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letsskiptotheleft wrote:Christ, look at the sidebar of The National, bet the producers of GOT decided not to film in Scotland because of some dastardly English plot..
Beaten fair and square by Northern Ireland. Not the SNP's fault though.
"We've two public quangos who don't seem to take a lead from each other and Game of Thrones looked at the infrastructure which is sadly lacking - all there in Northern Ireland.
"I think the public bodies have got to answer that one."
If I were running one of those, I'd tell them to fuck right off and ask where the money was supposed to come from.
Big film companies are very good at getting freebies out of places. They'll enjoy Scotland trying to get in on the action.
This is where devolution gets such a nonsense, and why George Osborne likes it. Race to the bottom.
Tubby Isaacs wrote:Durham Free School still digging.
Parents have been invited in to talk to the Daily Mail tmrw.
Honestly!
Why would they talk to the Daily Mail? I am confused.
The Mail did a piece on it today claiming that it was all a put up job by Ofsted asking questions about Muslims
The headline was:
Pupils at Christian school branded 'bigots' because one boy didn't know what a Muslim was - and now inspectors have ordered it to CLOSE
and of course there's the obligatory inane comment:
Teachers said verdict was based on throwaway comment by single pupil
I actually think it might be quite amusing if the parents take it to court and Morgan has to backtrack. To say that it was closing on the very day that the report came out looked hasty considering with Al Madinah they at least managed to keep 50% of it open after a report that was even worse than this one.
Why not send a hit squad (a bunch of experienced teachers which I thought was being proposed a while back) in to see what they could do over the next few weeks?
Edit - just realised that as per usual the DM is factually incorrect - inspectors don't take decisions as to whether to close schools...
Last edited by RogerOThornhill on Wed 21 Jan, 2015 10:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
If I'm not here, then I'll be in the library. Or the other library.
the FTN Education Hit Squad wrote:Durham Free School still digging....
Has the report been published? I got shouted at a lot on the telegraph a while ago on a story about a school in the north east that was graded as 'good' by Ofsted, where one of the reasons for not making 'Outstanding' was a lack of diversity (in keeping with Ofsted's new remit to reflect British values, which Ofsted have said means diversity - ha!) and one of the suggestions for moving to Outstanding was a visit to a Mosque. The school was good across the board - teaching and learning, attainment, governance - but according to everyone on the telegraph except me, the only reason it wasn't outstanding was because it was English.
Labour and the Tories aren’t the same - so why do voters still think they are?
The ideological differences between the parties are greater than for decades. But their shared culture means few have noticed. http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/20 ... k-they-are
Labour and the Tories aren’t the same - so why do voters still think they are?
The ideological differences between the parties are greater than for decades. But their shared culture means few have noticed. http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/20 ... k-they-are
Oddly the thing I am reading might almost be a companion piece to that one.
the FTN Education Hit Squad wrote:Durham Free School still digging....
Has the report been published? I got shouted at a lot on the telegraph a while ago on a story about a school in the north east that was graded as 'good' by Ofsted, where one of the reasons for not making 'Outstanding' was a lack of diversity (in keeping with Ofsted's new remit to reflect British values, which Ofsted have said means diversity - ha!) and one of the suggestions for moving to Outstanding was a visit to a Mosque. The school was good across the board - teaching and learning, attainment, governance - but according to everyone on the telegraph except me, the only reason it wasn't outstanding was because it was English.
It's not good - I pointed out the other day that it had this under governance:
Recruitment of leaders and teachers has focused too much on candidates’ religious credentials and not enough attention has been given to their talents or track record as a teacher. Consequently, leaders do not always have the skills or experience needed to ensure high student achievement and excellent
If I'm not here, then I'll be in the library. Or the other library.
ErnstRemarx wrote:
Thanks - I didn't know that! You're lucky to not have that fat bastard breathing down your necks and trying to centralise all your functions.
Leave Alex Salmond out of this!
Are you doing okay? Please know I ask because I've taken an interest in communities my friends live in subjected to unprecedented scrutiny, like an inquisition this Tory, Pickles, brings to our society. The mayor of your town, an elected representative investigated some more now, after no evidence of foul play the first time investigated...I'm unhappy because the current Tory-led government have demonstrated they're bad leaders - sloppy, arrogant, they tell lies & when caught in lies, decline to offer apologies or explanation. The quandary I'm in, of course, is that it's impossible to trust a government with so little integrity. The years have been too hard on too many people so I can say, from my heart, I sure as hell wish current government were as good as they claim to be. I do indeed.
