Starmer's stubbornness

Joseann bottle of vodka with Arsenal label amused me….

I went to a great school fair last weekend and got lucky with the tombola.
Congratulations, ronib. I hope I'm as lucky as you next Friday with the pile of raffle tickets I have waiting at home! Though winning a surfboard might not be very helpful to me! 🏄‍♀️ 🌊

We were working parents. I worked part time and my husband was a top engineer in his field. But no matter how much we scrimped and saved we would not have had enough money to privately educate our children.
It's interesting to hear other posters' experiences with their own children, probably 1980s time, and yes, you're right Maybee70, that private schooling was way out of the reach of many in those days. The current profile of the type of parent paying fees, 40 years on, is different in many ways. You still have the very very rich, and those in the usual private school professions, but you also have a new generation of parents in well paid, but also less secure jobs. I know from the school I taught at in London that we had many parents working in design, computing, finance and media. They were not exactly scrimping, but they were right on the edge of being able to afford the fees. We also had fewer parents who were paying their fees from an inheritance, (because grandma and grandparents are now living longer and often spending their money on themselves or helping with property purchases). Infact, the majority of parents paying are doing so monthly by direct debit straight from their own bank accounts. So these are the ones who will struggle with the increase in school fees, not the very wealthy.
To my mind, it all seems a bit insensitive towards those hardworking people.

Glorianny I went to a great school fair last weekend and got lucky with the tombola. It was a good community event enjoyed by all. I am happy to support my grandson’s school also as a volunteer perhaps with hearing reading if needed. I certainly prefer active involvement than passive theft.

GSM I know that your DS was state educated because you have said you couldn't afford private education for him. I wonder if he was currently in a state school and you could see the lack of investment and the problems this was causing would you still be advocating not raising taxes ?

LizzieDrip

^Why are we back to some posters^

Mollygo why not?

Some posters is used for blanket accusations, without the courage to name those you are accusing, but

Labour certainly won’t admit to ‘having plans’ to change any taxes at present. I don’t trust them one inch.

The Guardian reports on possible changes to inheritance tax rules regarding gifts given under the 7 year rule. Don’t think this is in the Labour 136 pages Manifesto.
Also changes to inheritance rules around farming land. That will go down well?

Wait and see Lizzie.

Easy to say if you don’t have anything to be robbed of growstuff

GSM as well as unkind, it’s not true. No-one is going to be ‘robbed’ of anything.

Unkind or not, true.

It was unkind.

True though Casdon, is it not?

flappergirl

"To be honest, most private schools wouldn't really care if charitable status were to be removed. It nets them little in the bigger picture, and it is a pain to administer."

I have quoted above Joseann who I presume was the principal or owner of a private school. If she feels that private schools are so ambivalent to charitable status and it is basically more hassle than it's worth, then why the unholy furore?

To be honest flappergirl, the unholy furore over the removal of charitable status is not coming from the independent schools themselves. They know that this proposition was opposed by the House of Lords. The schools know that any change would have impossible implications for the entire charity sector, so they aren't worried.
The unholy furore must be coming from those who wish to see the charitable status removed, but they are wasting their breath on expecting this to happen.

That is below the belt Germanshepherdsmum.

Easy to say if you don’t have anything to be robbed of growstuff.

Why are we back to some posters

Mollygo why not?

"To be honest, most private schools wouldn't really care if charitable status were to be removed. It nets them little in the bigger picture, and it is a pain to administer."

I have quoted above Joseann who I presume was the principal or owner of a private school. If she feels that private schools are so ambivalent to charitable status and it is basically more hassle than it's worth, then why the unholy furore?

Germanshepherdsmum

From us, that’s how.

You'd better book an exit ticket then because no amount of complaining is going to dissuade people from voting how they want.

LizzieDrip
I prefer the former. Clearly there are some GN posters who would prefer the latter.

Why are we back to some posters?

I had a very quick listen on catch-up to Starmer's answer yesterday about VAT on school fees.
Whilst I applaud his desire to look at it across the board and to make sure that Maths teachers are there for all, I am concerned that he is considering nothing transformative for the Arts in education. The whole Labour manifesto is pretty pathetic in terms of promoting these underrated subjects, and these are the very areas at which independent schools excel. It's almost as though he wants to dumb down these very important subjects at which our nation excels, and in which many pupils find so much pleasure, whilst independent schools make them a top priority.
Even Tony Blair was keen to raise standards in the Arts.
Just an observation unless anyone knows where he has said anything elsewhere

Do we want a country that has good standards of support for the vulnerable in society, good standards in public services - or do we want a Trumpian society based on letting the weakest go to the wall

Excellent question Blinko.

I prefer the former. Clearly there are some GN posters who would prefer the latter.

The outcome on 4th July will show us what sort of country the majority want to live in.

manage, not 'mange'...

The thing is, surely, that we can't expect Scandinavian standards of health services and care with American levels of tax. Do we want a country that has good standards of support for the vulnerable in society, good standards in public services - or do we want a Trumpian society based on letting the weakest go to the wall?

Isn't that what's been happening over the past fourteen years? Do we really want more 'austerity'? If we want excellence it will need paying for.

How do other (European) countries mange it?

Time for a Fact Check I think.
theconversation.com/fact-check-have-the-conservatives-always-been-the-low-tax-party-77742