I'm not a fan of Starmer, but these attacks on him by Musk and Musk's deranged fanbois are probably going to help, not hinder, him.
Even *if* Musk has a point about Starmer's involvement in the cases as DPP, he is going so over-the-top that it will hardly help justice.
(Edit)
It remains to be seen if it holds or if further attacks expose him on this, but for now I think he has neutralised the immediate danger ...
You are hinting that Musk has a point.
I am saying that he looked to manage the political fallout quite well today. Politics is about perception, at least in large part. I am not close enough to the issue to opine about Starmer’s actions as DPP or what have you, and I will freely admit that.
I am not however putting tremendous weight on what Elon Musk says, given he seems to now be implying we should be invaded and the King should dissolve parliament.
Musk isn't saying that we should be invaded and the King should dissolve Parliament. He's saying that we should be invaded or the King should dissolve Parliament.
Only a flying visit. Absolutely tons of snow here. Currently melting rapidly into a river of slush. Have to wait and see how much is left when the temperature plunges (-7C overnight Wednesday and Thursday).
Working on ep4 of Undercutters, looking at intra-team driver battles. Mostly easy (picking between Alonso and Stroll doesn't exactly tax the mind) but a few are difficult, especially with so many newcomers. Hoping to get that done at the weekend.
@Cyclefree A day late, but if you want some help editing or a beta reader, do let me know either here or MorrisF1 on Twitter.
I'm not a fan of Starmer, but these attacks on him by Musk and Musk's deranged fanbois are probably going to help, not hinder, him.
Even *if* Musk has a point about Starmer's involvement in the cases as DPP, he is going so over-the-top that it will hardly help justice.
(Edit)
It remains to be seen if it holds or if further attacks expose him on this, but for now I think he has neutralised the immediate danger ...
You are hinting that Musk has a point.
I am saying that he looked to manage the political fallout quite well today. Politics is about perception, at least in large part. I am not close enough to the issue to opine about Starmer’s actions as DPP or what have you, and I will freely admit that.
I am not however putting tremendous weight on what Elon Musk says, given he seems to now be implying we should be invaded and the King should dissolve parliament.
Musk isn't saying that we should be invaded and the King should dissolve Parliament. He's saying that we should be invaded or the King should dissolve Parliament.
Phew, I guess that makes a kind of sense. For a moment I thought he was totally off his trolly.
Nice to see a picture of our next Prime Minister in the header.
Bridget or the dog?
If the pooch is anything like the Westie who lives down the road from us ... Walk is a stately progress out and back. Never, ever distracted by actually doing anything (other than the ritual No 1 and No 2 obvs). Totally sedate, will sniff your hand amiably but that's it. Would meet Y Doethur's specification admirably.
Our dog would be the exact opposite. He would be changing policy every 5 minutes. Every single person who meets him says he is the most hyper dog they have met. He just goes bonkers when meeting anyone (in a very friendly way). He also eats anything he can find and is very adept at stealing food. He loves going to the vet even though on a regular basis he is being induced to vomit and spins around the room bouncing off the walls. He is a Sproodle (Springer/Poodle cross).
Some of the things he has eaten or tried to eat are: 1.5kg block of cheese, 250g block of butter, tin foil that had had a cake in it (he pooed sparkling poo for several days), food still in the bag (that was a serious one), a whole bag of potatoes, a regular diet of dead deer (hairy poo) and trying to get a skull and spine off him was a challenge, my wallet, iphone, glasses, binoculars and numerous peoples dinners if they don't put their plate in a safe place when getting up from the table, bowls of peanuts and crisps, etc, etc. He costs a fortune calling the toxic helpline and vets bills and trying to get the food off him when he has it is pretty well impossible
I've said it before and I'll say it again: dogs are idiots.
On reflection, cats are idiots too. But in a much more low-key way. Cats are BETTER idiots.
Last night, two of us, sitting watching telly. Cat comes in. She sees a lap she can sit on. Jumps on to that lap.
But, oh, look, there's another lap she could sit on. So, jumps on to that lap.
But maybe the first lap was better? Jumps back to first lap.
But that second lap, could give it another chance... Jumps back to second lap.
A politician would never follow advice of not putting things off alone (hence the full quote i suppose). Doing stuff comes with risks, and who wants that?
Of course in reality politicians typically come in 3 varieties - the do nothing people, terrified of cocking up further so just put a plaster on. The tinkerers that you identify like Gove, who do try a bit but usually on small problems (in fairness their boss may not agree to do big stuff). And then the ones who do do big things on big issues, but very badly due to unearned confidence in their abilities.
PB is cynical this morning!
How long since we had an MP who had noted success in turning an organisation around and running it successfully? Let alone a minister?
Farage!
*Part of my strategy to tempt the lefties back by discussing their amazing skills of their favourite political figure.
One of Farage's major problems is that he eventually seems to fall out with everyone he works with.
It just happened much quicker with Musk than usual.
True, that is very much his M.O. but in this case I think it is understandable given Musk continues to support Robinson and has said Farage needs to be replaced.
Also, Musk doesn't exactly have a tip-top record on the "maintaining long-term working relationships" front.
Doesn't he? Gwynne Shotwell's been running SpaceX for him for at least two decades, and AIUI there are a fair few senior Tesla people who have been there for yonks.
Though the way he treated his secretary was awful, and perhaps the start of his descent into madness.
This is my pet theory of the week... Musk is possibly suffering some sort of mental illness. I hope he gets appropriate treatment.
It's like Horse said the other day - he's just gone full Twitter. Seen it happen to various slebs (and probably millions of others) - Lawrence Fox, Gary Lineker, Carol Vorderman - they state a forceful but not wildly mad opinion, get high on the likes and retweets and the echo chamber and just become madder and madder versions of themselves.
Musk has the extra problem that he isn't only in the hall of mirrors, but he owns the hall of mirrors and can (and, it seems, does) instruct the staff to put additional, extra-warped mirrors in because he likes them.
(Edit) Even *if* Musk has a point about Starmer's involvement in the cases as DPP....
*If* you believe that, Musk has won.
I don't believe it. I haven't looked into it, but you would have to be quite a puppeteer to arrange things at such low levels, in so many places, over such a long period. My own view (having read a couple of the reports yonks ago), was that the decisions were made on an individual, and small group basis. Would decisions have got to the DPP's level?
Though having said that, Musk's statements are so wild that I'm not actually sure what he thinks Starmer did...
Suggestion by Starmer that threats have been made on Phillips.
She has already said she is resigned to death threats for the rest of her life and a man was jailed for threatening the most awful violence at her.
How does he know it is down to Musk ?
It's hard to see Musk as having helped the situation.
Agreed but by the same token you cannot blame Musk for abuse aimed at a politician who gets it regularly.
What would be interesting would be to see if it has increased markedly and if any comes from the US.
Hang on, why can Musk not be blamed for falsely labelling a cabinet minister a "rape genocide apologist"? This is basics of civil society. He is well outside normal bounds.
(Edit) Even *if* Musk has a point about Starmer's involvement in the cases as DPP....
*If* you believe that, Musk has won.
I don't believe it. I haven't looked into it, but you would have to be quite a puppeteer to arrange things at such low levels, in so many places, over such a long period. My own view (having read a couple of the reports yonks ago), was that the decisions were made on an individual, and small group basis. Would decisions have got to the DPP's level?
Though having said that, Musk's statements are so wild that I'm not actually sure what he thinks Starmer did...
Suggestion by Starmer that threats have been made on Phillips.
She has already said she is resigned to death threats for the rest of her life and a man was jailed for threatening the most awful violence at her.
How does he know it is down to Musk ?
It's hard to see Musk as having helped the situation.
Agreed but by the same token you cannot blame Musk for abuse aimed at a politician who gets it regularly.
What would be interesting would be to see if it has increased markedly and if any comes from the US.
It doesn't have to come from the US.
She is more likely to be assassinated by an outraged Brummie than a US citizen who is outraged at Phillips after reading Liz Truss's response to Musk's lie
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss wrote, "This is Jess Phillips, the same Home Office Minister who excused masked Islamist thugs".
'US President Joe Biden has announced a ban on new offshore oil and gas drilling along most of America's coastline, weeks before Donald Trump takes office.
The ban covers the entire Atlantic coast and eastern Gulf of Mexico, as well as the Pacific coast off California, Oregon and Washington and a section of the Bering Sea off Alaska..Biden is taking the action under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act of 1953, which allows presidents to withdraw areas from mineral leasing and drilling.' https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg6dg30vq0o
Nice to see a picture of our next Prime Minister in the header.
Bridget or the dog?
If the pooch is anything like the Westie who lives down the road from us ... Walk is a stately progress out and back. Never, ever distracted by actually doing anything (other than the ritual No 1 and No 2 obvs). Totally sedate, will sniff your hand amiably but that's it. Would meet Y Doethur's specification admirably.
Our dog would be the exact opposite. He would be changing policy every 5 minutes. Every single person who meets him says he is the most hyper dog they have met. He just goes bonkers when meeting anyone (in a very friendly way). He also eats anything he can find and is very adept at stealing food. He loves going to the vet even though on a regular basis he is being induced to vomit and spins around the room bouncing off the walls. He is a Sproodle (Springer/Poodle cross).
Some of the things he has eaten or tried to eat are: 1.5kg block of cheese, 250g block of butter, tin foil that had had a cake in it (he pooed sparkling poo for several days), food still in the bag (that was a serious one), a whole bag of potatoes, a regular diet of dead deer (hairy poo) and trying to get a skull and spine off him was a challenge, my wallet, iphone, glasses, binoculars and numerous peoples dinners if they don't put their plate in a safe place when getting up from the table, bowls of peanuts and crisps, etc, etc. He costs a fortune calling the toxic helpline and vets bills and trying to get the food off him when he has it is pretty well impossible
Ah, another sproodle owner! Mine is as mad as yours, and equally hyper. No Off button at all, though she has now got used to settling down for a couple of hours while I work. She loves running with me and can cover any distance. Two full days' walking in the Lake District barely tired her out at all, the drive home was enough for her to recover.
She loves everybody, and gets wildly excited at meeting anybody. She is quite needy though, wants a lot of attention and company and follows me round the house like glue (I acquired her at 2 years, and quickly had to teach her that she wasn't allowed in the bathroom or bedroom. Cue whining).
No problem with food though or chewing things (unlike my old cavalier who was always hunting for a week-old chicken bone...).
I'm not a fan of Starmer, but these attacks on him by Musk and Musk's deranged fanbois are probably going to help, not hinder, him.
Even *if* Musk has a point about Starmer's involvement in the cases as DPP, he is going so over-the-top that it will hardly help justice.
I'm not so confident.
The pattern of political polarisation in recent years is that people who don't like Starmer - as a lot of people don't for various reasons - will tend to accept wild and unsubstantiated criticism as validation of their prior opinion.
You're more likely to be an outlier.
I'm sure that some of my reactions to stories about Tory ministers, 2010-2024, would fit that pattern, even though I tried to be fair and even-handed. And I reached a point with Corbyn where he passed a personal event horizon, and I flipped from giving him the benefit of the doubt to the polar opposite.
On which note, today is a perfect winter day. You just don't get this quality of light in lower latitudes.
Fair enough.
Although I'd like to make clear: when I say I'm not a fan of Starmer, I don't hate him, or even particularly dislike him. I just think he's made a poor PM so far, and in fact that he lacks some attributes that successful PMs must have.
It's sort-of like my views of Boris: where I quite liked him as a person and character, but thought he'd make a terrible PM.
Much my thoughts on Starmer, and he has surprised me on how poor he has been
Nice to see a picture of our next Prime Minister in the header.
Bridget or the dog?
If the pooch is anything like the Westie who lives down the road from us ... Walk is a stately progress out and back. Never, ever distracted by actually doing anything (other than the ritual No 1 and No 2 obvs). Totally sedate, will sniff your hand amiably but that's it. Would meet Y Doethur's specification admirably.
Our dog would be the exact opposite. He would be changing policy every 5 minutes. Every single person who meets him says he is the most hyper dog they have met. He just goes bonkers when meeting anyone (in a very friendly way). He also eats anything he can find and is very adept at stealing food. He loves going to the vet even though on a regular basis he is being induced to vomit and spins around the room bouncing off the walls. He is a Sproodle (Springer/Poodle cross).
Some of the things he has eaten or tried to eat are: 1.5kg block of cheese, 250g block of butter, tin foil that had had a cake in it (he pooed sparkling poo for several days), food still in the bag (that was a serious one), a whole bag of potatoes, a regular diet of dead deer (hairy poo) and trying to get a skull and spine off him was a challenge, my wallet, iphone, glasses, binoculars and numerous peoples dinners if they don't put their plate in a safe place when getting up from the table, bowls of peanuts and crisps, etc, etc. He costs a fortune calling the toxic helpline and vets bills and trying to get the food off him when he has it is pretty well impossible
I've said it before and I'll say it again: dogs are idiots.
On reflection, cats are idiots too. But in a much more low-key way. Cats are BETTER idiots.
Yet they carry more political weight than children, I reckon.
For example, there might be a permanent end to Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh because of the impact of fireworks on canine mental health, and there are lobby groups trying to eliminate dog-free play parks.
I also think some elements of access rights/countryside code are weighted far too much in favour of dogs. I was walking in the Lakes and every farmer had put up signs describing how many lambs had been killed/injured, some with graphic imagery. Still had spaniels firing off all over the place.
Eliminating dog-free play parks, now that really is a shite idea (so to speak).
I saw Malcolm's post about "toff's children" on the prior thread.
From my friends' experience, privately educated children can have an awful time at school and there are plenty of examples of sexual and physical abuse happening at private schools, as demonstrated by the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry. No money in the world can mitigate being raped as a child.
It's during debates like this that I remember to be grateful for the safe, secure and loving environment I grew up in, cycling to a high-performing state school in a beautiful part of Scotland, and returning to a home full of books, music and great food.
Private education is just education. They get no funding from government so, if an independent school wants to set up - for example, to focus on children with more distinct education needs, or to provide a local better alternative, or deliver to an alternative educational philosophy - they have to charge a fee to be viable.
That fee means - outside a few bursaries and scholarships the school can self-fund for 10-20% of its pupils - parents have to pay. And, alas, not all parents will be able to afford that fee.
That's it. There's no "privilege" outside of that. It's the small, local, independent private schools that will be hit hardest by the VAT/business rate changes, and not the big public schools that educate the very wealthy, that virtually none of us can afford, which is why this policy is so vindictive and insidious.
Depends if you think such families should have given rely on charity or not. There are more SEND kids in the state sector than the private sector, as a proportion, and Labour have increased spending by £1 billion per annum.
Parents should have choice in educating their children and, to the greatest extent possible, I'd like to see this liberated from the ability to pay.
This is why I'd go the other way and support portable education vouchers.
Which merely subsidises those who can top them up with there own cash to send their kids to an elite school. Bad policy.
As opposed to buying an expensive house in an expensive catchment area in order to send one's children to an elite school where you don't have to pay fees. State education: a bad policy. Perhaps.
