UK General Election 24/25

[StevieM]

Richi Sunsak seems to be hellbent on making sure Labour win this General Election - I don’t think I’ve see a Tory campaign so effectively for the Labour Party since… well…. Tony Blair!!!

 

[Hansern]

Say what you will about Sunak but nobody can deny his love for football and Southampton. He was watching them at the not yet built St Mary’s as a kid when they were playing at The Dell. Thats dedication.

 

[MomoWASright]

Say what you will about Sunak but nobody can deny his love for football and Southampton. He was watching them at the not yet built St Mary’s as a kid when they were playing at The Dell. Thats dedication.

It’s a good job he had Southampton in his life. Especially when you consider how hard done by he was living without sky tv before sky tv was broadcasting.

 

[dee]

Richi Sunsak seems to be hellbent on making sure Labour win this General Election - I don’t think I’ve see a Tory campaign so effectively for the Labour Party since… well…. Tony Blair!!!

Makes me think of the New Statesman episode where the Tories chuck the election on purpose to ensure Labour get the blame for the huge economic problems

 

[MomoWASright]

Makes me think of the New Statesman episode where the Tories chuck the election on purpose to ensure Labour get the blame for the huge economic problems

They’ve been scorching the earth for years. It’s always been their policy.

 

[binomial]

 

[dee]

Reform now ahead of the Tories in latest YouGov poll 19% to 18%

 

[rurikbird]

 

[Shay_K]

What's the Italian for "at least you're not Boris"?

 

[Athens]

What's the Italian for "at least you're not Boris"?

I think he's worse than Boris.

 

[Shay_K]

I'd argue that the only person worse than Boris was Liz Truss.
Farage has potential though.

 

[Athens]

I'd argue that the only person worse than Boris was Liz Truss.
Farage has potential though.

Boris was generally quite good towards the environment, surpisingly so. His da is a bit of a tree hugger so perhaps that's why. I also think Sunak has been more corrupt than Boris. Hard to believe, but the amount of contracts that go towards companies that his wife's family own shares in is shocking.

 

[Shay_K]

Boris was generally quite good towards the environment, surpisingly so. His da is a bit of a tree hugger so perhaps that's why. I also think Sunak has been more corrupt than Boris. Hard to believe, but the amount of contracts that go towards companies that his wife's family own shares in is shocking.

PPE

 

[Athens]

PPE

We could sit here all day listing examples for both PMs.

 

[Shay_K]

...have spin class now

 

[The Nomad]

Boris was generally quite good towards the environment, surpisingly so. His da is a bit of a tree hugger so perhaps that's why. I also think Sunak has been more corrupt than Boris. Hard to believe, but the amount of contracts that go towards companies that his wife's family own shares in is shocking.

No, Boris was worse.

 

[jexykrodic]

Labour manifesto 2024: 12 key policies analysed

Labour manifesto 2024: 12 key policies analysed

BBC correspondents analyse key policies in the Labour manifesto.

www.bbc.co.uk

Which of these issues excites you the most and that they drive through immediately?

 

[MomoWASright]

Labour manifesto 2024: 12 key policies analysed

Labour manifesto 2024: 12 key policies analysed

BBC correspondents analyse key policies in the Labour manifesto.

www.bbc.co.uk

Which of these issues excites you the most and that they drive through immediately?

Raising taxes by equalising earned and unearned income. Hardly exciting but easiest to implement.

I’d be interested in the finer details of the investments. Same for the green initiatives. Where will these be and can it help “level up”.

 

[MomoWASright]

Go further..

A policy that hasn't been brought in, forced a school which used to have 150 students.

At the last count had dropped to 40 students. Of which because of the dropping numbers they decided to focus on SEND students to increase revenue.

But because of said VAT being brought in, the toffs have stuck the boot in early saying its Labour's fault.

Erm... no.

Lies, damn lies and statistics. Or something.

The number of children attending private schools in England has risen, new figures show, despite claims that families are being priced out by Labour’s plan to add VAT to school fees.

The Independent Schools Council (ISC) said last month that pupil numbers had fallen – a sign, they said, that schools were already starting to see “the impact of VAT looming on the horizon”.


But official Department for Education (DfE) data published last week shows that as of this January, the number of pupils in independent schools in England was 593,486, up from 591,954 the year before and an increase of 24,150 on 2020/21.

The ISC has also blamed two recent private school closures on Labour’s policy. However, the official school census data shows that 12 new independent schools opened in the last year, with the total rising from 2,409 to 2,421.

