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Why two plus two may not add up to four – politicalbetting.com

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  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 18,092
    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    Although ALL 400 are to be academic of course... Can't get rid of those administrators.
  • TimS said:

    DougSeal said:

    Talking of yougov:

    YouGov@YouGov
    ·
    24m
    Disapproval in the government reaches its highest level since the election

    Approve: 16% (-4 from 18-20 Jan)
    Disapprove: 64% (+4)
    Net: -48 (-8)

    And yet ...

    Latest YouGov Westminster voting intention (26-27 Jan)

    Lab: 27% (+1 from 20-21 Jan)
    Ref: 23% (-1)
    Con: 22% (=)
    Lib Dem: 14% (=)
    Green: 9% (=)
    SNP: 3% (=)

    I increasingly get the impression that all parties listed here are now attracting little more than their core vote.
    I would say 14% is way in excess of the Lib Dem core vote, which is closer to 5-6% as we saw in the late coalition and early Corbyn years. MUch as it pains me to admit.

    The Green core vote may be even smaller. 3% perhaps? I would take the 8% LD excess over core vote and distribute about 4% to tactical voting, 4% to NOTA and centrist Tories. And take the 6% excess for the Greens and allocate it 4% to disgruntled BJO lefties, and 2% to vaguely NOTA voters who are in mid-term mode.
    The poll quoted in the LD's GE 2024 review suggested that LD voters were the most likely to be tactical voters and Con/Reform the least likely. Which suggests just lumping Tory and Reform votes together will not work.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 44,404
    HYUFD said:

    eek said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Courses being closed are Ancient history, modern languages and translation, music, nursing, and religion and theology subjects

    I can actually understand languages and especially translation - as Nick Palmer pointed out AI has already decimated that sector

    Yes I know that is going to trigger SeanT sorry
    Outrageous and cultural vandalism, all the above courses can be taught cheaply with fees of much less than £9k and would also then attract more students.

    Closing the nursing course will also be a disaster given the shortage we have of home produced nurses
    Nursing?! It's basically applied science and practical stuff, in part. So not as cheap as you think.
  • TazTaz Posts: 16,612

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    Although ALL 400 are to be academic of course... Can't get rid of those administrators.
    Good point especially as they’ll all be needed for future rounds of redundancy.
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 9,541
    edited January 28
    Cardiff University seems to have a significant cultural/academic footprint. I think I know three people who did Masters there.

    Probably confirmation bias.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 29,999

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.

    Now for those on the right of politics who are desperate for exclusively elite universities servicing the few, this can only be good news. For the rest of us it marks a shift away from educating our young people to conquer the World intellectually.
  • DougSealDougSeal Posts: 12,612

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    The UoL agricultural college, Wye College, in my village, limped on until 2009. It's currently being converted into flats. Heythrop College went under around the same time.
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 18,092

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.

    Now for those on the right of politics who are desperate for exclusively elite universities servicing the few, this can only be good news. For the rest of us it marks a shift away from educating our young people to conquer the World intellectually.
    You over state the case. We haven't suddenly switched to zero foreign students. Indeed some courses are very successfully recruiting overseas.

    There is a huge problem and its yet another for Starmer's government to tackle. What is University for? Is it about increasing skills and knowledge of the nation? Is it keeping people of the unemployed lists? Is it pointless?

    How is it paid for and does that money give value for money?
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 29,999
    Eabhal said:

    Cardiff University seems to have a significant cultural/academic footprint. I think I know three people who did Masters there.

    Probably confirmation bias.

    If you work at the BBC, ITN or Sky news most of your presenting colleagues will have completed their masters at the School of Journalism. Cardiff Business School had a prestigious MBA programme. Anyone remember Professor Garel Rees off the telly news when the car workers struck?
  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 5,243

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.
    "Killed that golden goose" is rather relative. Yes, 2024 had 16% fewer foreign students than 2023, but it's still 40% higher than, say, 2015.

  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 44,404

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.

    Now for those on the right of politics who are desperate for exclusively elite universities servicing the few, this can only be good news. For the rest of us it marks a shift away from educating our young people to conquer the World intellectually.
    Not so much the few as "my few", for those on the right of politics. Very obvious on here.

    I think it's outrageous.
  • noneoftheabovenoneoftheabove Posts: 23,708
    carnforth said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.
    "Killed that golden goose" is rather relative. Yes, 2024 had 16% fewer foreign students than 2023, but it's still 40% higher than, say, 2015.

    The government in 2019 told universities to massively expand their overseas numbers. They planned and budgeted for that. When the government realised that massively expanding overseas students also meant massively expanding net immigration they panicked and u-turned. No idea why they couldn't understand the link in the first place.
  • kamskikamski Posts: 5,836

    carnforth said:
    The cordon sanitaire between the AfD and the mainstream parties is breaking down with Friedrich Merz working with them to pass legislation to restrict migration, so for the first time it looks like a CDU/CSU/AfD coalition in some form is not impossible after the election.
    Merz isn't working with the AfD. Have you ever failed to lie when posting about Germany?

    Also there is zero chance of a Union + AfD coalition after the election. If you if anyone thinks Williamglenn is trustworthy and genuinely believes the bullshit he writes (both extremely unlikely) there would be a good opportunity free money betting against him on this point.
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 29,999
    edited January 28

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.

    Now for those on the right of politics who are desperate for exclusively elite universities servicing the few, this can only be good news. For the rest of us it marks a shift away from educating our young people to conquer the World intellectually.
    You over state the case. We haven't suddenly switched to zero foreign students. Indeed some courses are very successfully recruiting overseas.

    There is a huge problem and its yet another for Starmer's government to tackle. What is University for? Is it about increasing skills and knowledge of the nation? Is it keeping people of the unemployed lists? Is it pointless?

    How is it paid for and does that money give value for money?
    The foreign students are currently still there but 2024 intakes and future intakes are down, particularly at Cardiff.

    I agree the problem is now Labour's. Do they choose new and radical funding initiatives or let the sector die on its arse? Your department could be funded by Perdue Pharma for example. The Sacklur's are quite keen on whitewashing their Oxycontin cash.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 44,404

    I can confirm, as a Chartered Accountant, that two plus two does not necessarily equal four.

    It equals whatever you want it to equal.

    Eleven. (It does.)
  • Sean_FSean_F Posts: 38,085

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.

    Now for those on the right of politics who are desperate for exclusively elite universities servicing the few, this can only be good news. For the rest of us it marks a shift away from educating our young people to conquer the World intellectually.
    Perhaps the burden of family migration negates the benefit of overseas students’ fees.

    And, in any event, the number of overseas students is still huge.
  • CarnyxCarnyx Posts: 44,404
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 52,958
    a
    carnforth said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.
    "Killed that golden goose" is rather relative. Yes, 2024 had 16% fewer foreign students than 2023, but it's still 40% higher than, say, 2015.

    Certain universities are addicted to ever increasing numbers of foreign students.
  • noneoftheabovenoneoftheabove Posts: 23,708

    I can confirm, as a Chartered Accountant, that two plus two does not necessarily equal four.

    It equals whatever you want it to equal.

    Are you available for hire? I would like to pay two months in advance plus another two months in advance.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 43,920

    I can confirm, as a Chartered Accountant, that two plus two does not necessarily equal four.

    It equals whatever you want it to equal.

    Exactly. The uninitiated don't realise that accountancy (chartered) is part of the creative arts sector.
  • turbotubbsturbotubbs Posts: 18,092

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.

    Now for those on the right of politics who are desperate for exclusively elite universities servicing the few, this can only be good news. For the rest of us it marks a shift away from educating our young people to conquer the World intellectually.
    You over state the case. We haven't suddenly switched to zero foreign students. Indeed some courses are very successfully recruiting overseas.

    There is a huge problem and its yet another for Starmer's government to tackle. What is University for? Is it about increasing skills and knowledge of the nation? Is it keeping people of the unemployed lists? Is it pointless?

    How is it paid for and does that money give value for money?
    The foreign students are currently still there but 2024 intakes and future intakes are down, particularly at Cardiff.

