Current Affairs The Labour Party

[dannyboy]

Why not? My local comprehensive is utterly fantastic. Regularly prepares students for Red Brick universities, inc Oxbridge.

Yes but what percentage of those who go to Oxbridge come from private schools? You know it´s totally out of proportion.

 

[dannyboy]

I know a couple of people who send their kids to moderately priced private schools, they earn a moderate wage but through saving and a small inheritance they have been able to do it

I don't agree with private schools, but for most voters who aren't interested in politics this is gonna sound like Labour are taking away choice

It's an absolutely disastrous policy and I really fear for a tory majority... Again

It´s a principled policy though and one that I think would help to level the playing field. I doubt it would ever become reality but I´m proud to be a member of a party that entertains ideas like this.

We can´t be swayed by how the media perceives our policies. No matter what is put forward it will never be enough to get a good write up from the right wing commentariat.

 

[neil999]

It´s a principled policy though and one that I think would help to level the playing field. I doubt it would ever become reality but I´m proud to be a member of a party that entertains ideas like this.

We can´t be swayed by how the media perceives our policies. No matter what is put forward it will never be enough to get a good write up from the right wing commentariat.

It's insane

 

[abelard]

I suspect private schools is one of many issues which will prove popular with everyday members of the public, once the election kicks in and the media is compelled to report what Labour is actually proposing.

And no, it has nothing to do with envy.

Ensuring that rich and powerful people have a stake in the success of public institutions is the only way to prevent them from being trashed by oligarchs and their pet ideologues.

There is no chance on earth that Michael Gove and Dominic Cummings would have been permitted to unleash their hare-brained pub-napkin experiments on the schools if David Cameron's kids were to be subjected to them (or of schools forced to close on Fridays from lack of funds, for that matter).

Just as there is also no chance the NHS would have to endure idiotic PFI impositions like these: https://inews.co.uk/news/health/nhs-hospitals-pfi-bill-ippr-report-toxic-legacy-556120 if the lives of the people whose taxes the Tories and Lib Dems cut depended on it, like the rest of us.

 

[tsubaki]

But if folk would rather pay for an education they would prefer for their kids, be it by faith, or lifestyle, or a specialist subject matter or to keep up with the neighbours, what is actually wrong with that?

I personally, other than faith, think its daft. But I would rather make the state schools brilliant, rather than stop folk making their own decisions.

So would I - but then again is it really rational to think that the people who benefit from attending private schools are going to do something that would completely wipe out the reason for attending one?

I really do not see anywhere near the level of altruism that would be required for them to do so - in fact given the massive waste of money in the sector (PFI, Foundation Schools, Academies, Free Schools and so on) it doesn't require that much of a cynical mind to think that making sure the state schools are not brilliant is perhaps more important than making sure they are.

 

[roydo]

I don't know the details precisely mate, so can't really comment, although i agree with @roydo ,in bringing up standards and attracting good pupils would be the way to go, but abolishing academies/freeschools should be a no-brainer for Labour.

The details of academy and free schools escape me I am afraid. All I know is my local Comp has long been brilliant, and went into an academy status a few years ago. No idea why.

 

[neil999]

It's a bit like if the tories proposed fully privatising the NHS, they all want to do it... But realise its a terrible idea for winning an election

 

[roydo]

Yes but what percentage of those who go to Oxbridge come from private schools? You know it´s totally out of proportion.

So make the state system better. Not go on a race to the bottom.

 

[tsubaki]

It's a bit like if the tories proposed fully privatising the NHS, they all want to do it... But realise its a terrible idea for winning an election

It absolutely isn't. The NHS serves the entire population, and changing it suddenly so that everyone loses out would be a disaster politically.

Suggesting that the under 7% of kids who currently go to private school go to a private school instead is going to affect at most 7% of the families in the UK, who are mostly from a part of society that are probably never going to vote Labour. It is possibly however going to appeal to the 93% of families whose kids have to compete with the 7% that had better schools, though as I said given the % of journalists, politicians and the rest who went to (and/or send their kids to) a private school will no doubt lead to a great deal of negative and not at all self-interested comment.

 

[dannyboy]

It's a bit like if the tories proposed fully privatising the NHS, they all want to do it... But realise its a terrible idea for winning an election

Well priviatising the NHS would impact almost the entire population, abolishing private schools would affect around 5%...

 

[dannyboy]

So make the state system better. Not go on a race to the bottom.

Having worked in both it is exceptionally difficult. The behaviour, the facilities, the class sizes, the freedom to do what I want with my teaching without worrying about Ofsted... It´s two extremes.

 

[neil999]

I was being glib with the NHS comment... But negativity for voters with this policy will be huge, people need to look at how the majority of voters perceive things and this will be perceived as Labour taking away choice and being too radical

 

[neil999]

It absolutely isn't. The NHS serves the entire population, and changing it suddenly so that everyone loses out would be a disaster politically.

Suggesting that the under 7% of kids who currently go to private school go to a private school instead is going to affect at most 7% of the families in the UK, who are mostly from a part of society that are probably never going to vote Labour. It is possibly however going to appeal to the 93% of families whose kids have to compete with the 7% that had better schools, though as I said given the % of journalists, politicians and the rest who went to (and/or send their kids to) a private school will no doubt lead to a great deal of negative and not at all self-interested comment.

Just because people don't use a service doesn't mean they won't view it negatively if they think it is unfair/restricts choice

 

[dannyboy]

It absolutely isn't. The NHS serves the entire population, and changing it suddenly so that everyone loses out would be a disaster politically.

Suggesting that the under 7% of kids who currently go to private school go to a private school instead is going to affect at most 7% of the families in the UK, who are mostly from a part of society that are probably never going to vote Labour. It is possibly however going to appeal to the 93% of families whose kids have to compete with the 7% that had better schools, though as I said given the % of journalists, politicians and the rest who went to (and/or send their kids to) a private school will no doubt lead to a great deal of negative and not at all self-interested comment.

It would be played as a huge issue by the media because it is the class they belong to. Hell, lots of them will be against it because they all have fond memories of their time with small class sizes, brilliant facilities etc. I fail to see how it would be viewed as a bad policy by some who earns 30k a year. It just doesn´t impact upon the average person, other than limiting their own children´s chances.

 

[dannyboy]

Just because people don't use a service doesn't mean they won't view it negatively if they think it is unfair/restricts choice

But why would you care if you earned 30k a year? I can´t see my group of working class mates being incensed about this down the pub. In a list of reasons not to vote Labour, this would be a bizarre one.