Wednesday 22nd February 2017

[Tubby Isaacs]

Current Ofsted ratings:

All Schools........OS.. 21%...G 68%...RI 9%...I 2%
Free Schools......OS...28%...G 54%...RI 9%...I 5%

So should we compare at Outstanding or at Good and Outstanding?

Toby YoungVerified account
‏@toadmeister

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8/ The @nationalauditUK report also points out that vast majority of new places created since 2010 are in 'Good' or 'Outstanding' schools.

Well, that's settled then. What a weasel.

Oh, and one nasty fraud where there was no Chair of Governors and no Board meetings for a year. No one checking?

Some of those Outstanding free schools were academies, by existing Labour-era providers, weren't they?

[RogerOThornhill]

Some of those Outstanding free schools were academies, by existing Labour-era providers, weren't they?

Some were being run by ARK and Harris, yes.

A year or two back they tightened the requirement so that only people who had successfully run a school could open a new one which cut the chancers out.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Some of those Outstanding free schools were academies, by existing Labour-era providers, weren't they?

Some were being run by ARK and Harris, yes.

A year or two back they tightened the requirement so that only people who had successfully run a school could open a new one which cut the chancers out.

Yeah, I remember Young picking up on that.

Should have happened from the start.

They've also been able to close free schools because of surplus places in a few cases. That helps the numbers.

[Willow904]

He has been "destroyed" even more times than Trump, tbh.

If people want to believe, they will ignore the facts. What we need are not "alternative facts" but "alternative (and better) BELIEFS". But how?

Subliminal socialist messaging on free App games?
Left wing propaganda posters in McDonalds?
Wraparound pro-political correctness promotions in the Metro?
A C4 based-on-reality drama series called "Integrity" about honest jobseekers?

A part of the remedy (which also touches on your subsequent points) is having a large and active Labour presence on the ground - the surge in membership since the 2015 GE is surely the main (arguably the only) unequivocally good thing to emerge from the Corbyn leadership.

A major reason for the ultimate failure of Blairism (and "third way" politics more generally) is that it was fundamentally top-down and elitist, and combined too much reverence for "experts" and technocrats with a tendency to dismiss any grass roots action as "mob rule" and (that most terrible thing of all) "populism".

A large Labour membership doesn't necessarily translate into a relationship with local communities. It depends on the roles those members might play in their local area. Are they involved in volunteering, running football or scout clubs, fundraising for community projects, on parish or district councils? How well are the Labour "grassroots" activists integrated in their own areas? Labour values used to be an important part of peoples local lives, regardless of who was running national government - through unions, the Co-op, church societies and social clubs. Individual Labour party members are not the same as these institutions and I'm not sure they have the same ability to shape peoples outlook on the world.

[Tubby Isaacs]

http://www.hopenothate.org.uk/features/ ... overspend/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hope Not Hate complaining to Electoral Commission about Farage election expenses in 2015.

[yahyah]

NASA press conference due to start at 6pm.
Lady Centauria would have been excited.

live video link
" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[RogerOThornhill]

Hugo RifkindVerified account‏@hugorifkind 27m27 minutes ago
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My hunch is Paul Nuttall's future CV will have "MP for Stoke on Trent Central" on it whether he wins tomorrow or not.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Unbelievable hypocrisy (again) from the LibDem candidate in Stoke.

"Dr Ali is a respected cardiologist and has panned the other candidates over the NHS. He has attacked the Tories over lack of funding and the cuts in social care [which the LibDems were happy to go along with in government]. He has hammered Labour over the Private Funding Initiative (PFI) [which the LibDems were happy to go along with in government]. He has also lambasted Paul Nuttall and UKIP over comments about introducing privatisation [which the LibDems were happy to go along with in government].

"Ironic that he carries out private work himself isn’t it? Have a look at this http://linkis.com/wolsworld.com/2017/0/ug0HD" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; – he isn’t against privatisation when it lines his own pocket it would seem."

http://linkis.com/wolsworld.com/2017/0/ug0HD" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

How anyone with a shred of integrity and two braincells to rub together could countenance voting for that party I will never know.

The link needs me to log in on Twitter, which I've long left.

But I'm not going to worry too much about what the Lib Dem candidate in Stoke says.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Norman Lamont is the latest to play the "don't undermine" Brexit card.

It all sounded so easy in the campaign. Nobody said "it won't work if people criticize it".

[Tubby Isaacs]

From Ben Chu.

[PorFavor]

French elections: Emmanuel Macron accepts alliance with centrist Bayrou

Macron says he has accepted deal, including demand for law to clean up French politics, to form alliance with Bayrou, veteran of three previous elections (Guardian)

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/ ... ith-macron

[Willow904]

If the Libdems want to win back their Labour tactical voters in the South and South West, they may want to lay off the criticism of Labour and focus their opposition on the Tories instead, which, given their post-Brexit stance is diametrically opposed to Tory hard Brexit, you wouldn't think would be that hard really.

[PorFavor]

I've got a bad feeling about tomorrow (or Thrusday, as it's probably known to Refitman).

