I imagine this might be the first of many the Lynton Crosby has up his sleeve. I've got 2 stories on them myself which will probably be national.
Interestingly when canvassing today, I came across 4 hoouseholds saying UKIP as soon as I spoke. I explored it in a bit further detail. In the end they themselves said they have no policies and they probably won't end up voting for them.
Where do the Tories stand on grammar schools?
Grammar schools were a specific type of school that was suitable for the era they were prevalent. They were not without faults, however.
The Tory policy of free schools allows heads and governors to establish a similar academic focus and rigour if they so wish. They are not allowed to select on academic merit only, but equally there are ways around this: I prefer setting personally, but it can be complicated, so many schools go for streaming instead
So: not grammar schools in name, but the flexibility for schools to pursue that route if they wish.
The setting at my comp worked to help the not so able kids. Which is fine, but I had a real problem with my school thinking about how many kids they could get away with putting into top set for maths.
Part of the problem, for me at least, wasn't so much that we didn't get stretched - we did - it's that it can be quite intimidating being in a maths class of 37 where there are likely to be a couple of exceptionally bright students who can make you think that you're not that good yourself.
My school was more concerned with the fact that I wasn't particularly good at English instead of pushing the fact that I was very good at maths.
In the end they made me capable at a number of subjects. What I needed was guidance along the lines of, "yes, improve your English, but don't lose sight of the fact that you're naturally good at maths at focus your efforts on that".
The Greens are always going to be able to go further left on the economy than Labour, even if Labour lost their marbles and offered anti-austerity, the Greens would demand anti-austerity with a cherry on top. There is no chance Labour are going to give up their position in the centre ground on cuts that was afforded to them with the Tories 1930's public services line.
I imagine this might be the first of many the Lynton Crosby has up his sleeve. I've got 2 stories on them myself which will probably be national.
Interestingly when canvassing today, I came across 4 hoouseholds saying UKIP as soon as I spoke. I explored it in a bit further detail. In the end they themselves said they have no policies and they probably won't end up voting for them.
Where do the Tories stand on grammar schools?
Grammar schools were a specific type of school that was suitable for the era they were prevalent. They were not without faults, however.
The Tory policy of free schools allows heads and governors to establish a similar academic focus and rigour if they so wish. They are not allowed to select on academic merit only, but equally there are ways around this: I prefer setting personally, but it can be complicated, so many schools go for streaming instead
So: not grammar schools in name, but the flexibility for schools to pursue that route if they wish.
The setting at my comp worked to help the not so able kids. Which is fine, but I had a real problem with my school thinking about how many kids they could get away with putting into top set for maths.
Part of the problem, for me at least, wasn't so much that we didn't get stretched - we did - it's that it can be quite intimidating being in a maths class of 37 where there are likely to be a couple of exceptionally bright students who can make you think that you're not that good yourself.
My school was more concerned with the fact that I wasn't particularly good at English instead of pushing the fact that I was very good at maths.
In the end they made me capable at a number of subjects. What I needed was guidance along the lines of, "yes, improve your English, but don't lose sight of the fact that you're naturally good at maths at focus your efforts on that".
I end up doing a geography degree!
"In the end they made me capable at a number of subjects."
I think they did very well. Schools should produce all rounders not specialists at that early age.
The Greens are always going to be able to go further left on the economy than Labour, even if Labour lost their marbles and offered anti-austerity, the Greens would demand anti-austerity with a cherry on top. There is no chance Labour are going to give up their position in the centre ground on cuts that was afforded to them with the Tories 1930's public services line.
The greens are already promising anti-austerity with a cherry on top. I think one of their policies costs £240bn....
This election won't be decided by a few crossers, but by c. 35 million people who cast their votes. And they sure as heck won't be influenced by Amjad Bashir, Martin Bashir, or any other basher left, right or centre.
More serious is Mike's point about whether it's indicative of something else going on in UKIP HQ, and that's a different story. There are a significant number of reports emerging about in-fighting at the top and Farage's own leadership style to give cause for UKIP alarm, and cheer to the others. If this isn't sorted very, very, soon then that will be serious.
This election won't be decided by a few crossers, but by c. 35 million people who cast their votes. And they sure as heck won't be influenced by Amjad Bashir, Martin Bashir, or any other basher left, right or centre.
