Quote Originally Posted by JamesWales View Post
Yeah, I'm not a zealot on these things. No party is perfect and Reform are far from it. They are also far from ideal for normal governance but I think our society and economy is poorly and unsustainable and I think they have some answers. But as I say, in Wales this is in part driven by just wanting to see Labour gone, as they have failed the country by almost any measurement you choose to look at.

I think in the last election, Reforms approach was a "contract" not a manifesto. Indeed, I know it was, as I just looked it up again. Plainly it's very thin on the ground and they wouldn't get away with that again. They need far more meat on the bones, but there's not much in the education section I disagree with. Added to what you mentioned is:
Scrapping interest on student loans
Cut funding to universities that undermine free speech
Permanent exclusions for violent students
Universities to provide two year undergraduate courses.

Reality is harder than just writing it down, esp the violent pupils issue, which are symptomatic of wider issues. But the 2 year degree and scrapping interest on student loans are excellent ideas.

As for the Tories and immigration, they totally ****ed up. I think it has to be seen in the context of COVID and brexit and the urgent need for growth and also trying to prove the UK was open etc. But I think everyone now, bar the most laissez faire of liberals agrees that the immigration levels of the last few years are entirely unsustainable.

I don't disagree on the last point. They need to expand what they are talking about, and not just into culture war issues like trans debates etc.

Interesting that you have never lived in Wales btw! City is obviously a family connection?
Dads family are all from north Wales (which means I wouldn't be here anymore if I didn't support Wales at every sport) and then I just randomly decided to support city when I was about 13, not really any memory of how or why, dad watches club football but just supports all the Welsh clubs in a sort of 'slightly hating anything English despite living there most his life' way. Have had a ton of friendly abuse ever since from mates and family about not supporting a local team but I'm pretty confident I can never be called a glory hunter!

The exclusions thing is really difficult, we are (finally...) starting to get some really good live attendance data at work where we can map periods of exclusion, attendance marks leading up to it and then pair that with reduced timetable information. Being naturally cynical, my feeling is that some schools are very trigger happy, not entirely honest etc and data can give an objective idea of what's going on (but missing context). The reality is, the government has a duty to provide them with an education, at a personal level and societal level so I am pretty skeptical of hard talk/absolutist policy when it comes to kids/schools, it usually ends up just costing a lot more and making them feel written off, which if they were saveable is a massive shame. But at the same time, schools have a duty to all their kids so I can see why they give up quickly in certain circumstances.

Also I don't want to break character and start ranting about woke people but the concept/definition of what violence is, has become a debate in itself.

Interest on student loans is the scandal that nobody wants to talk about. Thankfully for me, I went a fair few years ago before fee loans were really a thing (I think fees were like 1200 maybe) but the stories you read of plan 2 loans are shocking, people who have paid back 10+ grand and today owe more than they borrowed.