[Tubby Isaacs]

If the Libdems want to win back their Labour tactical voters in the South and South West, they may want to lay off the criticism of Labour and focus their opposition on the Tories instead, which, given their post-Brexit stance is diametrically opposed to Tory hard Brexit, you wouldn't think would be that hard really.

There's method in their madness. "Vote Farron, Get Corbyn" could be a huge problem for them in 2020.

[HindleA]

The Work and Pensions Committee launches an inquiry into the benefit cap and how it affects British households. The Committee welcomes written submissions. Deadline is Friday 7 April 2017.


https://www.parliament.uk/business/comm ... nch-16-17/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


http://www.parliament.uk/business/commi ... /inquiry3/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[PorFavor]

If the Libdems want to win back their Labour tactical voters in the South and South West, they may want to lay off the criticism of Labour and focus their opposition on the Tories instead, which, given their post-Brexit stance is diametrically opposed to Tory hard Brexit, you wouldn't think would be that hard really.

There's method in their madness. "Vote Farron, Get Corbyn" could be a huge problem for them in 2020.

I don't like the way you're thinking!

[HindleA]

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/time-put ... nick-atkin" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Time To Put The Brakes On Universal Credit


Nick Atkin
Group Chief Executive Halton Housing Trust

[Tubby Isaacs]

If the Libdems want to win back their Labour tactical voters in the South and South West, they may want to lay off the criticism of Labour and focus their opposition on the Tories instead, which, given their post-Brexit stance is diametrically opposed to Tory hard Brexit, you wouldn't think would be that hard really.

There's method in their madness. "Vote Farron, Get Corbyn" could be a huge problem for them in 2020.

I don't like the way you're thinking!

I'm thinking they're trying to get all the votes of Labour they can now, so Corbyn resigns. They're too low after 2015 to indulge their fantasy of coming 2nd in an election, like they did just before 2010.

[SpinningHugo]

There's method in their madness. "Vote Farron, Get Corbyn" could be a huge problem for them in 2020.

I don't like the way you're thinking!

I'm thinking they're trying to get all the votes of Labour they can now, so Corbyn resigns. They're too low after 2015 to indulge their fantasy of coming 2nd in an election, like they did just before 2010.

There is nothing the Lib Dems can do about "Vote Farron, Get Corbyn". They can't prevent that from being a successful slogan.

Their pretty successful local government run shows there s support out there for opposition to the Tories. If there were an opposition.

There needs to be some major structural rearrangement in UK politics. If things just carry on, the Tories rule forever.

[Tubby Isaacs]

"Vote Farron, Get AN Other" isn't as bad.

[Tubby Isaacs]

If Labour had a leader the electorate weren't scared of, there could be some scope in agreeing some policies cross-party like NIC rise for a the NHS.

[SpinningHugo]

Lib Dem strategy is clear: go after the 48 percent. Their base is so week though that it will take The last two ges to recover even with Labour in disarray.

[Tubby Isaacs]

They have to get away from the Tories to make progress. If they have to distance themselves from Labour because of its leader, then that's much harder to do.

48 percent is a decent chunk. 15 percent (support for Jez as PM) isn't.

One reason the Tories did so badly in the mid 90s was that the other parties were both saying the same things about them, and the impression was given that the Tories were an oddity. When the boot was on the other foot with the Coalition teaming up to make Labour look like the eccentrics, it was very hard to fight back against.

[HindleA]

http://metro.co.uk/2017/02/22/peggy-96- ... s-6465277/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


Peggy, 96, has been volunteering at a homeless shelter for 80 years

[HindleA]

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... t-93668071" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Martin Rowson on Paul Dacre and the Daily Mail

[RogerOThornhill]

Oops.

TimKarr‏@TimKarr 1h1 hour ago
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Trump's chief digital officer escorted out of the White House after failing FBI background check http://politi.co/2md8aW7" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; #ShitShow

If he'd been any good, of course, he could have hacked into the FBI files and made sure his background data was OK...

[HindleA]

https://www.tes.com/news/school-news/br ... l-disgrace" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



'The regional schools commissioner system is a national disgrace'
Warwick Mansell

[refitman]

I've got a bad feeling about tomorrow (or Thrusday, as it's probably known to Refitman).

How very dare you!

Probably fair.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Oops.

TimKarr‏@TimKarr 1h1 hour ago
More
Trump's chief digital officer escorted out of the White House after failing FBI background check http://politi.co/2md8aW7" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; #ShitShow

If he'd been any good, of course, he could have hacked into the FBI files and made sure his background data was OK...

He's had a few fail background checks.

[SpinningHugo]

Good on why Copeland should be safe too

http://www2.politicalbetting.com/index. ... elections/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

place bets on Labour/Labour is my advice. Corbyn celebrates, unfortunately.

[HindleA]

Gambling is bad for your health/wealth.

[RogerOThornhill]

Gambling is something I've never indulged in apart from the National/Derby sweeps at work.

If I have a vice it's music - buying it and going to gigs. I really must do something about the piles of CDs that I have in my room...