FlyTheNest

Morning all.

The political motivations of populist Brexiteers have been long speculated upon by this paper and others. Nostalgic xenophobia; libertarian fanaticism; pure political expediency – all play a role. However, more important is how these abstract ideals impact lives.

In their treatment of asylum seekers, Farage and Johnson are salesmen of misfortune. They have built a political campaign on the pain, separation and emotional torture suffered by those fleeing war zones. Their measure of success is how many asylum seekers are turned away at the gate, forced like lepers to seek a safe haven somewhere else. It’s possible to win votes or gain political notoriety in a thousand different ways; they have chosen the way that involves fomenting foreign loathing.

The world is more complex than Johnson and Farage make it out to be. If they actually spoke to an asylum seeker, they would probably find that out.

https://bylinetimes.com/2020/08/19/sale ... embership/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Another today on an all-digital immigrant information system, looks like Everyone will have to be 'chipped' ? Anything 'liberal' is the BLOB to the fanatic Cummings ...
PS Bylinetimes needs a sub ed to check their articles !

BLT busy this morning !

COVID-19 ROBO-GOVERNMENT
What Happened When I Was Pursued by the Self-Isolation Police
Stalked by a shadowy, faceless entity, David Clark thought the Government’s attempts to contact him were a hoax

( Lucky man, the cops listened to his explanation ... )

"" The whole experience was bizarre and a little unnerving. How have we allowed Government to become so shadowy and remote?

For all of my efforts to get to the bottom of what was happening, I could find no part of the state machinery that might have been able to answer basic questions about who wanted to contact me or why. No switchboard, web page or even social media feed that might have allowed me to clear up what in retrospect was obviously either a misunderstanding or a system error.

It seems to me in the aftermath that the whole process had been automated from the beginning, involving no human agency until the police were dispatched to my home. Only recorded voicemails and a computer-generated text message. Was I the victim of a technical glitch or some dreaded algorithm? Is this now the future of the citizen’s relationship with the state? To be pursued by computer programmes with no clear means of redress?

The main purpose is clear – to save money – although in this case the result was an unnecessary waste of police time and resources. The greater long-term cost may be to public trust in Government. ""

David Clark was a special advisor to Robin Cook at the Foreign Office from 1997 to 2001 and now works as an independent analyst specialising in foreign policy and European affairs

https://bylinetimes.com/2020/08/19/covi ... on-police/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Administration By Algorithm, gotta love it !
( After the February storms, I had two telephone poles across my drive, and of course no internet. Tried for a solution online , at my neighbour's, but after complete frustration with dumb computer-questions eventually had to drive 20kms to the Orange store in Granville . Weird but true, they only had the same Useless interface as me, but being 'human' immediately lent me a little router thing with 200Go on it .)

Morning All

One for Roger here!

https://amp.theguardian.com/education/2 ... n-a-levels" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

firm-linked-to-gove-and-cummings-hired-to-work-with-ofqual-on-a-levels?

Frog4's first posting in 2005 was to teach the little car-burners in the 9-3

Interview
Ladj Ly on shocking President Macron with his Paris riot film: 'How could he not know?'

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/a ... s-la-haine" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:Morning All

One for Roger here!

https://amp.theguardian.com/education/2 ... n-a-levels" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

firm-linked-to-gove-and-cummings-hired-to-work-with-ofqual-on-a-levels?

I knew that Jonathan Simons - Policy Exchange and ex-DfE adviser - was at Public First but just noticed that Luke Tryl - ex-Mew Schools Network and Ofsted is there too.

Wait. Ed Dorrell is going there now as well? Interesting...edit - been there for a few months apparently.

http://www.publicfirst.co.uk/our-people.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Wouldn't betting that this seems to be building up into a full-scale private government communications team.

Natascha Engel...

On BTECs - the thing that doesn't really make sense to me about these - or does make sense and is just another sign of gross ignorance and incompetence on the part of the government - is that you have to do an awful lot of admin before you are cleared to even teach a BTEC course, producing a very very full lever arch folder of original documentation about this specific cohort and their course, and one of the key documents there is an assessment timetable.

So when schools went into lockdown, Pearson and the government had, instantly availble to them, precise and specific information about exactly what every student on every course should have achieved by that date in every unit of every course. Precise dates for when units started, when the hand in dates were, when work had to be returned assessed, when the deadlines for allowed resubmissions were and when the final unit deadlines were. And BTEC don't send unit moderators of units into schools, you send work and marks (and more paperwork) to them, and I know that all continued to happen after lockdown because it happened to us. And the assessment timetable isn't allowed to leave all of final assessment to the end - you have to complete units as you go along so there would definitely have been completed units availlable for moderation. Estimating final grades on real data should have been straightforward, and the process of using teacher assessments for exam units instead of the algorithm should have been exactly the same as for A levels and GCSEs so it makes no sense for them to have to be considered seperately - although it's extremely likely that almost everyone would have taken any exam units already because retakes are allowed and everyone takes them early so there is time to retake.

RogerOThornhill wrote:

PaulfromYorkshire wrote:Morning All

One for Roger here!

https://amp.theguardian.com/education/2 ... n-a-levels" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

firm-linked-to-gove-and-cummings-hired-to-work-with-ofqual-on-a-levels?

