Whitehall “braced for private schools collapse” 5

[ICouldBeVioletSky]

Starting a continuation thread in anticipation of the fourth one filling up…

www.mumsnet.com/talk/education/5301690-whitehall-braced-for-private-schools-collapse-4?page=39

Probably works for a politician who wants to stir it up for votes.

Did sending Frankie Keita begging door to door help you?

Do you really not see what you just did there? Passive aggressive, much! Did that help you?

Yes, it did. Thank you for asking.

I have a hypothetical political question for you all.
If Reform were the only party to backtrack the VAT promptly, would you vote for them? Even if you otherwise detest them? Would this make you a single issue voter?
I think Labour is going very wrong going against their own in our own country and our main taxpayers, not just on the private school VAT. I think it is really shortsighted and politically dangerous and I think I am really quite worried about it.
Reform will “other” the outsider instead, rather than our own.

Now remember everyone, Snark is an irregular verb, OK?

I am very much not a Reform supporter. I normally vote Lib Dem, voted for the Tories in 2010. I now (post SC ruling) find myself for certain to be politically homeless. I think I would have to vote Tory. I have indeed been wondering how far things would have to go to rat shit before I found myself having to vote for Ol' Nige. I hope it doesn't get there but it now feels like an unlikely/outside possibility rather than impossible.
As (self appointed) Queen of the Remoaners this feels utterly bonkers.
Slow clap for Labour.

That would depend where I lived.

Here it would be a wasted vote. In a marginal where I thought it would oust Labour, 100% I would vote Reform.

I'm actually very surprised at myself for really liking Kimi at the moment. Her "Starmer doesn't have the balls" speech the other day made me really warm to her as someone I can see has wit. Starmer seems so dull and mansplaining/gaslighting in comparison; the whole biological sex U-turn has scuppered any hope I had that he would help women. The persecution of single sex schools the VAT enables is a huge concern to me. I think Reform and Tories will finally merge, which they've been doing since Brexit anyway, so there's not much new about that. With Kimi leading for women I might vote Tory for the first time in my life. Never thought I would say that!

I voted LD last time then realised all the trans stuff had turned most of them batty. No pun intended there btw.

No, and no. I would be strongly inclined to vote for a party that would commit to reversing brexit : this would have multiple economic and geopolitical benefits and would also require VAT on education to be dropped. I'd also vote for a party committed to PR. It took the combined insanity of the hard right of the Tories and the hard left of Labour to bring us VAT on education: it's a sign that our two-party FPTP system has failed.
Every Labour fuckup is a step closer to prime minister Farage, who will sell us out to Trump.

I thought your post was very measured, given the vitriol you were commenting on.

Never ever under any circumstances. The only single issue I would vote on is some kind of Brexit reversal and Reform are hardly going to do that.

My top issues for voting are

1. Women (better education, health, equity)
2. Brexit reversal (as with women I want this to be clear, not "we better not mention how shit Brexit has been" as that causes too much delay and indirectness
3. Health and education - think #1 would already deal with this if any party would actually design a healthcare system that worked for women, using skilled women and women's health hubs. Education needs health input to get the best out of kids, particularly with the rising SEN and lack of MH support.

@SmegmaCausesBV - agreed.

So we are back to Brexit reversal for most of us, not just for economic reasons, but increasingly geopolitical too. And well VAT on education does not mix with being the EU.
I cannot vote Tory especially not if they are going to merge with Reform. However, I would vote Tory to keep Reform out.
I also voted LD last 2 times, but held my nose on the women’s rights issues, in the interests of the greater good on their other policies.
Interesting times ahead.

It is becomingly increasingly clear to me that if we do not rejoin the EU we are either going to be a US or a Chinese colony. I do not fancy either. It is too schizophrenic to have to keep those two powers balanced.
Starmer should wake up and make his prime ministership count for something and sod the rest of his party.
Even India/Pakistan now a concern. That could blow up too.

I would vote for any party that ousted Labour. My values align most closely with Lib Dem, but I would vote in whatever way made it more likely for Labour to lose, even if that meant Reform has a good shot of winning.

I haven’t always been anti-Labour, but seeing how they have used their power over the past year I now view them as a bigger danger than Reform.

Incidentally, Cognita is up for sale and they own a lot of private schools - I wonder whether the private equity groups looking at it are interested in education alone or whether there will be some real estate asset stripping in prime areas like Surrey. Which would be quite predictable really.

Same I’ll vote for whoever gets Labour out.

I could be wrong but I believe every party outside of Labour and the SNP have stated they would reverse the education tax. But yes, hypothetically I would vote for whoever got rid of Labour which I would say at this point will most likely be a Tory/reform hybrid. We’re actually moving to Canada for a few years, but would be great to come back to a country that doesn’t attack its own children because of the school they go to.

I sympathise, but there are other forums. I think it’s important to keep the thread relevant.

Starmer's children don't attend a super-selective school. They are in their local non-selective comprehensives

If i decided not to vote Labour, I would vote tactically locally. If someone put a gun to my head and I had to vote Conservative or Reform it would have to be Conservative. Some Conservatives have a conscience and principles. I usually don’t agree with them, but at least they have them.

“Starmer's children don't attend a super-selective school. They are in their local non-selective comprehensives”

The truth is that London comprehensives are not all truly comprehensive. When we went through the process with our 4 DC, we were surprised to find out that they qualified for all sorts of semi selective places from language, to music aptitude, to grammar and as we are Roman Catholics, that as well. And then the strongest schools have a proper top set culture on top of that. So as I said upthread if you live in London and are privileged anyway, your privilege carries you through educationally as well. Not least because there are tons of tutors readily available (should you need them) and cultural capital opportunities on your door step, as well as work experience etc etc. If you know how to look, the opportunities are endless. The privilege is understanding and working the system. Which clearly Starmer and all politicians will know exactly how to do.

Absolutely not.

I don't agree with the VAT on education, but every political movement has its scapegoats which it needs to vilify in order to raise up everyone else. I think that Labour have it wrong because the most likely victims of their policy will be the SEN children of above-average income (but not massively wealthy) families who have despaired of getting an adequate education in the state system, rather than the super-wealthy who are the real target. However I would rather have a government that is trying to target the super wealthy (however ineptly) than one whose scapegoats of choice are asylum seekers and people from non-white heritage.

For me the "however ineptly" point is key. They are not going after billionaires or tax dodgers at all, just people trying to educate their kids.

“However I would rather have a government that is trying to target the super wealthy (however ineptly) than one whose scapegoats of choice are asylum seekers and people from non-white heritage.”

Targeting the super wealthy has not worked out one bit. Many millionaires are leaving and there is such an easy work around the non dom. It’s called lump sum payment. It is what every other sensible small country that tries to attract business is using and it can be very easily implemented.
As regards school fees, I bet most rich private school parents have prepaid school fees anyway.
You cannot “ineptly” target the wealthy because you may as well start burning your pounds on a big bonfire, in their millions. It is all pretty negligent.