Nice to see a picture of our next Prime Minister in the header.
Bridget or the dog?
If the pooch is anything like the Westie who lives down the road from us ... Walk is a stately progress out and back. Never, ever distracted by actually doing anything (other than the ritual No 1 and No 2 obvs). Totally sedate, will sniff your hand amiably but that's it. Would meet Y Doethur's specification admirably.
Our dog would be the exact opposite. He would be changing policy every 5 minutes. Every single person who meets him says he is the most hyper dog they have met. He just goes bonkers when meeting anyone (in a very friendly way). He also eats anything he can find and is very adept at stealing food. He loves going to the vet even though on a regular basis he is being induced to vomit and spins around the room bouncing off the walls. He is a Sproodle (Springer/Poodle cross).
Some of the things he has eaten or tried to eat are: 1.5kg block of cheese, 250g block of butter, tin foil that had had a cake in it (he pooed sparkling poo for several days), food still in the bag (that was a serious one), a whole bag of potatoes, a regular diet of dead deer (hairy poo) and trying to get a skull and spine off him was a challenge, my wallet, iphone, glasses, binoculars and numerous peoples dinners if they don't put their plate in a safe place when getting up from the table, bowls of peanuts and crisps, etc, etc. He costs a fortune calling the toxic helpline and vets bills and trying to get the food off him when he has it is pretty well impossible
I've said it before and I'll say it again: dogs are idiots.
On reflection, cats are idiots too. But in a much more low-key way. Cats are BETTER idiots.
Yet they carry more political weight than children, I reckon.
For example, there might be a permanent end to Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh because of the impact of fireworks on canine mental health, and there are lobby groups trying to eliminate dog-free play parks.
I also think some elements of access rights/countryside code are weighted far too much in favour of dogs. I was walking in the Lakes and every farmer had put up signs describing how many lambs had been killed/injured, some with graphic imagery. Still had spaniels firing off all over the place.
There’s definitely been an increase in people who have no idea how to control a dog - or even a desire to control their dog.
I’m reminded of the fool, years back. He had his dog off the lead, and it started harassing the horses we were riding. One of the horses gave it a stable yard tap. He seemed to think it outrageous and actually got violent.
Good to see Streeting, and now Starmer, giving full backing to Jess Phillips, and pointing out her track record in challenging violence against women and girls. But unless I've missed it, Jess herself has not commented on Musk's outrageous description of her as a 'rape genocide apologist' who should be in prison. Maybe she's keeping her powder dry, or consulting lawyers. And Richard Tice refused to condemn Musk's description of Phillips, saying it was just free speech.
I'm all for free speech within the law. But if somebody with a huge platform called me a 'rape genocide apologist' I'd be seeking some sort of redress.
Iain Mansfield @IGMansfield · 2h The big question right now in British politics is whether Reform is primarily a right-wing party - on an anti-incumbency party.
Labour are desperately hoping for the former. While the Tories will be no less fervently hoping for the later.
I'm not a fan of Starmer, but these attacks on him by Musk and Musk's deranged fanbois are probably going to help, not hinder, him.
Even *if* Musk has a point about Starmer's involvement in the cases as DPP, he is going so over-the-top that it will hardly help justice.
I'm not so confident.
The pattern of political polarisation in recent years is that people who don't like Starmer - as a lot of people don't for various reasons - will tend to accept wild and unsubstantiated criticism as validation of their prior opinion.
You're more likely to be an outlier.
I'm sure that some of my reactions to stories about Tory ministers, 2010-2024, would fit that pattern, even though I tried to be fair and even-handed. And I reached a point with Corbyn where he passed a personal event horizon, and I flipped from giving him the benefit of the doubt to the polar opposite.
On which note, today is a perfect winter day. You just don't get this quality of light in lower latitudes.
Fair enough.
Although I'd like to make clear: when I say I'm not a fan of Starmer, I don't hate him, or even particularly dislike him. I just think he's made a poor PM so far, and in fact that he lacks some attributes that successful PMs must have.
It's sort-of like my views of Boris: where I quite liked him as a person and character, but thought he'd make a terrible PM.
Much my thoughts on Starmer, and he has surprised me on how poor he has been
My thoughts entirely Big_G. I think many hoped he was a new Tony Blair (without the war mongering perhaps) but in reality it has been proven he has no idea how to lead.
Looks like Trudeau will resign after nearly 10 years as Canadian PM.
Despite poor current polls it is easily forgotten Trudeau took over a Liberal Party that had won just 34 MPs in 2011 and 18% of the vote and had been replaced by the NDP as official opposition when he became party leader in 2013 and led them to a landslide victory in 2015 with 184 MPs and 39% of the vote and then defeated the Conservatives at 2 further general elections since in 2019 and 2021.
Like the Tories removing Boris or the Democrats removing Biden or the Canadian Tories replacing Mulroney with Kim Campbell I suspect the Liberals will find getting a new leader at the 11th hour does them no good in the long run and they still face a bad defeat. Indeed, by going now Trudeau like Boris and Biden and Mulroney can smugly look on the sidelines and say 'told you so' given like Boris and Biden he had won the previous election. Most probably the Liberals end up back where they started before Trudeau in third place https://www.theglobeandmail.com/politics/article-trudeau-expected-to-announce-resignation-before-national-caucus/
Is Boris saying 'told you so'? I thought he'd accepted his fate and was trying to write books.
Good to see Streeting, and now Starmer, giving full backing to Jess Phillips, and pointing out her track record in challenging violence against women and girls. But unless I've missed it, Jess herself has not commented on Musk's outrageous description of her as a 'rape genocide apologist' who should be in prison. Maybe she's keeping her powder dry, or consulting lawyers. And Richard Tice refused to condemn Musk's description of Phillips, saying it was just free speech.
I'm all for free speech within the law. But if somebody with a huge platform called me a 'rape genocide apologist' I'd be seeking some sort of redress.
I'd suggest floating a 25% windfall tax on social media revenues and stricter regulation, but maybe I'm just a bit too vindictive.
Good to see Streeting, and now Starmer, giving full backing to Jess Phillips, and pointing out her track record in challenging violence against women and girls. But unless I've missed it, Jess herself has not commented on Musk's outrageous description of her as a 'rape genocide apologist' who should be in prison. Maybe she's keeping her powder dry, or consulting lawyers. And Richard Tice refused to condemn Musk's description of Phillips, saying it was just free speech.
I'm all for free speech within the law. But if somebody with a huge platform called me a 'rape genocide apologist' I'd be seeking some sort of redress.
Someone tried that before. Some interesting comments here in the article [edit], though the new Tory law on the net could change things (I don't know if it will or not, it's just something that I wonder about). Edit: if the new legislation is criminal in nature, does it affect the civil law of defamation, for one thing?
A politician would never follow advice of not putting things off alone (hence the full quote i suppose). Doing stuff comes with risks, and who wants that?
Of course in reality politicians typically come in 3 varieties - the do nothing people, terrified of cocking up further so just put a plaster on. The tinkerers that you identify like Gove, who do try a bit but usually on small problems (in fairness their boss may not agree to do big stuff). And then the ones who do do big things on big issues, but very badly due to unearned confidence in their abilities.
PB is cynical this morning!
How long since we had an MP who had noted success in turning an organisation around and running it successfully? Let alone a minister?
Farage!
*Part of my strategy to tempt the lefties back by discussing their amazing skills of their favourite political figure.
One of Farage's major problems is that he eventually seems to fall out with everyone he works with.
It just happened much quicker with Musk than usual.
True, that is very much his M.O. but in this case I think it is understandable given Musk continues to support Robinson and has said Farage needs to be replaced.
Also, Musk doesn't exactly have a tip-top record on the "maintaining long-term working relationships" front.
Doesn't he? Gwynne Shotwell's been running SpaceX for him for at least two decades, and AIUI there are a fair few senior Tesla people who have been there for yonks.
Though the way he treated his secretary was awful, and perhaps the start of his descent into madness.
This is my pet theory of the week... Musk is possibly suffering some sort of mental illness. I hope he gets appropriate treatment.
The problem is it sounds as though he's always been a shit, if you listen to some of the people who knew him in the early Internet days and before. Now he's a shit with money, power, and millions of fanbois to amplify the dribblings that come out of his mouth.
Musk is a rich eccentric. The world has seen plenty of rich eccentrics before, it’s just that unfortunately this particular rich eccentric owns a social media platform and has decided he’s a political genius and we all need to hear his thoughts.
Given his most recent ramblings, I do now fully expect this to all end in tears, and by that I mean he and The Donald are inevitably going to have A Big Falling Out. It will be fascinating to hear what Trump’s views on the Farage situation are (don’t worry, we’ll surely hear them at some point).
@ydoethur thanks for the header, though I do think it is overly cynical/negative. I don't think 'doing nothing' is a viable option. I think your suggestions about LAs being allowed to set up new schools and (more importantly) take back failing academies/free schools is a good one.
My two pence worth: - An easy win: cut half out of every curriculum. Teach it better by teaching less. Noone is going to leave my classes a worse mathematician because they have seen fewer algorithms but have understood those that they have seen more deeply. - A bigger but worthwhile challenge: reimagine the structure of the school day to make better use of tech and AI. In broad brush strokes: teachers spend more time intervening with small groups to push the edges of their knowledge and less/no time teaching the routine stuff to a whole class. The latter is done more routinely by interactive AI instruction.
Both reflect the realities that more resources (whether teaching staff or money) are likely to come into the profession over the next decade.
Most of that's fairly random guesswork, but I do think some posters have underestimated the spread in polling results - I've added/subtracted 5 from what I see as plausible upper and lower averages for Con, Lab and Ref. I may still be too narrow there. On most other things, I've taken the view that at the end of the year Nothing Has Changed, as one of our more famous MPs and musicians (different people!) both put it
Reform seats I find hard to predict - they could get several defections, but they might also lose people, either in a split or through scandals (I assume this refers to those with the whip on the relevant date) or the leeanderthal simply doing his thing of getting pissed off and flouncing.
(Edit) Even *if* Musk has a point about Starmer's involvement in the cases as DPP....
*If* you believe that, Musk has won.
I don't believe it. I haven't looked into it, but you would have to be quite a puppeteer to arrange things at such low levels, in so many places, over such a long period. My own view (having read a couple of the reports yonks ago), was that the decisions were made on an individual, and small group basis. Would decisions have got to the DPP's level?
Though having said that, Musk's statements are so wild that I'm not actually sure what he thinks Starmer did...
Suggestion by Starmer that threats have been made on Phillips.
She has already said she is resigned to death threats for the rest of her life and a man was jailed for threatening the most awful violence at her.
How does he know it is down to Musk ?
It's hard to see Musk as having helped the situation.
Agreed but by the same token you cannot blame Musk for abuse aimed at a politician who gets it regularly.
What would be interesting would be to see if it has increased markedly and if any comes from the US.
Hang on, why can Musk not be blamed for falsely labelling a cabinet minister a "rape genocide apologist"? This is basics of civil society. He is well outside normal bounds.
I saw Malcolm's post about "toff's children" on the prior thread.
From my friends' experience, privately educated children can have an awful time at school and there are plenty of examples of sexual and physical abuse happening at private schools, as demonstrated by the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry. No money in the world can mitigate being raped as a child.
It's during debates like this that I remember to be grateful for the safe, secure and loving environment I grew up in, cycling to a high-performing state school in a beautiful part of Scotland, and returning to a home full of books, music and great food.
Private education is just education. They get no funding from government so, if an independent school wants to set up - for example, to focus on children with more distinct education needs, or to provide a local better alternative, or deliver to an alternative educational philosophy - they have to charge a fee to be viable.
That fee means - outside a few bursaries and scholarships the school can self-fund for 10-20% of its pupils - parents have to pay. And, alas, not all parents will be able to afford that fee.
That's it. There's no "privilege" outside of that. It's the small, local, independent private schools that will be hit hardest by the VAT/business rate changes, and not the big public schools that educate the very wealthy, that virtually none of us can afford, which is why this policy is so vindictive and insidious.
Depends if you think such families should have given rely on charity or not. There are more SEND kids in the state sector than the private sector, as a proportion, and Labour have increased spending by £1 billion per annum.
Parents should have choice in educating their children and, to the greatest extent possible, I'd like to see this liberated from the ability to pay.
This is why I'd go the other way and support portable education vouchers.
Would those vouchers be £6,200 per year (state) or £15,000 per year (private)?
Either double the education budget or destroy private schools. Tricky decision.
I don't think it's a binary decision.
Bringing the cost of private education down to £8,800 a year would bring it beneath the cost of private nursery education, which 40-50% of parents would be able to afford, as opposed to 15%.
You might say, well, if the very poorest can't also benefit, then how is that fair? But (a) you'd have scholarships and bursaries on top and (b) everyone would still be able to access state "free" schools
Good to see Streeting, and now Starmer, giving full backing to Jess Phillips, and pointing out her track record in challenging violence against women and girls. But unless I've missed it, Jess herself has not commented on Musk's outrageous description of her as a 'rape genocide apologist' who should be in prison. Maybe she's keeping her powder dry, or consulting lawyers. And Richard Tice refused to condemn Musk's description of Phillips, saying it was just free speech.
I'm all for free speech within the law. But if somebody with a huge platform called me a 'rape genocide apologist' I'd be seeking some sort of redress.
I'd suggest floating a 25% windfall tax on social media revenues and stricter regulation, but maybe I'm just a bit too vindictive.
Nice to see a picture of our next Prime Minister in the header.
Bridget or the dog?
If the pooch is anything like the Westie who lives down the road from us ... Walk is a stately progress out and back. Never, ever distracted by actually doing anything (other than the ritual No 1 and No 2 obvs). Totally sedate, will sniff your hand amiably but that's it. Would meet Y Doethur's specification admirably.
Our dog would be the exact opposite. He would be changing policy every 5 minutes. Every single person who meets him says he is the most hyper dog they have met. He just goes bonkers when meeting anyone (in a very friendly way). He also eats anything he can find and is very adept at stealing food. He loves going to the vet even though on a regular basis he is being induced to vomit and spins around the room bouncing off the walls. He is a Sproodle (Springer/Poodle cross).
Some of the things he has eaten or tried to eat are: 1.5kg block of cheese, 250g block of butter, tin foil that had had a cake in it (he pooed sparkling poo for several days), food still in the bag (that was a serious one), a whole bag of potatoes, a regular diet of dead deer (hairy poo) and trying to get a skull and spine off him was a challenge, my wallet, iphone, glasses, binoculars and numerous peoples dinners if they don't put their plate in a safe place when getting up from the table, bowls of peanuts and crisps, etc, etc. He costs a fortune calling the toxic helpline and vets bills and trying to get the food off him when he has it is pretty well impossible
I've said it before and I'll say it again: dogs are idiots.
On reflection, cats are idiots too. But in a much more low-key way. Cats are BETTER idiots.
Yet they carry more political weight than children, I reckon.
For example, there might be a permanent end to Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh because of the impact of fireworks on canine mental health, and there are lobby groups trying to eliminate dog-free play parks.
