Thursday 8th September 2016

[AnatolyKasparov]

Please turn over.......

Ah, already done that

[JonnyT1234]

I can understand the disillusionment. I can't agree, however, that Ed Miliband is a similar class of politician to Nick Clegg. I think Ed would have made a very good PM, much better than the one we have now, and he would have kept his promises.

The thing that appealed to me about the article (naturally as it's the position I have found myself in for - oh bloody hell - the past 20 years) is not so much how Corbyn (and arguably Farage) has appealed to people but more how the 'professionals' in the centre have repulsed with their shameless shenanigans to a far, far greater extent. And they still don't realise it.

[PorFavor]

A Clanger's Brexit Business update - oh yes we're biased!

Lush confirms staff relocation to Germany following Brexit
http://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/B ... ing-Brexit" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;?

Brighton shopkeeper blames Brexit as she closes after 22 years
http://www.brightonandhovenews.org/2016 ... -22-years/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;?

Apple Prices More Expensive In The UK After Brexit
http://www.ibtimes.com/how-much-does-ip ... it-2413214" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;?

Former WTO boss attacks ‘total confusion’ over Brexit
http://www.politico.eu/article/former-w ... eresa-may/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;?

Ryanair to cut back on UK flights in favour of EU routes after Brexit vote
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/busin ... 54366.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Well, you see - a lot of people, when they voted in the Referendum, didn't know the meaning of "Brexit". Whereas now, of course . . .

[PorFavor]

Theresa May to relax faith schools admissions rules

7 minutes ago (BBC News website)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-37314149

[TR'sGhost]

I'm not sure what opportunity grammar schools provide to children from working class families that they are denied elsewhere.

My take on the grammar school revivalists is there are four basic kinds, though elements of all can usually be found in any pro-grammar individual.

1. Grammar schools will, somehow, provide a "better" academic environment than comprehensives because they will cherry-pick the best/cleverest/most conservative, "traditionalist" or authoritarian teachers and staff. And they'll have stringent standards and chuck out the badly-dressed "common" kids from the (often imaginary) estate down the road.

2. Assuming 1 to be the case, I can cram my (obviously brilliant) kids so they get there and get the advantages. The idea my kids might fail the selection process is something I simply refuse to accept as possible.

3. Grammars can be like "little public schools" as in the pre-1944 Act days, where a place won via the 11+ still costs money if you don't get awarded a scholarship, and the well enough off can purchase places for their kids irrespective of ability. From such schools, as in the days before 1944 and all that socialist democracy rubbish, came the layer of society beneath the aristocracy and "independently" wealthy. The professionals, and the junior officer class of 1914-18, for example. Not exactly true gentlemen, but most definitely not of the rabble.

4. Older people who think that had they gone to a selective grammar school while everyone else went to a secondary modern their life would in some way be better. Again, this assumes the person in question would have actually passes the grammar selection process.

All of these concepts seem to get mixed and blurred, and in the end boil down to "I think my kid's special and want them to get an advantage over the herd" mixed with "we are not plebs and I resent my child going to school with rough commoners" and Daily Express-style "the old way of doing things is always the best way because it's the old way" reactionary rubbish.

Much as with kipperist Brexiters, grammar-school supporting wingnuts tend to know what they want - grammar schools! But not be able to explain satisfactorily what such schools might look like or who they may benefit or hinder. And, again like most Brexiters, are often completely disinterested in how we got to where we are and why, such as how grammars actually operated or why they were done away within the first place.

[RogerOThornhill]

Utterly bizarre.

At what point do people think "Wait. If all schools can be selective, that means there is no parent choice whatsoever. Schools choose pupils."

Or are people that stupid tat they'll swallow this?

[tinyclanger2]

Utterly bizarre.

At what point do people think "Wait. If all schools can be selective, that means there is no parent choice whatsoever. Schools choose pupils."

Or are people that stupid tat they'll swallow this?

It's like the thing about being below average. Even if everything was excellent, something would need to be below average.

A bit like me.

[RogerOThornhill]

This is one gigantic squirrel to divert attention away from everything else that's falling to bits.

[tinyclanger2]

Have had to switch of giving a **** capability.

rise of nationalism/populist scariness
climate change
Brexit
Trump
hate crime
don't recognise country
don't recognise species
1000s dying in Med

etc

[tinyclanger2]

But I did see a very cute small dog the other day.

[JonnyT1234]

A Clanger's Brexit Business update - oh yes we're biased!

Lush confirms staff relocation to Germany following Brexit
http://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/B ... ing-Brexit" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;?

Brighton shopkeeper blames Brexit as she closes after 22 years
http://www.brightonandhovenews.org/2016 ... -22-years/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;?

Apple Prices More Expensive In The UK After Brexit
http://www.ibtimes.com/how-much-does-ip ... it-2413214" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;?

Former WTO boss attacks ‘total confusion’ over Brexit
http://www.politico.eu/article/former-w ... eresa-may/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;?