The message I got was that those round Mr. Cameron are adamant that it is to the blue’s team’s advantage if the Prime Minister doesn’t take part. It appears that the view is being taken that the risk of him appearing alongside other leaders is greater the than negatives there will be for seen to be avoiding them.
It’s a calculation they’ve made and from the Number 10 perspective seems wise. The downside risk of Farage or Miliband being given a boost is simply too great. Dave scores well in the ratings so leave it at that.
The one thing with the potential to change this is the threat of one or all of the broadcasters deciding on an empty chair policy. That might happen though there are reasons to think that it won’t.
They should get the Mirror chicken to stand in behind the empty podium. BTW - how apt our choice of 'Empty' Dave has turned out to be.
Mike Smithson @MSmithsonPB · 24m 24 minutes ago If @LordAshcroft polling right LDs could get 6 times the MPs as UKIP & 30 times the Greens on = or lower national vote share
Mike Smithson @MSmithsonPB · 30m 30 minutes ago
CON +LAB aggregate up. 5% in a day in latest YouGov poll. Was 62 tonight 67%
George Eaton @georgeeaton · 2h 2 hours ago
Full list of the Labour and Lib Dem candidates given donations by Lord Oakeshott http://bit.ly/1GwtGwo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Labour and the Tories aren’t the same - so why do voters still think they are?
The ideological differences between the parties are greater than for decades. But their shared culture means few have noticed. http://www.newstatesman.com/politics/20 ... k-they-are
Yes, I've read through it - it's good -
Most in Westminster agree that the ideological distance between the two parties is now greater than at any time since 1992 and possibly earlier.
excellent that, I agree. Unfortunately, the author decided against explicitly stating that Ed Miliband didn't go to Eton after writing Neil O'Brien thought Miliband did. Maybe Neil read an article too quickly & neglected to spot the the author's example of how perceptions are easily manipulated.
Intellectually, Miliband stands outside of the consensus but because of his orthodox career path, he continues to be seen as a creature of the establishment. Neil O’Brien, the former head of Policy Exchange who now serves as an adviser to George Osborne, was told in one focus group that the Labour leader went to Eton.
stellacreasy @stellacreasy 11m11 minutes ago
So Sun going back to doing #page3? bit like drunken letchy uncle at a wedding who doesn’t get the message. Makes everyone uncomfortable..
Gloria De Piero retweeted
NoMorePage3 @NoMorePage3 16m16 minutes ago
So it seems the fight might be back on. Thanks to @TheSunNewspaper for all the publicity they've given the campaign. See you tomorrow xxx
How cynical is that? Looks like the Sun have reverted to type almost instantly.
Green party likely to be included in new plan for general election leader debates
Broadcasters expected to offer role to SNP as they address David Cameron’s concerns of head-to-head with Nigel Farage http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... gel-farage
So will Cameron accept such a revised offer ... or like he did with the Leaders Live debates, express a great desire and then keep everyone holding on for weeks and weeks before saying he hasn't got time? He'll be looking for very important prime ministerial concerns - perhaps a big incident with lots of COBRA meetings required - to ensure his diary is just too full.
ErnstRemarx wrote:
That's a biggie - was there a ballot, or was that down to agreements regarding other precepts (from the local umbrella waste authority, for example) that ensured that the measured rise wouldn't hit Jubba's radar?
There is no cap on council tax increases in Wales. There is an informal agreement to keep rises below 5%.
Thanks - I didn't know that! You're lucky to not have that fat bastard breathing down your necks and trying to centralise all your functions.
Around 1990. Twenty-five years ago. The damage that government did was due to timing & inflexible, hard-hearted leadership.
I read RR's post about the Lib dem leaflet some hours ago. Wanted to read through all the comments before responding though. Now I've replied to RR and to Ernst, I want to respond to some of the other posts though in a general comment rather than to individual posts.