Private schools in England currently benefit from an 80% discount on business rates, and do not have to charge VAT on school fees. Closing the tax loopholes was pledged in the 2019 Labour manifesto. Keir Starmer renewed that promise in 2021 and again last week at the launch of the Labour party manifesto.

Labour says the £1.5bn raised from imposing 20% VAT and business rates will be used to provide 6,500 teachers in secondary schools. Teacher supply in state schools is in a critical state, according to the National Foundation for Educational Research, with the government failing to hit its own recruitment targets for years. The secondary subject shortfall this year was 50%.

An Institute for Fiscal Studies report published last year suggested that the number of pupils leaving the private sector to attend state schools in response to VAT on fees would be “small”.

Michael Pyke, from the Campaign for State Education (CASE), said: “According to the IFS, since 2010, private school fees have increased by 50% in real terms but this has not led to any reduction in pupil numbers. And since 2010, the gap in funding between private and state schools has increased to more than 90%.

“What I find incredible is that this enormous fuss is being made on behalf of fewer than 7% of our schoolchildren at the same time as the school system that 93% of our schoolchildren have to attend is falling to pieces.”
Average fees for private day schools rose by 8% for the 2023-24 academic year to £18,064 a year. Among day schools, the majority charge £3,000-£6,000 a term. Boarding school fees went up by 9% to an average of £42,459 a year.

Julie Robinson, CEO of ISC, said: “The statistics from the Department for Education represent England only and take in all independent schools across one country.

“ISC represents just over 1,400 independent schools across all nations of the UK, which account for about 80% of the number of total pupils educated in independent schools. Our data will therefore differ from the DfE’s and our concerns around pupil numbers reflect what we are hearing from our schools.”

Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, last month told BBC’s Question Time that private headteachers who were “pleading poverty” were going to have to “cut your cloth accordingly, like state schools have had to for more than 14 years”.

“We make no apology for putting the ambitions and opportunities of working-class kids from backgrounds like mine, the 93% of kids who attend their local state school, above the schools that educate the 7%,” he said.

 

[refugee]

Boris was generally quite good towards the environment, surpisingly so. His da is a bit of a tree hugger so perhaps that's why.

I'm not sure how true this is. He made a lot of commitments to net zero but didn't do a lot to actually achieve them. He also was relying on carbon capture for some of them, which is like telling you im going to lose weight by eating meals in pill form like the Jetsons.

 

[Athens]

I'm not sure how true this is. He made a lot of commitments to net zero but didn't do a lot to actually achieve them. He also was relying on carbon capture for some of them, which is like telling you im going to lose wait by eating meals in pill form like the Jetsons.

Well, perhaps I'm wrong then... Maybe Johnson was shitter than Sunak.

I suppose it's a bit like comparing cancers.

 

[MomoWASright]

They’re both lying incompetent cunts.

 

[dee]

The current Reform Party Manifesto is beyond hilarious. I understand a re-write is being launched by Farage on Monday so maybe it’ll be less Truss++ by then

The really irritating thing is that Reform are the only party committing to repeal Off-payroll working regulation (IR35) which galls me

 

[dee]

Farage having a whale of a time in Merthyr. He's such a knob but he is the only really capable orator in the mix

 

[MomoWASright]

The absolute fucking state of the reform manifesto. You can guarantee not one person in the media will drill into it and will accept grumble grumble immigrants.

 

[dee]

The absolute fucking state of the reform manifesto. You can guarantee not one person in the media will drill into it and will accept grumble grumble immigrants.

They are the only ones that are up for removing IR35 regulation. Thanks to Truss not one of the major parties want to go back there*

On the 'Contract' I do love that they balance all of their pledges by saying the Government wastes £50Bn/year and so that sorts it. They should hire a bus and paint that on the side

*accepted the LD deputy leader said they would 'push for a review'

 

[dee]

He is sooooo obviously pitching to be the new Tory leader!

 

[MomoWASright]

They are the only ones that are up for removing IR35 regulation. Thanks to Truss not one of the major parties want to go back there*

On the 'Contract' I do love that they balance all of their pledges by saying the Government wastes £50Bn/year and so that sorts it. They should hire a bus and paint that on the side

*accepted the LD deputy leader said they would 'push for a review'

Calling it a contract is such bull shit. Exactly where is he going to make £50 billion of cuts from government?

 

[MomoWASright]

I’d love that weapon to finish runner up in whatever back end constituency he’s running in.

 

[dee]

Calling it a contract is such bull shit. Exactly where is he going to make £50 billion of cuts from government?

I *think* (and this is by inference from Farage's spiel) it's because they accept they won't win this election, they are aiming for 2029. So this is not a manifesto for government. However, it could be anything really!