Ryanair to cut back on UK flights in favour of EU routes after Brexit vote
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/busin ... 54366.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Well, you see - a lot of people, when they voted in the Referendum, didn't know the meaning of "Brexit". Whereas now, of course . . .

... They still don't know it because none of the papers/online sources/friends/colleagues they read or listen to pay a blind bit of attention to any of those publications listed above. "La la la la. Can't hear you. Everything's still better. If it isn't, it's all Johnny Foreigner's fault."

[JonnyT1234]

Or are people that stupid tat they'll swallow this?

They buy, read and - worse still - actually believe the Daily Mail. What do you think?

[JonnyT1234]

...snip...

5. They went to a grammar school themselves and are soooo much better because of it than their former acquaintances who didn't. With no actual, real, hard evidence that they are (correlation/causation - ironically for ones so well educated, cough - not being something that they are terribly aware of)

[Tizme1]

Long-standing members are banned because “you boiled an egg in a manner that could support terrorism”

"to death"
Presumably.

My mother and I had a long running battle on how to eat a soft boiled egg. She advocated smashing the top with a spoon, I was [am] in favour of slicing the top off. Which is the correct way? I'm not aware of any official Green Party position on the issue. Do the Labour party have a position? Or does it depend on whether you favour Corbyn or not?

I could be on to something here.............

I can see it now:

A Thesis on the Way to Eat Soft Boiled Eggs and the Alignment of Political Leanings. By Ms Tizme 1.

[Tizme1]

Tsk!

Manners Tiz.

Greetings all.

[AnatolyKasparov]

Since cJA isn't here to say goodnight on this occasion, I will

[Tizme1]

Grammar Schools.

I did not go to my local Grammar School. My mother opted me out of the 11+ for reasons that were nothing to do with politics/education. Had I sat the 11+ I would have got a Grammar School place. Sorry, I know that sounds conceited but in a three form per year primary school, it was between myself and one other girl who would come top in every test they ever gave us. She obviously went to the Grammar, as did a number of the people who would score below us.

I landed up going to a Secondary Modern which renamed itself as a Comprehensive. At the age of 11 I knew I was a 'failure' even though I hadn't even sat the bloody test. They did stream us and I was in the top stream for every subject. Still I got bored and bunked off for weeks and months at a time. For a long time I blamed my mother. Eventually I grew up a little bit. Firstly I realised how could I possibly know how good/bad/different things might have been if I'd gone to the Grammar? Secondly, personal responsibility - I was the one that chose to bunk off.

My children did go to the Grammar Schools. The two Grammar schools in Watford aren't purely selective [or weren't] as they applied the sibling rule. I had a long hard battle with myself when putting down my choices for them. My boys did OK. Watford Boys Grammar is not quite as elitist as Watford Girls Grammar.

My daughter had a hideous time. She became a school refuser. Not a truant [like me]. I was taken to court - thank you New Labour for those particular changes in the law you Bastards. She was bullied because we weren't a wealthy family. The girl across the road who I used to child mind along with her brother, came from a well off family. However she resented my daughter because I was around after school and always arranging fun things whereas her mum was at work. Silly little girl didn't realise that her mum put huge effort into supporting the school and into doing things with her children at weekends. She also didn't realise that I was just lucky that the job I did at the time meant I was working mostly in the evenings when the children went to bed, and partly during the day while they were at school. I didn't earn as much as her mum but hey, that was my choice.

Roll on to GCSE's and the school would only allow my daughter to sit 6 because of the school refusing. Her results? Two A's, three B's and a D. And so that wasn't good enough for her to stay on for sixth form with them as 6 A to B grades were required. We went in for a meeting with the head of 6th form to 'plead her case' during which, daughter was told to basically 'get a job' because she clearly wasn't academic.

Enough! I could have appealed. I decided not to. I took her to an Open Evening at the 6th form College in St Albans. I asked for a private discussion and explained the situation. They looked at her results, the two A's were in science [she wasn't allowed to sit the individual exams and so had to do the combined], the B's were in maths, English and Classical Civilisation. I don't even remember now what the fucking D was. Who cares.

They accepted her. She went to college - won awards. Learnt that the bullying wasn't because she was rubbish but was in fact because she wasn't rubbish. If I could go back, I'd never put her through that again. In time she made many friends. And then went on to University to study Pharmaceutical Biology.

We don't need Grammar Schools. We need to aim for all schools to support pupils to the best of their abilities. We need schools that encourage pupils in their individual talents. We need schools that recognise that we all have talents and those talents should be nurtured.

As for my daughter - tomorrow [oops - today now] I am going to her Graduation Ceremony. And yes I'm proud of her. Not for getting into the Grammar though. I'm proud of her for surviving it and still achieving her aims [so far]. I'm also proud of her for dealing with the shit and turning into a beautiful young woman who is intensely loyal to her friends and family, and someone who will stand up for those less fortunate.

[GetYou]

Is that top headline in the Mail about Paul Dacre ( 'The Robert Mugabe of Fleet Street')? About time.

[HindleA]

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-t ... r-everyone" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Press release
PM to set out plans for schools that work for everyone