a real need to attend private schools.

I think the difference between Keir and previous Conservative MPs is that Keir believes he’s in the right.

Plenty of people don’t have undisturbed places for their 16 year olds to revise, plenty will be disturbed by VAT, plenty have their job options limited by their kids’ education. But Keir’s “boy” is better than them. It would’ve been fine for Keir to PAY for his son to go an AirBnB to study, it didn’t need to be a gift.

What should be happening is a reflection that all this gift giving is wrong to any MP and he should hold his hands up and change the rules. He cannot possibly be an independent politician while he is getting this level of personal funding from donors. At my work, I have to refuse any gift of over £50 (colleagues have had to throw unsolicited hampers straight in the bin if the cost more than this) for fear of bribery or impaired independence. And I don’t have any sort of political role.

If Lord Alli asked Keir to act against his morals or manifesto, could Keir hand on heart say he’d be true to the cause knowing it would mean he could, say, never go to watch Arsenal again or his son’s A Levels might be impacted by journalists, or his wife’s designer wardrobe would stop? I honestly don’t think he could make an unbiased choice in that scenario. So the gifts should stop, like they’re stopped for the rest of the UK.

Well.... he is the PM's son so..... hes going to get special treatment. People who try and make out KS is some messiah here to save the UK are ridiculous - hes a politician - he's as corrupt as most of them are, and to think he is anything but is silly. People had higher hopes for KS and the party - thats why this is so awful i guess. I mean, i saw AR just appointed herself a private photographer 😂 - just bizarre. That money could have gone to good use to, you know, actually help someone in need. But hey - labour are better, right?

It’s the Labour Party who are hypocrites.

Paying for your child’s education to access a good school and do well in GCSEs, whilst saving the taxpayer £8k a year = bad. It should be taxed.

Accepting £20k tax free so your child can study for GCSEs and achieve well = good.

I agree this was awful. DH and I were shocked at the time it all came out and sone schools went back to learning from home, like during the lockdowns. Really shameful.

How is taking more money off pensioners on £12k a year helping “the poorest and most vulnerable”?

I get this but if everyone paid their taxes and money was distributed fairly there would be no need for people to resort to paying for education. There is excellent SEN provision in some state schools and this should be the case everywhere. This is what people should be striving for rather than a two tier system. I appreciate not everyone will want to though. It’s ideological and I get that.

I don't entirely buy starmers explanation

This is the declared donation

Accommodation, value £20,437.28Date received: 29 May 2024 to 13 July 2024

Don't GCSEs start early May and end towards the end of June?

Labour (and Reeves particularly) have such a chip on their shoulder about private schools but can't see the hypocrisy at all.

They are not taking it from the poorest and most vulnerable pensioners though? I think you know this, as does everyone who is complaining about it. The whole thinking behind this policy is to target those who need things the most.

Hypocrite. Power corrupts.