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John McDonnell - fee paying scholar to Marxist

(320 Posts)
Urmstongran Sat 30-Nov-19 11:21:25

What is it with Labour high command? The Sun newspaper recently outed JMcD as having gone to a fee paying public school at £38,000 p.a. Fair enough say some, you can’t blame him for the choices his parents made regarding his education.

But wait a minute! These last few years he had tried to hide it. Said (eventually) it was in preparation for the seminary (it wasn’t - the school scoffed at the idea).

Now he’s part of the cohort who wants to abolish private schools but will make do (until then) with removing their tax avoidance charity status.

In the mean time he waves his little red book about.

Seems to be “do as I say, don't do as I do” - for the few, not for the many it seems.

Another Labour hypocrite!

What do you think?

Urmstongran Sun 01-Dec-19 12:02:27

Thanks Boosgran for the validation.
??

DoraMarr Sun 01-Dec-19 12:09:00

Loonie lefties? Isn’t that mudslinging, Urmstongran?

MaizieD Sun 01-Dec-19 12:13:55

They end up with so much mud slinging nastiness from the looney lefties

Care to provide us with some examples, Boosgran?

I thought the mud that was being slung was the accusation of hypocrisy which was the purpose of this thread.

And 'loonie lefities' doesn't sound particularly respectful and reasoned. If we referred to some posters as 'revolting righties' that would be absolutely fine and not mudslinging at all, then?

Who is 'McDonald'? Does he have a farm?

Astounded that you should take this nonsense as validation, Ug shock

trisher Sun 01-Dec-19 12:17:52

So Boosgran his dad was a bus driver isn't that 'working class' enough?
Arguably having seen first hand the absolute inequalities in society even when he grew up his beliefs are based on knowledge and awareness. And there are plenty of upper class socialists. No one has ever said socialism was exclusive to the working class.

Boosgran Sun 01-Dec-19 12:35:49

Oh I see Mazie I got his name wrong. It’s McDonnell. Sorry about that. Yes, McDonald does have a farm. Haha funny . ?

MaizieD Sun 01-Dec-19 12:43:08

No examples of 'mudslinging' though Boosgran hmm

EllanVannin Sun 01-Dec-19 12:43:17

BJ is the Svengali of politics.

MaizieD Sun 01-Dec-19 12:48:58

No one has ever said socialism was exclusive to the working class.

And I don't think that anyone has ever said that working class socialists have to positively refrain from aspiring to be educated and have well paid jobs?

MaizieD Sun 01-Dec-19 12:51:13

Oh, no, EV Svengali was clever.

Callistemon Sun 01-Dec-19 13:24:53

I think he started a chain of burger bars MaizieD

trisher wasn't it a Labour politician who told us that we are all middle class now?

No arguing about class any more!

quizqueen Sun 01-Dec-19 13:31:53

I can never understand why those who are against private education are also not against owning private property. It always smacks of being a socialist, green eyed hypocrite to me.

I bet the first thing anyone, who comes into any sort of money, would do is to improve their situation by buying a nice house in a nice location. So, why shouldn't anyone who wants, what they consider, a better education for their children, put their children in private education, if they can afford it. I was a council house kid from a working class family who passed to go to the local grammar school but that avenue to improve yourself has been taken away now in most areas.

The whole population is not forced to live in council provided accommodation so why should every child be forced to go to state provided comprehensive schools.

jura2 Sun 01-Dec-19 13:39:24

just depends how you do it - of course it is normal to try and 'better' your own conditions of living, education, health-

but there are limits - just as with freedom it comes with responsibility. If you do so - but keep fighting to ensure that all have decent living conditions, fit for humans in a civilised society, and decent education and health care ... then I think it is perfectly fine.

If you do so, and then turn round and say 'ah I did it so s*d the rest, I don't care' then ... NOT.

crystaltipps Sun 01-Dec-19 13:41:06

Are only the working class allowed to be socialist? Since when ? Are only posh upper class allowed to be Tories? If someone went to a bog standard comp and joined the Tories would that be hypocritical? Betraying their class? There is so much rubbish here it’s unbelievable. As for anyone disagreeing with the OP being labelled a “loony” I think unpleasant and anachronistic spring to mind.