    I agree the problem is now Labour's. Do they choose new and radical funding initiatives or let the sector die on its arse? Your department could be funded by Perdue Pharma for example. The Sacklur's are quite keen on whitewashing their Oxycontin cash.
    We are already sponsored in several ways by pharmacy companies and pharmaceuticals. But most of our extra income is NHS based, and they get the benefit as 55% of our cohort joins the NHS on graduation.
  • geoffwgeoffw Posts: 8,880

    a

    carnforth said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.
    "Killed that golden goose" is rather relative. Yes, 2024 had 16% fewer foreign students than 2023, but it's still 40% higher than, say, 2015.

    Certain universities are addicted to ever increasing numbers of foreign students.
    That is growth, just what our government wants

  • xyzxyzxyzxyzxyzxyz Posts: 103

    I can confirm, as a Chartered Accountant, that two plus two does not necessarily equal four.

    It equals whatever you want it to equal.



    PB commies view.

  • eekeek Posts: 29,141
    edited January 28
    carnforth said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.
    "Killed that golden goose" is rather relative. Yes, 2024 had 16% fewer foreign students than 2023, but it's still 40% higher than, say, 2015.

    That’s 16% less students who are each spend £75,000 to go to university before you start looking at their spending on somewhere to live and other spending
  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 5,243

    carnforth said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.
    "Killed that golden goose" is rather relative. Yes, 2024 had 16% fewer foreign students than 2023, but it's still 40% higher than, say, 2015.

    The government in 2019 told universities to massively expand their overseas numbers. They planned and budgeted for that. When the government realised that massively expanding overseas students also meant massively expanding net immigration they panicked and u-turned. No idea why they couldn't understand the link in the first place.
    Well, it was Theresa May herself who insisted students should be counted in the headline immigration stats, so she should have known...
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 29,999
    edited January 28

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.

    Now for those on the right of politics who are desperate for exclusively elite universities servicing the few, this can only be good news. For the rest of us it marks a shift away from educating our young people to conquer the World intellectually.
    You over state the case. We haven't suddenly switched to zero foreign students. Indeed some courses are very successfully recruiting overseas.

    There is a huge problem and its yet another for Starmer's government to tackle. What is University for? Is it about increasing skills and knowledge of the nation? Is it keeping people of the unemployed lists? Is it pointless?

    How is it paid for and does that money give value for money?
    You might be deluding yourself. I expect you would have thought the late comers would be the first to fall, maybe the Universities of Bolton, Gloucester and Worcester, but Cardiff tells you, outside Oxford, Cambridge, St Andrews, Durham and the older London Colleges you are all in peril. Although I suspect Bath isn't far behind those elite schools I've mentioned, but as for the Universities of the West of England, South Wales and Trinity St David's maybe if I worked there I wouldn't want to extend my mortgage.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 53,598
    kamski said:

    carnforth said:
    The cordon sanitaire between the AfD and the mainstream parties is breaking down with Friedrich Merz working with them to pass legislation to restrict migration, so for the first time it looks like a CDU/CSU/AfD coalition in some form is not impossible after the election.
    Merz isn't working with the AfD. Have you ever failed to lie when posting about Germany?

    Also there is zero chance of a Union + AfD coalition after the election. If you if anyone thinks Williamglenn is trustworthy and genuinely believes the bullshit he writes (both extremely unlikely) there would be a good opportunity free money betting against him on this point.
    Are you also accusing Scholz of lying?

    https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/bundestagswahl/scholz-migrationsdebatte-100.html

    Scholz warnt vor möglicher Koalition aus Union und AfD
  • I can confirm, as a Chartered Accountant, that two plus two does not necessarily equal four.

    It equals whatever you want it to equal.

    ICAEW, CIMA, or ACCA?

    I didn’t realise accountants could get snobby and elitist.
  • algarkirkalgarkirk Posts: 13,439
    TimS said:

    Just putting the latest YouGov through the old pre-election LLG vs RefCon filter and it’s:

    LLG 50
    RefCon 45

    That’s the best result for LLG in recent polls. I suspect the actual situation is closer to 50:50

    On another scale, it's Con/Lab 49, SPLORG 51.

  • TheuniondivvieTheuniondivvie Posts: 42,785

    carnforth said:
    The cordon sanitaire between the AfD and the mainstream parties is breaking down with Friedrich Merz working with them to pass legislation to restrict migration, so for the first time it looks like a CDU/CSU/AfD coalition in some form is not impossible after the election.
    In that eventuality there’d be a bit of a push me pull me between Ukraine must win Merz and the AfD peaceniks. Who do you want to win in that tug of war?
  • MexicanpeteMexicanpete Posts: 29,999
    Sean_F said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.

    Now for those on the right of politics who are desperate for exclusively elite universities servicing the few, this can only be good news. For the rest of us it marks a shift away from educating our young people to conquer the World intellectually.
    Perhaps the burden of family migration negates the benefit of overseas students’ fees.

    And, in any event, the number of overseas students is still huge.

    a

    carnforth said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.
    "Killed that golden goose" is rather relative. Yes, 2024 had 16% fewer foreign students than 2023, but it's still 40% higher than, say, 2015.

    Certain universities are addicted to ever increasing numbers of foreign students.
    I remember when aiming for a balance of trade surplus with Johnny Foreigner nations was regarded as a positive. Now it's "don't come over here with your foreign money".
  • kamskikamski Posts: 5,836

    kamski said:

    carnforth said:
    The cordon sanitaire between the AfD and the mainstream parties is breaking down with Friedrich Merz working with them to pass legislation to restrict migration, so for the first time it looks like a CDU/CSU/AfD coalition in some form is not impossible after the election.
    Merz isn't working with the AfD. Have you ever failed to lie when posting about Germany?

    Also there is zero chance of a Union + AfD coalition after the election. If you if anyone thinks Williamglenn is trustworthy and genuinely believes the bullshit he writes (both extremely unlikely) there would be a good opportunity free money betting against him on this point.
    Are you also accusing Scholz of lying?

    https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/bundestagswahl/scholz-migrationsdebatte-100.html

    Scholz warnt vor möglicher Koalition aus Union und AfD
    He's full of shit. Though what he actually said was naturally a bit more mealy-mouthed, which is your usual style so I am sure you approve

    "Die Bürgerinnen und Bürger müssen sich schon fragen, ob sie sich darauf verlassen können, dass, falls es eine Mehrheit von CDU und AfD gäbe, es nicht doch eine schwarz-blaue Koalition gibt"
  • EabhalEabhal Posts: 9,541

    I can confirm, as a Chartered Accountant, that two plus two does not necessarily equal four.

    It equals whatever you want it to equal.

    ICAEW, CIMA, or ACCA?

    I didn’t realise accountants could get snobby and elitist.
    Or ICAS. Or CIPFA.
  • algarkirkalgarkirk Posts: 13,439

    DougSeal said:

    Talking of yougov:

    YouGov@YouGov
    ·
    24m
    Disapproval in the government reaches its highest level since the election

    Approve: 16% (-4 from 18-20 Jan)
    Disapprove: 64% (+4)
    Net: -48 (-8)

    And yet ...

    Latest YouGov Westminster voting intention (26-27 Jan)

    Lab: 27% (+1 from 20-21 Jan)
    Ref: 23% (-1)
    Con: 22% (=)
    Lib Dem: 14% (=)
    Green: 9% (=)
    SNP: 3% (=)

    I increasingly get the impression that all parties listed here are now attracting little more than their core vote.
    We need to consider - as it caused every sitting government (ROI coalition still only exception?) to lose election, even helped Trump over the line despite the mountain of unelectability he is - the impact of an historical erosion of incomes, still acting on the psyche of UK voters right now in all post election polling. In terms of cheesed off psyche from income erosion, it’s not something to become reset on General Election results or change of government. Cheesed off voters will blame any with or had power, and less established parties the beneficiaries in polling, is exactly what we would expect isn’t it?

    If polling companies getting increasing numbers saying D/K won’t vote, and don’t share this information, does it actually mislead us geeky Psephologists and political bettors?

