Keir Starmer's Pledges

I don’t really get the hard on people have for laying into private/public schools. People pay their taxes and then choose to spend their spare money on education for their children. The private schools presumably don’t take any direct funding from the state education budget, even if there are tax breaks……
Pushing people out of private schools back into state education just pushes up the cost to the public purse as more pupils enter the system. How’s that solve a problem.
They could do a lot more for the teaching system by cutting all the crap that currently goes with being a teacher and the amazing profits being made by people whom CEO’s as school trust leaders and senior leadership. I can’t for a minute understand how a load of trusts in what was once a single council area (all making profits for those at the top) can be efficient…. Just think of the differences in purchasing power alone…

 

People send their children to private schools in order to secure a better education for them. In other words, to give them an advantage in life. That is, to gain an advantage over other folks who cannot afford this luxury. That's fine. It's a choice available if you have the resources. But the argument is that they should then get VAT-exempt status to help them achieve this advantage. So not only should the children of better-off families be able to get a jump on those less well-off, but the general population (including the less well-off) should subsidise them by granting tax exemption for availing themselves of this privilege. Labour's policy does not add additional costs for those going down this route. It simply says that there should not be a further subsidy to the better-off for taking advantage of this situation. That seems bang right to me.

 

Erm… but they’re not subsidising it really are they? Parents of privately educated kids are paying tax for everyone’s kids; Which goes into council schools and I’d imagine none of this goes into private schools. I’d bet the tax sudsidies are dwarfed by those tax payments that are not returned in kind by a free education, but stand to be corrected. If anything, private school parents subsidise the local schools arguably…. They don’t get a tax rebate and even simple things like getting discounts at the metrodome are complicated by not going to school in the borough, even when the kids parents pay local council tax etc…

 

It's for parents to decide whether the advantages of going private outweigh any minor disadvantages, is it not? I'm with Labour on it's policy. But I'm happy to be persuaded otherwise.

 

The 2 child benefit cap. I remember the last Labour government where people used to have more kids for a pay rise. If you want a big family work and pay for it simple as really.

 

sorry but that’s a lot of ********. So say I have a great job nice income. I’m in my late 30s and I have a stroke. I’ve got 3 kids. That I can no longer pay for. What do I do chuck one out on the streets. Simple answers are for simpletons.

do you think children should be hungry for reasons that they had nothing to do with.

my dad in the strike couldn’t afford his three kids. Attitudes like yours are everything that is wrong in this world.

You know what the UK is desperate for? More kids. An increase in birth rates. We need more future workers to pay for our ageing population. Unfortunately idiots read the Daily Mail and believe it

 

I’m just trying to understand the logic tbh. If there’s 5 things to get right about this country, I don’t think that should be one of the top 40..
I completely agree though, in terms of it being up to the parents to decide…. I just don’t think all the extra kids in already overly full classrooms would be a great idea for anyone in terms of either finance or education. It smacks of most big party policies taxes days… Kick the people in the middle because it’s an easier target, they don’t kick back as effectively. The super rich will be continuing to pay for personal private tuition fees either way…

 

The weakest obviously

 

14 years this lot have had to get us where we are now but Starmer can be judged after a couple of years...Not a fan of his but the old Labour style of politics is unacceptable to the public these days. So a centrist approach is the line to get them into power and he appears to be quite tough on the don't rock the boat line which used to be a Labour failing. Don't think it'll be a landslide but am sure they'll get in..

 

I've heard this argument trotted out many times, and I think it has little validity as a scare tactic. The impact would be minimal, and easily absorbed by the State sector - especially with the the extra teachers Labour propose to recruit. As a policy, I like the message it sends out about improving equality of opportunity.

 

No there's always the flip side folk who haven't paid into the system have no interest in work but keep knocking kids out. Unfortunately these policies have been changed as people abused them last time round.
Like already said starmer won't get in with the far left approach.

 

I’ve got to say having brought a child up that if people bring 3, 4, 5 kids into the world then they deserve every penny.

Bringing kids up is harder than going to work.

Don't get me wrong the good outweighs the bad but the way people talk about it has always baffled me.

I’ve seen people in 3 bed council houses with 4 kids. It looks bloody hard work to me. I’d much rather they have my taxes than friends of the government.

 

I've brought 3 kids up and I've worked all along to pay for them. Sometimes my wife worked **** part time jobs when they was really young when they got in school she then got a job to work around there school hours. Obviously we got child benefits but I chose to have kids there my responsibility.

 

If public schools exist, where the rich and famous can send their kids, then there is no pressure on MPs (whose kids also go to the public schools) to improve the schools that the riff-raff go to. Indeed, it could be argued that some of the Tory policies have made education worse for the vast majority in order to increase their vote share (lower education levels correspond with increased Tory vote share) and to increase the advantage that their children have. IIRC Eton has had more former PMs than all the state schools combined.

If there are no public schools, then the rich and famous will force MPs to improve all schools so that their kids get the best possible education.

 

And if you are unable to work, how would you manage?

Unfortunately, I know two women who were widowed with young kids - one while still pregnant - and a few other people that have suffered life changed illness and injury with relatively young families.

 

Fair play to you. Sounds a similar situation to my parents.

We would like another but been a bit reluctant to with the cost of living.

I think I read a bit back that 90% of families would run out of money within 2 months if their wages suddenly stopped.

 

Well my wife would of had to work more hours or look for a better paid job as I was the bread winner. We could have milked the system back then and got all sorts we didn't and I never wanted anyone else to pay for my kids I chose to have them. I wouldn't home 4 dogs and say I can only afford to feed 3 then knock on neighbours doors and see if they will pay for other.

 

That never happened to us thankfully and at it wasn't easy but we are in a good position now they are older. They should be help if someone in a working family falls ill.

 

“We all know how biased Britains media is towards the right wing parties.”

I agree but you can’t seriously be suggesting The Labour Party are a Left Wing Party?