I'm a simple soul and I don't come on GN every day, so quite possibly I've missed some of the discussions on education. I have voted Labour in the past, last time when Tony Blair was the "great hope for the future" before we found out what he was really like. My understanding of a socialist ethos would be that any committed socialist would want a level playing ground for all and thefore education would be pivotal in achieving that, surely those in key positions in the party should sign up lock stock and barrel to that premise and I imagine most do. Shami Chakrobati, may be a little woman physically, but a little woman in every other sense she aint, so I'm not buying into her explanation that her ex husband was solely responsible for their son's education, it's a convenient way of absolving herself for an inconveient choice that is at odds with her political views, and, imo it really is as the great (in the physical sense) Diane Abbott said when she was outed over her choice "I can't defend the indefensible" Didn't she want to abolish private/selective schools once?
Labour - I would also expect them to defend the rights of minorities, but they seem now to exclude our beleaguered Jewish community. Reading accounts of some of the abuse Jewish female MPs have suffered of late, I find truly shocking, particulary within a party who I imagine see themselves at the fore of progressive politics. Similarly there are those in the party who used Angela Eagle's sexuality against her before she dropped out of the leadership race, which is again very puzzling, I wouldn't expect those retrograde attitudes not to have any place in the leading party of the left. Yes no doubt this has been discussed ad infinitum but as I said I only come on intermittently so I've missed it all.
Annie you mentioned Emily Thornberry and the "white van" debacle, her comment "I've never seen anything like it" and then she kind of back tracked and by saying it was just an observation she didn't mean it disparagingly but everyone knew what she meant, similarly with Shami's "don't leave me alone with Essex man", it's their gut feeling, what comes out first is often what a person really feels and apologies might follow, but once it's out it's out. What amazes me that they are in public life, but haven't learn to reign in their indiscretions, but probably that could be applied to all political persuasions to be fair. Going back to Labour, it does seem unfortunate for them, that their elite simply cannot hide their contempt for the likes of "white man van" yet these are supposed to be the very people that would have once been their core voters.
Since it's inception way back at the beginning of the 20th century, there would have been umpteen times I think Labour would have been the only credible party to try and create a more equal society. I also think that any democracy needs a feaasible opposition, whoever happens to be in government will always need to be held to account.
to put my grandson forward to sit the scholarship exam , we refused .