AIBU that now is the time for us to get behind Kemi?

[StarlightRobot]

Rachel Reeves has broken her promise that new taxes would not be levied on working people. She hasn’t followed through with her promise to prioritise growth. She failed to deliver welfare reform. It is clear that the current government is now led by the newly elected backbenchers. Labour are punishing those of us who work and save, taxing our pensions and making life more expensive for working families. She is making it more difficult for employers to hire staff and graduates in particular are suffering from a lack of opportunity due to her policies.

Keir Starmer failed to get any support for welfare reform from his backbenchers and is coasting politically.

Both Rachel and Keir have shown that political survival means more to them than delivering a budget that grows the economy and helps those of us who work hard and aspire for more. I feel that they hate people like me and my family- we are professionals on two good wages with children, not rich, middle class, trying to improve our lives, prepare for our futures while trying to pay the bills. There is literally nothing in this budget which would help people like me, only punishment (or a ‘contribution’ as Rachel Reeves described it in her budget speech).

Yes, the tories screwed up massively under Boris and Truss. But everything that Kemi is saying about the autumn budget is spot on. Kemi also stood up for women at a time when Labour was gaslighting women across the country in relation to trans issues.

The conservatives have a huge amount of work to do to rebuild trust and develop their policies. But if they don’t gain public support we are risking the chaos of a Reform government. AIBU to say that now is the time to get behind Kemi?

I see that I've written ‘floated’ voter. I obviously meant to write ‘floating’ voter. 🤣

You are the one instigating a response by quoting me! Stop doing that if you don't want me to respond

What I hate about Labour and their education policy. VAT was utter stupidity. The children I know in the local private school, there are a high proportion of SEND children and children from working class backgrounds. I know this because they used to do a lot of outreach with us. That’s stopped now. Can’t have those deprived children getting above their station can we? The actual rich don’t care. Private education was a ticket out for many, that has been stopped. Private education is more elitist than ever. Got to keep everyone down.

Their Ofsted reform is nuts. 1/3 of teachers considering leaving this year and they’ve slashed bursaries for shortage subjects. Not before gaslighting and misleading with sleight of hand that they had improved this. They haven’t.

Their gaslighting and sleight of hand in the budget will cause an even bigger crisis for SEND. Hence why teachers are consulting on strike action.

It is possible, believe it or not, that outside of the handful of posters on here who try to shut down any anti Labour rhetoric down, people on the front line think they are doing a rubbish job.

I do, but I’ve got to go and serve soggy toast now. Which most parents (who don’t work) can’t be bothered to get their children up for. Sorted child poverty and hunger though 🙄

There is a massive funding shortfall in SEND, how do we fix that when the anti labour rhetoric is no tax rises?

Ofsted needs to change, have you forgotten about the head teacher who took her own life?

My sister was a head of dept - special needs (state) she would strongly disagree with you

How do you fix the crisis in education when it takes years to train a teacher, have an aging workforce and the schools estate is falling down?

BUT cutting bursaries and in some cases removing them entirely, is stupidity personified, esp when tuition fees have risen and will continue to rise.

Ruth you mean? Yes I know of her. I also know of a teacher who committed suicide last year leaving her children without a mother. Which is why then Ofsted has been reformed so our heads and teachers are under even more pressure. It’s a terrible reform. They have massively, massively failed.

The reforms have only just been implemented.

As you ve shown, the old system was barbaric, so changes were needed, i would at least give them a chance?

For people working in the system, we already know how bad it is. Multiple complaints have gone in and nothing. Can’t hear you, lalala. We already know how bad they are. Which is why the latest stats say 1/3 of teachers are considering leaving this academic year. Maybe listen to people who are actually still doing the job. Even if it doesn’t match your pro labour stance.

How many Ofsted inspections have there been since the reforms came in on Nov 10th?

Your survey of 1/3rd of teachers who want to quit was from a survey done in 2024, 2 years early, it was almost 50%.
With over 40,000 leaving in 2023/24 (in addition to retirement)

Maybe you need to start looking at your own very anti Labour stance before accusing me, i don't have a pro Labour stance, i just told you some their ed policies are beyond stupid, as was the WFA and lifting the 2 cap limit.

I just don't support the alternatives or this constant criticism, much of which is without any substance.

Satisfaction is high in the private sector among teachers and parents and students.

Maybe there is an opportunity to do something innovative. Vouchers? PPIs? Extend Blair’s academy ideas?

That cannot be true, parents and children are leaving in droves for the state sector..... aren't they?

Perhaps the doubling of per pupil funding has something to do with it?

Ideas such as yours cost money, which we are all told must be cut from Govt spending.