I also think some elements of access rights/countryside code are weighted far too much in favour of dogs. I was walking in the Lakes and every farmer had put up signs describing how many lambs had been killed/injured, some with graphic imagery. Still had spaniels firing off all over the place.
Eliminating dog-free play parks, now that really is a shite idea (so to speak).
Some of the beaches up here ban dogs for 6 months of the year, from spring into Autumn.
I saw Malcolm's post about "toff's children" on the prior thread.
From my friends' experience, privately educated children can have an awful time at school and there are plenty of examples of sexual and physical abuse happening at private schools, as demonstrated by the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry. No money in the world can mitigate being raped as a child.
It's during debates like this that I remember to be grateful for the safe, secure and loving environment I grew up in, cycling to a high-performing state school in a beautiful part of Scotland, and returning to a home full of books, music and great food.
Private education is just education. They get no funding from government so, if an independent school wants to set up - for example, to focus on children with more distinct education needs, or to provide a local better alternative, or deliver to an alternative educational philosophy - they have to charge a fee to be viable.
That fee means - outside a few bursaries and scholarships the school can self-fund for 10-20% of its pupils - parents have to pay. And, alas, not all parents will be able to afford that fee.
That's it. There's no "privilege" outside of that. It's the small, local, independent private schools that will be hit hardest by the VAT/business rate changes, and not the big public schools that educate the very wealthy, that virtually none of us can afford, which is why this policy is so vindictive and insidious.
Depends if you think such families should have given rely on charity or not. There are more SEND kids in the state sector than the private sector, as a proportion, and Labour have increased spending by £1 billion per annum.
Parents should have choice in educating their children and, to the greatest extent possible, I'd like to see this liberated from the ability to pay.
This is why I'd go the other way and support portable education vouchers.
Which merely subsidises those who can top them up with there own cash to send their kids to an elite school. Bad policy.
No, if you half the price you more than double those who can access it.
Your logic is the failed logic of putting VAT on school fees to attack privilege, which actually makes it even more privileged.
I'm not a fan of Starmer, but these attacks on him by Musk and Musk's deranged fanbois are probably going to help, not hinder, him.
Even *if* Musk has a point about Starmer's involvement in the cases as DPP, he is going so over-the-top that it will hardly help justice.
I'm not so confident.
The pattern of political polarisation in recent years is that people who don't like Starmer - as a lot of people don't for various reasons - will tend to accept wild and unsubstantiated criticism as validation of their prior opinion.
You're more likely to be an outlier.
I'm sure that some of my reactions to stories about Tory ministers, 2010-2024, would fit that pattern, even though I tried to be fair and even-handed. And I reached a point with Corbyn where he passed a personal event horizon, and I flipped from giving him the benefit of the doubt to the polar opposite.
On which note, today is a perfect winter day. You just don't get this quality of light in lower latitudes.
Fair enough.
Although I'd like to make clear: when I say I'm not a fan of Starmer, I don't hate him, or even particularly dislike him. I just think he's made a poor PM so far, and in fact that he lacks some attributes that successful PMs must have.
It's sort-of like my views of Boris: where I quite liked him as a person and character, but thought he'd make a terrible PM.
Much my thoughts on Starmer, and he has surprised me on how poor he has been
My thoughts entirely Big_G. I think many hoped he was a new Tony Blair (without the war mongering perhaps) but in reality it has been proven he has no idea how to lead.
I think the problem is that most of the Labour front bench have no idea how to *govern*.
To be fair, the previous Conservative government didn’t, either.
To me, the wet fish slap at Blobism from Starmer was telling.
When he was head of the DPP, he was in a role where he was the boss. He wanted something done. It was. Anything else would have been insubordination. Sure, when dealing with other agencies, but within the DPP, he was In Charge.
He assumed, I think, that when he became PM, he would be boss of bosses.
The problem is, that in ministerial jobs, it is perfectly standard to discover you can’t just do things in your own department. The PM just has a meta version of this.
Nice to see a picture of our next Prime Minister in the header.
Bridget or the dog?
If the pooch is anything like the Westie who lives down the road from us ... Walk is a stately progress out and back. Never, ever distracted by actually doing anything (other than the ritual No 1 and No 2 obvs). Totally sedate, will sniff your hand amiably but that's it. Would meet Y Doethur's specification admirably.
Our dog would be the exact opposite. He would be changing policy every 5 minutes. Every single person who meets him says he is the most hyper dog they have met. He just goes bonkers when meeting anyone (in a very friendly way). He also eats anything he can find and is very adept at stealing food. He loves going to the vet even though on a regular basis he is being induced to vomit and spins around the room bouncing off the walls. He is a Sproodle (Springer/Poodle cross).
Some of the things he has eaten or tried to eat are: 1.5kg block of cheese, 250g block of butter, tin foil that had had a cake in it (he pooed sparkling poo for several days), food still in the bag (that was a serious one), a whole bag of potatoes, a regular diet of dead deer (hairy poo) and trying to get a skull and spine off him was a challenge, my wallet, iphone, glasses, binoculars and numerous peoples dinners if they don't put their plate in a safe place when getting up from the table, bowls of peanuts and crisps, etc, etc. He costs a fortune calling the toxic helpline and vets bills and trying to get the food off him when he has it is pretty well impossible
I've said it before and I'll say it again: dogs are idiots.
On reflection, cats are idiots too. But in a much more low-key way. Cats are BETTER idiots.
Yet they carry more political weight than children, I reckon.
For example, there might be a permanent end to Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh because of the impact of fireworks on canine mental health, and there are lobby groups trying to eliminate dog-free play parks.
I also think some elements of access rights/countryside code are weighted far too much in favour of dogs. I was walking in the Lakes and every farmer had put up signs describing how many lambs had been killed/injured, some with graphic imagery. Still had spaniels firing off all over the place.
Eliminating dog-free play parks, now that really is a shite idea (so to speak).
Some of the beaches up here ban dogs for 6 months of the year, from spring into Autumn.
Come across that in the south too - Dawlish Warren, Lyme Regis, and so on spring to mind from recent trips.
(Edit) Even *if* Musk has a point about Starmer's involvement in the cases as DPP....
*If* you believe that, Musk has won.
I don't believe it. I haven't looked into it, but you would have to be quite a puppeteer to arrange things at such low levels, in so many places, over such a long period. My own view (having read a couple of the reports yonks ago), was that the decisions were made on an individual, and small group basis. Would decisions have got to the DPP's level?
Though having said that, Musk's statements are so wild that I'm not actually sure what he thinks Starmer did...
Suggestion by Starmer that threats have been made on Phillips.
She has already said she is resigned to death threats for the rest of her life and a man was jailed for threatening the most awful violence at her.
How does he know it is down to Musk ?
It's hard to see Musk as having helped the situation.
Agreed but by the same token you cannot blame Musk for abuse aimed at a politician who gets it regularly.
What would be interesting would be to see if it has increased markedly and if any comes from the US.
It doesn't have to come from the US.
She is more likely to be assassinated by an outraged Brummie than a US citizen who is outraged at Phillips after reading Liz Truss's response to Musk's lie
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss wrote, "This is Jess Phillips, the same Home Office Minister who excused masked Islamist thugs".
I saw you ranting about me earlier. I just want to point out that 1. I was absent for at least two weeks over Christmas, during which you all managed to have a bitter row about gangs by yourselves (so it’s really not me). 2. I’m not even allowed to mention “that thing” so I can hardly “bang on” about it and 3. I’m a MEMBER of the Groucho, not a guest
Isn't that because of the alleged smears? It was a standard RN practice to demand a court martial if someone accused you of cowardice in the face of the enemy, etc.
Good to see Streeting, and now Starmer, giving full backing to Jess Phillips, and pointing out her track record in challenging violence against women and girls. But unless I've missed it, Jess herself has not commented on Musk's outrageous description of her as a 'rape genocide apologist' who should be in prison. Maybe she's keeping her powder dry, or consulting lawyers. And Richard Tice refused to condemn Musk's description of Phillips, saying it was just free speech.
I'm all for free speech within the law. But if somebody with a huge platform called me a 'rape genocide apologist' I'd be seeking some sort of redress.
I'd suggest floating a 25% windfall tax on social media revenues and stricter regulation, but maybe I'm just a bit too vindictive.
I disagree. Make it 50%, and I'm with you.
The more salient question is how you apply any tax and regulation to a US based company
Nice to see a picture of our next Prime Minister in the header.
Bridget or the dog?
If the pooch is anything like the Westie who lives down the road from us ... Walk is a stately progress out and back. Never, ever distracted by actually doing anything (other than the ritual No 1 and No 2 obvs). Totally sedate, will sniff your hand amiably but that's it. Would meet Y Doethur's specification admirably.
Our dog would be the exact opposite. He would be changing policy every 5 minutes. Every single person who meets him says he is the most hyper dog they have met. He just goes bonkers when meeting anyone (in a very friendly way). He also eats anything he can find and is very adept at stealing food. He loves going to the vet even though on a regular basis he is being induced to vomit and spins around the room bouncing off the walls. He is a Sproodle (Springer/Poodle cross).
Some of the things he has eaten or tried to eat are: 1.5kg block of cheese, 250g block of butter, tin foil that had had a cake in it (he pooed sparkling poo for several days), food still in the bag (that was a serious one), a whole bag of potatoes, a regular diet of dead deer (hairy poo) and trying to get a skull and spine off him was a challenge, my wallet, iphone, glasses, binoculars and numerous peoples dinners if they don't put their plate in a safe place when getting up from the table, bowls of peanuts and crisps, etc, etc. He costs a fortune calling the toxic helpline and vets bills and trying to get the food off him when he has it is pretty well impossible
Ah, another sproodle owner! Mine is as mad as yours, and equally hyper. No Off button at all, though she has now got used to settling down for a couple of hours while I work. She loves running with me and can cover any distance. Two full days' walking in the Lake District barely tired her out at all, the drive home was enough for her to recover.
She loves everybody, and gets wildly excited at meeting anybody. She is quite needy though, wants a lot of attention and company and follows me round the house like glue (I acquired her at 2 years, and quickly had to teach her that she wasn't allowed in the bathroom or bedroom. Cue whining).
No problem with food though or chewing things (unlike my old cavalier who was always hunting for a week-old chicken bone...).
I would be quite happy meeting you, or indeed any regular Pb-er, but not, please, when you have your dog with you! My family owned a dog when I was very young.... pre-teenage until later teens,..... but I didn't like it jumping up unbidden, and since then I've disliked that habit some dogs have more and more. Mrs C hates it.
(Edit) Even *if* Musk has a point about Starmer's involvement in the cases as DPP....
*If* you believe that, Musk has won.
I don't believe it. I haven't looked into it, but you would have to be quite a puppeteer to arrange things at such low levels, in so many places, over such a long period. My own view (having read a couple of the reports yonks ago), was that the decisions were made on an individual, and small group basis. Would decisions have got to the DPP's level?
Though having said that, Musk's statements are so wild that I'm not actually sure what he thinks Starmer did...
Suggestion by Starmer that threats have been made on Phillips.
She has already said she is resigned to death threats for the rest of her life and a man was jailed for threatening the most awful violence at her.
How does he know it is down to Musk ?
It's hard to see Musk as having helped the situation.
Agreed but by the same token you cannot blame Musk for abuse aimed at a politician who gets it regularly.
What would be interesting would be to see if it has increased markedly and if any comes from the US.
Hang on, why can Musk not be blamed for falsely labelling a cabinet minister a "rape genocide apologist"? This is basics of civil society. He is well outside normal bounds.
Your arguing against a point that was not made.
Please don't read this but if you do, here goes.
As usual you are dancing on the head of a pin. Do you not believe if some nutter is listening to Musk calling Phillips " a rape genocide apologist" it is likely to encourage serious threat against against the life of Phillips?
This is Robert Jenrick's response to Musk and what a Tory aide makes of it.
Good to see Streeting, and now Starmer, giving full backing to Jess Phillips, and pointing out her track record in challenging violence against women and girls. But unless I've missed it, Jess herself has not commented on Musk's outrageous description of her as a 'rape genocide apologist' who should be in prison. Maybe she's keeping her powder dry, or consulting lawyers. And Richard Tice refused to condemn Musk's description of Phillips, saying it was just free speech.
I'm all for free speech within the law. But if somebody with a huge platform called me a 'rape genocide apologist' I'd be seeking some sort of redress.
Someone tried that before. Some interesting comments here in the article [edit], though the new Tory law on the net could change things (I don't know if it will or not, it's just something that I wonder about). Edit: if the new legislation is criminal in nature, does it affect the civil law of defamation, for one thing?
Yes, that's interesting. But different. Musk had got into a war of words with the chap in that case, with insults being exchanged. By contrast, I'm not aware of Jess Phillips engaging with Musk.
Good to see Streeting, and now Starmer, giving full backing to Jess Phillips, and pointing out her track record in challenging violence against women and girls. But unless I've missed it, Jess herself has not commented on Musk's outrageous description of her as a 'rape genocide apologist' who should be in prison. Maybe she's keeping her powder dry, or consulting lawyers. And Richard Tice refused to condemn Musk's description of Phillips, saying it was just free speech.
I'm all for free speech within the law. But if somebody with a huge platform called me a 'rape genocide apologist' I'd be seeking some sort of redress.
Someone tried that before. Some interesting comments here in the article [edit], though the new Tory law on the net could change things (I don't know if it will or not, it's just something that I wonder about). Edit: if the new legislation is criminal in nature, does it affect the civil law of defamation, for one thing?
Nice to see a picture of our next Prime Minister in the header.
Bridget or the dog?
If the pooch is anything like the Westie who lives down the road from us ... Walk is a stately progress out and back. Never, ever distracted by actually doing anything (other than the ritual No 1 and No 2 obvs). Totally sedate, will sniff your hand amiably but that's it. Would meet Y Doethur's specification admirably.
Our dog would be the exact opposite. He would be changing policy every 5 minutes. Every single person who meets him says he is the most hyper dog they have met. He just goes bonkers when meeting anyone (in a very friendly way). He also eats anything he can find and is very adept at stealing food. He loves going to the vet even though on a regular basis he is being induced to vomit and spins around the room bouncing off the walls. He is a Sproodle (Springer/Poodle cross).
Some of the things he has eaten or tried to eat are: 1.5kg block of cheese, 250g block of butter, tin foil that had had a cake in it (he pooed sparkling poo for several days), food still in the bag (that was a serious one), a whole bag of potatoes, a regular diet of dead deer (hairy poo) and trying to get a skull and spine off him was a challenge, my wallet, iphone, glasses, binoculars and numerous peoples dinners if they don't put their plate in a safe place when getting up from the table, bowls of peanuts and crisps, etc, etc. He costs a fortune calling the toxic helpline and vets bills and trying to get the food off him when he has it is pretty well impossible
I've said it before and I'll say it again: dogs are idiots.
On reflection, cats are idiots too. But in a much more low-key way. Cats are BETTER idiots.
Yet they carry more political weight than children, I reckon.
