... to think that Nigel Farage will be our next PM?

[ohime]

Or, more accurately: AIBU to be afraid that truly nasty piece of work Nigel Farage who has, by all accounts, always been utterly useless at (or at least completely uninterested in) the actual business end of governing will be our next PM because everyone is so fed up with all the other parties being, variously or all at once, so corrupt, incompetent and useless that we've collectively abandoned all hope? I will never vote for Farage, who is a horrible man, or any of his party which keeps having to fire people for being just a teensy bit too overtly racist - but it seems from the polls that for many people the choice against the status quo outweighs what we may be choosing. (For an example, I can't believe that Farage's stated position that DOGE in the US didn't go far enough with its swinging cuts to the social safety net would be popular with UK voters who recently elected a government on the basis that it would reverse years of Tory austerity... not that that's worked out so well...)

It’s a Labour bot malfunction.

It was always going to be means tested, scrapped is the phrase that the right wing press used. It should be means tested. They were never getting rid of it.

I can't remember what the cut off was originally going to be but I think 35k is a bit high really.

I do think these u turns are not putting Starmer in a good light, he's too power hungry. As I have said before I vote labour tactically and because they are the least worst option in my opinion at present. I'm certainly not happy with everything they are doing.

That said with cost of living their will be pensioners who still have mortgage payments and rent etc.

If I was a working person on less than 35k I might be a bit pissed off to be honest.

@RenoLouis 🤣🤣

It's part of a thread...ah bless you though, have you thought about going to an open mic night and trying a bit of stand up...

@CleverButScatty no it's been. Revoked because of labour back bench revolt and outrage

Exactly. There’s no telling some people sadly.

Hi @ohime
Toad of Toad Hall (others call him Nigel Farage, rhymes with garage) may well be if the racists and biggots continue with their hatred.

NF (as in Nigel F and The National Front) thrive on scaremongering and union jack toting, blaming all the ills of the world on anyone "not from round 'ere).

I would seriously consider leaving the cojntry if he were to become PM. Will definitely dilute the vote which is not good for labour, liberal or tory

Nope, you seem entirely ignorant of Labours major education policy yet extremely vocal in supporting it. I’m beginning to question your credibility as an education expert.

It's the field I work in, although admittedly I have spent my career in the school age sector. You are coming across very well with your sneery self appointed expert comment though.

So, to get my fact right this is from the gov.uk website...

Private school fees
From 1 January 2025, education and vocational training provided by a private school, or a connected person for a charge, will be taxable at the standard (20%) rate of VAT. These services were VAT exempt before this date.

Now the only issue I can see here is were it is a specialist provider for children with SEND, there are Send Specialist colleges out there that do vocational qualifications. If the child has an EHCP they are tax exempt. Anyone can request an EHC needs assessment if they think they/their child need provision through an EHCP.

So the only people who would be affected by this are those who do not have an educational need to go to a private provider, but have chosen to. So again, this is something you can choose to pay for for a better experience if you can afford it...smaller groups, better facilities etc. There is no reason why someone doing that shouldn't be paying tax on their purchase of a private education.

Are you refering to the education tax posts or the. Winter fuel payment ones?

Can you tell me you believe the arrangements were previously as to why VAT wasn't charger on school fees and what relief was removed to change this.

I would be glad of you directing me to the correct information...

I find it hard to believe he wants the job - 18 hour full on days, meeting hundreds of people, every minute of his day scrutinised by the hostile media, no nipping off to the US. He doesn’t strike me as a hard grafter, he smokes and drinks which won’t help. I’d give him6 months before he quits

Yeah, I don't think he'd be doing that.

You're right @Happyher . When Farage was an MEP he had the worst attendance record across the whole European parliament.

You want me to educate you on a policy you support in the ‘sector’ you’ve worked in for over 40 years? Do you think you should have maybe understood this prior to supporting it? You are making me doubt that you have understood Labours other policies now.

Farage's support for blood sports is grim.

If you support him you support hunting.

If that happens the financial markets under Liz Truss will look like a calm day on a lake in comparison to what they will look like with Reform's uncosted 'policies'. The country will become an economic basket case (even more than it is becoming post-Brexit).

Tax cuts and improved public services simultaneously. No immigration. If those aren’t unattainable fantasies I don’t know what is. I want realistic policies that there’s a chance of being delivered not promises of utopia.

Those supporting Farage on education must know that his own teachers thought he was a fascist. https://www.channel4.com/news/nigel-farage-ukip-letter-school-concerns-racism-fascism

"The letter says that when one teacher said Farage was “a fascist, but that was no reason why he would not make a good prefect,” there was “considerable reaction” from colleagues.
The letter continues: “Another colleague, who teaches the boy, described his publicly professed racist and neo-fascist views; and he cited a particular incident in which Farage was so offensive to a boy in his set, that he had to be removed from the lesson. This master stated his view that this behaviour was precisely why the boy should not be made a prefect. Yet another colleague described how, at a Combined Cadet Force (CCF) camp organised by the college, Farage and others had marched through a quiet Sussex village very late at night shouting Hitler-youth songs.”

So you can't link to anything to show what you're talking about like I have? I don't think it's me that's confused.

Also I have been really clear that I don't actively support the current labour government, more thay I see the as the least worst option at present.

The education policies I praised were those of Tony Blair's government from 97.

Have you mixed my post up with someone else?

"We know what needs to be done to deal with debt, we just do not know how to get re elected afterwards"
Mitterand

To be fair, the plan is tax cuts funded by benefit cuts and controlled immigration rather than no immigration. The fact that this is seen as a utopia shows how far the country has sunk. Saying that, I do agree, the numbers don’t add up.

I think we will start to see this in some of the reform councils now. They have made all sorts of appealing promises knocking on people s doors, now it's time to deliver...

Have they costed this though.... I'm not aware that they have but don't follow them closely and may have missed it.

Whose benefits are they cutting (again the working class who apparently everyone else is patronising)? Talk about turkeys voting for Xmas...

What are the projected reductions in immigration and what savings will this make. Has this been adjusted for the new defensive footing we are now on with events in he middle east?

So you would vote for Farage despite the fact that he, Tice and Bull have said they support an insurance based system and all have voted against protecting workers rights? Farage has recently said if he gets in his priority will be to leave the ECHR, these are things that prevent people from joining unions. The fact he’s on holiday at the moment in France as he’s so work shy at his MP job, that’s he’s earnt almost £900’000 doing his second jobs so far and spends hardly any time with his constituents. Not to mention that he supported Liz Truss disastrous tax cuts?

I think we will be in a FAFO situation if Reform get in and it will be the poor who really suffer!