More serious is Mike's point about whether it's indicative of something else going on in UKIP HQ, and that's a different story. There are a significant number of reports emerging about in-fighting at the top and Farage's own leadership style to give cause for UKIP alarm, and cheer to the others. If this isn't sorted very, very, soon then that will be serious.
Not too worry ! Enough bad news means Farage fails to win Thanet South and Carswell becomes the leader of 1,2 MPs. The party implodes or explodes, take your pick.
The Greens are always going to be able to go further left on the economy than Labour, even if Labour lost their marbles and offered anti-austerity, the Greens would demand anti-austerity with a cherry on top. There is no chance Labour are going to give up their position in the centre ground on cuts that was afforded to them with the Tories 1930's public services line.
The greens are already promising anti-austerity with a cherry on top. I think one of their policies costs £240bn....
Getting rid of Trident solves all that and plenty more......
AQ: about eight and a half minutes in, Bea Campbell suggesting an ovarian debate, where only women (leaders or senior members) take part. Crackpot. The fact the audience thought it was a good idea does not speak well of them, either.
We ought to judge people by the content of their character, not the contents of their trousers.
Edited extra bit: think the bit about a Green vote being a way of 'letting the Tories in' starts around 10.30.
The Greens are always going to be able to go further left on the economy than Labour, even if Labour lost their marbles and offered anti-austerity, the Greens would demand anti-austerity with a cherry on top. There is no chance Labour are going to give up their position in the centre ground on cuts that was afforded to them with the Tories 1930's public services line.
They're not in the centre ground. Labour are saying there needs to be more big cuts, a position backed by only 24% of the public. 29% want spending maintained at current levels, while 32% want spending INCREASED!
The end result is Labour gets squeezed from both ends: most of the small group of people who believe more cuts are necessary are going to go Tory (why would you not go for the market leaders in something? If McDonald's converted to serving pizza overnight, most people are still going to stick with Pizza Hut since people know they can trust them in that field), while at the same time throws away countless votes from the much bigger anti-austerity bloc.
The real centre ground would be saying no more cuts but no significant spending increases either.
The Greens are always going to be able to go further left on the economy than Labour, even if Labour lost their marbles and offered anti-austerity, the Greens would demand anti-austerity with a cherry on top. There is no chance Labour are going to give up their position in the centre ground on cuts that was afforded to them with the Tories 1930's public services line.
The greens are already promising anti-austerity with a cherry on top. I think one of their policies costs £240bn....
Getting rid of Trident solves all that and plenty more......
I think they did very well. Schools should produce all rounders not specialists at that early age.
That's a fair point. What I guess I'm complaining about is a lack of guidance about what I should have been looking to do at university which should dictate A Level choices.
Some kids know what they want to do, but I didn't have a clue and in the end I didn't end up concentrating on anything in particular. I did maths, physics, chemistry, geography and politics. The last of those was actually what I was really interested in, and geography was the closest thing to it at school so I kept doing it.
What I really needed was someone to ask "are you actually interested in science/geography". Deep down, I now know the answer is not really. If I could go back and do it over again I would do maths, further maths, politics and economics.
This election won't be decided by a few crossers, but by c. 35 million people who cast their votes. And they sure as heck won't be influenced by Amjad Bashir, Martin Bashir, or any other basher left, right or centre.
More serious is Mike's point about whether it's indicative of something else going on in UKIP HQ, and that's a different story. There are a significant number of reports emerging about in-fighting at the top and Farage's own leadership style to give cause for UKIP alarm, and cheer to the others. If this isn't sorted very, very, soon then that will be serious.
Not too worry ! Enough bad news means Farage fails to win Thanet South and Carswell becomes the leader of 1,2 MPs. The party implodes or explodes, take your pick.
I would suggest that Farage failing to win but UKIP picking up a few seats and 10 - 15 % of the vote would be very bad indeed for the Tories.. An entrenched UKIP in Parliament with a leader who didn't want to run the party as his own personal toy would be very dangerous indeed for the Tories.
On topic, the defection matters slightly as it may well end the existing media narrative of Con to UKIP defections, which had already more-or-less ground to a halt (though it would only take one to re-establish it). Another Purple-to-Blue would start a trend with a guessing game of 'who's next'. While that's all a bit Westminster Village, it's not the sort of momentum an insurgent party wants, looking as it does like a bubble deflating.