For example, there might be a permanent end to Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh because of the impact of fireworks on canine mental health, and there are lobby groups trying to eliminate dog-free play parks.
I also think some elements of access rights/countryside code are weighted far too much in favour of dogs. I was walking in the Lakes and every farmer had put up signs describing how many lambs had been killed/injured, some with graphic imagery. Still had spaniels firing off all over the place.
Eliminating dog-free play parks, now that really is a shite idea (so to speak).
Some of the beaches up here ban dogs for 6 months of the year, from spring into Autumn.
So much for Trump being in charge, might be nearer the mark. It's the old GOP hardliners (and possibly JD Vance) running the show while Musk tweets and Trump... well, Trump does what exactly?
@ydoethur thanks for the header, though I do think it is overly cynical/negative. I don't think 'doing nothing' is a viable option. I think your suggestions about LAs being allowed to set up new schools and (more importantly) take back failing academies/free schools is a good one.
My two pence worth: - An easy win: cut half out of every curriculum. Teach it better by teaching less. Noone is going to leave my classes a worse mathematician because they have seen fewer algorithms but have understood those that they have seen more deeply. - A bigger but worthwhile challenge: reimagine the structure of the school day to make better use of tech and AI. In broad brush strokes: teachers spend more time intervening with small groups to push the edges of their knowledge and less/no time teaching the routine stuff to a whole class. The latter is done more routinely by interactive AI instruction.
Both reflect the realities that more resources (whether teaching staff or money) are likely to come into the profession over the next decade.
I saw Malcolm's post about "toff's children" on the prior thread.
From my friends' experience, privately educated children can have an awful time at school and there are plenty of examples of sexual and physical abuse happening at private schools, as demonstrated by the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry. No money in the world can mitigate being raped as a child.
It's during debates like this that I remember to be grateful for the safe, secure and loving environment I grew up in, cycling to a high-performing state school in a beautiful part of Scotland, and returning to a home full of books, music and great food.
Private education is just education. They get no funding from government so, if an independent school wants to set up - for example, to focus on children with more distinct education needs, or to provide a local better alternative, or deliver to an alternative educational philosophy - they have to charge a fee to be viable.
That fee means - outside a few bursaries and scholarships the school can self-fund for 10-20% of its pupils - parents have to pay. And, alas, not all parents will be able to afford that fee.
That's it. There's no "privilege" outside of that. It's the small, local, independent private schools that will be hit hardest by the VAT/business rate changes, and not the big public schools that educate the very wealthy, that virtually none of us can afford, which is why this policy is so vindictive and insidious.
Depends if you think such families should have given rely on charity or not. There are more SEND kids in the state sector than the private sector, as a proportion, and Labour have increased spending by £1 billion per annum.
Parents should have choice in educating their children and, to the greatest extent possible, I'd like to see this liberated from the ability to pay.
This is why I'd go the other way and support portable education vouchers.
Would those vouchers be £6,200 per year (state) or £15,000 per year (private)?
Either double the education budget or destroy private schools. Tricky decision.
I don't think it's a binary decision.
Bringing the cost of private education down to £8,800 a year would bring it beneath the cost of private nursery education, which 40-50% of parents would be able to afford, as opposed to 15%.
You might say, well, if the very poorest can't also benefit, then how is that fair? But (a) you'd have scholarships and bursaries on top and (b) everyone would still be able to access state "free" schools
Where do you get your figures from on affordability? We couldn't have afforded another £17600 per year (2 children) and I was earning around about the top 10% salary mark at the time. For vouchers to work it has to be enough to go anywhere and there has to be a cap on the maximum institutions can charge. And state schools should get the full voucher value too.
That means quadrupling the education budget. Won't happen. Anything in between just subsidises the well off at the expense of the poor, who will lose out by the absence of middle-class families at their schools, and lead to much greater segregation and inequality of outcome.
Nice to see a picture of our next Prime Minister in the header.
Bridget or the dog?
If the pooch is anything like the Westie who lives down the road from us ... Walk is a stately progress out and back. Never, ever distracted by actually doing anything (other than the ritual No 1 and No 2 obvs). Totally sedate, will sniff your hand amiably but that's it. Would meet Y Doethur's specification admirably.
Our dog would be the exact opposite. He would be changing policy every 5 minutes. Every single person who meets him says he is the most hyper dog they have met. He just goes bonkers when meeting anyone (in a very friendly way). He also eats anything he can find and is very adept at stealing food. He loves going to the vet even though on a regular basis he is being induced to vomit and spins around the room bouncing off the walls. He is a Sproodle (Springer/Poodle cross).
Some of the things he has eaten or tried to eat are: 1.5kg block of cheese, 250g block of butter, tin foil that had had a cake in it (he pooed sparkling poo for several days), food still in the bag (that was a serious one), a whole bag of potatoes, a regular diet of dead deer (hairy poo) and trying to get a skull and spine off him was a challenge, my wallet, iphone, glasses, binoculars and numerous peoples dinners if they don't put their plate in a safe place when getting up from the table, bowls of peanuts and crisps, etc, etc. He costs a fortune calling the toxic helpline and vets bills and trying to get the food off him when he has it is pretty well impossible
I've said it before and I'll say it again: dogs are idiots.
On reflection, cats are idiots too. But in a much more low-key way. Cats are BETTER idiots.
Yet they carry more political weight than children, I reckon.
For example, there might be a permanent end to Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh because of the impact of fireworks on canine mental health, and there are lobby groups trying to eliminate dog-free play parks.
I also think some elements of access rights/countryside code are weighted far too much in favour of dogs. I was walking in the Lakes and every farmer had put up signs describing how many lambs had been killed/injured, some with graphic imagery. Still had spaniels firing off all over the place.
Eliminating dog-free play parks, now that really is a shite idea (so to speak).
Some of the beaches up here ban dogs for 6 months of the year, from spring into Autumn.
Come across that in the south too - Dawlish Warren, Lyme Regis, and so on spring to mind from recent trips.
Wouldn't be an issue if all owners were responsible and cleaned up the dog mess, but sadly they aren't. Was on a Devon beach last August with our dog and there was a group with a couple of dogs chatting. One dog did a poo right in front of them. I had to suggest quite forcibly that they might like to clean it up. I have no doubt that if I had said nothing they would have just left it. I believe in a world where you don't need constant vigilance when walking the streets lest you tread in dog mess. Sadly I don't live in said world because too many people are absolute bell-ends and tools.
Nice to see a picture of our next Prime Minister in the header.
Bridget or the dog?
If the pooch is anything like the Westie who lives down the road from us ... Walk is a stately progress out and back. Never, ever distracted by actually doing anything (other than the ritual No 1 and No 2 obvs). Totally sedate, will sniff your hand amiably but that's it. Would meet Y Doethur's specification admirably.
Our dog would be the exact opposite. He would be changing policy every 5 minutes. Every single person who meets him says he is the most hyper dog they have met. He just goes bonkers when meeting anyone (in a very friendly way). He also eats anything he can find and is very adept at stealing food. He loves going to the vet even though on a regular basis he is being induced to vomit and spins around the room bouncing off the walls. He is a Sproodle (Springer/Poodle cross).
Some of the things he has eaten or tried to eat are: 1.5kg block of cheese, 250g block of butter, tin foil that had had a cake in it (he pooed sparkling poo for several days), food still in the bag (that was a serious one), a whole bag of potatoes, a regular diet of dead deer (hairy poo) and trying to get a skull and spine off him was a challenge, my wallet, iphone, glasses, binoculars and numerous peoples dinners if they don't put their plate in a safe place when getting up from the table, bowls of peanuts and crisps, etc, etc. He costs a fortune calling the toxic helpline and vets bills and trying to get the food off him when he has it is pretty well impossible
Ah, another sproodle owner! Mine is as mad as yours, and equally hyper. No Off button at all, though she has now got used to settling down for a couple of hours while I work. She loves running with me and can cover any distance. Two full days' walking in the Lake District barely tired her out at all, the drive home was enough for her to recover.
She loves everybody, and gets wildly excited at meeting anybody. She is quite needy though, wants a lot of attention and company and follows me round the house like glue (I acquired her at 2 years, and quickly had to teach her that she wasn't allowed in the bathroom or bedroom. Cue whining).
No problem with food though or chewing things (unlike my old cavalier who was always hunting for a week-old chicken bone...).
I would be quite happy meeting you, or indeed any regular Pb-er, but not, please, when you have your dog with you! My family owned a dog when I was very young.... pre-teenage until later teens,..... but I didn't like it jumping up unbidden, and since then I've disliked that habit some dogs have more and more. Mrs C hates it.
Dogs that jump up at people unbidden shouldn't be off the lead in public places.
A politician would never follow advice of not putting things off alone (hence the full quote i suppose). Doing stuff comes with risks, and who wants that?
Of course in reality politicians typically come in 3 varieties - the do nothing people, terrified of cocking up further so just put a plaster on. The tinkerers that you identify like Gove, who do try a bit but usually on small problems (in fairness their boss may not agree to do big stuff). And then the ones who do do big things on big issues, but very badly due to unearned confidence in their abilities.
PB is cynical this morning!
How long since we had an MP who had noted success in turning an organisation around and running it successfully? Let alone a minister?
Farage!
*Part of my strategy to tempt the lefties back by discussing their amazing skills of their favourite political figure.
One of Farage's major problems is that he eventually seems to fall out with everyone he works with.
It just happened much quicker with Musk than usual.
I suspect that isn't Farage's fault. When positioned at that point on the political spectrum and without a far right group to your right you are going to attract a large number of certain people who are then going to come out with some extreme views that he has to distance himself from.
To his credit (yes I know), Farage has always been good at getting rid of people in his organisations who don’t know where to draw the line. Just as UKIP was infiltrated by a number of BNP-types, now Reform has to deal with a bunch of EDL-types.
He’ll be furious at Elon Musk for misunderstanding the differences between the Overton Window in the US and UK, going too far from a position of ignorance, and basically endorsing a man far to Farage’s right who’s currently in prison for contempt of court.
It's also complete nonsense. Farage met Musk once. We were then regaled by PB-shrewdies with tales of how Musk 'held a formal role within Reform' and was calling all the shots. It now turns out that he has no formal role, and doesn't call any shots, but apparently the fact that he's gone sour on Farage is evidence of the latter 'falling out with everyone he works with'. Or perhaps you were just spouting bollocks all along, and now you're adding more bollocks on top.
Between the two of them, Reform-related storylines are dominating the media day after day, despite their just five MPs and wider irrelevance. Which is achievement in itself.
Anyhow, it's good to see that PB is having a balanced and civilised discussion this morning, after the ranting and bigotry on display yesterday evening. I took one look in and disappeared, last night; add me to the list of those who will likely drift away if the forum can't find a way to deal with the obvious problem we have.
Reform might have only five MPs but they chalked up more votes than the LibDems, so declarations of irrelevance need careful qualification.
Lots of helpful suggestions from Musk and Trunp supporters underneath Musk's latest poll
According to "Magavoice", "Britain can become the 53rd state after Canada and Greenland." How on earth did Britain get into a position where a considerable number of people think that these people offer greater "independence" , than the E.U. ?
I saw Malcolm's post about "toff's children" on the prior thread.
From my friends' experience, privately educated children can have an awful time at school and there are plenty of examples of sexual and physical abuse happening at private schools, as demonstrated by the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry. No money in the world can mitigate being raped as a child.
It's during debates like this that I remember to be grateful for the safe, secure and loving environment I grew up in, cycling to a high-performing state school in a beautiful part of Scotland, and returning to a home full of books, music and great food.
Private education is just education. They get no funding from government so, if an independent school wants to set up - for example, to focus on children with more distinct education needs, or to provide a local better alternative, or deliver to an alternative educational philosophy - they have to charge a fee to be viable.
That fee means - outside a few bursaries and scholarships the school can self-fund for 10-20% of its pupils - parents have to pay. And, alas, not all parents will be able to afford that fee.
That's it. There's no "privilege" outside of that. It's the small, local, independent private schools that will be hit hardest by the VAT/business rate changes, and not the big public schools that educate the very wealthy, that virtually none of us can afford, which is why this policy is so vindictive and insidious.
Depends if you think such families should have given rely on charity or not. There are more SEND kids in the state sector than the private sector, as a proportion, and Labour have increased spending by £1 billion per annum.
Parents should have choice in educating their children and, to the greatest extent possible, I'd like to see this liberated from the ability to pay.
This is why I'd go the other way and support portable education vouchers.
Which merely subsidises those who can top them up with there own cash to send their kids to an elite school. Bad policy.
No, if you half the price you more than double those who can access it.
Your logic is the failed logic of putting VAT on school fees to attack privilege, which actually makes it even more privileged.
This is the classic dilemma of taxing luxuries. As true of air passenger duty or gas guzzling SUVs as it is of private education. It raises the price, which makes the luxury even more exclusive.
It's a tricky dilemma with no perfect answer. Other countries simply don't have the same two tier schooling system that we do, and I think most people would much prefer a situation where 95%+ of pupils make use of state education and private provision is more niche (for religion, or special needs, or musical geniuses etc), but getting from here to there is extremely difficult.
I'd prefer to blur the lines between private and state provision, but then that's because I'm a centrist (literal) dad. The private sector has huge resources and expertise which cannot simply be syphoned into the state sector by pricing parents out, but there need to be options out there that are less ruinously expensive than the current set up.
My daughter is sitting an entrance exam today (my son is in upper sixth at a private school) so we are on the cusp of renewing that eye-watering cost for another 7 years.
Also and btw I actually agree the site has become more anguished and polarised of late. But I don’t believe this is because of any one poster, eg me, much as I would like to be that important. I’m simply not
Fact is
1. The news is dominated by a particularly unpleasant story, that affects us 2. British politics itself is becoming more polarised: cf the rise of Reform (mirroring politics elsewhere in the west). Again we exhibit that 3. A lot of PB lefties, it turns out, really can’t cope with the criticism that comes with governance, as against the joys of oppositional carping. This is not helped by the new Labour government being so obviously shite, and difficult to defend
(Edit) Even *if* Musk has a point about Starmer's involvement in the cases as DPP....
*If* you believe that, Musk has won.
I don't believe it. I haven't looked into it, but you would have to be quite a puppeteer to arrange things at such low levels, in so many places, over such a long period. My own view (having read a couple of the reports yonks ago), was that the decisions were made on an individual, and small group basis. Would decisions have got to the DPP's level?
Though having said that, Musk's statements are so wild that I'm not actually sure what he thinks Starmer did...
Suggestion by Starmer that threats have been made on Phillips.
She has already said she is resigned to death threats for the rest of her life and a man was jailed for threatening the most awful violence at her.
How does he know it is down to Musk ?
It's hard to see Musk as having helped the situation.
Agreed but by the same token you cannot blame Musk for abuse aimed at a politician who gets it regularly.
What would be interesting would be to see if it has increased markedly and if any comes from the US.
It doesn't have to come from the US.
She is more likely to be assassinated by an outraged Brummie than a US citizen who is outraged at Phillips after reading Liz Truss's response to Musk's lie
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss wrote, "This is Jess Phillips, the same Home Office Minister who excused masked Islamist thugs".