Some of you don't like the Green Party poster. I find it mildly amusing. The 'boys' is referencing the fact that Westminster is still something of 'an old boys club'. Women MPs from all the parties have spoken about this. Some of you asked how Natalie and Caroline would feel about being referred to as 'girls'. Do you honestly think they haven't been? Every bloody woman has experienced that. You can't demean the more powerful group [men in this instance] in that way. At best what you can do is use it to show the underlying assumptions and prejudice in a society. Remember 'Love Thy Neighbour' from the 70's? The drawing of the characters, and phrases such as 'honky' 'snowflake' and the like, were attempts to show how ridiculous the Booth character's language was - 'sambo' 'choc ice' and the hideous 'nig nog'. Btw, in my local Green Party, it seems to be the men who are really loving the poster. They aren't threatened by it. I bet the men on here aren't either.
Its my opinion that if it was a Labour poster you'd find it amusing. Or at least not condemn it. Again, just my opinion but I think your real anger comes from fear and the fact it is attacking Miliband along with Clegg and Farrage. Miliband could easily have avoided that without compromising any of his previous statements. Yes he has said he'll debate anyone who is there. And yes, he has said that it is not for individual party leaders to dictate the terms of the debate to the broadcasters. He could though have very easily agreed to what Natalie asked in her letter which was ' please tell the Broadcasters you aren't against the Greens being involved in the debates'. He chose not to do that so left himself open to attack.
There has been some reference to a 'twitter' spat this evening. Interesting how you are gloating over 'downing' a Greenie. I haven't seen the exchanges. I don't know if the people involved are actually Green Party members. But if they are [or even just supporters], and if they were saying truly stupid things, then I don't blame you for going for it and pointing out their stupidity. However, I do note your relish in having shot them down. Much the same sort of relish that some of you show when shooting down a Tory. So clearly, you are seeing us Greens as an 'enemy'. Yet in the next breath, you'd ask us to vote for you because we can't let the Tories back in etc.
That is further underlined by yet more snide comments about how you hope we can 'live with the consequences' of a Tory government if Labour don't win because of a good showing by Greens [and SNP]. Which is simply yet more guilt tripping. Sorry though, I won't feel guilty. I'll suffer. My family and many of my friends will suffer. But then we'll suffer under a Labour government as well. But in any case, it won't be the fault of Green [or 'other'] voters if Labour lose. It will be the fault of the Labour party. If they don't persuade the electorate to vote for them that is their problem. Its called democracy. When did you stop believing in it as an ideal?
I recall some time back various people on here tried out the vote for polices website. A number of you reported back that actually, you were equally if not more aligned, with Green Party policies. But you won't vote for them. Strikes me as TE I think pointed out the other day, we Greens could equally accuse you of 'splitting' the vote.
Although it is not true that all conservatives are stupid people, it is true that most stupid people are conservative.
stellacreasy @stellacreasy 11m11 minutes ago
So Sun going back to doing #page3? bit like drunken letchy uncle at a wedding who doesn’t get the message. Makes everyone uncomfortable..
Gloria De Piero retweeted
NoMorePage3 @NoMorePage3 16m16 minutes ago
So it seems the fight might be back on. Thanks to @TheSunNewspaper for all the publicity they've given the campaign. See you tomorrow xxx
How cynical is that? Looks like the Sun have reverted to type almost instantly.
How to Save Money on Publicity pt. 53...
Next up - a film company will claim that a foreign power is threatening them about a film they made about its ruler thus guaranteeing more people will queue up to see what the fuss is about...
If I'm not here, then I'll be in the library. Or the other library.
Green party likely to be included in new plan for general election leader debates
Broadcasters expected to offer role to SNP as they address David Cameron’s concerns of head-to-head with Nigel Farage http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... gel-farage
So will Cameron accept such a revised offer ... or like he did with the Leaders Live debates, express a great desire and then keep everyone holding on for weeks and weeks before saying he hasn't got time? He'll be looking for very important prime ministerial concerns - perhaps a big incident with lots of COBRA meetings required - to ensure his diary is just too full.
Cameron will definitely not sign up for this, although watching him squirming about might be amusing.
Of course if they are going to invite the SNP, then Plaid will want to come too.
Green party likely to be included in new plan for general election leader debates
Broadcasters expected to offer role to SNP as they address David Cameron’s concerns of head-to-head with Nigel Farage http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... gel-farage
So will Cameron accept such a revised offer ... or like he did with the Leaders Live debates, express a great desire and then keep everyone holding on for weeks and weeks before saying he hasn't got time? He'll be looking for very important prime ministerial concerns - perhaps a big incident with lots of COBRA meetings required - to ensure his diary is just too full.
Cameron will definitely not sign up for this, although watching him squirming about might be amusing.
