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Post by venceremos on May 13, 2015 10:58:13 GMT 1
David Schneider tweeted this today: Today's inconsistency play-off: Government voted for by 37% of voters says only votes of above 40% count to allow a strike. Also: Equality minister opposed equal marriage. Just caught new Employment Minister Priti Patel give a thoroughly robotic interview in which she evaded a question about the deficit and then seemed to make up some figures when she couldn't escape. Being generous, maybe she's not yet switched off the campaign auto-reply function. Labour's dead? Heard that one a few times over the years. Sense of history needed - a majority of 12 is very small historically and doesn't signal either perpetual Tory government or the end of Labour.
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Post by Deleted on May 13, 2015 11:13:51 GMT 1
One good piece of news, UK unemployment has fallen to a seven-year low.
The coalition certainly got something right.
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Post by northwestman on May 13, 2015 11:45:34 GMT 1
One good piece of news, UK unemployment has fallen to a seven-year low. The coalition certainly got something right. You can prove anything with statistics. Obviously part time and zero hours contracts don't count as unemployed. Are the disabled now classified as unemployed? I remember loads of them being dumped by the Thatcher Government onto Disability Benefit to massage the unemployment figures.
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Post by northwestman on May 13, 2015 11:47:30 GMT 1
It seems bizarre to me that some posters on this thread can't be bothered to read replies from other posters particularly when they are replying to their post!! Why bother to come on it then? You are exempted from any criticism on that score from me ssshrew. You always read my posts!
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Post by stuttgartershrew on May 13, 2015 12:20:54 GMT 1
It seems bizarre to me that some posters on this thread can't be bothered to read replies from other posters particularly when they are replying to their post!! Why bother to come on it then? That's not happening too often though is it? Indeed, I can't see where that has happened on this thread to be honest. If people have responded to a post and they have received a response back I think everyone has made the effort to again respond. I couldn't be bothered to read through Frankwell's post for sure but then he wasn't responding to something I had previously put to him directly. Considering the topic it's been a pretty decent amicable discussion...
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Post by mattmw on May 13, 2015 12:20:52 GMT 1
The fall in unemployment is of course great news, but only part of the picture
Today the Bank of England has down graded growth figures for this year to 2.5% from 2.9% stating there was an "underlying weakness" in the economy of a disproportionate number of new jobs being low skilled and low out put meaning productivity is now falling, and heading to the levels during the recession
They state lack of investment by both public and private sector into the economy is directly impacting on the lack of productivity in the economy and high light it as a key policy for the government to address
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Post by ssshrew on May 13, 2015 13:29:17 GMT 1
It seems bizarre to me that some posters on this thread can't be bothered to read replies from other posters particularly when they are replying to their post!! Why bother to come on it then? That's not happening too often though is it? Indeed, I can't see where that has happened on this thread to be honest. If people have responded to a post and they have received a response back I think everyone has made the effort to again respond. I couldn't be bothered to read through Frankwell's post for sure but then he wasn't responding to something I had previously put to him directly. Considering the topic it's been a pretty decent amicable discussion... Indeed it doesn't happen much and totally agree on the whole it has been amicable just as it should be
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Post by QuorndonShrew on May 13, 2015 17:41:33 GMT 1
David Schneider tweeted this today: Today's inconsistency play-off: Government voted for by 37% of voters says only votes of above 40% count to allow a strike. Also: Equality minister opposed equal marriage. At first I was perplexed as to why you were quoting Ross from Friends in a discussion about UK politics but since I've later found out who you were actually referring to, I'm just as stumped as to why you thought a second-rate comedian and childrens TV actor was worth referencing? And it's not the first time you've mentioned him either. This really was the social media election wasn't it?. I read a great piece in the New Statesman about why the election forecasts were so off the mark and how the 'twitterati' gave themselves a false pretense that they could influence the result by immersing themselves in a sectarian left-wing bubble alongside fellow self-appointed leftist authoritarians like Brand, Boyle, Schneider et al, treating politics like their iTunes library.