I saw you ranting about me earlier. I just want to point out that 1. I was absent for at least two weeks over Christmas, during which you all managed to have a bitter row about gangs by yourselves (so it’s really not me). 2. I’m not even allowed to mention “that thing” so I can hardly “bang on” about it and 3. I’m a MEMBER of the Groucho, not a guest
Thanks
There were a few family punch ups but it was a lot more agreeable on here over Christmas. I knew point 3 would wind you the f*** up. Over and out.
A politician would never follow advice of not putting things off alone (hence the full quote i suppose). Doing stuff comes with risks, and who wants that?
Of course in reality politicians typically come in 3 varieties - the do nothing people, terrified of cocking up further so just put a plaster on. The tinkerers that you identify like Gove, who do try a bit but usually on small problems (in fairness their boss may not agree to do big stuff). And then the ones who do do big things on big issues, but very badly due to unearned confidence in their abilities.
PB is cynical this morning!
How long since we had an MP who had noted success in turning an organisation around and running it successfully? Let alone a minister?
Farage!
*Part of my strategy to tempt the lefties back by discussing their amazing skills of their favourite political figure.
One of Farage's major problems is that he eventually seems to fall out with everyone he works with.
It just happened much quicker with Musk than usual.
True, that is very much his M.O. but in this case I think it is understandable given Musk continues to support Robinson and has said Farage needs to be replaced.
Also, Musk doesn't exactly have a tip-top record on the "maintaining long-term working relationships" front.
Doesn't he? Gwynne Shotwell's been running SpaceX for him for at least two decades, and AIUI there are a fair few senior Tesla people who have been there for yonks.
Though the way he treated his secretary was awful, and perhaps the start of his descent into madness.
This is my pet theory of the week... Musk is possibly suffering some sort of mental illness. I hope he gets appropriate treatment.
One prominent PBer speculated about illicit pharmaceuticals on top.
Lots of helpful suggestions from Musk and Trunp supporters underneath Musk's latest poll
According to "Magavoice", "Britain can become the 53rd state after Canada and Greenland." How on earth did Britain get into a position where a considerable number of people think that these people offer greater "independence" , than the E.U. ?
Numerically (and culturally) the UK would carry more weight as a US state than as a member of the EU.
Lots of helpful suggestions from Musk and Trunp supporters underneath Musk's latest poll
According to "Magavoice", "Britain can become the 53rd state after Canada and Greenland." How on earth did Britain get into a position where a considerable number of people think that these people offer greater "independence" , than the E.U. ?
Numerically (and culturally) the UK would carry more weight as a US state than as a member of the EU.
Yeah, but no-one sane would want us to join up with the nutters over in the USA. Would you?
(Edit) Even *if* Musk has a point about Starmer's involvement in the cases as DPP....
*If* you believe that, Musk has won.
I don't believe it. I haven't looked into it, but you would have to be quite a puppeteer to arrange things at such low levels, in so many places, over such a long period. My own view (having read a couple of the reports yonks ago), was that the decisions were made on an individual, and small group basis. Would decisions have got to the DPP's level?
Though having said that, Musk's statements are so wild that I'm not actually sure what he thinks Starmer did...
Suggestion by Starmer that threats have been made on Phillips.
She has already said she is resigned to death threats for the rest of her life and a man was jailed for threatening the most awful violence at her.
How does he know it is down to Musk ?
It's hard to see Musk as having helped the situation.
Agreed but by the same token you cannot blame Musk for abuse aimed at a politician who gets it regularly.
What would be interesting would be to see if it has increased markedly and if any comes from the US.
It doesn't have to come from the US.
She is more likely to be assassinated by an outraged Brummie than a US citizen who is outraged at Phillips after reading Liz Truss's response to Musk's lie
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss wrote, "This is Jess Phillips, the same Home Office Minister who excused masked Islamist thugs".
I saw you ranting about me earlier. I just want to point out that 1. I was absent for at least two weeks over Christmas, during which you all managed to have a bitter row about gangs by yourselves (so it’s really not me). 2. I’m not even allowed to mention “that thing” so I can hardly “bang on” about it and 3. I’m a MEMBER of the Groucho, not a guest
Thanks
There were a few family punch ups but it was a lot more agreeable on here over Christmas. I knew point 3 would wind you the f*** up. Over and out.
I’m not remotely wound up. I’m trying to calm you down
Nice to see a picture of our next Prime Minister in the header.
Bridget or the dog?
If the pooch is anything like the Westie who lives down the road from us ... Walk is a stately progress out and back. Never, ever distracted by actually doing anything (other than the ritual No 1 and No 2 obvs). Totally sedate, will sniff your hand amiably but that's it. Would meet Y Doethur's specification admirably.
Our dog would be the exact opposite. He would be changing policy every 5 minutes. Every single person who meets him says he is the most hyper dog they have met. He just goes bonkers when meeting anyone (in a very friendly way). He also eats anything he can find and is very adept at stealing food. He loves going to the vet even though on a regular basis he is being induced to vomit and spins around the room bouncing off the walls. He is a Sproodle (Springer/Poodle cross).
Some of the things he has eaten or tried to eat are: 1.5kg block of cheese, 250g block of butter, tin foil that had had a cake in it (he pooed sparkling poo for several days), food still in the bag (that was a serious one), a whole bag of potatoes, a regular diet of dead deer (hairy poo) and trying to get a skull and spine off him was a challenge, my wallet, iphone, glasses, binoculars and numerous peoples dinners if they don't put their plate in a safe place when getting up from the table, bowls of peanuts and crisps, etc, etc. He costs a fortune calling the toxic helpline and vets bills and trying to get the food off him when he has it is pretty well impossible
I've said it before and I'll say it again: dogs are idiots.
On reflection, cats are idiots too. But in a much more low-key way. Cats are BETTER idiots.
Yet they carry more political weight than children, I reckon.
For example, there might be a permanent end to Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh because of the impact of fireworks on canine mental health, and there are lobby groups trying to eliminate dog-free play parks.
I also think some elements of access rights/countryside code are weighted far too much in favour of dogs. I was walking in the Lakes and every farmer had put up signs describing how many lambs had been killed/injured, some with graphic imagery. Still had spaniels firing off all over the place.
There’s definitely been an increase in people who have no idea how to control a dog - or even a desire to control their dog.
I’m reminded of the fool, years back. He had his dog off the lead, and it started harassing the horses we were riding. One of the horses gave it a stable yard tap. He seemed to think it outrageous and actually got violent.
We are a misanthropic country: we founded the RSPCA decades before the NSPCC. We love animals and hate kids.
People tend to assume that if you don't like their dog, or it doesn't like you, then you're the one with the problem.
Also and btw I actually agree the site has become more anguished and polarised of late. But I don’t believe this is because of any one poster, eg me, much as I would like to be that important. I’m simply not
Fact is
1. The news is dominated by a particularly unpleasant story, that affects us 2. British politics itself is becoming more polarised: cf the rise of Reform (mirroring politics elsewhere in the west). Again we exhibit that 3. A lot of PB lefties, it turns out, really can’t cope with the criticism that comes with governance, as against the joys of oppositional carping. This is not helped by the new Labour government being so obviously shite, and difficult to defend
That’s it. That’s what’s happening
Although the drones drama flap seems to be subsiding, like all flaps do. BTW are you expecting Steven Greer to be right about disclosure within weeks? Seems rather unlikely...
Lots of helpful suggestions from Musk and Trunp supporters underneath Musk's latest poll
According to "Magavoice", "Britain can become the 53rd state after Canada and Greenland." How on earth did Britain get into a position where a considerable number of people think that these people offer greater "independence" , than the E.U. ?
Numerically (and culturally) the UK would carry more weight as a US state than as a member of the EU.
Just the slight issue of much less governmental autonomy, ofcourse
Lots of helpful suggestions from Musk and Trunp supporters underneath Musk's latest poll
According to "Magavoice", "Britain can become the 53rd state after Canada and Greenland." How on earth did Britain get into a position where a considerable number of people think that these people offer greater "independence" , than the E.U. ?
Greenland has a tenth of the population of the smallest current US state. It would end up with a very disproportionate influence in the Senate.
Good to see Streeting, and now Starmer, giving full backing to Jess Phillips, and pointing out her track record in challenging violence against women and girls. But unless I've missed it, Jess herself has not commented on Musk's outrageous description of her as a 'rape genocide apologist' who should be in prison. Maybe she's keeping her powder dry, or consulting lawyers. And Richard Tice refused to condemn Musk's description of Phillips, saying it was just free speech.
I'm all for free speech within the law. But if somebody with a huge platform called me a 'rape genocide apologist' I'd be seeking some sort of redress.
Someone tried that before. Some interesting comments here in the article [edit], though the new Tory law on the net could change things (I don't know if it will or not, it's just something that I wonder about). Edit: if the new legislation is criminal in nature, does it affect the civil law of defamation, for one thing?
It’s much easier to sue someone for libel in the UK than in the US.
England, certainly, but I'm not sure if that is simply the London libel tourist thing, or if there are significant differences in law with Scotland (which has changed its defamation law a fair bit of late).
(Edit) Even *if* Musk has a point about Starmer's involvement in the cases as DPP....
*If* you believe that, Musk has won.
I don't believe it. I haven't looked into it, but you would have to be quite a puppeteer to arrange things at such low levels, in so many places, over such a long period. My own view (having read a couple of the reports yonks ago), was that the decisions were made on an individual, and small group basis. Would decisions have got to the DPP's level?
Though having said that, Musk's statements are so wild that I'm not actually sure what he thinks Starmer did...
Suggestion by Starmer that threats have been made on Phillips.
She has already said she is resigned to death threats for the rest of her life and a man was jailed for threatening the most awful violence at her.
How does he know it is down to Musk ?
It's hard to see Musk as having helped the situation.
Agreed but by the same token you cannot blame Musk for abuse aimed at a politician who gets it regularly.
What would be interesting would be to see if it has increased markedly and if any comes from the US.
It doesn't have to come from the US.
She is more likely to be assassinated by an outraged Brummie than a US citizen who is outraged at Phillips after reading Liz Truss's response to Musk's lie
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss wrote, "This is Jess Phillips, the same Home Office Minister who excused masked Islamist thugs".
I saw you ranting about me earlier. I just want to point out that 1. I was absent for at least two weeks over Christmas, during which you all managed to have a bitter row about gangs by yourselves (so it’s really not me). 2. I’m not even allowed to mention “that thing” so I can hardly “bang on” about it and 3. I’m a MEMBER of the Groucho, not a guest
Thanks
There were a few family punch ups but it was a lot more agreeable on here over Christmas. I knew point 3 would wind you the f*** up. Over and out.
I’m not remotely wound up. I’m trying to calm you down
Lots of helpful suggestions from Musk and Trunp supporters underneath Musk's latest poll
According to "Magavoice", "Britain can become the 53rd state after Canada and Greenland." How on earth did Britain get into a position where a considerable number of people think that these people offer greater "independence" , than the E.U. ?
Numerically (and culturally) the UK would carry more weight as a US state than as a member of the EU.
Yeah, but no-one sane would want us to join up with the nutters over in the USA. Would you?
A lot of people in the UK (or England, anyway) do seem to have an ease with the idea of merging identity with America. I discovered that, to my surprise, during the Brexit referendum. I recall a conversation with a client while sitting outside a bar in Chicago, a month before the vote. He said "look around you, this place is so much more familiar and like home than some European city". And I looked around me and thought "no it's not, it seems incredibly exotic and foreign to me".
There were always some who saw leaving the EU as an opportunity to get closer to the US (including politicians who hankered after joining NAFTA), another example of it being more about choosing between two imperial identities than sovereignty per se.
Lots of helpful suggestions from Musk and Trunp supporters underneath Musk's latest poll
According to "Magavoice", "Britain can become the 53rd state after Canada and Greenland." How on earth did Britain get into a position where a considerable number of people think that these people offer greater "independence" , than the E.U. ?
Numerically (and culturally) the UK would carry more weight as a US state than as a member of the EU.
Just the slight issue of much less governmental autonomy, ofcourse
Our US government would be the most autonomous in the world. Keir Starmer could leverage his position as Governor of Britain to run for president.
(Edit) Even *if* Musk has a point about Starmer's involvement in the cases as DPP....
*If* you believe that, Musk has won.
I don't believe it. I haven't looked into it, but you would have to be quite a puppeteer to arrange things at such low levels, in so many places, over such a long period. My own view (having read a couple of the reports yonks ago), was that the decisions were made on an individual, and small group basis. Would decisions have got to the DPP's level?
Though having said that, Musk's statements are so wild that I'm not actually sure what he thinks Starmer did...
Suggestion by Starmer that threats have been made on Phillips.
She has already said she is resigned to death threats for the rest of her life and a man was jailed for threatening the most awful violence at her.
How does he know it is down to Musk ?
It's hard to see Musk as having helped the situation.
Agreed but by the same token you cannot blame Musk for abuse aimed at a politician who gets it regularly.
What would be interesting would be to see if it has increased markedly and if any comes from the US.
It doesn't have to come from the US.
I never said it had to, I just said it would be interesting to see if it had.
Nice to see a picture of our next Prime Minister in the header.
Bridget or the dog?
If the pooch is anything like the Westie who lives down the road from us ... Walk is a stately progress out and back. Never, ever distracted by actually doing anything (other than the ritual No 1 and No 2 obvs). Totally sedate, will sniff your hand amiably but that's it. Would meet Y Doethur's specification admirably.
Our dog would be the exact opposite. He would be changing policy every 5 minutes. Every single person who meets him says he is the most hyper dog they have met. He just goes bonkers when meeting anyone (in a very friendly way). He also eats anything he can find and is very adept at stealing food. He loves going to the vet even though on a regular basis he is being induced to vomit and spins around the room bouncing off the walls. He is a Sproodle (Springer/Poodle cross).
Some of the things he has eaten or tried to eat are: 1.5kg block of cheese, 250g block of butter, tin foil that had had a cake in it (he pooed sparkling poo for several days), food still in the bag (that was a serious one), a whole bag of potatoes, a regular diet of dead deer (hairy poo) and trying to get a skull and spine off him was a challenge, my wallet, iphone, glasses, binoculars and numerous peoples dinners if they don't put their plate in a safe place when getting up from the table, bowls of peanuts and crisps, etc, etc. He costs a fortune calling the toxic helpline and vets bills and trying to get the food off him when he has it is pretty well impossible
I've said it before and I'll say it again: dogs are idiots.
On reflection, cats are idiots too. But in a much more low-key way. Cats are BETTER idiots.
Yet they carry more political weight than children, I reckon.
For example, there might be a permanent end to Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh because of the impact of fireworks on canine mental health, and there are lobby groups trying to eliminate dog-free play parks.
I also think some elements of access rights/countryside code are weighted far too much in favour of dogs. I was walking in the Lakes and every farmer had put up signs describing how many lambs had been killed/injured, some with graphic imagery. Still had spaniels firing off all over the place.
