Monday 11th February 2019
Posted: Mon 11 Feb, 2019 7:03 am
Morning all.
Tory MP in sensible idea shocker!Pointless GCSEs should be scrapped, says senior MP
UK GDP fell 0.4% in December
In another blow, the UK economy actually shrank in December.
The Office for National Statistics reports that GDP shrank by 0.4% in the final month of 2018. That’s worse than expected -- economists had predicted that the economy might have flatlined during the month.
Yes, the fact that some schools don't have a "sixth form" has come up elsewhere and your idea is an interesting work around, but ultimately as all children are now in education until 18, the current provision is already long overdue for a complete overhaul. Why compromise children's education because some schools don't currently have space? Surely we should be expanding schools and creating links to the small numbers of further education colleges that are left to ensure all schools can provide an education to 18.RogerOThornhill wrote:Morning all.
Re the suggestion about ditching GCSEs altogether - not sure I'd go that far. many schools don't have a Sixth Form so their accountability measure which they have right now would disappear completely. I would:
1. Retain Maths/English GCSE. In this way the fairly absurd Progress 8 which tries to measure progress from KS2 English/Maths to 8 different subjects (including E/M) would go and you could have a direct 1:1 comparison between the subjects in which everyone must have a basic grounding.
2. Make the new GCSE English/Maths criteria-referenced and not norm referenced. The way that Progress 8 measures criteria-referenced KS2 against norm-referenced GCSEs is another absurdity of the current system.
By ditching the non English/Maths GCSes the scope for a decent five-year curriculum in other subjects would be amazing.
'worse than expected'Willow904 wrote:From the G:
UK GDP fell 0.4% in December
In another blow, the UK economy actually shrank in December.
The Office for National Statistics reports that GDP shrank by 0.4% in the final month of 2018. That’s worse than expected -- economists had predicted that the economy might have flatlined during the month.
But.....but the Express said just the other day that "Brexit Britain" was BOOMING!!Willow904 wrote:From the G:
UK GDP fell 0.4% in December
In another blow, the UK economy actually shrank in December.
The Office for National Statistics reports that GDP shrank by 0.4% in the final month of 2018. That’s worse than expected -- economists had predicted that the economy might have flatlined during the month.
IMO that is indeed what many people think is happening.ResolutionFoundation
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Picking up on that last point, @jon_trickett stresses that a xenophobic, backwards-looking Brexit could not be further from what he and Labour want - but @ayeshahazarika says that, whether or not you agree with them, people do have strong views on immigration.
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There's a risk, she says, that Labour ends up 'shambling around in the middle' - losing voters on both sides of the Brexit question.
Asked how the UK’s fresh groping for technological fixes is being viewed in Brussels, sources point to Weyand’s recent comments. “The [British] negotiators have not been able to explain them to us and that’s not their fault,” she said. “It’s because they don’t exist.
So 'Yes', then.Are firms moving investment abroad because of Brexit? Holger Breinlich, Elsa Leromain, Dennis Novy and Thomas Sampson (LSE) use a ‘doppelganger method’ to estimate how foreign direct investment would have evolved without the vote for Brexit. They find a 12% increase in the number of new investments made by UK firms in EU countries, and an 11% fall in new investments made by EU firms in the UK. Moreover, there is no sign of a ‘Global Britain’ effect that would have seen UK firms investing elsewhere in the world.
That means you're stuck with the backstop then. They'll still be going round in circles on 28 March, God help us.On May’s response on Sunday to Jeremy Corbyn’s letter setting out Labour’s five conditions for backing a Brexit deal, her spokesman made it plain she had ruled out the main idea – the UK being part of a customs union.
He said:
We are absolutely clear on this: we’re not considering Jeremy Corbyn’s customs proposals; we’re not considering any proposals to remain in the customs union. We must have our own, independent trade policy.
Government are going this thing with their eyes wide open; they know the ramifications and the detrimental consequences already happening. God help us indeed. This government doesn't give a damn.gilsey wrote:That means you're stuck with the backstop then. They'll still be going round in circles on 28 March, God help us.On May’s response on Sunday to Jeremy Corbyn’s letter setting out Labour’s five conditions for backing a Brexit deal, her spokesman made it plain she had ruled out the main idea – the UK being part of a customs union.
He said:
We are absolutely clear on this: we’re not considering Jeremy Corbyn’s customs proposals; we’re not considering any proposals to remain in the customs union. We must have our own, independent trade policy.
Lethality = the capacity to cause death or serious harm or damageBrexit represents an opportunity for Britain to boost its global military standing and “enhance our lethality” in response to the threats posed by Russia and China, defence secretary [Gavin Williamson] will say in a notably combative address at a defence thinktank.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... williamson" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Rightly or wrongly, am pretty sure Labour are going to take an electoral hit for non-remain position.AnatolyKasparov wrote:Any line that Labour takes on Brexit is a risk (though the same is of course true for other parties)
But one of the objections some have to a strong pro-remain position is not just its potential for losing those who disagree (though that is certainly there) but whether it would make any actual difference given that the Tories are actually in charge of things. Taking an electoral hit for something you genuinely believe is right is one thing, but if it has no chance of happening anyway you risk entering "virtue signalling" territory (something that historically Corbyn's wing of the party has not infrequently been accused of)
I acknowledge you're probably right. I feel angry. People need to know what's in their best interests. I think our collective best interests included a Miliband Labour government in 2015. We're not there now and I must move on. I'm frightened for us all. Collective bad decisions result in lives adversely affected. Most of us are losing time and resources we'll never get back.tinyclanger2 wrote:Rightly or wrongly, am pretty sure Labour are going to take an electoral hit for non-remain position.AnatolyKasparov wrote:Any line that Labour takes on Brexit is a risk (though the same is of course true for other parties)
But one of the objections some have to a strong pro-remain position is not just its potential for losing those who disagree (though that is certainly there) but whether it would make any actual difference given that the Tories are actually in charge of things. Taking an electoral hit for something you genuinely believe is right is one thing, but if it has no chance of happening anyway you risk entering "virtue signalling" territory (something that historically Corbyn's wing of the party has not infrequently been accused of)
They might well take as big a hit for a "continuity remain" one, many in the leadership see the present strategy as the most unifying one.tinyclanger2 wrote:Rightly or wrongly, am pretty sure Labour are going to take an electoral hit for non-remain position.AnatolyKasparov wrote:Any line that Labour takes on Brexit is a risk (though the same is of course true for other parties)
But one of the objections some have to a strong pro-remain position is not just its potential for losing those who disagree (though that is certainly there) but whether it would make any actual difference given that the Tories are actually in charge of things. Taking an electoral hit for something you genuinely believe is right is one thing, but if it has no chance of happening anyway you risk entering "virtue signalling" territory (something that historically Corbyn's wing of the party has not infrequently been accused of)