I knew that Jonathan Simons - Policy Exchange and ex-DfE adviser - was at Public First but just noticed that Luke Tryl - ex-Mew Schools Network and Ofsted is there too.

Wait. Ed Dorrell is going there now as well? Interesting...edit - been there for a few months apparently.

http://www.publicfirst.co.uk/our-people.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Wouldn't betting that this seems to be building up into a full-scale private government communications team.

Natascha Engel...

Yes it’s almost a full house isn’t it?

And another half million gone...

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

James Williams
@edujdw
·
1h
I am still reeling from
@NickGibbUK
interview on
@BBCBreakfast
He still maintains the algorithm is robust and did not disadvantage the disadvantaged. Apparently it was the maths that was the problem. Does he even know what an algorithm is?

I've never thought that Gibb was that clever - he latches onto ideas and runs with them without ever questioning them. Even ED Hirsch has said that British education ministers have misinterpreted his ideas.

Good bit from the Eye on the PM's hypocrisy over the House of Lords...

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

RogerOThornhill wrote: Natascha Engel...

Well, tbf there aren't as many opportunities for her to shill for fracking now.

Poor Robbie, he's not having a great time with this...

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

Robbie Gibb
@RobbieGibb
Is there anyone more damaging to the BBC's reputation for impartiality than
@lewis_goodall
? This is so off the scale I don't even know where to begin.

Was just going to bring that up, the sheer brass neck is almost - almost - admirable.

I'm having a bit of an up and down day. Some of my son's GCSE grades were disappointing but mostly as expected given the time him missed when ill and he's ok to go on to sixth form, so not too bad. He didn't get anything for French, though, not even a U. They said he wasn't entered because of "insufficient evidence" and I'm a bit cross really because they didn't even bother to tell us, today was the first we knew. They also said he couldn't resit it because he hadn't been entered, yet I'm sure he'd been entered for the exam before they were cancelled so I'm a bit confused. I'm not even sure if we can appeal. It's left me a bit upset because it's happened because he's been so unwell and it just feels unfair. It's not his fault they couldn't be bothered to reschedule tests that he missed. So feeling a bit down at the moment.

Willow904 wrote:I'm having a bit of an up and down day. Some of my son's GCSE grades were disappointing but mostly as expected given the time him missed when ill and he's ok to go on to sixth form, so not too bad. He didn't get anything for French, though, not even a U. They said he wasn't entered because of "insufficient evidence" and I'm a bit cross really because they didn't even bother to tell us, today was the first we knew. They also said he couldn't resit it because he hadn't been entered, yet I'm sure he'd been entered for the exam before they were cancelled so I'm a bit confused. I'm not even sure if we can appeal. It's left me a bit upset because it's happened because he's been so unwell and it just feels unfair. It's not his fault they couldn't be bothered to reschedule tests that he missed. So feeling a bit down at the moment.

Sounds just slightly Kafkaesque!

Oh dear...

Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon arrested on charges of defrauding donors in fundraising scheme

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/20/former- ... cheme.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon has been arrested after being charged with defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors.

frog222 wrote:BLT busy this morning !
COVID-19 ROBO-GOVERNMENT
What Happened When I Was Pursued by the Self-Isolation Police
Stalked by a shadowy, faceless entity, David Clark thought the Government’s attempts to contact him were a hoax

( Lucky man, the cops listened to his explanation ... )

"" The whole experience was bizarre and a little unnerving. How have we allowed Government to become so shadowy and remote?

For all of my efforts to get to the bottom of what was happening, I could find no part of the state machinery that might have been able to answer basic questions about who wanted to contact me or why. No switchboard, web page or even social media feed that might have allowed me to clear up what in retrospect was obviously either a misunderstanding or a system error.

It seems to me in the aftermath that the whole process had been automated from the beginning, involving no human agency until the police were dispatched to my home. Only recorded voicemails and a computer-generated text message. Was I the victim of a technical glitch or some dreaded algorithm? Is this now the future of the citizen’s relationship with the state? To be pursued by computer programmes with no clear means of redress?

The main purpose is clear – to save money – although in this case the result was an unnecessary waste of police time and resources. The greater long-term cost may be to public trust in Government. ""

David Clark was a special advisor to Robin Cook at the Foreign Office from 1997 to 2001 and now works as an independent analyst specialising in foreign policy and European affairs

https://bylinetimes.com/2020/08/19/covi ... on-police/

Administration By Algorithm, gotta love it !
---

(cJA edit)

Ever see the film, Brazil?

Good afternoon, everyone.

RogerOThornhill wrote:Oh dear...

Former Trump advisor Steve Bannon arrested on charges of defrauding donors in fundraising scheme

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/20/former- ... cheme.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon has been arrested after being charged with defrauding hundreds of thousands of donors.

now we're getting somewhere

Well, that's shocking news.

Not.

https://bylinetimes.com/2020/08/20/swee ... rity-risk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Well, as ever when we have these longuers I am glad somebody posted

AnatolyKasparov wrote:Well, as ever when we have these longuers I am glad somebody posted

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/ ... t-22552737" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hi all - just checking in - hope everyone is ok.

Well, bearing up OK considering all that is going on I suppose!

Is rubbish isn't it.

I oscillate between obsessive news reading and ignoring reality. Neither approach seems to be great.

Currenty trying to distract myself by researching the etymology of the word for potato in different languages. Was fleetingly pleased to find a potato emoticon on my iphone.