    Say the answer back to the poll was Labour 13%, Con 10% Ref 9% don’t know wont say 57%, how would reading something like that actually change what you are thinking about it? The size of the number who recall voting Labour last July, or who answered as Labour in last general election polling, who don’t give another party name but answer don’t know, could be a crucial difference, how the table in your post would look very different, second guessing how lost to Labour their 2024 voters are.
    Those figures are worth keeping an eye on. In the recent YouGov published today Won't Vote (12) + DK (12) + Refused (4) = 28% of the total asked.

    https://ygo-assets-websites-editorial-emea.yougov.net/documents/VotingIntention_MRP_250127_publish.pdf
  • kamskikamski Posts: 5,836

    kamski said:

    carnforth said:
    The cordon sanitaire between the AfD and the mainstream parties is breaking down with Friedrich Merz working with them to pass legislation to restrict migration, so for the first time it looks like a CDU/CSU/AfD coalition in some form is not impossible after the election.
    Merz isn't working with the AfD. Have you ever failed to lie when posting about Germany?

    Also there is zero chance of a Union + AfD coalition after the election. If you if anyone thinks Williamglenn is trustworthy and genuinely believes the bullshit he writes (both extremely unlikely) there would be a good opportunity free money betting against him on this point.
    Are you also accusing Scholz of lying?

    https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/bundestagswahl/scholz-migrationsdebatte-100.html

    Scholz warnt vor möglicher Koalition aus Union und AfD
    Also here is what Merz himself said a couple of days ago

    "Es wird keine Zusammenarbeit mit der AfD geben. Darauf können sich alle verlassen",

    They're not even talking to each other, let alone working together as you claim.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 74,156
    Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is NOT running for the U.S. Senate.
    https://x.com/CraigDMauger/status/1884268183835795784
  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 5,243

    Sean_F said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.

    Now for those on the right of politics who are desperate for exclusively elite universities servicing the few, this can only be good news. For the rest of us it marks a shift away from educating our young people to conquer the World intellectually.
    Perhaps the burden of family migration negates the benefit of overseas students’ fees.

    And, in any event, the number of overseas students is still huge.

    a

    carnforth said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.
    "Killed that golden goose" is rather relative. Yes, 2024 had 16% fewer foreign students than 2023, but it's still 40% higher than, say, 2015.

    Certain universities are addicted to ever increasing numbers of foreign students.
    I remember when aiming for a balance of trade surplus with Johnny Foreigner nations was regarded as a positive. Now it's "don't come over here with your foreign money".
    If you pay £20000 a year in fees, but bring two children (cost of schooling £15000) you've not really bought in much money. The University got £20000, but the country didn't. Hence the new rules.
  • algarkirkalgarkirk Posts: 13,439
    Eabhal said:

    I can confirm, as a Chartered Accountant, that two plus two does not necessarily equal four.

    It equals whatever you want it to equal.

    ICAEW, CIMA, or ACCA?

    I didn’t realise accountants could get snobby and elitist.
    Or ICAS. Or CIPFA.
    IMTA for those with long memories.
  • eekeek Posts: 29,141
    carnforth said:

    Sean_F said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.

    Now for those on the right of politics who are desperate for exclusively elite universities servicing the few, this can only be good news. For the rest of us it marks a shift away from educating our young people to conquer the World intellectually.
    Perhaps the burden of family migration negates the benefit of overseas students’ fees.

    And, in any event, the number of overseas students is still huge.

    a

    carnforth said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.
    "Killed that golden goose" is rather relative. Yes, 2024 had 16% fewer foreign students than 2023, but it's still 40% higher than, say, 2015.

    Certain universities are addicted to ever increasing numbers of foreign students.
    I remember when aiming for a balance of trade surplus with Johnny Foreigner nations was regarded as a positive. Now it's "don't come over here with your foreign money".
    If you pay £20000 a year in fees, but bring two children (cost of schooling £15000) you've not really bought in much money. The University got £20000, but the country didn't. Hence the new rules.
    Anything to back up that story as so far it isn’t even an anecdote
  • Alphabet_SoupAlphabet_Soup Posts: 3,491

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.

    Now for those on the right of politics who are desperate for exclusively elite universities servicing the few, this can only be good news. For the rest of us it marks a shift away from educating our young people to conquer the World intellectually.
    You over state the case. We haven't suddenly switched to zero foreign students. Indeed some courses are very successfully recruiting overseas.

    There is a huge problem and its yet another for Starmer's government to tackle. What is University for? Is it about increasing skills and knowledge of the nation? Is it keeping people of the unemployed lists? Is it pointless?

    How is it paid for and does that money give value for money?
    You might be deluding yourself. I expect you would have thought the late comers would be the first to fall, maybe the Universities of Bolton, Gloucester and Worcester, but Cardiff tells you, outside Oxford, Cambridge, St Andrews, Durham and the older London Colleges you are all in peril. Although I suspect Bath isn't far behind those elite schools I've mentioned, but as for the Universities of the West of England, South Wales and Trinity St David's maybe if I worked there I wouldn't want to extend my mortgage.
    Always a favourite. AH discovers he applied to Bath Spa in error:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqTvSBVbuGA
  • algarkirkalgarkirk Posts: 13,439
    Eabhal said:

    I can confirm, as a Chartered Accountant, that two plus two does not necessarily equal four.

    It equals whatever you want it to equal.

    ICAEW, CIMA, or ACCA?

    I didn’t realise accountants could get snobby and elitist.
    Or ICAS. Or CIPFA.
    Let's hear it for those exciting folk who are FFA or FIA.
  • Andy_JSAndy_JS Posts: 33,643
    "UK population exceeds that of France for first time on record, ONS data shows"

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/28/uk-population-exceeds-that-of-france-for-first-time-on-record
  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 5,243
    eek said:

    carnforth said:

    Sean_F said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.

    Now for those on the right of politics who are desperate for exclusively elite universities servicing the few, this can only be good news. For the rest of us it marks a shift away from educating our young people to conquer the World intellectually.
    Perhaps the burden of family migration negates the benefit of overseas students’ fees.

    And, in any event, the number of overseas students is still huge.

    a

    carnforth said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.
    "Killed that golden goose" is rather relative. Yes, 2024 had 16% fewer foreign students than 2023, but it's still 40% higher than, say, 2015.

    Certain universities are addicted to ever increasing numbers of foreign students.
    I remember when aiming for a balance of trade surplus with Johnny Foreigner nations was regarded as a positive. Now it's "don't come over here with your foreign money".
    If you pay £20000 a year in fees, but bring two children (cost of schooling £15000) you've not really bought in much money. The University got £20000, but the country didn't. Hence the new rules.
    Anything to back up that story as so far it isn’t even an anecdote
    You think students who bring dependent children pay for their schooling? It's free.
  • williamglennwilliamglenn Posts: 53,598
    kamski said:

    kamski said:

    carnforth said:
    The cordon sanitaire between the AfD and the mainstream parties is breaking down with Friedrich Merz working with them to pass legislation to restrict migration, so for the first time it looks like a CDU/CSU/AfD coalition in some form is not impossible after the election.
    Merz isn't working with the AfD. Have you ever failed to lie when posting about Germany?

    Also there is zero chance of a Union + AfD coalition after the election. If you if anyone thinks Williamglenn is trustworthy and genuinely believes the bullshit he writes (both extremely unlikely) there would be a good opportunity free money betting against him on this point.
    Are you also accusing Scholz of lying?

    https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/bundestagswahl/scholz-migrationsdebatte-100.html

    Scholz warnt vor möglicher Koalition aus Union und AfD
    Also here is what Merz himself said a couple of days ago

    "Es wird keine Zusammenarbeit mit der AfD geben. Darauf können sich alle verlassen",

    They're not even talking to each other, let alone working together as you claim.
    Here I will invoke Mandy Rice-Davies.
  • SandpitSandpit Posts: 56,021
    Lol India fall well short.
  • PulpstarPulpstar Posts: 78,833

    I can confirm, as a Chartered Accountant, that two plus two does not necessarily equal four.

    It equals whatever you want it to equal.

    Yes, playing that game at the moment. Profit can be created, cash however can not
  • MalmesburyMalmesbury Posts: 52,958

    Sean_F said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.

    Now for those on the right of politics who are desperate for exclusively elite universities servicing the few, this can only be good news. For the rest of us it marks a shift away from educating our young people to conquer the World intellectually.
    Perhaps the burden of family migration negates the benefit of overseas students’ fees.