Eliminating dog-free play parks, now that really is a shite idea (so to speak).
The eventual result is that the play park gets removed by a nervous council, worried about poisonings and attacks. One councillor I spoke with pointed out that the new 5ft fences around them are for keeping dogs out, not for keeping toddlers in.
@ydoethur thanks for the header, though I do think it is overly cynical/negative. I don't think 'doing nothing' is a viable option. I think your suggestions about LAs being allowed to set up new schools and (more importantly) take back failing academies/free schools is a good one.
My two pence worth: - An easy win: cut half out of every curriculum. Teach it better by teaching less. Noone is going to leave my classes a worse mathematician because they have seen fewer algorithms but have understood those that they have seen more deeply. - A bigger but worthwhile challenge: reimagine the structure of the school day to make better use of tech and AI. In broad brush strokes: teachers spend more time intervening with small groups to push the edges of their knowledge and less/no time teaching the routine stuff to a whole class. The latter is done more routinely by interactive AI instruction.
Both reflect the realities that more resources (whether teaching staff or money) are likely to come into the profession over the next decade.
What kid will respond well to being taught by AI?
Oops my last paragraph should have said no more resources will come in!
As to your question: It already happens at the margins, especially in maths.
It doesn't feel like you are being taught by an AI; it is more that behind the scenes every answer you input is analysed (is it correct, how fast did you answer etc) to determine the appropriate level of challenge for the next question.
Student experience (in my imagined world) would be a desk made of the same stuff kindle screens are made of*; they can choose which subject to study when, but are reminded (and eventually forced through restrictions on what else they can do) to do a minimum requirement of eg maths and English. They are regularly rewarded for focus and effort and, most importantly, there is real-time monitoring of every student's engagement which helps the teacher to decide where and how to intervene.
For most kids, this will be more engaging than sitting in my maths lesson doing trigonometry again because that's what's been timetabled. Our current school system is woefully inflexible given the tech available to us.
*I realise of course that this bit wouldn't be free. Or even cheap.
Also and btw I actually agree the site has become more anguished and polarised of late. But I don’t believe this is because of any one poster, eg me, much as I would like to be that important. I’m simply not
Fact is
1. The news is dominated by a particularly unpleasant story, that affects us 2. British politics itself is becoming more polarised: cf the rise of Reform (mirroring politics elsewhere in the west). Again we exhibit that 3. A lot of PB lefties, it turns out, really can’t cope with the criticism that comes with governance, as against the joys of oppositional carping. This is not helped by the new Labour government being so obviously shite, and difficult to defend
That’s it. That’s what’s happening
Although the drones drama flap seems to be subsiding, like all flaps do. BTW are you expecting Steven Greer to be right about disclosure within weeks? Seems rather unlikely...
It’s morphing rather than dying out. Did you see the reports from Denmark? And the NYC police saying “yes there are drones, we’re not sure who’s doing it”?
I’m not saying you’re wrong. Perhaps this is a NEW kind of flap, in the age of social media
Frankly, I don’t expect Disclosure
I am however drawn to Terence McKenna’s prediction - decades old - that we are entering “the Age of Weirdness”
Lots of helpful suggestions from Musk and Trunp supporters underneath Musk's latest poll
According to "Magavoice", "Britain can become the 53rd state after Canada and Greenland." How on earth did Britain get into a position where a considerable number of people think that these people offer greater "independence" , than the E.U. ?
Greenland has a tenth of the population of the smallest current US state. It would end up with a very disproportionate influence in the Senate.
No, not really. The opposite, as they would get two US Senators. Different in the House where representation reflects population.
Nice to see a picture of our next Prime Minister in the header.
Bridget or the dog?
If the pooch is anything like the Westie who lives down the road from us ... Walk is a stately progress out and back. Never, ever distracted by actually doing anything (other than the ritual No 1 and No 2 obvs). Totally sedate, will sniff your hand amiably but that's it. Would meet Y Doethur's specification admirably.
Our dog would be the exact opposite. He would be changing policy every 5 minutes. Every single person who meets him says he is the most hyper dog they have met. He just goes bonkers when meeting anyone (in a very friendly way). He also eats anything he can find and is very adept at stealing food. He loves going to the vet even though on a regular basis he is being induced to vomit and spins around the room bouncing off the walls. He is a Sproodle (Springer/Poodle cross).
Some of the things he has eaten or tried to eat are: 1.5kg block of cheese, 250g block of butter, tin foil that had had a cake in it (he pooed sparkling poo for several days), food still in the bag (that was a serious one), a whole bag of potatoes, a regular diet of dead deer (hairy poo) and trying to get a skull and spine off him was a challenge, my wallet, iphone, glasses, binoculars and numerous peoples dinners if they don't put their plate in a safe place when getting up from the table, bowls of peanuts and crisps, etc, etc. He costs a fortune calling the toxic helpline and vets bills and trying to get the food off him when he has it is pretty well impossible
I've said it before and I'll say it again: dogs are idiots.
On reflection, cats are idiots too. But in a much more low-key way. Cats are BETTER idiots.
Yet they carry more political weight than children, I reckon.
For example, there might be a permanent end to Hogmanay celebrations in Edinburgh because of the impact of fireworks on canine mental health, and there are lobby groups trying to eliminate dog-free play parks.
I also think some elements of access rights/countryside code are weighted far too much in favour of dogs. I was walking in the Lakes and every farmer had put up signs describing how many lambs had been killed/injured, some with graphic imagery. Still had spaniels firing off all over the place.
There’s definitely been an increase in people who have no idea how to control a dog - or even a desire to control their dog.
I’m reminded of the fool, years back. He had his dog off the lead, and it started harassing the horses we were riding. One of the horses gave it a stable yard tap. He seemed to think it outrageous and actually got violent.
We are a misanthropic country: we founded the RSPCA decades before the NSPCC. We love animals and hate kids.
People tend to assume that if you don't like their dog, or it doesn't like you, then you're the one with the problem.
Every year we open up our house and garden for the local Open Studios, which my wife runs. Last year it was wet and people were inevitably treading a bit of mud into the house and up the stairs. But one art lover decided it was fair game to bring in her bedraggled, muddy dog and allow it to sit on our sofa, which it left practically ruined. When one of the organisers asked her to remove it she reacted as if some fundamental human right was being infringed. Dog owner entitlement is absolutely a thing.
(Edit) Even *if* Musk has a point about Starmer's involvement in the cases as DPP....
*If* you believe that, Musk has won.
I don't believe it. I haven't looked into it, but you would have to be quite a puppeteer to arrange things at such low levels, in so many places, over such a long period. My own view (having read a couple of the reports yonks ago), was that the decisions were made on an individual, and small group basis. Would decisions have got to the DPP's level?
Though having said that, Musk's statements are so wild that I'm not actually sure what he thinks Starmer did...
Suggestion by Starmer that threats have been made on Phillips.
She has already said she is resigned to death threats for the rest of her life and a man was jailed for threatening the most awful violence at her.
How does he know it is down to Musk ?
It's hard to see Musk as having helped the situation.
Agreed but by the same token you cannot blame Musk for abuse aimed at a politician who gets it regularly.
What would be interesting would be to see if it has increased markedly and if any comes from the US.
It doesn't have to come from the US.
She is more likely to be assassinated by an outraged Brummie than a US citizen who is outraged at Phillips after reading Liz Truss's response to Musk's lie
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss wrote, "This is Jess Phillips, the same Home Office Minister who excused masked Islamist thugs".
I saw you ranting about me earlier. I just want to point out that 1. I was absent for at least two weeks over Christmas, during which you all managed to have a bitter row about gangs by yourselves (so it’s really not me). 2. I’m not even allowed to mention “that thing” so I can hardly “bang on” about it and 3. I’m a MEMBER of the Groucho, not a guest
Thanks
There were a few family punch ups but it was a lot more agreeable on here over Christmas. I knew point 3 would wind you the f*** up. Over and out.
I’m not remotely wound up. I’m trying to calm you down
Nah, you're just a narcissistic wind-up merchant.
Did you notice the capitals? Did you notice Leon was shouting? "I'm a MEMBER of the Groucho, not a guest" spat out the outraged Leon.
(Edit) Even *if* Musk has a point about Starmer's involvement in the cases as DPP....
*If* you believe that, Musk has won.
I don't believe it. I haven't looked into it, but you would have to be quite a puppeteer to arrange things at such low levels, in so many places, over such a long period. My own view (having read a couple of the reports yonks ago), was that the decisions were made on an individual, and small group basis. Would decisions have got to the DPP's level?
Though having said that, Musk's statements are so wild that I'm not actually sure what he thinks Starmer did...
Suggestion by Starmer that threats have been made on Phillips.
She has already said she is resigned to death threats for the rest of her life and a man was jailed for threatening the most awful violence at her.
How does he know it is down to Musk ?
It's hard to see Musk as having helped the situation.
Agreed but by the same token you cannot blame Musk for abuse aimed at a politician who gets it regularly.
What would be interesting would be to see if it has increased markedly and if any comes from the US.
It doesn't have to come from the US.
She is more likely to be assassinated by an outraged Brummie than a US citizen who is outraged at Phillips after reading Liz Truss's response to Musk's lie
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss wrote, "This is Jess Phillips, the same Home Office Minister who excused masked Islamist thugs".
I saw you ranting about me earlier. I just want to point out that 1. I was absent for at least two weeks over Christmas, during which you all managed to have a bitter row about gangs by yourselves (so it’s really not me). 2. I’m not even allowed to mention “that thing” so I can hardly “bang on” about it and 3. I’m a MEMBER of the Groucho, not a guest
Thanks
There were a few family punch ups but it was a lot more agreeable on here over Christmas. I knew point 3 would wind you the f*** up. Over and out.
I’m not remotely wound up. I’m trying to calm you down
Nah, you're just a narcissistic wind-up merchant.
That’s clearly true, but I am ALSO trying to calm down @Mexicanpete
@mikeysmith · 48m Suspect Keir Starmer’s insistence on continuing to call it “Twitter” will be as infuriating to Musk as anything he said today.
Proper microaggression.
I thought that last night. It's bound to irritate the hell out of Musk
I'm with SKS here. 98% of the time, changing the name of a thing - whether that is a company, a pub, a sports team, a product, a stadium - is the wrong decision. The only name changes I will accept are upon marriage.
I saw Malcolm's post about "toff's children" on the prior thread.
From my friends' experience, privately educated children can have an awful time at school and there are plenty of examples of sexual and physical abuse happening at private schools, as demonstrated by the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry. No money in the world can mitigate being raped as a child.
It's during debates like this that I remember to be grateful for the safe, secure and loving environment I grew up in, cycling to a high-performing state school in a beautiful part of Scotland, and returning to a home full of books, music and great food.
Private education is just education. They get no funding from government so, if an independent school wants to set up - for example, to focus on children with more distinct education needs, or to provide a local better alternative, or deliver to an alternative educational philosophy - they have to charge a fee to be viable.
That fee means - outside a few bursaries and scholarships the school can self-fund for 10-20% of its pupils - parents have to pay. And, alas, not all parents will be able to afford that fee.
That's it. There's no "privilege" outside of that. It's the small, local, independent private schools that will be hit hardest by the VAT/business rate changes, and not the big public schools that educate the very wealthy, that virtually none of us can afford, which is why this policy is so vindictive and insidious.
Depends if you think such families should have given rely on charity or not. There are more SEND kids in the state sector than the private sector, as a proportion, and Labour have increased spending by £1 billion per annum.
Parents should have choice in educating their children and, to the greatest extent possible, I'd like to see this liberated from the ability to pay.
This is why I'd go the other way and support portable education vouchers.
Which merely subsidises those who can top them up with there own cash to send their kids to an elite school. Bad policy.
No, if you half the price you more than double those who can access it.
Your logic is the failed logic of putting VAT on school fees to attack privilege, which actually makes it even more privileged.
This is the classic dilemma of taxing luxuries. As true of air passenger duty or gas guzzling SUVs as it is of private education. It raises the price, which makes the luxury even more exclusive.
It's a tricky dilemma with no perfect answer. Other countries simply don't have the same two tier schooling system that we do, and I think most people would much prefer a situation where 95%+ of pupils make use of state education and private provision is more niche (for religion, or special needs, or musical geniuses etc), but getting from here to there is extremely difficult.
I'd prefer to blur the lines between private and state provision, but then that's because I'm a centrist (literal) dad. The private sector has huge resources and expertise which cannot simply be syphoned into the state sector by pricing parents out, but there need to be options out there that are less ruinously expensive than the current set up.
My daughter is sitting an entrance exam today (my son is in upper sixth at a private school) so we are on the cusp of renewing that eye-watering cost for another 7 years.
Agreed, and I'd say that I don't see it as a luxury.
Luxury is about self-indulgence, whereas education is a public good - and that applies even when it's not you directly.
(Edit) Even *if* Musk has a point about Starmer's involvement in the cases as DPP....
*If* you believe that, Musk has won.
I don't believe it. I haven't looked into it, but you would have to be quite a puppeteer to arrange things at such low levels, in so many places, over such a long period. My own view (having read a couple of the reports yonks ago), was that the decisions were made on an individual, and small group basis. Would decisions have got to the DPP's level?
Though having said that, Musk's statements are so wild that I'm not actually sure what he thinks Starmer did...
Suggestion by Starmer that threats have been made on Phillips.
She has already said she is resigned to death threats for the rest of her life and a man was jailed for threatening the most awful violence at her.
How does he know it is down to Musk ?
It's hard to see Musk as having helped the situation.
Agreed but by the same token you cannot blame Musk for abuse aimed at a politician who gets it regularly.
What would be interesting would be to see if it has increased markedly and if any comes from the US.
It doesn't have to come from the US.
She is more likely to be assassinated by an outraged Brummie than a US citizen who is outraged at Phillips after reading Liz Truss's response to Musk's lie
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss wrote, "This is Jess Phillips, the same Home Office Minister who excused masked Islamist thugs".
I saw you ranting about me earlier. I just want to point out that 1. I was absent for at least two weeks over Christmas, during which you all managed to have a bitter row about gangs by yourselves (so it’s really not me). 2. I’m not even allowed to mention “that thing” so I can hardly “bang on” about it and 3. I’m a MEMBER of the Groucho, not a guest
Thanks
There were a few family punch ups but it was a lot more agreeable on here over Christmas. I knew point 3 would wind you the f*** up. Over and out.
I’m not remotely wound up. I’m trying to calm you down
Nah, you're just a narcissistic wind-up merchant.
That’s clearly true, but I am ALSO trying to calm down @Mexicanpete
Nah, you're not
He gets off on needling you for some reason and you like giving it back. Not in the way Ishmael used to needled people. He was just a bludgeon. Mexican is not a rapier but also not a bludgeon. Somewhere in between. A fish knife ?
@ydoethur thanks for the header, though I do think it is overly cynical/negative. I don't think 'doing nothing' is a viable option. I think your suggestions about LAs being allowed to set up new schools and (more importantly) take back failing academies/free schools is a good one.
