Reflecting on how depressing conference season was. No ideas at all from the Tories - just post hoc blather about shortages = high wages. And from Labour a list of vague pledges and low-level detail policies within any kind of coherent narrative.
With the exception of a significant Labour pledge on climate change no one seems to have any kind of macro view on the big challenges facing the country.
There was very little mention of the short term problems - especially from the Tories - shortages, energy prices, inflation, crumbling welfare state, NHS overwhelmed, schools struggling with Covid aftermath. But nothing at all on the long term.
You can talk about FE as much as you like but while nearly all high status jobs require a degree elites are going to flock to the best unis and then stay there as long as there are employers and decent transport. Education level is the big national divide now.
We've gone from 5% of the population going to uni to 50% in two generations. It's had a bigger social impact on the country than anything else that's happened in that time IMHO.
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NHS children's mental health report released yesterday is alarming. Almost 80% of 17-19 girls answered the section on eating in a way that indicated a possible eating disorder. Up from 60% in 2017. 53% of all 17-23 year olds said mental health had worsened since 2017.
On the other hand only 6% of 11-16 have used alcohol and 2% cigarettes in the previous week which is a lot lower than similar surveys found a decade plus ago. And just 43% of 17-22 year olds had consumed alcohol in the last week down from 56% in 2017.
All of this is consistent with two strong trends over the past few decades of destructive behaviours (cigarettes; alcohol; drugs; underage sex) all becoming much less prevelant amongst teens but reported mental health getting much worse.
Always amazed when discussing private schools on here how many people using them genuinely think they're "squeezed middle" or not rich. Apart from a handful of full bursaries everyone using private schools is rich.
A salary of £57k puts you in the top 10% of earners. A private secondary school will cost £20/25k out of taxed income.
You may not *feel* rich but that's not the same as not *being* rich.