Should I vote Labour

Scrapping university fees wouldn't cost as much as people think, because they don't get paid back anyway. It always an accountancy trick.

The rumours are that the 100 or so MPs would remain members of the Labour Party (if not booted out), but would stand as Independents in the HoC.

I don't think class can be defined by wealth or income. It's not as simple as that. In fact, I don't really know what class means, especially when linked to political parties.

If a single parent teacher with rent/mortgage and childcare costs worked in many parts of the country, he/she would struggle. If the same person then found a partner, the children left home and she/he moved to another part of the country, the teacher would still be the same person and would be much more comfortable financially, but would still belong to the same class.

It's a fact that the Conservatives have generally looked after the wealthier people and the poorer people have paid for "austerity". Nothing to do with class. I just don't understand why poorer people vote for them.

I don't see it as hysterical to turn the education/schools clock back to how it was 10 years ago. Somehow the country afforded it then.

Annie you have made it very clear to us all that after a lifetime of supporting the Labour Party, you have now got a problem because you cannot stand its present leader.

Obviously you are not alone amongst the party faithful in feeling like this. Do you think that the Labour Party should split into two?

I imagine if it did each half would want to retain the title "Labour Party". How would that be resolved?

Jalima , I had forgotten that, all settled then . Wonder what they are on

I daren't mention the Abbott School of Accounting anniebach

This is now hysteria . Labour will not only gives free school dinners to all, they will reduce class sizes, give all children free music lessons, bring in adult training classes, and McDonald has said they will scrape university fees . They have a £20bn tax plan by significantly raising business taxes.,

When one quarter of the houses in a town are second homes or holiday lets and the last house in a street is sold as a second home it has become a problem.

I think there is a case to be made for a special category, of homes to be first homes and not holiday homes, to be part of the planning laws. A few weekend homes, second homes or holiday homes do not hurt a community but too many certainly do.

St Ives was trying to block any more houses being sold as second homes; I'm not sure what the situation is regarding that now.

This happens to a small degree up here too Jalima1108. Seahouses is a lovely little fishing village in Northumberland. The locals have been priced out of the market by wealthy people coming up, falling in love with the village and the wonderful unspoilt beaches and buying up all the property pushing the prices sky high and out of reach for the locals. There was a much needed housing estate built just on the outskirts of the village a few years ago where people came from the South and Midlands and literally camped out to get their hands on the new builds. Less than 20% of the homes are now occupied, first homes.

Well, he was certainly 'middle-class'

More 'middle-class' than anyone I know!

I was thinking on similar lines Ana although maybe he did start out with left wing tendencies...

Was that John "two jags" Prescott, whose wife had to be chauffeur driven a hundred yards because she had a "high maintenance hairstyle"?

I don't think it can be simplified as a North/South divide - yes the South-East is very expensive but further west prices begin to drop; areas of Manchester are extremely expensive whereas other areas nearby could be relatively cheap.
House prices vary enormously even within a small area range and the further people move out from the least affordable areas the more prices are pushed up as outlying districts become 'desirable'.

And affluent Londoners have pushed up prices by buying second homes in areas such as Cornwall thus pricing lowly-paid young locals out of the market.

Left-wing? Tony Blair?

we haven't had a proper left-wing labour party since Tony Blair's day and it's time someone stood up for working-class people.
But, but - it was Tony Blair's Deputy who said that 'we are all middle-class now' surely?

I disagree with the leader of a new party having to be young, although I suppose it depends what you mean by "young".
I consider that you're young daphnedill - compared to me or Jeremy who is only a year younger than me!

Not too young - they would need to have experience of course.

Just discussing who are considered middle class and I cannot believe nurses or teachers in work depend on food banks. Not including those who have got into debt from overspending and now suffer from depression , but they wouldn't be working surely

Not "having a go" either. Just stating a fact.

Very rarely you would see vacancies for teachers or nurses around here.

Not focusing on teachers or nurses Eloethan just saying that in the NE where I live, they are by far the better paid workers in society.

Once again, we are focusing on people like teachers and nurses. These public service workers may well do better in poorer areas because of the set payscale but perhaps those that use foodbanks live in areas where costs are much higher. The consequences of being unable to recruit and retain nurses and teachers are very serious because they have to do a fairly lengthy training. It is all of us, especially our grandchildren, who will suffer if the shortage of nurses and teachers continues to accelerate.

Instead of having a go at these people, why not look at the disparity between the majority of people and the super rich (who, despite their wealth, are often quite reluctant to pay their taxes). In 2015 it was reported:

"Britain’s billionaires have seen their net worth more than double since the recession, with the richest 1,000 families now controlling a total of £547bn.

"While average UK incomes have yet to recover from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, with thousands still flocking to food banks, the financial elite have emerged not only with their fortunes intact, but holding a larger than ever slice of the cake.

"Their assets have increased from £258bn in 2009, a rise of more than 112%, according to the 2015 Sunday Times Rich List."

Given the low house prices in this area (compared with other more affluent areas)the teachers and nurses I know, together with police officers and firemen/women live in the most expensive houses. They are rich in comparison to most other workers and therefore tend to get very little sympathy for their claims to be either over worked or underpaid.

Agree ladies, national pay scales are ridiculous really, when you think about the disparity in the cost of living in different places.