My two pence worth: - An easy win: cut half out of every curriculum. Teach it better by teaching less. Noone is going to leave my classes a worse mathematician because they have seen fewer algorithms but have understood those that they have seen more deeply. - A bigger but worthwhile challenge: reimagine the structure of the school day to make better use of tech and AI. In broad brush strokes: teachers spend more time intervening with small groups to push the edges of their knowledge and less/no time teaching the routine stuff to a whole class. The latter is done more routinely by interactive AI instruction.
Both reflect the realities that more resources (whether teaching staff or money) are likely to come into the profession over the next decade.
What kid will respond well to being taught by AI?
Oops my last paragraph should have said no more resources will come in!
As to your question: It already happens at the margins, especially in maths.
It doesn't feel like you are being taught by an AI; it is more that behind the scenes every answer you input is analysed (is it correct, how fast did you answer etc) to determine the appropriate level of challenge for the next question.
Student experience (in my imagined world) would be a desk made of the same stuff kindle screens are made of*; they can choose which subject to study when, but are reminded (and eventually forced through restrictions on what else they can do) to do a minimum requirement of eg maths and English. They are regularly rewarded for focus and effort and, most importantly, there is real-time monitoring of every student's engagement which helps the teacher to decide where and how to intervene.
For most kids, this will be more engaging than sitting in my maths lesson doing trigonometry again because that's what's been timetabled. Our current school system is woefully inflexible given the tech available to us.
*I realise of course that this bit wouldn't be free. Or even cheap.
(Edit) Even *if* Musk has a point about Starmer's involvement in the cases as DPP....
*If* you believe that, Musk has won.
I don't believe it. I haven't looked into it, but you would have to be quite a puppeteer to arrange things at such low levels, in so many places, over such a long period. My own view (having read a couple of the reports yonks ago), was that the decisions were made on an individual, and small group basis. Would decisions have got to the DPP's level?
Though having said that, Musk's statements are so wild that I'm not actually sure what he thinks Starmer did...
Suggestion by Starmer that threats have been made on Phillips.
She has already said she is resigned to death threats for the rest of her life and a man was jailed for threatening the most awful violence at her.
How does he know it is down to Musk ?
It's hard to see Musk as having helped the situation.
Agreed but by the same token you cannot blame Musk for abuse aimed at a politician who gets it regularly.
What would be interesting would be to see if it has increased markedly and if any comes from the US.
It doesn't have to come from the US.
She is more likely to be assassinated by an outraged Brummie than a US citizen who is outraged at Phillips after reading Liz Truss's response to Musk's lie
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss wrote, "This is Jess Phillips, the same Home Office Minister who excused masked Islamist thugs".
I saw you ranting about me earlier. I just want to point out that 1. I was absent for at least two weeks over Christmas, during which you all managed to have a bitter row about gangs by yourselves (so it’s really not me). 2. I’m not even allowed to mention “that thing” so I can hardly “bang on” about it and 3. I’m a MEMBER of the Groucho, not a guest
Thanks
There were a few family punch ups but it was a lot more agreeable on here over Christmas. I knew point 3 would wind you the f*** up. Over and out.
I’m not remotely wound up. I’m trying to calm you down
Nah, you're just a narcissistic wind-up merchant.
That’s clearly true, but I am ALSO trying to calm down @Mexicanpete
I somehow doubt you have ever gone anywhere and calmed anything down. I'm just glad you never tried bomb-disposal or hostage negotiation as careers...
Isn't that because of the alleged smears? It was a standard RN practice to demand a court martial if someone accused you of cowardice in the face of the enemy, etc.
In typically temperate and moderate fashion, Captain Lord Cochrane loudly expressed the view that his commander, Admiral Lord Gambier, should be shot for cowardice, after the Battle of Basque Roads, in 1809. Gambier demanded a court martial, which exonerated him, largely because Cochrane was so over the top in his criticisms.
Most historians think that Gambier fought incompetently, but was no coward, and would simply have been shunted into retirement, had Cochrane been more temperate.
Cochrane is one of those fantastic figures (like Brigdier Etienne Dulong, or Maria Theresa), whose lives read like a far-fetched historical novel.
I saw Malcolm's post about "toff's children" on the prior thread.
From my friends' experience, privately educated children can have an awful time at school and there are plenty of examples of sexual and physical abuse happening at private schools, as demonstrated by the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry. No money in the world can mitigate being raped as a child.
It's during debates like this that I remember to be grateful for the safe, secure and loving environment I grew up in, cycling to a high-performing state school in a beautiful part of Scotland, and returning to a home full of books, music and great food.
Private education is just education. They get no funding from government so, if an independent school wants to set up - for example, to focus on children with more distinct education needs, or to provide a local better alternative, or deliver to an alternative educational philosophy - they have to charge a fee to be viable.
That fee means - outside a few bursaries and scholarships the school can self-fund for 10-20% of its pupils - parents have to pay. And, alas, not all parents will be able to afford that fee.
That's it. There's no "privilege" outside of that. It's the small, local, independent private schools that will be hit hardest by the VAT/business rate changes, and not the big public schools that educate the very wealthy, that virtually none of us can afford, which is why this policy is so vindictive and insidious.
Depends if you think such families should have given rely on charity or not. There are more SEND kids in the state sector than the private sector, as a proportion, and Labour have increased spending by £1 billion per annum.
Parents should have choice in educating their children and, to the greatest extent possible, I'd like to see this liberated from the ability to pay.
This is why I'd go the other way and support portable education vouchers.
Which merely subsidises those who can top them up with there own cash to send their kids to an elite school. Bad policy.
No, if you half the price you more than double those who can access it.
Your logic is the failed logic of putting VAT on school fees to attack privilege, which actually makes it even more privileged.
This is the classic dilemma of taxing luxuries. As true of air passenger duty or gas guzzling SUVs as it is of private education. It raises the price, which makes the luxury even more exclusive.
It's a tricky dilemma with no perfect answer. Other countries simply don't have the same two tier schooling system that we do, and I think most people would much prefer a situation where 95%+ of pupils make use of state education and private provision is more niche (for religion, or special needs, or musical geniuses etc), but getting from here to there is extremely difficult.
I'd prefer to blur the lines between private and state provision, but then that's because I'm a centrist (literal) dad. The private sector has huge resources and expertise which cannot simply be syphoned into the state sector by pricing parents out, but there need to be options out there that are less ruinously expensive than the current set up.
My daughter is sitting an entrance exam today (my son is in upper sixth at a private school) so we are on the cusp of renewing that eye-watering cost for another 7 years.
Agreed, and I'd say that I don't see it as a luxury.
Luxury is about self-indulgence, whereas education is a public good - and that applies even when it's not you directly.
But that's like saying caviar isn't a luxury because it's food.
Private education is a luxury substitute for a public good, not a public good in itself.
I saw Malcolm's post about "toff's children" on the prior thread.
From my friends' experience, privately educated children can have an awful time at school and there are plenty of examples of sexual and physical abuse happening at private schools, as demonstrated by the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry. No money in the world can mitigate being raped as a child.
It's during debates like this that I remember to be grateful for the safe, secure and loving environment I grew up in, cycling to a high-performing state school in a beautiful part of Scotland, and returning to a home full of books, music and great food.
Private education is just education. They get no funding from government so, if an independent school wants to set up - for example, to focus on children with more distinct education needs, or to provide a local better alternative, or deliver to an alternative educational philosophy - they have to charge a fee to be viable.
That fee means - outside a few bursaries and scholarships the school can self-fund for 10-20% of its pupils - parents have to pay. And, alas, not all parents will be able to afford that fee.
That's it. There's no "privilege" outside of that. It's the small, local, independent private schools that will be hit hardest by the VAT/business rate changes, and not the big public schools that educate the very wealthy, that virtually none of us can afford, which is why this policy is so vindictive and insidious.
Depends if you think such families should have given rely on charity or not. There are more SEND kids in the state sector than the private sector, as a proportion, and Labour have increased spending by £1 billion per annum.
Parents should have choice in educating their children and, to the greatest extent possible, I'd like to see this liberated from the ability to pay.
This is why I'd go the other way and support portable education vouchers.
Would those vouchers be £6,200 per year (state) or £15,000 per year (private)?
Either double the education budget or destroy private schools. Tricky decision.
I don't think it's a binary decision.
Bringing the cost of private education down to £8,800 a year would bring it beneath the cost of private nursery education, which 40-50% of parents would be able to afford, as opposed to 15%.
You might say, well, if the very poorest can't also benefit, then how is that fair? But (a) you'd have scholarships and bursaries on top and (b) everyone would still be able to access state "free" schools
Where do you get your figures from on affordability? We couldn't have afforded another £17600 per year (2 children) and I was earning around about the top 10% salary mark at the time. For vouchers to work it has to be enough to go anywhere and there has to be a cap on the maximum institutions can charge. And state schools should get the full voucher value too.
That means quadrupling the education budget. Won't happen. Anything in between just subsidises the well off at the expense of the poor, who will lose out by the absence of middle-class families at their schools, and lead to much greater segregation and inequality of outcome.
Also and btw I actually agree the site has become more anguished and polarised of late. But I don’t believe this is because of any one poster, eg me, much as I would like to be that important. I’m simply not
Fact is
1. The news is dominated by a particularly unpleasant story, that affects us 2. British politics itself is becoming more polarised: cf the rise of Reform (mirroring politics elsewhere in the west). Again we exhibit that 3. A lot of PB lefties, it turns out, really can’t cope with the criticism that comes with governance, as against the joys of oppositional carping. This is not helped by the new Labour government being so obviously shite, and difficult to defend
That’s it. That’s what’s happening
Although the drones drama flap seems to be subsiding, like all flaps do. BTW are you expecting Steven Greer to be right about disclosure within weeks? Seems rather unlikely...
It’s morphing rather than dying out. Did you see the reports from Denmark? And the NYC police saying “yes there are drones, we’re not sure who’s doing it”?
I’m not saying you’re wrong. Perhaps this is a NEW kind of flap, in the age of social media
Frankly, I don’t expect Disclosure
I am however drawn to Terence McKenna’s prediction - decades old - that we are entering “the Age of Weirdness”
Here I actually agree. I think there are surprises to come.
I saw Malcolm's post about "toff's children" on the prior thread.
From my friends' experience, privately educated children can have an awful time at school and there are plenty of examples of sexual and physical abuse happening at private schools, as demonstrated by the Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry. No money in the world can mitigate being raped as a child.
It's during debates like this that I remember to be grateful for the safe, secure and loving environment I grew up in, cycling to a high-performing state school in a beautiful part of Scotland, and returning to a home full of books, music and great food.
Private education is just education. They get no funding from government so, if an independent school wants to set up - for example, to focus on children with more distinct education needs, or to provide a local better alternative, or deliver to an alternative educational philosophy - they have to charge a fee to be viable.
That fee means - outside a few bursaries and scholarships the school can self-fund for 10-20% of its pupils - parents have to pay. And, alas, not all parents will be able to afford that fee.
That's it. There's no "privilege" outside of that. It's the small, local, independent private schools that will be hit hardest by the VAT/business rate changes, and not the big public schools that educate the very wealthy, that virtually none of us can afford, which is why this policy is so vindictive and insidious.
Depends if you think such families should have given rely on charity or not. There are more SEND kids in the state sector than the private sector, as a proportion, and Labour have increased spending by £1 billion per annum.
Parents should have choice in educating their children and, to the greatest extent possible, I'd like to see this liberated from the ability to pay.
This is why I'd go the other way and support portable education vouchers.
Which merely subsidises those who can top them up with there own cash to send their kids to an elite school. Bad policy.
No, if you half the price you more than double those who can access it.
Your logic is the failed logic of putting VAT on school fees to attack privilege, which actually makes it even more privileged.
This is the classic dilemma of taxing luxuries. As true of air passenger duty or gas guzzling SUVs as it is of private education. It raises the price, which makes the luxury even more exclusive.
It's a tricky dilemma with no perfect answer. Other countries simply don't have the same two tier schooling system that we do, and I think most people would much prefer a situation where 95%+ of pupils make use of state education and private provision is more niche (for religion, or special needs, or musical geniuses etc), but getting from here to there is extremely difficult.
I'd prefer to blur the lines between private and state provision, but then that's because I'm a centrist (literal) dad. The private sector has huge resources and expertise which cannot simply be syphoned into the state sector by pricing parents out, but there need to be options out there that are less ruinously expensive than the current set up.
My daughter is sitting an entrance exam today (my son is in upper sixth at a private school) so we are on the cusp of renewing that eye-watering cost for another 7 years.
Agreed, and I'd say that I don't see it as a luxury.
Luxury is about self-indulgence, whereas education is a public good - and that applies even when it's not you directly.
But that's like saying caviar isn't a luxury because it's food.
Private education is a luxury substitute for a public good, not a public good in itself.
It's the old charities argument. I have heard people say straight-faced that charities should not exist, as the state should provide the functions.
Isn't that because of the alleged smears? It was a standard RN practice to demand a court martial if someone accused you of cowardice in the face of the enemy, etc.
In typically temperate and moderate fashion, Captain Lord Cochrane loudly expressed the view that his commander, Admiral Lord Gambier, should be shot for cowardice, after the Battle of Basque Roads, in 1809. Gambier demanded a court martial, which exonerated him, largely because Cochrane was so over the top in his criticisms.
Most historians think that Gambier fought incompetently, but was no coward, and would simply have been shunted into retirement, had Cochrane been more temperate.
Cochrane is one of those fantastic figures (like Brigdier Etienne Dulong, or Maria Theresa), whose lives read like a far-fetched historical novel.
Indeed on the last! He came from Culross - a very fine old burgh on the Forth, well recommended for an outing.
(Edit) Even *if* Musk has a point about Starmer's involvement in the cases as DPP....
*If* you believe that, Musk has won.
I don't believe it. I haven't looked into it, but you would have to be quite a puppeteer to arrange things at such low levels, in so many places, over such a long period. My own view (having read a couple of the reports yonks ago), was that the decisions were made on an individual, and small group basis. Would decisions have got to the DPP's level?
Though having said that, Musk's statements are so wild that I'm not actually sure what he thinks Starmer did...
Suggestion by Starmer that threats have been made on Phillips.
She has already said she is resigned to death threats for the rest of her life and a man was jailed for threatening the most awful violence at her.
How does he know it is down to Musk ?
It's hard to see Musk as having helped the situation.
Agreed but by the same token you cannot blame Musk for abuse aimed at a politician who gets it regularly.
What would be interesting would be to see if it has increased markedly and if any comes from the US.
It doesn't have to come from the US.
She is more likely to be assassinated by an outraged Brummie than a US citizen who is outraged at Phillips after reading Liz Truss's response to Musk's lie
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss wrote, "This is Jess Phillips, the same Home Office Minister who excused masked Islamist thugs".
I saw you ranting about me earlier. I just want to point out that 1. I was absent for at least two weeks over Christmas, during which you all managed to have a bitter row about gangs by yourselves (so it’s really not me). 2. I’m not even allowed to mention “that thing” so I can hardly “bang on” about it and 3. I’m a MEMBER of the Groucho, not a guest
Thanks
There were a few family punch ups but it was a lot more agreeable on here over Christmas. I knew point 3 would wind you the f*** up. Over and out.