Of course if they are going to invite the SNP, then Plaid will want to come too.
It's a mess isn't it. I think he'll be hoping it takes so long to sort out, goes all around the houses with SNP, Plaid etc, that he'll be able to say 'too late'.
rebeccariots2 wrote:
So will Cameron accept such a revised offer ... or like he did with the Leaders Live debates, express a great desire and then keep everyone holding on for weeks and weeks before saying he hasn't got time? He'll be looking for very important prime ministerial concerns - perhaps a big incident with lots of COBRA meetings required - to ensure his diary is just too full.
Cameron will definitely not sign up for this, although watching him squirming about might be amusing.
Of course if they are going to invite the SNP, then Plaid will want to come too.
It's a mess isn't it. I think he'll be hoping it takes so long to sort out, goes all around the houses with SNP, Plaid etc, that he'll be able to say 'too late'.
With a debate of that size it won't be a debate, just bollocks. Which will probably work for Cameron (if forced into it). In reality he will find some way to kill it, perhaps all other candidates could compete to see who can do the best chicken impression when Cameron speaks. The audience could hold up score cards.
@ Tizme. (apologies in advance if this is a bit scrambled - it's late and I'm not feeling well).
Understand your frustration with the tone of some of the comments here today - and I think you are right to call many of us out re being afraid. I know I am - of the potential consequences of ending up with another Tory lot in power - and that will surely seep into things. I'm trying to remain open and constructive - observing the different points of view, the dynamics, and my own fears - and posting things up that seem pertinent to the current Green / Labour / split left debate (appreciate you probably don't consider Labour left). I'm not doing this with any malicious or stirring intent - just in case you or others might think so. I'm doing it because it's the current big topic ... and really to try to confront my fears constructively rather than go into a downer or get even angrier about what is being done to people in the name of politics.
Anyway - just to say - I hope you will bear with us here - of whatever tribal persuasion, past or present - we're all grappling with what to do for the best.
Tizme1 wrote:I read RR's post about the Lib dem leaflet some hours ago. Wanted to read through all the comments before responding though. Now I've replied to RR and to Ernst, I want to respond to some of the other posts though in a general comment rather than to individual posts.
Some of you don't like the Green Party poster. I find it mildly amusing. The 'boys' is referencing the fact that Westminster is still something of 'an old boys club'. Women MPs from all the parties have spoken about this. Some of you asked how Natalie and Caroline would feel about being referred to as 'girls'. Do you honestly think they haven't been? Every bloody woman has experienced that. You can't demean the more powerful group [men in this instance] in that way. At best what you can do is use it to show the underlying assumptions and prejudice in a society. Remember 'Love Thy Neighbour' from the 70's? The drawing of the characters, and phrases such as 'honky' 'snowflake' and the like, were attempts to show how ridiculous the Booth character's language was - 'sambo' 'choc ice' and the hideous 'nig nog'. Btw, in my local Green Party, it seems to be the men who are really loving the poster. They aren't threatened by it. I bet the men on here aren't either.
Its my opinion that if it was a Labour poster you'd find it amusing. Or at least not condemn it. Again, just my opinion but I think your real anger comes from fear and the fact it is attacking Miliband along with Clegg and Farrage. Miliband could easily have avoided that without compromising any of his previous statements. Yes he has said he'll debate anyone who is there. And yes, he has said that it is not for individual party leaders to dictate the terms of the debate to the broadcasters. He could though have very easily agreed to what Natalie asked in her letter which was ' please tell the Broadcasters you aren't against the Greens being involved in the debates'. He chose not to do that so left himself open to attack.
There has been some reference to a 'twitter' spat this evening. Interesting how you are gloating over 'downing' a Greenie. I haven't seen the exchanges. I don't know if the people involved are actually Green Party members. But if they are [or even just supporters], and if they were saying truly stupid things, then I don't blame you for going for it and pointing out their stupidity. However, I do note your relish in having shot them down. Much the same sort of relish that some of you show when shooting down a Tory. So clearly, you are seeing us Greens as an 'enemy'. Yet in the next breath, you'd ask us to vote for you because we can't let the Tories back in etc.
That is further underlined by yet more snide comments about how you hope we can 'live with the consequences' of a Tory government if Labour don't win because of a good showing by Greens [and SNP]. Which is simply yet more guilt tripping. Sorry though, I won't feel guilty. I'll suffer. My family and many of my friends will suffer. But then we'll suffer under a Labour government as well. But in any case, it won't be the fault of Green [or 'other'] voters if Labour lose. It will be the fault of the Labour party. If they don't persuade the electorate to vote for them that is their problem. Its called democracy. When did you stop believing in it as an ideal?