I think they are leaving due to VAT making it unaffordable for those at the margins.

I don’t think it is unaffordable, there are many possibilities, if we are not ideologically opposed.

My brothers kids went to a PS, the last think he would have ever wanted was more kids from the state sector there.

He valued the small class sizes, the highly motivated children and parents, the money available for sports, culture etc

All would change if more state children went to PS, it would of course cost too.

Funny how there’s VAT on schools almost overnight, but no attempt to explore what’s going wrong with education - why parents aren’t motivated to get their kids in and why teachers are leaving in their thousands.

Ofsted isn’t designed to solve those problems and their punitive approach is as destructive as it is unnecessary.

😂

‘That cannot be true, parents and children are leaving in droves for the state sector..... aren't they?’

😂 What? You do understand that fees were increased by thousands, almost over night? Resulting in people having to leave?

In taxing education Labour have succeeded in stopping a decent education for thousands of children, whilst actively making it worse for thousands of children. And making private education more elitist. And not improving state comprehensive education at all in any way. Only made it worse.

Labour’s bitterness is only exceeded by their idiocy and incompetence.

That went right over your head didn't it? look again at the post i was replying too.

No can’t be bothered. I admit it.

I am coming round to her because her performance at PMQs recently but I agree with your first issue entirely - grim - though I suppose we were all wankers at school at some point. That said we don’t expect congratulation for it two decades later…

I think Mel Stride presented some good stuff and the anti Christian comments were weird but she, as a minister in the previous govt, was clear on how she believed women’s rights should be preserved. She never got swayed or even flustered. But then even Johnson knew the difference between sex and gender and Jenrick got flummoxed as to how a trans woman begins life.

So. I don’t want to go for a drink with her, I do think she’s quite prissy - I DON’T think she’ll do a Matt Hancock and be found snogging behind a door 80s style - but she is getting better at her job and is learning how an electorate who voted in what they thought was a centrist Labour govt hates hates hates being fleeced, stripped of any incentive to earn well (if they can find a job after ENI) and having a Labour Govt that has welfare payments as their economic priority.

Normal people largely want a middle ground and that’s how Starmer presented. Now we know they lied. Ideally Kemi will retained the centre ground and show that Reform is too far over. There is more to voters than immigration worries.

"she is getting better at her job and is learning how an electorate who voted in what they thought was a centrist Labour govt hates hates hates being fleeced, stripped of any incentive to earn well (if they can find a job after ENI) and having a Labour Govt that has welfare payments as their economic priority."

I agree with this completely @InterestQ . The NDNs are a young couple with two small children. He's an electrician and she's a beautician who does treatments at home, so both self-employed. I can vouch personally for their competence. They can't believe how hard this government is making their lives, and they are angry.

This is a genuine question @Papyrophile, how are their lives being made harder? What particular aspects of this government’s policies affect them most?

Hello, Kemi 👋

Badenoch is far from the centre ground, with deportation policies akin to Reform.

• Deportation Target: A pledge to deport 150,000 illegal immigrants annually, or 750,000 over five years.
• "Removals Force": The creation of a new "Removals Force", modelled on the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, with an annual budget of £1.6 billion and enhanced powers, including the use of facial recognition technology without warning.
• Scope of Deportation: Badenoch has stated that all individuals who enter the UK illegally would be subject to deportation, a policy that would include women and children to avoid creating "loopholes".

Apart from saying they would cut almost 50 billion from Welfare, i ve no idea what their economic policies are, they appear very anti EU, which is also miles away from where most Brits are.

Of course those cuts mean more poverty, less childrens services, like the new Surestart and SENDs provision.

Despite triple lock, pensioner poverty is increasing, real poverty, a 12k state pension is'nt a lot and many pensioners don't, for many reasons, claim extra benefits.

They had 14 years to show how they want the UK to be, it wasn't good.

I think it is mainly financial reasons and fiscal drag @BIossomtoes. Her customers are stretching out intervals between appointments. Their house is a bit cramped as the kids grow, and the next step up is a big leap, so prices and mortgage rates need to fall further and faster before they can contemplate it. Less newbuild work around for him and price resistance. Cost of living affects us all, and having taken the risk of being self-employed since she was 21 and he qualified, there isn't any optimism of a brighter outlook anytime soon. They were doing very well until last year.

Have you forgotten how many times Labour MPs/Ministers/Shadow ministers have been utterly vile to Tories?? It works both ways. Neither party has clean hands.

Doubt she will be Leader of the party come the next election and will be ousted if they have to have a deal with Reform. A certain section of those eligible to vote would say she is the wrong colour and needs to 'go back home' after the illegal ones have been removed