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Post by northwestman on May 13, 2015 20:32:38 GMT 1
David Schneider tweeted this today: Today's inconsistency play-off: Government voted for by 37% of voters says only votes of above 40% count to allow a strike. Also: Equality minister opposed equal marriage. At first I was perplexed as to why you were quoting Ross from Friends in a discussion about UK politics but since I've later found out who you were actually referring to, I'm just as stumped as to why you thought a second-rate comedian and childrens TV actor was worth referencing? And it's not the first time you've mentioned him either. This really was the social media election wasn't it?. I read a great piece in the New Statesman about why the election forecasts were so off the mark and how the 'twitterati' gave themselves a false pretense that they could influence the result by immersing themselves in a sectarian left-wing bubble alongside fellow self-appointed leftist authoritarians like Brand, Boyle, Schneider et al, treating politics like their iTunes library. Well, at least some people on the social media were prepared to discuss the issues from whatever political persuasion they came from. Whereas ALL political parties were more or less obsessed either with keeping the electorate at arms length or at being involved in deliberate obfuscation and massaging of the statistics.
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Post by Matster on May 13, 2015 20:38:44 GMT 1
I quoted it because it amused me. Information can be interesting stuff that is twisted by all parties. Another interesting tweeter, has a website called Information Is Beautiful.
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Post by Matster on May 13, 2015 20:40:27 GMT 1
Oh and he used to work for Crash and Zzap computer magazines down in Ludlow back in the eighties!
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Post by shrewsace on May 13, 2015 21:01:35 GMT 1
I've seen a lot worse than that said. And since last Thursday to boot. I thought many might have seen the damage it can do to their cause but it appears not... I honestly believe that Labour's desire to 'rub the right's nose in diversity' has well and truly backfired and come back and bit them on the arse. I'm not saying it was the main reason why they failed last Thursday but I have no doubt that it played its part. Labour's campaign over the last year or two has been arrogant quite frankly, More arrogant than declaring you won't run for a third term before you've even won a second. I know you have a blind spot the size of Kim Kardashian's arse when it comes to Tory faults, but come on!
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Post by Deleted on May 14, 2015 9:17:05 GMT 1
I quoted it because it amused me. Information can be interesting stuff that is twisted by all parties. Another interesting tweeter, has a website called Information Is Beautiful. Lesson 1 of GCSE politics? What that exercise shows is we probably all have values from both the blue half and red half. Which is why this 'left' and 'right' nonsense easily dished out on here and other communication mediums is b0ll0x.
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Post by thesensationaljt on May 15, 2015 17:46:01 GMT 1
I was rather surprised to see some Juan has taken time out to notify us we now have a record number of Gay, Lesbian, bisexual and transgender MPs, 4.9% of the total, beating Sweden. WTF? Who gives a ****ey's muck. If a candidate knocks my door, the first question on my lips, isn't are you Gay?
If we're going to this extreme, why not ask how honorary members have got piles? With 650 A*******s in such a small space, I'd imagine it could be quite high.
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Post by SeanBroseley on May 15, 2015 21:56:11 GMT 1
Keir Starmer. Now that would be interesting.
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Post by stuttgartershrew on May 16, 2015 7:24:42 GMT 1
I was rather surprised to see some Juan has taken time out to notify us we now have a record number of Gay, Lesbian, bisexual and transgender MPs, 4.9% of the total, beating Sweden. WTF? Who gives a ****ey's muck. If a candidate knocks my door, the first question on my lips, isn't are you Gay?
If we're going to this extreme, why not ask how honorary members have got piles? With 650 A*******s in such a small space, I'd imagine it could be quite high. Get used to it our kid. There are some people about in this day and age who won't rest until it's 100%...
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Post by atcham jack on May 16, 2015 9:05:42 GMT 1
Hang on to your hats, Emergency Budget July 8th---40p on fags, £1 on spirits, 40p on bot of wine. 4p on a pint, £20 on car tax,20p on a litre petrol, New trailer/caravan tax £25-£100. Vat unchanged but now charged on all items, all motorways and new roads to be subject to tolls, inheritance tax abolished. no pledges broken, er yet
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Post by Matster on May 16, 2015 9:22:26 GMT 1
Rumour has it that all schools will be removed from local authority control and turned into academies. A lot of folks might not be too happy about that.