I recall some time back various people on here tried out the vote for polices website. A number of you reported back that actually, you were equally if not more aligned, with Green Party policies. But you won't vote for them. Strikes me as TE I think pointed out the other day, we Greens could equally accuse you of 'splitting' the vote.
The two Rory's were pretty feeble. Very aggressive towards me, and ill-informed.
One of us said they were a disgrace to decent Greens, and had you in mind.
You're going to get "splitting the vote" a fair bit. It's the risk you take with any long term plan to build an alternative to established parties. No way round that, really. In Greece and Spain, the new radical party looks much stronger than the equivalent of Labour, but hard to see that happening here.
suzanne moore @suzanne_moore 25m25 minutes ago
The Sun's contempt for women will backfire. This is a media in joke that ultimately shows contempt for its own readers.
That might be one of the few things I agree with Suzanne Moore on.
Tubby Isaacs wrote:Durham Free School still digging.
Parents have been invited in to talk to the Daily Mail tmrw.
Honestly!
Why would they talk to the Daily Mail? I am confused.
The Mail did a piece on it today claiming that it was all a put up job by Ofsted asking questions about Muslims
The headline was:
Pupils at Christian school branded 'bigots' because one boy didn't know what a Muslim was - and now inspectors have ordered it to CLOSE
and of course there's the obligatory inane comment:
Teachers said verdict was based on throwaway comment by single pupil
I actually think it might be quite amusing if the parents take it to court and Morgan has to backtrack. To say that it was closing on the very day that the report came out looked hasty considering with Al Madinah they at least managed to keep 50% of it open after a report that was even worse than this one.
Why not send a hit squad (a bunch of experienced teachers which I thought was being proposed a while back) in to see what they could do over the next few weeks?
Edit - just realised that as per usual the DM is factually incorrect - inspectors don't take decisions as to whether to close schools...
Morgan had seen the EFA stuff about money.
I think the DfE might have also realised they need to scrutinise before Ofsted have shown up.
And they have used the line "if it's failing, we shut it down, unlike LAs who fail kids for years more".
Last edited by Tubby Isaacs on Thu 22 Jan, 2015 12:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
I've thought about what is best not only for myself, family & friends but what is best, in my opinion, for the country. It's for that reason I'm a Labour party member & supporter. I haven't looked at the recent posts between others on Twitter; I've used my time a different way. I trust we're all acting as our conscience guides us. I'll have to live with my decisions & so will everyone else. Nothing is changed, it's always been that way.
Green party likely to be included in new plan for general election leader debates
Broadcasters expected to offer role to SNP as they address David Cameron’s concerns of head-to-head with Nigel Farage http://www.theguardian.com/politics/201 ... gel-farage
So will Cameron accept such a revised offer ... or like he did with the Leaders Live debates, express a great desire and then keep everyone holding on for weeks and weeks before saying he hasn't got time? He'll be looking for very important prime ministerial concerns - perhaps a big incident with lots of COBRA meetings required - to ensure his diary is just too full.
Cameron will definitely not sign up for this, although watching him squirming about might be amusing.
Of course if they are going to invite the SNP, then Plaid will want to come too.
The DUP will likely win more seats than UKIP, Green and Plaid put together.
I think broadcasters changing plans for the PM's convenience is very bad, but the Greens seem to have settled about level with the Lib Dems, maybe better, so they have a strong case.
"NHS ‘creaking at seams’ as A&E delays pressurise other hospital departments"
King’s Fund also found that:
• The NHS had received just 0.8% more money in real terms year-on-year, but was seeing bigger rises in the numbers of patients turning up at A&E (up 1.8%), having planned surgery (2.8%) and needing to be admitted as an emergency (1.8%).
• More than 5,000 hospital beds a day are now occupied by patients who are medically fit to go, deepening bed shortages and making it harder to admit patients arriving through A&E.
• The number of operations cancelled due to bed shortages was recently a third higher than a year previously.
Separate research by the thinktank among finance directors of NHS organisations revealed that 60% of NHS trusts are relying on bailouts from the Department of Health or using their reserves in order to stay afloat, and that next year’s financial picture looks even worse.