    And, in any event, the number of overseas students is still huge.

    a

    carnforth said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.
    "Killed that golden goose" is rather relative. Yes, 2024 had 16% fewer foreign students than 2023, but it's still 40% higher than, say, 2015.

    Certain universities are addicted to ever increasing numbers of foreign students.
    I remember when aiming for a balance of trade surplus with Johnny Foreigner nations was regarded as a positive. Now it's "don't come over here with your foreign money".
    Various governments didn’t get sign off from the British public about population growth from emigration of serious fractions of a percent per year.

    That’s the problem of democracy.

    For myself I don’t mind population growth of even 5% a year. But I will insist on building 10 million homes a year, if that’s how you want to roll it. And hospitals. And roads. And if you don’t like that kind of building rate - move to the Chilean desert.

  • eekeek Posts: 29,141
    carnforth said:

    eek said:

    carnforth said:

    Sean_F said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.

    Now for those on the right of politics who are desperate for exclusively elite universities servicing the few, this can only be good news. For the rest of us it marks a shift away from educating our young people to conquer the World intellectually.
    Perhaps the burden of family migration negates the benefit of overseas students’ fees.

    And, in any event, the number of overseas students is still huge.

    a

    carnforth said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.
    "Killed that golden goose" is rather relative. Yes, 2024 had 16% fewer foreign students than 2023, but it's still 40% higher than, say, 2015.

    Certain universities are addicted to ever increasing numbers of foreign students.
    I remember when aiming for a balance of trade surplus with Johnny Foreigner nations was regarded as a positive. Now it's "don't come over here with your foreign money".
    If you pay £20000 a year in fees, but bring two children (cost of schooling £15000) you've not really bought in much money. The University got £20000, but the country didn't. Hence the new rules.
    Anything to back up that story as so far it isn’t even an anecdote
    You think students who bring dependent children pay for their schooling? It's free.
    I was asking for examples of foreign students bringing their school age children with them.
  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 5,243
    eek said:

    carnforth said:

    eek said:

    carnforth said:

    Sean_F said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.

    Now for those on the right of politics who are desperate for exclusively elite universities servicing the few, this can only be good news. For the rest of us it marks a shift away from educating our young people to conquer the World intellectually.
    Perhaps the burden of family migration negates the benefit of overseas students’ fees.

    And, in any event, the number of overseas students is still huge.

    a

    carnforth said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.
    "Killed that golden goose" is rather relative. Yes, 2024 had 16% fewer foreign students than 2023, but it's still 40% higher than, say, 2015.

    Certain universities are addicted to ever increasing numbers of foreign students.
    I remember when aiming for a balance of trade surplus with Johnny Foreigner nations was regarded as a positive. Now it's "don't come over here with your foreign money".
    If you pay £20000 a year in fees, but bring two children (cost of schooling £15000) you've not really bought in much money. The University got £20000, but the country didn't. Hence the new rules.
    Anything to back up that story as so far it isn’t even an anecdote
    You think students who bring dependent children pay for their schooling? It's free.
    I was asking for examples of foreign students bringing their school age children with them.
    https://student.sussex.ac.uk/international/visas/applying/dependants

    First Google result. They don't write this advice for amusement.
  • eekeek Posts: 29,141
    edited January 28
    carnforth said:

    eek said:

    carnforth said:

    eek said:

    carnforth said:

    Sean_F said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.

    Now for those on the right of politics who are desperate for exclusively elite universities servicing the few, this can only be good news. For the rest of us it marks a shift away from educating our young people to conquer the World intellectually.
    Perhaps the burden of family migration negates the benefit of overseas students’ fees.

    And, in any event, the number of overseas students is still huge.

    a

    carnforth said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.
    "Killed that golden goose" is rather relative. Yes, 2024 had 16% fewer foreign students than 2023, but it's still 40% higher than, say, 2015.

    Certain universities are addicted to ever increasing numbers of foreign students.
    I remember when aiming for a balance of trade surplus with Johnny Foreigner nations was regarded as a positive. Now it's "don't come over here with your foreign money".
    If you pay £20000 a year in fees, but bring two children (cost of schooling £15000) you've not really bought in much money. The University got £20000, but the country didn't. Hence the new rules.
    Anything to back up that story as so far it isn’t even an anecdote
    You think students who bring dependent children pay for their schooling? It's free.
    I was asking for examples of foreign students bringing their school age children with them.
    https://student.sussex.ac.uk/international/visas/applying/dependants

    First Google result. They don't write this advice for amusement.
    So do you have any figures as to the number of students with dependents. The numbers here are rather important

    Also as with other examples when you search - that’s for post graduate courses which are rather different to undergraduate ones.

    The £25,000 a year I was talking about is for undergraduate courses
  • LeonLeon Posts: 58,445

    Sean_F said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.

    Now for those on the right of politics who are desperate for exclusively elite universities servicing the few, this can only be good news. For the rest of us it marks a shift away from educating our young people to conquer the World intellectually.
    Perhaps the burden of family migration negates the benefit of overseas students’ fees.

    And, in any event, the number of overseas students is still huge.

    a

    carnforth said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.
    "Killed that golden goose" is rather relative. Yes, 2024 had 16% fewer foreign students than 2023, but it's still 40% higher than, say, 2015.

    Certain universities are addicted to ever increasing numbers of foreign students.
    I remember when aiming for a balance of trade surplus with Johnny Foreigner nations was regarded as a positive. Now it's "don't come over here with your foreign money".
    Various governments didn’t get sign off from the British public about population growth from emigration of serious fractions of a percent per year.

    That’s the problem of democracy.

    For myself I don’t mind population growth of even 5% a year. But I will insist on building 10 million homes a year, if that’s how you want to roll it. And hospitals. And roads. And if you don’t like that kind of building rate - move to the Chilean desert.

    How would you feel about a majority Muslim UK? With homosexuality illegal again? Blasphemy laws on the statute books? Sharia law enforced by the state?

    Presumably you don’t want that (or maybe you do). At which point you have to admit that this is not just about numbers. It is about the vast cultural change that comes with big numbers
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 74,156

    kamski said:

    kamski said:

    carnforth said:
    The cordon sanitaire between the AfD and the mainstream parties is breaking down with Friedrich Merz working with them to pass legislation to restrict migration, so for the first time it looks like a CDU/CSU/AfD coalition in some form is not impossible after the election.
    Merz isn't working with the AfD. Have you ever failed to lie when posting about Germany?

    Also there is zero chance of a Union + AfD coalition after the election. If you if anyone thinks Williamglenn is trustworthy and genuinely believes the bullshit he writes (both extremely unlikely) there would be a good opportunity free money betting against him on this point.
    Are you also accusing Scholz of lying?

    https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/bundestagswahl/scholz-migrationsdebatte-100.html

    Scholz warnt vor möglicher Koalition aus Union und AfD
    Also here is what Merz himself said a couple of days ago

    "Es wird keine Zusammenarbeit mit der AfD geben. Darauf können sich alle verlassen",

    They're not even talking to each other, let alone working together as you claim.
    Here I will invoke Mandy Rice-Davies.
    Yes, you would say that...
  • carnforthcarnforth Posts: 5,243
    eek said:

    carnforth said:

    eek said:

    carnforth said:

    eek said:

    carnforth said:

    Sean_F said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.

    Now for those on the right of politics who are desperate for exclusively elite universities servicing the few, this can only be good news. For the rest of us it marks a shift away from educating our young people to conquer the World intellectually.
    Perhaps the burden of family migration negates the benefit of overseas students’ fees.

    And, in any event, the number of overseas students is still huge.

    a

    carnforth said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.
    "Killed that golden goose" is rather relative. Yes, 2024 had 16% fewer foreign students than 2023, but it's still 40% higher than, say, 2015.

