To say I am fucking elated that this bunch of charlatans are on there way out

[Doyouhonestlyexpectmetobelieve]

My God I hated Thatcjer and all she stood for .. but at least I think she was honourable in her beliefs even if they were not mine .. but THIS LOT .. from BOJO onwards what a bunch of grifters ..

And before anyone says 'they are all the same ' .. I really don't think so ... At least in the 'lining their own pockets ' agenda .. AIBU to think this ?

A huge proportion of bursaries are not funded by trusts. The ones that are tend to be the very top end schools.

The vast majority of bursaries are funded by other full fee paying parents.

The VAT policy means that many full fee paying parents are putting pressure on schools to drastically reduce bursaries and schools are appearing to be in agreement.

If VAT is added to the fees then the business model for the schools has to move significantly towards a much higher percentage of full fee paying parents.

It’s no great surprise. Would you be happy to pay for your own child’s fees, VAT, a state place you don’t use and then top it off funding a bursary for a lower earning family?

I'm not wildly bothered about the intricacies of his school days and his family holidays when deciding to vote for his party. I'm satisfied that he will lead the country with competence and a reasonable degree of integrity and decency.

I don’t agree with Teamistress at all they are not “all the same” there are decent MPs in both parties. By necessity the clique at the top of whichever party are in power call the shots and this latest group controlling the Tories I agree are disastrous and have to go. . Will be shot down but new Labour did a hell of a lot of good in their time (Iraq notwithstanding).

No they aren't! In many schools (including ours) they come out of a surplus from full fee paying parents. Don't talk about things you don't know

The policy is more for show than benefit but it will have these negative impacts. Damaging the sector, reducing means tested bursaries and shifting some struggling SEN dc whose parents were stressed enough to pay in to state.

Sure there’s some who’ll pay easily, but the actual impact for a vote grabber is loaded on these dc. It won’t be a great legacy for Starmer, as much as pp sound delighted by dc missing out.

In the end they are just children impacted by political ambition. None of that is happening to us personally but it’s sad for dc it will happen to, thanks to Keir

May I say I am also excited to interact with @Clavinova and their friends in the days after the General Election.

@Clavinova posts are a good contrast to the jeering that some go for

I reckon her life is pretty good to deal with the focus a few have on her posts on all these threads. I’m guessing she’ll be ok whatever

This.

I listen to classical music (and radio 4), I played a “posh” instrument at school, we went on uk holidays hundreds of miles away as a kid, I love going to the theatre, and I run my own business.

Am I allowed to vote Labour?

Honestly some people have a very strange idea of what being working class means. Most people in Britain are working class. It doesn’t mean you are penniless, or have to work in a factory, or are thick and lack Culture. What a load of snobby nonsense.

Posh instrument = harpsichord.

Working class instrument = washboard.

Be careful what you wish for. Come back in five years and we'll all be playing the spoons.

That's a very good question. Definitely middle class here - radio 4 and all. I feel so bad - what should I be listening to? And should I refuse to shop at John Lewis and M&S?

It's sad actually to see what the Tories have turned into, digging what they see as dirt on any rival politician in the hope of a few extra votes . They never used to be so idiotic, nasty or small minded. Or scandal ridden.

Really they should be more careful with their smearing and nasty talk, given the endless scandals- the honey trap affair, then the suspension of the MP claimed to be locked in a room by “bad people", the gropers and the cash for questions lobbyists. Then there are the richer ones, hiding their money abroad in Panama or the non-doms, evading tax whilst advocating more tax for us, including an ex chair and Chancellor. Shameless.

Well said @marmaladeandpeanutbutter it does seem particularly odd.

You forgot to mention (or perhaps your list was long enough) knighting a Minister of a foriegn dictatorship because he had given them some money.
Of course there is no need to ask where such a person would get money from and whether it was actually his to give.

I can only assume it is part of the new playbook that is mostly focussed around you may as well vote for us because all politicans are the same. What they fail to notice, which is unspirising with Rishi reverse Midas in charge that each time they try and pin a scandal on Labour, all that happens is the electorate roll their eyes and remind themselves of the very many scandals they have had that are far worse.

Still twisting the facts twisty? You know perfectly well that the circumstances around Starmer's schooling were quite unusual. They have been pointed out to you numerous times, yet you persist. (And once again)...Reigate Grammar was a state grammar when he was sent there in Year 11 and he was fee-exempt until sixth form and then had a charitable bursary for those two years. Not quite the silver spoon you suggest.

@Zonder just to add to the mix I grew up in a council house and now shop at Waitrose. Who the hell even am I? My working class credentials are askew! I think I’ll be drummed out of the Labour Party soon, after all, only poor thick people are allowed. That posh elitist Starmer with his fancy grammar school ways and Surrey accent is a wrong’un for sure 😆

Some of you may be interested in this simple summary of the problems with using national vote share projections from a local election to predict a general election outcome.

https://twitter.com/Haggis_UK/status/1787397556017779137

At least Sunak is a man of detail, so will know the difference...

@BitOutOfPractice I don't know how you dare shop at Waitrose! Shouldn't you be scavenging on the streets? Getting a bit above yourself there!

Starmer also visits football grounds, non league football grounds for that matter

https://x.com/stuzi_pants/status/1787357474892189816

@Clavinova I think you should write to the police about this.

Thank you. I'm finding things really hard at the moment and it's very hard to see things getting any better. I've lost all trust in any politician and any party and I've just about given up hope that any of them will be any better than their predecessors.

.

If the VAT on school fees is implemented the schools will then be able to offset input tax so they could use the input tax reclaimed to fund burseries (or reduce the impact on parents).

I don't think twisty was the one that kept going on about Starmer's schooling. But she (rightly) feels very strongly about VAT on private school fees and the negative impact this could have on SEN children.

DuncinToffee
Starmer also visits football grounds

Yes - I see he does;

Starmer has taken more freebies than all Labour leaders since 1997 combined.

^Labour leader’s 28 junkets [to August 2023] include Spurs hospitality, two Coldplay concerts and a £380 dinner from Google at Davos...

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/keir-starmer-freebies-junkets-tottenham-hotspur-chelsea-coldplay-adele-google/