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Post by ssshrew on May 16, 2015 9:47:23 GMT 1
Hope not. If the experience in Telford is anything to go by - NOT a good idea.
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Post by thesensationaljt on May 16, 2015 9:53:03 GMT 1
I was rather surprised to see some Juan has taken time out to notify us we now have a record number of Gay, Lesbian, bisexual and transgender MPs, 4.9% of the total, beating Sweden. WTF? Who gives a ****ey's muck. If a candidate knocks my door, the first question on my lips, isn't are you Gay?
If we're going to this extreme, why not ask how honorary members have got piles? With 650 A*******s in such a small space, I'd imagine it could be quite high. Get used to it our kid. There are some people about in this day and age who won't rest until it's 100%... I notice they haven't counted the number of members who are deVOTEes of bondage and corporal punishment. I expect they're afraid of a backlash.
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Post by wimbledonshrew on May 16, 2015 9:57:24 GMT 1
Hope not. If the experience in Telford is anything to go by - NOT a good idea. Not just in Telford. After 35 years in teaching I've decided to take early retirement this summer and spend more time with my football team. Over the past three years I've had to rewrite schemes of work for my department every year. The A level exam changes from September and the GCSE the following year. If any of these changes were for sound educational reasons I wouldn't mind so much but they are all driven by political ideology. I always thought I'd stay on beyond retirement age but roll on July 17 th.
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Post by AlisonS on May 16, 2015 10:19:52 GMT 1
Hope not. If the experience in Telford is anything to go by - NOT a good idea. Not just in Telford. After 33 years in teaching I've decided to take early retirement this summer and spend more time with my football team. Over the past three years I've had to rewrite schemes of work for my department every year. The A level exam changes from September and the GCSE the following year. If any of these changes were for sound educational reasons I wouldn't mind so much but they are all driven by political ideology. I always thought I'd stay on beyond retirement age but roll on July 17 th. So you'll be well up for Fleetwood on a Tuesday night then, not to mention Rochdale, Oldham.....
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Post by northwestman on May 16, 2015 10:58:58 GMT 1
Hope not. If the experience in Telford is anything to go by - NOT a good idea. Not just in Telford. After 33 years in teaching I've decided to take early retirement this summer and spend more time with my football team. Over the past three years I've had to rewrite schemes of work for my department every year. The A level exam changes from September and the GCSE the following year. If any of these changes were for sound educational reasons I wouldn't mind so much but they are all driven by political ideology. I always thought I'd stay on beyond retirement age but roll on July 17 th. Exactly the same experience here wimbledonshrew. 39 years teaching in Further Education. It's just got worse and worse. Constant rewriting of schemes of work, targets which even if achieved aren't good enough for next year, internal lesson observations every year nowadays ( requiring a mountain of paperwork which doesn't reflect reality but certainly wasted many hours of my time setting up) OFSTED inspections etc etc. I packed in at Xmas. The only people who seemed to value me were the students. With everyone else it was a constant paper exercise proving you could do the job the way they wanted you to do it and including the appropriate up to date jargon on your documents (e.g. 'differentiation' now to be known as 'matching'). This can without doubt be put down to continual political interference.
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Post by ssshrew on May 16, 2015 11:39:38 GMT 1
I was a school secretary and exams officer in my time and, although not at the front line so to speak, administering all the changes was a nightmare. In the end I gave up and retired too. The final straw for me was one government department insisting that the information just sent to another one was re typed on yet another b....dy form. I just thought what's the point - I'm busy enough as it is without duplicating work when they could just walk down a corridor and get a copy of exactly the same thing!!!!
Have also heard from teachers in other parts of the country that Academies are not all they are cracked up to me quite a few with dreadful Ofsted reports.
Welcome to the retirement club Wimbledonshrew. Nothing to beat Oldham on a wet Tuesday night (well perhaps Accrington but we won't be going there in the league)!!!!
My only concern is how many other experienced teachers are we losing because of ideology?? A good school/college needs a good mix of experienced and new teachers.