    Certain universities are addicted to ever increasing numbers of foreign students.
    I remember when aiming for a balance of trade surplus with Johnny Foreigner nations was regarded as a positive. Now it's "don't come over here with your foreign money".
    If you pay £20000 a year in fees, but bring two children (cost of schooling £15000) you've not really bought in much money. The University got £20000, but the country didn't. Hence the new rules.
    Anything to back up that story as so far it isn’t even an anecdote
    You think students who bring dependent children pay for their schooling? It's free.
    I was asking for examples of foreign students bringing their school age children with them.
    https://student.sussex.ac.uk/international/visas/applying/dependants

    First Google result. They don't write this advice for amusement.
    So do you have any figures as to the number of students with dependents. The numbers here are rather important
    Well, the fall of 16% in student applications this year was due to changes in rules on dependents, from memory.

    I'm afraid it's 1AM here, but if you find the figures do post them. There are of course adult dependents too.
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 74,156
    edited January 28
    Nigelb said:

    Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is NOT running for the U.S. Senate.
    https://x.com/CraigDMauger/status/1884268183835795784

    Which leaves a space for Sen Buttigieg.

    (Edit - the context.)

    Sen. Gary Peters won’t seek reelection in Michigan
    https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/5110379-democrats-battleground-state-senator-retire/
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,474
    On thread: Yep.
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,474
    Andy_JS said:

    "UK population exceeds that of France for first time on record, ONS data shows"

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/28/uk-population-exceeds-that-of-france-for-first-time-on-record

    That surprises me. For my whole life the two populations have been almost exactly the same. I'm surprised this is the first time it's happened.
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 23,445
    kamski said:

    kamski said:

    carnforth said:
    The cordon sanitaire between the AfD and the mainstream parties is breaking down with Friedrich Merz working with them to pass legislation to restrict migration, so for the first time it looks like a CDU/CSU/AfD coalition in some form is not impossible after the election.
    Merz isn't working with the AfD. Have you ever failed to lie when posting about Germany?

    Also there is zero chance of a Union + AfD coalition after the election. If you if anyone thinks Williamglenn is trustworthy and genuinely believes the bullshit he writes (both extremely unlikely) there would be a good opportunity free money betting against him on this point.
    Are you also accusing Scholz of lying?

    https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/bundestagswahl/scholz-migrationsdebatte-100.html

    Scholz warnt vor möglicher Koalition aus Union und AfD
    He's full of shit. Though what he actually said was naturally a bit more mealy-mouthed, which is your usual style so I am sure you approve

    "Die Bürgerinnen und Bürger müssen sich schon fragen, ob sie sich darauf verlassen können, dass, falls es eine Mehrheit von CDU und AfD gäbe, es nicht doch eine schwarz-blaue Koalition gibt"
    ...and haven't we all said that at some point... :)
  • algarkirkalgarkirk Posts: 13,439

    TimS said:

    DougSeal said:

    Talking of yougov:

    YouGov@YouGov
    ·
    24m
    Disapproval in the government reaches its highest level since the election

    Approve: 16% (-4 from 18-20 Jan)
    Disapprove: 64% (+4)
    Net: -48 (-8)

    And yet ...

    Latest YouGov Westminster voting intention (26-27 Jan)

    Lab: 27% (+1 from 20-21 Jan)
    Ref: 23% (-1)
    Con: 22% (=)
    Lib Dem: 14% (=)
    Green: 9% (=)
    SNP: 3% (=)

    I increasingly get the impression that all parties listed here are now attracting little more than their core vote.
    I would say 14% is way in excess of the Lib Dem core vote, which is closer to 5-6% as we saw in the late coalition and early Corbyn years. MUch as it pains me to admit.

    The Green core vote may be even smaller. 3% perhaps? I would take the 8% LD excess over core vote and distribute about 4% to tactical voting, 4% to NOTA and centrist Tories. And take the 6% excess for the Greens and allocate it 4% to disgruntled BJO lefties, and 2% to vaguely NOTA voters who are in mid-term mode.
    The poll quoted in the LD's GE 2024 review suggested that LD voters were the most likely to be tactical voters and Con/Reform the least likely. Which suggests just lumping Tory and Reform votes together will not work.
    In the olden days of not long ago it was just about possible to lump together most votes into centre right or centre left - just two groups in recent years this being Con v Lab/LD/SNP/PC/Green.

    I don't think this convenient two group identity is remotely correct or possible now, and I think this is probably a product of the Brexit years.

    So what does have any use? I think Lab+Con v All others (SPLORG) is a useful measure of the crisis the two party system may be in.

    I think Con v Lab/LD/SNP is a specific but incomplete indicator of a traditional division.

    But neither Greens nor Reform fit properly in a two team formation.

    Reform are not Right, Centre Right, Radical Right or Extreme Right in any sense at all. And Greens are not Centre Left.

    This needs thought. Someone cleverer than I should write an article. My starting point is that everyone (apart from Greens possibly, but certainly including Reform) are different versions of post WWII social democracy. WRT that starting point, what distinguishes them?
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,987
    Leon said:

    Sean_F said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.

    Now for those on the right of politics who are desperate for exclusively elite universities servicing the few, this can only be good news. For the rest of us it marks a shift away from educating our young people to conquer the World intellectually.
    Perhaps the burden of family migration negates the benefit of overseas students’ fees.

    And, in any event, the number of overseas students is still huge.

    a

    carnforth said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.
    "Killed that golden goose" is rather relative. Yes, 2024 had 16% fewer foreign students than 2023, but it's still 40% higher than, say, 2015.

    Certain universities are addicted to ever increasing numbers of foreign students.
    I remember when aiming for a balance of trade surplus with Johnny Foreigner nations was regarded as a positive. Now it's "don't come over here with your foreign money".
    Various governments didn’t get sign off from the British public about population growth from emigration of serious fractions of a percent per year.

    That’s the problem of democracy.

    For myself I don’t mind population growth of even 5% a year. But I will insist on building 10 million homes a year, if that’s how you want to roll it. And hospitals. And roads. And if you don’t like that kind of building rate - move to the Chilean desert.

    How would you feel about a majority Muslim UK? With homosexuality illegal again? Blasphemy laws on the statute books? Sharia law enforced by the state?

    Presumably you don’t want that (or maybe you do). At which point you have to admit that this is not just about numbers. It is about the vast cultural change that comes with big numbers
    Yet another reason why we should never have left the EU.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 58,445
    Cookie said:

    Andy_JS said:

    "UK population exceeds that of France for first time on record, ONS data shows"

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/28/uk-population-exceeds-that-of-france-for-first-time-on-record

    That surprises me. For my whole life the two populations have been almost exactly the same. I'm surprised this is the first time it's happened.
    Yeah I don’t believe it either

    Also IIRC the population of France depends very much on how you count it. There is “metropolitan France” - ie France - and then there’s France plus its overseas territories (about ~2m more? rough guess)

  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,474
    Leon said:

    Cookie said:

    Andy_JS said:

    "UK population exceeds that of France for first time on record, ONS data shows"

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/28/uk-population-exceeds-that-of-france-for-first-time-on-record

    That surprises me. For my whole life the two populations have been almost exactly the same. I'm surprised this is the first time it's happened.
    Yeah I don’t believe it either

    Also IIRC the population of France depends very much on how you count it. There is “metropolitan France” - ie France - and then there’s France plus its overseas territories (about ~2m more? rough guess)

    Ah, yes, that will be the difference here. I expect I've been thinking of metropolitan France. Good spot.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 58,445
    I’m right

    “As of January 2024, Metropolitan France has a population of approximately 66.1 million people. In contrast, the combined population of France, including its overseas departments and territories (DOM-TOM), is about 68.4 million. This means that Metropolitan France accounts for roughly 96.6% of the total population, with the overseas regions contributing the remaining 3.4%. “

    I believe the French decided to add the DOM-TOMs to the “national population total” in order to beef up their claim to more MEPs etc
  • Luckyguy1983Luckyguy1983 Posts: 29,835
    I'd be interested to see any articles on how Yougov's methodology has developed during their long absence from VI polling - anyone seen anything?
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,987
    edited January 28
  • CookieCookie Posts: 14,474

    Leon said:

    Sean_F said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.

    Now for those on the right of politics who are desperate for exclusively elite universities servicing the few, this can only be good news. For the rest of us it marks a shift away from educating our young people to conquer the World intellectually.
    Perhaps the burden of family migration negates the benefit of overseas students’ fees.

