Best Of

I disagree. First of all, she needs to shore up the base. And, by the way, it's worth noting that the Lib Dems are also opposing both tax raids.

Wait until you hear about the other government policies the Lib Dems oppose.

A big mistake by the Lib Dems. Falling between two stools if you'll excuse the medical expression. An excellent header by TSE. He's on the money. 'Things sweet prove in digestion sour'.

At Millfield that bastion of egalitarianism 25% of their boys and girls were sons and daughters of farmers and that was not counting the JCB offspring who at that time hadn't purchased their 8000 acres of prime Cotswold countryside.

Tories and the right wing need to be careful. They seem to be in a bubble of rage. They remind me of the Harris campaign.


They are in danger of shoring up their base elites

That you think hill farmers an "elite" is quite telling.

Somebody is in a bubble, but....

To someone who has nothing trying to get by, prioritising talking about people with over a million quid in assets or access to private education might seem a teensy wheensy bit elitist.

And yes we are all in bubbles these days, Every single one of us.

"Not a priority" is politico-speak for "never". It's designed to let people down gently, with some vague hope that one day things might be different, whereas actually there never will be; the idea is it shuts them up, and they eventually accept it.

The non-taxable status of agricultural land and education had been in place for decades, across multiple administrations, and for very good reason; you raise tax on the things that make sense and not on those that don't.

To simply accept it is to accept a permanent shift to the Left, and Labour's dividing lines.

I see no reason why the Tories should do that.

My hunch is that Badenoch is walking into the same trap that. Cameron set for Milliband. Come the next election, the electorate will be reminded daily that the Tories opposed every measure required to the fix the mess they created. The fact that she currently backs spending but objects to every measure required to pay for it feels like a mistake

Without doubt one of the worst thread headers TSE has ever done.

No party wins general elections without shoring up their core vote first and for Tories they include private school parents and farmers. Voters also want a choice not an echo, if you want to hammer farmers with inheritance tax and hit private school parents with VAT you vote Labour anyway and if the Tories don't stand up for farmers and private school parents they will leak voters to Reform and the LDs who will.

Plus 57% of voters oppose the hated tractor tax anyway

https://x.com/LukeTryl/status/1858787981303185664

Not to mention VAT on school fees will just reduce the scholarships they provide and hit smaller schools most making them even more exclusive. While we need family farms to produce our food, you can't make food from houses. Most farms may be asset rich but they are income poor

If you are asset rich but income poor, you can get a mortgage or similar sort of loan. It’s not difficult.

We need houses to live in. You can’t make houses from food (pace Hansel & Gretel).

Actually it is often very difficult for farmers. One of the long term issues in farming has been securing loans and mortgages, at least at the same rates that the rest of us enjoy.

Linda McMahon may not be the best choice of education Secretary. Meltzer hinting at a qualifications issue and what did she know about her husbands vile antics when head of the WWE.

https://x.com/fos/status/1859074569153507521?s=61

Shane McMahon is the one I really feel for. He seems a decent person.

In America? If Trump is going to abolish the Education Department, why does he need someone to run it?

(Other than to repay campaign favours.)