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Post by venceremos on May 16, 2015 11:49:33 GMT 1
"....... the 'twitterati' gave themselves a false pretense that they could influence the result by immersing themselves in a sectarian left-wing bubble alongside fellow self-appointed leftist authoritarians like Brand, Boyle, Schneider et al, treating politics like their iTunes library." As opposed to the sectarian right wing bubble in which self-appointed rightist authoritarians like Tom Conti, Katie Hopkins, Digby Jones et al immersed themselves? Pretty simple really. It was an election, people had opinions (even comedians) and expressed them, just as we did on here. These days, that means an awful lot more opinions get aired. Some are interesting, some are well argued, some are funny and people share what they like. Everyone expressing an opinion is influencing the debate, even if it only makes an opponent think a bit more about why they disagree. Sneering and disliking people for expressing an opinion because you disagree with it is simply childish. And if anyone can tell me wtf "treating politics like their iTunes library" means, I'll be grateful.
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Post by northwestman on May 16, 2015 11:55:21 GMT 1
I was a school secretary and exams officer in my time and, although not at the front line so to speak, administering all the changes was a nightmare. In the end I gave up and retired too. The final straw for me was one government department insisting that the information just sent to another one was re typed on yet another b....dy form. I just thought what's the point - I'm busy enough as it is without duplicating work when they could just walk down a corridor and get a copy of exactly the same thing!!!! Have also heard from teachers in other parts of the country that Academies are not all they are cracked up to me quite a few with dreadful Ofsted reports. Welcome to the retirement club Wimbledonshrew. Nothing to beat Oldham on a wet Tuesday night (well perhaps Accrington but we won't be going there in the league)!!!! My only concern is how many other experienced teachers are we losing because of ideology?? A good school/college needs a good mix of experienced and new teachers. Well, I was certainly replaced by a cheaper option when I moved from my last but one job. Mind you, I've heard that she's now left too. I believe that quite a few NQTs don't last too long nowadays.
I take your point about forms ssshrew. Many is the time I've had to type out more or less exactly the same information on some new form which requires me to move everything around, but is basically the same damned information which I already possess.
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Post by wimbledonshrew on May 16, 2015 13:17:27 GMT 1
The worrying thing is my school is struggling to replace me ; its a well regarded, heavily oversubscribed school in one of London's more pleasent suburbs and despite being advertised twice has had precisely no applicants. As the subject is expanding we also have a main scale post advertised - again no applicants!
Oldham on a Tuesday night might be a bit of a trek from Wimbledon but I am looking forward to some floodlit games at the Meadow. How I've missed games under the lights. Am working hard on persuading Mr Shrew that our quality of life would be so much better if we moved to Shrewsbury ; not getting far with that though.
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Post by ssshrew on May 16, 2015 13:29:43 GMT 1
Keep trying - you never know he may come round!
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Post by northwestman on May 16, 2015 13:45:58 GMT 1
The worrying thing is my school is struggling to replace me ; its a well regarded, heavily oversubscribed school in one of London's more pleasent suburbs and despite being advertised twice has had precisely no applicants. As the subject is expanding we also have a main scale post advertised - again no applicants! Oldham on a Tuesday night might be a bit of a trek from Wimbledon but I am looking forward to some floodlit games at the Meadow. How I've missed games under the lights. Am working hard on persuading Mr Shrew that our quality of life would be so much better if we moved to Shrewsbury ; not getting far with that though. I'm afraid you'll have to regard that as the school's problem. No room for sentiment where your health and well-being are concerned.
Besides which, never regard yourself as being appreciated by the hierarchy. At the end of the day, you are merely a number on their payroll to be airbrushed out eventually. The Human Resources Departments are fairly ruthless.
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Post by jamo on May 16, 2015 13:50:59 GMT 1
"....... the 'twitterati' gave themselves a false pretense that they could influence the result by immersing themselves in a sectarian left-wing bubble alongside fellow self-appointed leftist authoritarians like Brand, Boyle, Schneider et al, treating politics like their iTunes library." Sneering and disliking people for expressing an opinion because you disagree with it is simply childish. And if anyone can tell me wtf "treating politics like their iTunes library" means, I'll be grateful. What do you expect ?
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