GrannyGravy13 Sun 01-Dec-19 13:42:51

jura2. We are different in our political views, however I totally agree with your post of 13.39.

jura2 Sun 01-Dec-19 13:46:41

well, there you go- have a lovely day.

As for that green monster- honestly? If only you knew ...

trisher Sun 01-Dec-19 13:55:12

quizqueen if you don't understand what a lottery system the grammar schools were and how some children never recovered from the experience of failing there's nothing I can say to you. It doesn't have to be a case of some children succeeding and others failing, education can and should serve all children.

growstuff Sun 01-Dec-19 13:56:57

I agree with the post too. I don't have a problem with people choosing to spend money on education (or health or anything else), but not if it means the political will isn't there to improve services for the rest.

PS. The Tories keep saying they're putting huge amounts into schools, but it's smoke and mirrors. Headteachers have estimated that 80% will lose funding next year, when adjusted for inflation. The only schools likely to benefit are those in the leafy shires - I wonder why that is! hmm

growstuff Sun 01-Dec-19 14:07:09

The school system, especially at secondary level, is still a lottery. It really does depend where you live and what kind of state schools are available and how the admissions system works. Ideally, all comprehensives would provide a good standard of education to all children. For all sorts of reasons, some of them don't, but to say grammar schools and private schools are the answer is, quite frankly, nonsense. They might provide a quick fix for a handful of children, but not the majority. Some private schools are very good, but others are a scam and waste of money. In my opinion, parents who send their children to such schools, when there are perfectly good state alternatives, are well-meaning but misguided. I've tutored pupils from two of the most prestigious public schools in the country. Both were very unhappy and both achieved results at GCSE worse than my own children, who went to a comprehensive.

Labaik Sun 01-Dec-19 22:39:01

Just watching the debate tonight and it crossed my mind that, if there's anyone who's pretending to be something that he isn't, it's Farage. Thought it when he coughed and I said to myself 'smokers cough' and thought of all those pictures of him in pubs with a pint of beer being a 'man of the people'....It also dawned on me that, if McDonnell is from Liverpool no one from there will have read that Sun article anyway because they have more sense than to read the Sun there....

trisher Mon 02-Dec-19 10:18:45

Nice one Labaik grin

GracesGranMK3 Mon 02-Dec-19 10:36:15

Oh my goodness, the sky has fallen in. Someone on the Labour team has some money and so did their parents. Well! I could obviously never vote for them even though the policies of the Tories would decimate the country.

The far-right now saying I must not like people with money even though I have no doubt they pay their taxes. You have to laugh or you would cry, wouldn't you? What reality do these Tories and worshipers of "The Boris") live in?

GracesGranMK3 Mon 02-Dec-19 10:46:34

Sat 30-Nov-19 12:06:02
Intellectual Socialism is the driving force of most Labour Politicians. The laugh is that an awful lot of working-class people quietly vote Tory, seeing them as the Party of Aspiration. Pounds in the pocket not dreams in the head!

Intellectual? Well, I quite like the idea of clever, intelligent, rational, reasoning people running the country. The post rather suggests the current ERG Tories do not possess these capabilities and I would agree.

As for the "working class" there sort of isn't one anymore just a few old dodderers who are extremely socially right-wing but who still want the NHS and their pension, etc. It's just what everyone else might be getting that's wrong.

People like this talking about the "London Attack"

Sorry to say this, but here we go again. This will never end when we have people in the country who hate us and have a religion and way of life that is totally alien to our own.

They vote Tory.

GracesGranMK3 Mon 02-Dec-19 10:47:40

Oh my goodness. This has run on to 7 pages. I have better things to do than worry about someone's parent's choices.

GracesGranMK3 Mon 02-Dec-19 10:51:31

Oh, and let's add this Tory voter to the list. Still on the London Attack. It's quite a feeding frenzy.

Well done * ..we brought them here ..fed them ..educated and gave them a home..turned around and stab us back ...put an instant stop on bringing in this scum.

I have taken the name out and put a * but it's fairly easy to find. I just wanted to be a little bit kind.

SirChenjin Mon 02-Dec-19 11:27:16

Someone on the Labour team has some money and so did their parents

Nope, it was far worse than that - his parents didn’t pay, they couldn’t afford it. Instead he got there on an LEA grant funded place at a time when this was not at all unusual.

grin