    And, in any event, the number of overseas students is still huge.

    a

    carnforth said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.
    "Killed that golden goose" is rather relative. Yes, 2024 had 16% fewer foreign students than 2023, but it's still 40% higher than, say, 2015.

    Certain universities are addicted to ever increasing numbers of foreign students.
    I remember when aiming for a balance of trade surplus with Johnny Foreigner nations was regarded as a positive. Now it's "don't come over here with your foreign money".
    Various governments didn’t get sign off from the British public about population growth from emigration of serious fractions of a percent per year.

    That’s the problem of democracy.

    For myself I don’t mind population growth of even 5% a year. But I will insist on building 10 million homes a year, if that’s how you want to roll it. And hospitals. And roads. And if you don’t like that kind of building rate - move to the Chilean desert.

    How would you feel about a majority Muslim UK? With homosexuality illegal again? Blasphemy laws on the statute books? Sharia law enforced by the state?

    Presumably you don’t want that (or maybe you do). At which point you have to admit that this is not just about numbers. It is about the vast cultural change that comes with big numbers
    Yet another reason why we should never have left the EU.
    The EU which shortly before Brexit admitted 1 million immigrants from the Middle East?
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 61,890
    Leon said:

    Sean_F said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.

    Now for those on the right of politics who are desperate for exclusively elite universities servicing the few, this can only be good news. For the rest of us it marks a shift away from educating our young people to conquer the World intellectually.
    Perhaps the burden of family migration negates the benefit of overseas students’ fees.

    And, in any event, the number of overseas students is still huge.

    a

    carnforth said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.
    "Killed that golden goose" is rather relative. Yes, 2024 had 16% fewer foreign students than 2023, but it's still 40% higher than, say, 2015.

    Certain universities are addicted to ever increasing numbers of foreign students.
    I remember when aiming for a balance of trade surplus with Johnny Foreigner nations was regarded as a positive. Now it's "don't come over here with your foreign money".
    Various governments didn’t get sign off from the British public about population growth from emigration of serious fractions of a percent per year.

    That’s the problem of democracy.

    For myself I don’t mind population growth of even 5% a year. But I will insist on building 10 million homes a year, if that’s how you want to roll it. And hospitals. And roads. And if you don’t like that kind of building rate - move to the Chilean desert.

    How would you feel about a majority Muslim UK? With homosexuality illegal again? Blasphemy laws on the statute books? Sharia law enforced by the state?

    Presumably you don’t want that (or maybe you do). At which point you have to admit that this is not just about numbers. It is about the vast cultural change that comes with big numbers
    It's another form of free movement, where the ideology wins out over the political reality.
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,987
    Cookie said:

    Leon said:

    Sean_F said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.

    Now for those on the right of politics who are desperate for exclusively elite universities servicing the few, this can only be good news. For the rest of us it marks a shift away from educating our young people to conquer the World intellectually.
    Perhaps the burden of family migration negates the benefit of overseas students’ fees.

    And, in any event, the number of overseas students is still huge.

    a

    carnforth said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.
    "Killed that golden goose" is rather relative. Yes, 2024 had 16% fewer foreign students than 2023, but it's still 40% higher than, say, 2015.

    Certain universities are addicted to ever increasing numbers of foreign students.
    I remember when aiming for a balance of trade surplus with Johnny Foreigner nations was regarded as a positive. Now it's "don't come over here with your foreign money".
    Various governments didn’t get sign off from the British public about population growth from emigration of serious fractions of a percent per year.

    That’s the problem of democracy.

    For myself I don’t mind population growth of even 5% a year. But I will insist on building 10 million homes a year, if that’s how you want to roll it. And hospitals. And roads. And if you don’t like that kind of building rate - move to the Chilean desert.

    How would you feel about a majority Muslim UK? With homosexuality illegal again? Blasphemy laws on the statute books? Sharia law enforced by the state?

    Presumably you don’t want that (or maybe you do). At which point you have to admit that this is not just about numbers. It is about the vast cultural change that comes with big numbers
    Yet another reason why we should never have left the EU.
    The EU which shortly before Brexit admitted 1 million immigrants from the Middle East?
    Yes. We have replaced immigration from European countries with immigration from Asia and Africa. That does not help preserve our culture.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 58,445
    Yes it’s weirdly and obviously wrong. France went through decades of neurosis about its low population compared to the UK and Germany. It’s one of the recent drivers of modern history. Illiterate Guardian twits

    France should be happy with a lower population. It’s one thing that makes France a nicer place to be. Sense of space. Room to breathe. Britain is chocka by contrast - which has real world economic impacts as infrastructure gets ever harder to complete (as someone always lives in the way)
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 58,488
    Leon said:

    I’m right

    “As of January 2024, Metropolitan France has a population of approximately 66.1 million people. In contrast, the combined population of France, including its overseas departments and territories (DOM-TOM), is about 68.4 million. This means that Metropolitan France accounts for roughly 96.6% of the total population, with the overseas regions contributing the remaining 3.4%. “

    I believe the French decided to add the DOM-TOMs to the “national population total” in order to beef up their claim to more MEPs etc

    Are the residents of DOM-TOMs French citizens, with all the same rights, etc?

    Or is it like the UK where (for example) being a Hong Kong citizen did not give you rights to move to the UK or to vote in UK elections?
  • DriverDriver Posts: 5,559
    algarkirk said:

    TimS said:

    DougSeal said:

    Talking of yougov:

    YouGov@YouGov
    ·
    24m
    Disapproval in the government reaches its highest level since the election

    Approve: 16% (-4 from 18-20 Jan)
    Disapprove: 64% (+4)
    Net: -48 (-8)

    And yet ...

    Latest YouGov Westminster voting intention (26-27 Jan)

    Lab: 27% (+1 from 20-21 Jan)
    Ref: 23% (-1)
    Con: 22% (=)
    Lib Dem: 14% (=)
    Green: 9% (=)
    SNP: 3% (=)

    I increasingly get the impression that all parties listed here are now attracting little more than their core vote.
    I would say 14% is way in excess of the Lib Dem core vote, which is closer to 5-6% as we saw in the late coalition and early Corbyn years. MUch as it pains me to admit.

    The Green core vote may be even smaller. 3% perhaps? I would take the 8% LD excess over core vote and distribute about 4% to tactical voting, 4% to NOTA and centrist Tories. And take the 6% excess for the Greens and allocate it 4% to disgruntled BJO lefties, and 2% to vaguely NOTA voters who are in mid-term mode.
    The poll quoted in the LD's GE 2024 review suggested that LD voters were the most likely to be tactical voters and Con/Reform the least likely. Which suggests just lumping Tory and Reform votes together will not work.
    In the olden days of not long ago it was just about possible to lump together most votes into centre right or centre left - just two groups in recent years this being Con v Lab/LD/SNP/PC/Green.

    I don't think this convenient two group identity is remotely correct or possible now, and I think this is probably a product of the Brexit years.

    So what does have any use? I think Lab+Con v All others (SPLORG) is a useful measure of the crisis the two party system may be in.

    I think Con v Lab/LD/SNP is a specific but incomplete indicator of a traditional division.

    But neither Greens nor Reform fit properly in a two team formation.

    Reform are not Right, Centre Right, Radical Right or Extreme Right in any sense at all. And Greens are not Centre Left.