I’m not remotely wound up. I’m trying to calm you down
Nah, you're just a narcissistic wind-up merchant.
That’s clearly true, but I am ALSO trying to calm down @Mexicanpete
I somehow doubt you have ever gone anywhere and calmed anything down. I'm just glad you never tried bomb-disposal or hostage negotiation as careers...
I would imagine his approach to it would be akin to late night eighties comedy sensation Inspector Sledge Hammer. Dunno if you remember him, Others will
(Edit) Even *if* Musk has a point about Starmer's involvement in the cases as DPP....
*If* you believe that, Musk has won.
I don't believe it. I haven't looked into it, but you would have to be quite a puppeteer to arrange things at such low levels, in so many places, over such a long period. My own view (having read a couple of the reports yonks ago), was that the decisions were made on an individual, and small group basis. Would decisions have got to the DPP's level?
Though having said that, Musk's statements are so wild that I'm not actually sure what he thinks Starmer did...
Suggestion by Starmer that threats have been made on Phillips.
She has already said she is resigned to death threats for the rest of her life and a man was jailed for threatening the most awful violence at her.
How does he know it is down to Musk ?
It's hard to see Musk as having helped the situation.
Agreed but by the same token you cannot blame Musk for abuse aimed at a politician who gets it regularly.
What would be interesting would be to see if it has increased markedly and if any comes from the US.
It doesn't have to come from the US.
She is more likely to be assassinated by an outraged Brummie than a US citizen who is outraged at Phillips after reading Liz Truss's response to Musk's lie
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss wrote, "This is Jess Phillips, the same Home Office Minister who excused masked Islamist thugs".
I saw you ranting about me earlier. I just want to point out that 1. I was absent for at least two weeks over Christmas, during which you all managed to have a bitter row about gangs by yourselves (so it’s really not me). 2. I’m not even allowed to mention “that thing” so I can hardly “bang on” about it and 3. I’m a MEMBER of the Groucho, not a guest
Thanks
There were a few family punch ups but it was a lot more agreeable on here over Christmas. I knew point 3 would wind you the f*** up. Over and out.
I’m not remotely wound up. I’m trying to calm you down
Nah, you're just a narcissistic wind-up merchant.
That’s clearly true, but I am ALSO trying to calm down @Mexicanpete
Nah, you're not
He gets off on needling you for some reason and you like giving it back. Not in the way Ishmael used to needled people. He was just a bludgeon. Mexican is not a rapier but also not a bludgeon. Somewhere in between. A fish knife ?
Lots of helpful suggestions from Musk and Trunp supporters underneath Musk's latest poll
According to "Magavoice", "Britain can become the 53rd state after Canada and Greenland." How on earth did Britain get into a position where a considerable number of people think that these people offer greater "independence" , than the E.U. ?
Greenland has a tenth of the population of the smallest current US state. It would end up with a very disproportionate influence in the Senate.
No, not really. The opposite, as they would get two US Senators. Different in the House where representation reflects population.
That’s my point. They’d get 2 Senators, completely disproportionate to their population.
@mikeysmith · 48m Suspect Keir Starmer’s insistence on continuing to call it “Twitter” will be as infuriating to Musk as anything he said today.
Proper microaggression.
I thought that last night. It's bound to irritate the hell out of Musk
I'm with SKS here. 98% of the time, changing the name of a thing - whether that is a company, a pub, a sports team, a product, a stadium - is the wrong decision. The only name changes I will accept are upon marriage.
Changing “Twitter” to “X” was the single stupidest thing Musk has done, and he’s done quite a lot of very very stupid things, along with lots of amazing things. For a start you then have the problem of renaming “tweets” as, er, “xeets”?! Obvs not gonna happen. So they’re still called tweets. And many still call it Twitter
For a similarly stupid move on the left see the Woke neologism Latinx. Which I now see is dying out before it even really took hold, due to being idiotic
Until further notice discussions about the grooming story are off limits on PB.
I cannot risk OGH’s financial future, particularly with the Online Safety Bill coming into force shortly.
If you are desperate to discuss this subject there are other places such as Elon Musk’s Twitter platform.
I'm not trying to be an arse - you're the mod, you can do what you like - but what are the implications of the Online Safety Bill? Is it that certain subjects cannot be discussed online? If so, that seems rather draconian and possibly counter-productive.
Comments
Only a flying visit. Absolutely tons of snow here. Currently melting rapidly into a river of slush. Have to wait and see how much is left when the temperature plunges (-7C overnight Wednesday and Thursday).
Working on ep4 of Undercutters, looking at intra-team driver battles. Mostly easy (picking between Alonso and Stroll doesn't exactly tax the mind) but a few are difficult, especially with so many newcomers. Hoping to get that done at the weekend.
@Cyclefree A day late, but if you want some help editing or a beta reader, do let me know either here or MorrisF1 on Twitter.
They will steal our chairs though...
(Mumbles to himself.)
Sorry for any confusion
Victoria died in January 1901, Please Please me was released in March 1963, This is 62 years and 2 months.
March 1963 is 61 years and 9-10 months ago.
I mean it's closer to Edward VII's coronation. But that's not the end of Victoria's reign.
She is more likely to be assassinated by an outraged Brummie than a US citizen who is outraged at Phillips after reading Liz Truss's response to Musk's lie
Former Prime Minister Liz Truss wrote, "This is Jess Phillips, the same Home Office Minister who excused masked Islamist thugs".
She loves everybody, and gets wildly excited at meeting anybody. She is quite needy though, wants a lot of attention and company and follows me round the house like glue (I acquired her at 2 years, and quickly had to teach her that she wasn't allowed in the bathroom or bedroom. Cue whining).
No problem with food though or chewing things (unlike my old cavalier who was always hunting for a week-old chicken bone...).
I’m reminded of the fool, years back. He had his dog off the lead, and it started harassing the horses we were riding. One of the horses gave it a stable yard tap. He seemed to think it outrageous and actually got violent.
I'm all for free speech within the law. But if somebody with a huge platform called me a 'rape genocide apologist' I'd be seeking some sort of redress.
Iain Mansfield
@IGMansfield
·
2h
The big question right now in British politics is whether Reform is primarily a right-wing party - on an anti-incumbency party.
Labour are desperately hoping for the former. While the Tories will be no less fervently hoping for the later.
https://x.com/IGMansfield/status/1876197269214749036
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-50695593
Given his most recent ramblings, I do now fully expect this to all end in tears, and by that I mean he and The Donald are inevitably going to have A Big Falling Out. It will be fascinating to hear what Trump’s views on the Farage situation are (don’t worry, we’ll surely hear them at some point).
My two pence worth:
- An easy win: cut half out of every curriculum. Teach it better by teaching less. Noone is going to leave my classes a worse mathematician because they have seen fewer algorithms but have understood those that they have seen more deeply.
- A bigger but worthwhile challenge: reimagine the structure of the school day to make better use of tech and AI. In broad brush strokes: teachers spend more time intervening with small groups to push the edges of their knowledge and less/no time teaching the routine stuff to a whole class. The latter is done more routinely by interactive AI instruction.
Both reflect the realities that more resources (whether teaching staff or money) are likely to come into the profession over the next decade.
***Competition entry***
- 38, 35, 15, 35
- 20, 18, 8, 15
- 6
- 2
- 4
- 2
- 120
- 2.8%
- £115bn
- 1.4%
- 2.5%
- 1.2%
- 130
- 3-1
Most of that's fairly random guesswork, but I do think some posters have underestimated the spread in polling results - I've added/subtracted 5 from what I see as plausible upper and lower averages for Con, Lab and Ref. I may still be too narrow there. On most other things, I've taken the view that at the end of the year Nothing Has Changed, as one of our more famous MPs and musicians (different people!) both put itReform seats I find hard to predict - they could get several defections, but they might also lose people, either in a split or through scandals (I assume this refers to those with the whip on the relevant date) or the leeanderthal simply doing his thing of getting pissed off and flouncing.
Bringing the cost of private education down to £8,800 a year would bring it beneath the cost of private nursery education, which 40-50% of parents would be able to afford, as opposed to 15%.
You might say, well, if the very poorest can't also benefit, then how is that fair? But (a) you'd have scholarships and bursaries on top and (b) everyone would still be able to access state "free" schools
Make it 50%, and I'm with you.
Your logic is the failed logic of putting VAT on school fees to attack privilege, which actually makes it even more privileged.
I am sure there is nothing in this as @Shecorns88 told us this was all a vile Tory smear
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/city-minister-tulip-siddiq-refers-herself-to-sleaze-watchdog/ar-AA1x2hRB?ocid=entnewsntp&pc=U531&cvid=3195f7a1bc9b4a2189c237d308faffc0&ei=14
To be fair, the previous Conservative government didn’t, either.
To me, the wet fish slap at Blobism from Starmer was telling.
When he was head of the DPP, he was in a role where he was the boss. He wanted something done. It was. Anything else would have been insubordination. Sure, when dealing with other agencies, but within the DPP, he was In Charge.
He assumed, I think, that when he became PM, he would be boss of bosses.
The problem is, that in ministerial jobs, it is perfectly standard to discover you can’t just do things in your own department. The PM just has a meta version of this.
Thanks
If it was easy it would have been done already
My family owned a dog when I was very young.... pre-teenage until later teens,..... but I didn't like it jumping up unbidden, and since then I've disliked that habit some dogs have more and more.
Mrs C hates it.
As usual you are dancing on the head of a pin. Do you not believe if some nutter is listening to Musk calling Phillips " a rape genocide apologist" it is likely to encourage serious threat against against the life of Phillips?
This is Robert Jenrick's response to Musk and what a Tory aide makes of it.
https://www.thenational.scot/news/24834043.robert-jenrick-dangerous-elon-musk-ex-tory-aide-says/
@mikeysmith
·
48m
Suspect Keir Starmer’s insistence on continuing to call it “Twitter” will be as infuriating to Musk as anything he said today.
Proper microaggression.
1. 33, 33, 14, 35
2. 21, 18, 8, 16
3. 7
4. 1
5. 4
6. 1
7. 95
8. 2.2%
9. £120bn
10. 0.9%
11. 2.6%
12. 1.0%
13. 140
14. Aus 3-1 Eng
Thanks very much for organising this again.
That means quadrupling the education budget. Won't happen. Anything in between just subsidises the well off at the expense of the poor, who will lose out by the absence of middle-class families at their schools, and lead to much greater segregation and inequality of outcome.
I believe in a world where you don't need constant vigilance when walking the streets lest you tread in dog mess. Sadly I don't live in said world because too many people are absolute bell-ends and tools.
According to "Magavoice", "Britain can become the 53rd state after Canada and Greenland." How on earth did Britain get into a position where a considerable number of people think that these people offer greater "independence" , than the E.U. ?
It's a tricky dilemma with no perfect answer. Other countries simply don't have the same two tier schooling system that we do, and I think most people would much prefer a situation where 95%+ of pupils make use of state education and private provision is more niche (for religion, or special needs, or musical geniuses etc), but getting from here to there is extremely difficult.
I'd prefer to blur the lines between private and state provision, but then that's because I'm a centrist (literal) dad. The private sector has huge resources and expertise which cannot simply be syphoned into the state sector by pricing parents out, but there need to be options out there that are less ruinously expensive than the current set up.
My daughter is sitting an entrance exam today (my son is in upper sixth at a private school) so we are on the cusp of renewing that eye-watering cost for another 7 years.
A guide to the empire.
Fact is
1. The news is dominated by a particularly unpleasant story, that affects us
2. British politics itself is becoming more polarised: cf the rise of Reform (mirroring politics elsewhere in the west). Again we exhibit that
3. A lot of PB lefties, it turns out, really can’t cope with the criticism that comes with governance, as against the joys of oppositional carping. This is not helped by the new Labour government being so obviously shite, and difficult to defend
That’s it. That’s what’s happening
People tend to assume that if you don't like their dog, or it doesn't like you, then you're the one with the problem.
dramaflap seems to be subsiding, like all flaps do.BTW are you expecting Steven Greer to be right about disclosure within weeks? Seems rather unlikely...
There were always some who saw leaving the EU as an opportunity to get closer to the US (including politicians who hankered after joining NAFTA), another example of it being more about choosing between two imperial identities than sovereignty per se.
Mainly due to Musk's reach.
As to your question: It already happens at the margins, especially in maths.
It doesn't feel like you are being taught by an AI; it is more that behind the scenes every answer you input is analysed (is it correct, how fast did you answer etc) to determine the appropriate level of challenge for the next question.
Student experience (in my imagined world) would be a desk made of the same stuff kindle screens are made of*; they can choose which subject to study when, but are reminded (and eventually forced through restrictions on what else they can do) to do a minimum requirement of eg maths and English. They are regularly rewarded for focus and effort and, most importantly, there is real-time monitoring of every student's engagement which helps the teacher to decide where and how to intervene.
For most kids, this will be more engaging than sitting in my maths lesson doing trigonometry again because that's what's been timetabled. Our current school system is woefully inflexible given the tech available to us.
*I realise of course that this bit wouldn't be free. Or even cheap.
I’m not saying you’re wrong. Perhaps this is a NEW kind of flap, in the age of social media
Frankly, I don’t expect Disclosure
I am however drawn to Terence McKenna’s prediction - decades old - that we are entering “the Age of Weirdness”
Luxury is about self-indulgence, whereas education is a public good - and that applies even when it's not you directly.
He gets off on needling you for some reason and you like giving it back. Not in the way Ishmael used to needled people. He was just a bludgeon. Mexican is not a rapier but also not a bludgeon. Somewhere in between. A fish knife ?
Performance art. Entertaining.
I cannot risk OGH’s financial future, particularly with the Online Safety Bill coming into force shortly.
If you are desperate to discuss this subject there are other places such as Elon Musk’s Twitter platform.
Oh what bliss it was to be alive, in that dawn of independence from Europe.
Most historians think that Gambier fought incompetently, but was no coward, and would simply have been shunted into retirement, had Cochrane been more temperate.
Cochrane is one of those fantastic figures (like Brigdier Etienne Dulong, or Maria Theresa), whose lives read like a far-fetched historical novel.
Private education is a luxury substitute for a public good, not a public good in itself.
I saw the cycling forum that was closing down and also the guy here who read it.
Is there a summary guide somewhere of the risks people face who run forums ?
Seems bizarre a law aimed at large corporate multinationals could trap well meaning people running groups for hobbyists.
Also why should OGH risk ruin if he was not the poster who made the comment ? Seems unfair.
I think there are surprises to come.
https://hiddenscotland.com/listings/admiral-thomas-cochrane-statue-culross
For a similarly stupid move on the left see the Woke neologism Latinx. Which I now see is dying out before it even really took hold, due to being idiotic
In the past quickly deleting an offending post would suffice now it won’t.
It is designed for major platforms but the risk is PB will be dragged along given our relative prominence.
I plan to do a thread on this in the next few weeks.