Sir Keir Starmer ate my Hamster…..

Dillonsgranma

Ghastly man! What a liar and a sponger he is ! Giving some awful lord the keys to westminster in return for free accommodation so his son could revise ! Plus new spectacles and newssuits of clothes for himself and his wife . Talk about cronyism !

How is Lord Alli an "awful Lord", exactly? What is it specifically about his background and his work that makes him "awful"?

MissAdventure

I expect it'll come from disabled people, because today I read "Starner wants to make disabled people work".
He had actually said he wanted to ensure that disabled people are helped in a number of ways to go back to work, if they can, and that he understands that people lose confidence, and worry that they may take on more than they can manage.

Yet another example of how words can be twisted into a negative spin.

Starmer aims to support and encourage a group of people - often with issues like depression - to get back onto work, and it's turned into something punitive by the press.

Ghastly man! What a liar and a sponger he is ! Giving some awful lord the keys to westminster in return for free accommodation so his son could revise ! Plus new spectacles and newssuits of clothes for himself and his wife . Talk about cronyism !

MayBee70

Well, if anything happens to Larry it will obviously be Keirs fault for introducing a new cat to Downing Street. In fact, given his age I would imagine that Keirs premiership will outlive Larry so he will definitely be blamed for his demise….If Victoria is, as I assume she is, still working for the NHS there will be complaints about the extra security it is costing. Either way, you’ll hear it here first because gransnet seems to be the place to be for all things Keir bashing! Just waiting to see how long it is before someone thinks up another anti Keir thread .

Do you remember the villain Bloefelt in James Bond film, planning dire distress to the world while stroking his white cat?

I expect it'll come from disabled people, because today I read "Starner wants to make disabled people work".
He had actually said he wanted to ensure that disabled people are helped in a number of ways to go back to work, if they can, and that he understands that people lose confidence, and worry that they may take on more than they can manage.

MayBee70

And where are these rumours coming from? Newspapers /news channels owned by people that neither live here or pay tax here? They are just that. Scaremongering rumours.

Reading news today KS does say that taxes will have to increase but as they promised to not put up NI or income tax it will have to be other things that go!

And where are these rumours coming from? Newspapers /news channels owned by people that neither live here or pay tax here? They are just that. Scaremongering rumours.

He will always be unpopular with many people not just pensioners.
If he wanted to stop the WFP he should have given notice for next year and maybe reduced it a little this year. People would have time to hopefully prepare and save a little each month.
There's also rumours about inheritance tax rises, bus passes being abolished, single occupancy discount being abolished and long term unemployed being forced to work in any available job.
I must admit I'm not looking forward to the budget.

ronib

Well it matches the ridiculous government.

One of the reasons they’re in government is because of the past few governments that had become unfit to govern and were unelectable. And are still unfit to be in opposition. Rudderless.

Well it matches the ridiculous government.

Allsorts

What a ridiculous thread.

No more than some others, unfortunately.

ronib

vegansrock well adding 20 percent VAT isn’t going to attract poorer customers is it?
Anyway you haven’t been reading how great special needs provision is in the State sector?

Some state schools have better special needs provision than some private schools (according to my friend whose son is autistic and was taken out of a private school to attend a state school).

Those children whose EHCP specifies a private school are fully funded by the local authority.

What a ridiculous thread.

It'll be all the better when it has more money and resources invested in it.

vegansrock well adding 20 percent VAT isn’t going to attract poorer customers is it?
Anyway you haven’t been reading how great special needs provision is in the State sector?

growstuff

Maybe an audit should be kept on the wellbeing of the school hamsters!!

Absolutely the worst half term of my life was one of the children having the honour of bringing home the class hamster.

It was far more stressful than having a newborn, I was certain it would die on my watch

So all kids in private schools have special needs? - they don’t
What about those kids with special needs whose parents can’t afford the £8 k a term for a private school? They obviously need to cut back on Netflix and holidays .

Maybe an audit should be kept on the wellbeing of the school hamsters!!

GrannyGravy13

ronib

So the same argument applies to parents who pay for extra tuition to cram their children for top selective grammar type schools. And then get 7 years of free good quality education. Mostly from the monied professional classes….Cossy why can’t you see it?

Don’t remind people, that will be the next VAT target.

Or those who are wealthy enough to move to an area because of the excellent state school.

I'm not arguing against that. I worked as a private tutor for years and experienced all sorts of pupils. I wish I could have afforded to provide my services for free, but I couldn't. I also live in an area with superb schools (partly by choice). It's "chicken and egg" because people move here for the excellent schools, so most of the parents have a vested interest in supporting their children and the schools.

It shouldn't be like that! Every child is entitled to the kind of education my children (and before them, I) had. That means more resources and accountability for the schools which don't do so well. And stop the emphasis on exam results (and the subsequent manipulation of admission criteria by some schools)! I know that exam results produce hard data, but there needs to be another way of judging schools (more than one way maybe). Maybe the overriding question should be "are the children happy?". That's difficult because most self-respecting teenagers will have something to moan about, so maybe truancy figures should be scrutinised, in addition to the number of pupils who take up apprenticeships (not just get into Oxbridge).

Could write more, but am off to do something urgent.

Another excellent post Cossy.

I think you will find clinicians completely in favour of medics being in charge of the health service. Likewise I am sure educators would like to have control rather than government ministers who are completely wet about the ears. 17.20 Cossy

I meant “wealthier parents” of course, not “wealthier children”

ronib

MaizieD I support the right of every child to an education.
Education as a political football is as bad as the posturing about the NHS. These sectors should operate independently of the latest loon show in government.

How on earth would that work?

ronib

So the same argument applies to parents who pay for extra tuition to cram their children for top selective grammar type schools. And then get 7 years of free good quality education. Mostly from the monied professional classes….Cossy why can’t you see it?

I can see this.

I speak as a Mum who learnt this as my older child did attend a very nice fee paying school from 3-11, I was a single Mum with just him and I wanted small classes and a school which would pick up any issues educationally.

I needn’t have bothered or worried, he was academically very able and was awarded a bursary at 7, flew through the 11+ and attended the same Grammar school as both my parents and where, many many years before, my maternal grandfather was Latin and classics master.

Many boys were coached within an inch of their lives and many dropped out and were moved to other schools.

Our other three children, who were born AFTER he finished at his fee paying school, had the benefit of me at home during the day as I took a job in a local 24 hour bank, rather than work during the day commuting to and from London.

It IS the same argument, people moving into a good catchment area to get into the “best” state schools. It is exactly the same.

IMO, every child deserves an outstanding education, not just middle class children in nice houses, near good schools, or those with wealthier children choosing to educate their children privately.

I’m all for choice, pay for your child’s education if you choose too, but let’s use their model of small classes, better green spaces, better facilities and think of more opportunities for all children.

Education and aspiration are the only ways out of poverty.

Whilst we are on that subject, higher living wages required, and govts should stop “subsidising” large companies with UC and Tax Credits!

MaizieD I support the right of every child to an education.
Education as a political football is as bad as the posturing about the NHS. These sectors should operate independently of the latest loon show in government.