    This needs thought. Someone cleverer than I should write an article. My starting point is that everyone (apart from Greens possibly, but certainly including Reform) are different versions of post WWII social democracy. WRT that starting point, what distinguishes them?
    The other factor is, if the next election comes around with anything resembling a three-way tie as at present, there are going to be a lot of people thinking they're very clever with tactical voting having it blow up in their face...
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 58,488
    I just had literally the very best breakfast burrito ever.
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,987
    Leon said:

    Cookie said:

    Andy_JS said:

    "UK population exceeds that of France for first time on record, ONS data shows"

    https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jan/28/uk-population-exceeds-that-of-france-for-first-time-on-record

    That surprises me. For my whole life the two populations have been almost exactly the same. I'm surprised this is the first time it's happened.
    Yeah I don’t believe it either

    Also IIRC the population of France depends very much on how you count it. There is “metropolitan France” - ie France - and then there’s France plus its overseas territories (about ~2m more? rough guess)

    It doesn't really matter how you count it, for most of the 20th century (1900-1990) the UK population was higher than France's - e.g 1950: France 42m, UK 50m.
  • rcs1000rcs1000 Posts: 58,488
    Leon said:

    Yes it’s weirdly and obviously wrong. France went through decades of neurosis about its low population compared to the UK and Germany. It’s one of the recent drivers of modern history. Illiterate Guardian twits

    France should be happy with a lower population. It’s one thing that makes France a nicer place to be. Sense of space. Room to breathe. Britain is chocka by contrast - which has real world economic impacts as infrastructure gets ever harder to complete (as someone always lives in the way)
    There are plenty of parts of the UK that are desolate, like in most countries. It's just that people don't want to live in those places.
  • I think I have just seen PB.com in it's original televised form, transported back to 1976 in a debate.

    Today's 'characters' seem inauthentic compared to these people. The internet has made us poorer for that. Enjoy the clips if you have a few minutes.


    https://x.com/ScarredForLife2/status/1883973183373811851
  • LeonLeon Posts: 58,445
    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    I’m right

    “As of January 2024, Metropolitan France has a population of approximately 66.1 million people. In contrast, the combined population of France, including its overseas departments and territories (DOM-TOM), is about 68.4 million. This means that Metropolitan France accounts for roughly 96.6% of the total population, with the overseas regions contributing the remaining 3.4%. “

    I believe the French decided to add the DOM-TOMs to the “national population total” in order to beef up their claim to more MEPs etc

    Are the residents of DOM-TOMs French citizens, with all the same rights, etc?

    Or is it like the UK where (for example) being a Hong Kong citizen did not give you rights to move to the UK or to vote in UK elections?
    If you live in an overseas French department - Martinique, Mayotte, etc - you have all the rights of a full French and EU citizen. I believe it varies beyond that - New Caledonia and so on
  • BarnesianBarnesian Posts: 8,904
    Carnyx said:

    I can confirm, as a Chartered Accountant, that two plus two does not necessarily equal four.

    It equals whatever you want it to equal.

    Eleven. (It does.)
    100
  • MoonRabbitMoonRabbit Posts: 13,850
    Nigelb said:

    My sweet balls are running all over the shop today.

    That could be either a minor, or very serious accident indeed.
    It’s Party Time! I’ve going to serve lots of spicy beef and vegetable jiaozi. And hopefully sweet balls., though they wouldn’t get me in bake off. And I’m making an orange punch, which I’ve already tested

    HNY PB 🥳
  • DougSealDougSeal Posts: 12,612

    I think I have just seen PB.com in it's original televised form, transported back to 1976 in a debate.

    Today's 'characters' seem inauthentic compared to these people. The internet has made us poorer for that. Enjoy the clips if you have a few minutes.


    https://x.com/ScarredForLife2/status/1883973183373811851

    There are at least 3 people on PB who look like the guy at 0.48 in the first video
  • BenpointerBenpointer Posts: 34,987
    Leon said:

    Yes it’s weirdly and obviously wrong. France went through decades of neurosis about its low population compared to the UK and Germany. It’s one of the recent drivers of modern history. Illiterate Guardian twits

    France should be happy with a lower population. It’s one thing that makes France a nicer place to be. Sense of space. Room to breathe. Britain is chocka by contrast - which has real world economic impacts as infrastructure gets ever harder to complete (as someone always lives in the way)
    The Graun journo looks about 25, so you can't really expect him to know that 'records began' before 1990.

    To be fair to him though, the article does contain this gem:

    Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, who was an immigration minister between 2019 and 2021 at a time when the net migration figure was surging to its peak, said: “This projection is shocking and unacceptable. It can and must be stopped from materialising.

    “Ten million arrivals over 10 years is far too high. We need a binding legal cap on visas issued each year which is very, very substantially lower than this in order to get the numbers down and under control.”
  • LeonLeon Posts: 58,445
    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    Yes it’s weirdly and obviously wrong. France went through decades of neurosis about its low population compared to the UK and Germany. It’s one of the recent drivers of modern history. Illiterate Guardian twits

    France should be happy with a lower population. It’s one thing that makes France a nicer place to be. Sense of space. Room to breathe. Britain is chocka by contrast - which has real world economic impacts as infrastructure gets ever harder to complete (as someone always lives in the way)
    There are plenty of parts of the UK that are desolate, like in most countries. It's just that people don't want to live in those places.
    French desolation often means empty places like Lozere and Aveyron. Which are often beautiful and sunny - not the Lancashire moors

    However there is maybe nowhere in France with the noomy sublimity of the Highlands and Islands
  • kamskikamski Posts: 5,836

    kamski said:

    kamski said:

    carnforth said:
    The cordon sanitaire between the AfD and the mainstream parties is breaking down with Friedrich Merz working with them to pass legislation to restrict migration, so for the first time it looks like a CDU/CSU/AfD coalition in some form is not impossible after the election.
    Merz isn't working with the AfD. Have you ever failed to lie when posting about Germany?

    Also there is zero chance of a Union + AfD coalition after the election. If you if anyone thinks Williamglenn is trustworthy and genuinely believes the bullshit he writes (both extremely unlikely) there would be a good opportunity free money betting against him on this point.
    Are you also accusing Scholz of lying?

    https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/bundestagswahl/scholz-migrationsdebatte-100.html

    Scholz warnt vor möglicher Koalition aus Union und AfD
    Also here is what Merz himself said a couple of days ago

    "Es wird keine Zusammenarbeit mit der AfD geben. Darauf können sich alle verlassen",

    They're not even talking to each other, let alone working together as you claim.
    Here I will invoke Mandy Rice-Davies.
    You need to produce some evidence that they are "working together" you can't because you're full of shit.


    What was it you said when someone asked about the AfD the other day "you can't define them because they are an umbrella group for all the opponents of the regime" what utter horseshit!

    Are you an AfD supporter?
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 61,890
    This weather is absolute toilet.
  • TimSTimS Posts: 14,106
    Leon said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    Yes it’s weirdly and obviously wrong. France went through decades of neurosis about its low population compared to the UK and Germany. It’s one of the recent drivers of modern history. Illiterate Guardian twits

    France should be happy with a lower population. It’s one thing that makes France a nicer place to be. Sense of space. Room to breathe. Britain is chocka by contrast - which has real world economic impacts as infrastructure gets ever harder to complete (as someone always lives in the way)
    There are plenty of parts of the UK that are desolate, like in most countries. It's just that people don't want to live in those places.
    French desolation often means empty places like Lozere and Aveyron. Which are often beautiful and sunny - not the Lancashire moors

    However there is maybe nowhere in France with the noomy sublimity of the Highlands and Islands
    Kerguelen?
  • viewcodeviewcode Posts: 23,445
    The RedLetterMedia review of Star Trek: Section 31 is up. Their reaction is unfortunately similar to mine: indifference. It's not like it's bad or good, it's just that nobody was interested in the spinoff and it's...meh? Rather sad, really... :(

    Anyway, enjoy

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIp8vQxDS-M
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 43,920
    edited January 28
    Driver said:

    algarkirk said:

    TimS said:

    DougSeal said:

    Talking of yougov:

    YouGov@YouGov
    ·
    24m
    Disapproval in the government reaches its highest level since the election

    Approve: 16% (-4 from 18-20 Jan)
    Disapprove: 64% (+4)
    Net: -48 (-8)

    And yet ...

    Latest YouGov Westminster voting intention (26-27 Jan)

    Lab: 27% (+1 from 20-21 Jan)
    Ref: 23% (-1)
    Con: 22% (=)
    Lib Dem: 14% (=)
    Green: 9% (=)
    SNP: 3% (=)

    I increasingly get the impression that all parties listed here are now attracting little more than their core vote.
    I would say 14% is way in excess of the Lib Dem core vote, which is closer to 5-6% as we saw in the late coalition and early Corbyn years. MUch as it pains me to admit.

    The Green core vote may be even smaller. 3% perhaps? I would take the 8% LD excess over core vote and distribute about 4% to tactical voting, 4% to NOTA and centrist Tories. And take the 6% excess for the Greens and allocate it 4% to disgruntled BJO lefties, and 2% to vaguely NOTA voters who are in mid-term mode.
    The poll quoted in the LD's GE 2024 review suggested that LD voters were the most likely to be tactical voters and Con/Reform the least likely. Which suggests just lumping Tory and Reform votes together will not work.
    In the olden days of not long ago it was just about possible to lump together most votes into centre right or centre left - just two groups in recent years this being Con v Lab/LD/SNP/PC/Green.

    I don't think this convenient two group identity is remotely correct or possible now, and I think this is probably a product of the Brexit years.

    So what does have any use? I think Lab+Con v All others (SPLORG) is a useful measure of the crisis the two party system may be in.

    I think Con v Lab/LD/SNP is a specific but incomplete indicator of a traditional division.

    But neither Greens nor Reform fit properly in a two team formation.

    Reform are not Right, Centre Right, Radical Right or Extreme Right in any sense at all. And Greens are not Centre Left.

    This needs thought. Someone cleverer than I should write an article. My starting point is that everyone (apart from Greens possibly, but certainly including Reform) are different versions of post WWII social democracy. WRT that starting point, what distinguishes them?
    The other factor is, if the next election comes around with anything resembling a three-way tie as at present, there are going to be a lot of people thinking they're very clever with tactical voting having it blow up in their face...
    Like those who thought they were being clever for Cleverly in the Tory leadership ballot. What a screw up.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 58,445
    TimS said:

    Leon said:

    rcs1000 said:

    Leon said:

    Yes it’s weirdly and obviously wrong. France went through decades of neurosis about its low population compared to the UK and Germany. It’s one of the recent drivers of modern history. Illiterate Guardian twits

    France should be happy with a lower population. It’s one thing that makes France a nicer place to be. Sense of space. Room to breathe. Britain is chocka by contrast - which has real world economic impacts as infrastructure gets ever harder to complete (as someone always lives in the way)
    There are plenty of parts of the UK that are desolate, like in most countries. It's just that people don't want to live in those places.
    French desolation often means empty places like Lozere and Aveyron. Which are often beautiful and sunny - not the Lancashire moors

    However there is maybe nowhere in France with the noomy sublimity of the Highlands and Islands
    Kerguelen?
    In that case I counter with the Antarctic Peninsula - which is part of the British Antarctic territory and is - without exaggerating - the most spectacularly sublime place on earth. I know because I’ve been there and I almost died there doing Antarctic kayaking
  • BurgessianBurgessian Posts: 2,901
    "BREAKING: France has discussed with Denmark sending troops to Greenland in response to United States President Donald Trump's repeated threats to annex the Danish territory, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said."

    It's a mad world, my masters.
  • LeonLeon Posts: 58,445
    edited January 28

    "BREAKING: France has discussed with Denmark sending troops to Greenland in response to United States President Donald Trump's repeated threats to annex the Danish territory, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said."

    It's a mad world, my masters.

    Is it bad that I want a war between France and America?
  • Casino_RoyaleCasino_Royale Posts: 61,890

    "BREAKING: France has discussed with Denmark sending troops to Greenland in response to United States President Donald Trump's repeated threats to annex the Danish territory, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said."

    It's a mad world, my masters.

    I was assured this was impossible by some pb'ers only, err, last week.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 43,920
    Leon said:

    Sean_F said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.

    Now for those on the right of politics who are desperate for exclusively elite universities servicing the few, this can only be good news. For the rest of us it marks a shift away from educating our young people to conquer the World intellectually.
    Perhaps the burden of family migration negates the benefit of overseas students’ fees.

    And, in any event, the number of overseas students is still huge.

    a

    carnforth said:

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    I do think there is an existential crisis in the university sector. The domestic students are subsidised by foreign students and we killed that golden goose a couple of years ago. Without student fees, from wherever the come, the sector dies.
    "Killed that golden goose" is rather relative. Yes, 2024 had 16% fewer foreign students than 2023, but it's still 40% higher than, say, 2015.

    Certain universities are addicted to ever increasing numbers of foreign students.
    I remember when aiming for a balance of trade surplus with Johnny Foreigner nations was regarded as a positive. Now it's "don't come over here with your foreign money".
    Various governments didn’t get sign off from the British public about population growth from emigration of serious fractions of a percent per year.

    That’s the problem of democracy.

    For myself I don’t mind population growth of even 5% a year. But I will insist on building 10 million homes a year, if that’s how you want to roll it. And hospitals. And roads. And if you don’t like that kind of building rate - move to the Chilean desert.

    How would you feel about a majority Muslim UK? With homosexuality illegal again? Blasphemy laws on the statute books? Sharia law enforced by the state?

    Presumably you don’t want that (or maybe you do). At which point you have to admit that this is not just about numbers. It is about the vast cultural change that comes with big numbers
    Are you seeing the Thames foaming with much blood?
  • NigelbNigelb Posts: 74,156
    .
    DougSeal said:

    I think I have just seen PB.com in it's original televised form, transported back to 1976 in a debate.

    Today's 'characters' seem inauthentic compared to these people. The internet has made us poorer for that. Enjoy the clips if you have a few minutes.


    https://x.com/ScarredForLife2/status/1883973183373811851

    There are at least 3 people on PB who look like the guy at 0.48 in the first video
    And this one..
    https://x.com/ScarredForLife2/status/1883975534469865763
  • TimSTimS Posts: 14,106

    "BREAKING: France has discussed with Denmark sending troops to Greenland in response to United States President Donald Trump's repeated threats to annex the Danish territory, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said."

    It's a mad world, my masters.

    A quickfire thermonuclear exchange would certainly help accelerate access to all those ice-covered minerals.
  • kinabalukinabalu Posts: 43,920
    Pulpstar said:

    I can confirm, as a Chartered Accountant, that two plus two does not necessarily equal four.

    It equals whatever you want it to equal.

    Yes, playing that game at the moment. Profit can be created, cash however can not
    Sale and lease back!
  • DriverDriver Posts: 5,559
    Barnesian said:

    Carnyx said:

    I can confirm, as a Chartered Accountant, that two plus two does not necessarily equal four.

    It equals whatever you want it to equal.

    Eleven. (It does.)
    100
    But only if two plus two is 10 + 10...
  • Sunil_PrasannanSunil_Prasannan Posts: 52,915
    TimS said:

    "BREAKING: France has discussed with Denmark sending troops to Greenland in response to United States President Donald Trump's repeated threats to annex the Danish territory, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said."

    It's a mad world, my masters.

    A quickfire thermonuclear exchange would certainly help accelerate access to all those ice-covered minerals.
    "Wouldn't you prefer a nice game of chess?"
  • BurgessianBurgessian Posts: 2,901
    Leon said:

    "BREAKING: France has discussed with Denmark sending troops to Greenland in response to United States President Donald Trump's repeated threats to annex the Danish territory, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said."

    It's a mad world, my masters.

    Is it bad that I want a war between France and America?
    Trump will probably relocate the Statue of Liberty to Nuuk harbour.

    That'll be one in the eye of Macron.
  • BurgessianBurgessian Posts: 2,901

    "BREAKING: France has discussed with Denmark sending troops to Greenland in response to United States President Donald Trump's repeated threats to annex the Danish territory, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said."

    It's a mad world, my masters.

    It's a mad world, my masters. Part 2

    Elon in action: https://x.com/iam_smx/status/1883977770709258287
  • bondegezoubondegezou Posts: 12,745

    MattW said:

    Cardiff University sets out proposals for 400 redundancies

    Workforce is just over 7k, with a 50/50 academic/administrative split.

    Is there a breakdown of the numbers?

    TBH it sounds like a pinprick - although I'm sure various pols will be claiming to have parented kittens.

    A few years before I started University in the 1980s, Mrs Thatcher cut the University's central funding by 30% (also Aston, Salford as industrial enthusiast Maggie cut the industrial universities hardest), and they lost some core courses.

    https://www.bradford.ac.uk/library/special-collections/our-collections/university-of-bradford-archive/

    The Thatcher government closed all of the small colleges in London University.
    Merged rather than closed, no?
This discussion has been closed.