Off topic, Brrrraaaaaaddddddfffffoooooooorrrrrrdddd!!!!!
Ed Miliband’s chances of winning the general election are dealt a blow by research for the Observer showing the surge in support for the Greens could seriously damage Labour’s hopes in 22 seats that will help decide who enters Downing Street in May.
With just over 100 days before polling, the rise of the Greens is causing serious anxiety in Labour’s high command, as worries grow that many left-leaning voters, particularly students and first-time voters, are rejecting Miliband’s agenda in favour of a more radical leftwing offering. With the SNP already threatening Labour in at least 20 of its traditional strongholds in Scotland, the Green surge means Labour is facing a second, largely unexpected, challenge from the left, which has made the election result even more difficult to call.
A big concern for Miliband’s election team is that Labour had been banking on many who voted Lib Dem in 2010 to return to the party. But these voters could be turning instead to the Greens, weakening Labour’s bid for power in university cities and other, mainly urban, areas.
Will this finally make the Labour high command realise that, to win these voters over, they can't continue to have an economic policy more right-wing than 60% of the population?
That's not Labour's problem. Labour's problem is that they truly believe that the party is all, and the voters are nothing, that their core vote means nothing, that socialist principles they claim to stand for are nothing.
If they had any interest in principles they would have introduced AMS PR during their 13 years of dominant power when they must have known they had deserted all belief in their core principles and yet still decided they could appeal to Middle England and retain the rest of their support.
Now the SNP are destroying them, the Greens are eating away and withing two elections will be destroying them. The entitlement of the Labour politicans, especially the Islington set is beyond contempt. They will do anything, regardless of how it affects the country, their electorate and their core support as long as it is in the interest of them
AQ: 13 minutes in Steve Webb wibbles on about carving up England, because Scottish devolution is fine for Scotland, but England getting the same thing is wrong in Lib Dem land [Webb phrased it slyly, going on about 'local' matters, but his meaning could be discerned].
Paterson more sensible, though English votes for English laws isn't far enough.
Off topic betting post. Ritchie Porte looking a good shot for the podium in this year's Tour de France. I've had a slice of the 80/1 e/w price with Hills amongst others.
Off topic betting post. Ritchie Porte looking a good shot for the podium in this year's Tour de France. I've had a slice of the 80/1 e/w price with Hills amongst others.
He won in January last year and then flaked out as usual. Never shown the capability to ride for 3 weeks without a bad day (despite chances when his leader has crashed in the past) and will be expected to ride for Froome unless he gets unlucky again.
The issue of grammar schools is important to me. It's not so much because I'm desperate to go back to the grammar school system, but because I think Labour dumbed down the top of our education system. They hate any notion that some people are more intelligent than others. They hate aspiration. They hate the notion that some people are more likely to succeed than others.
Labour invented the bizarre idea that you can encourage 50% of the population to attend University and have them pay for the privilege despite any lag in the market catching up with the higher level of workforce education.
In doing so they cast their back on the primary example of education as a route to wealth - the Scottish Model.
Scotland was the first country in the world to introduce universal, free, schooling and it was the main reason for the Scottish Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution and the wealth generated by the British Empire.
But it took decades for the introduction of free universal education to be rewarded with this increased wealth. Because it was free, it worked. There was no downside. We now have an entire generation of University graduates, who have huge levels of debt (even in Scotland there is debt due to the removal of grants) and the likelihood is that significant numbers of these students will not understand why they have this debt when there is no prospect for the bulk of them in earning more during their life. In many cases they will be behind the progression curve of, for example, someone who left school at 16, took a book-keepers apprenticeship (the few that still exist) then qualified as an accountant and with their years of experience are much higher up the the work pyramid than the recent graduate.
Perhaps the most lasting legacy of New Labour is how much they have devalued Higher Education in the UK, especially England where they have fees on top of living costs. It is an appalling legacy.
Bea Campbell does seem to be a damned fool. I may stop listening now, (18 minutes) because she's droning about how evil it is for England to have some measure of equality, having just made the stupid 1979-1997 comparison, when devolution didn't exist in Scotland or Wales.
Edited extra bit: pleased to hear the audience jeer her. Huzzah!
On topic, the defection matters slightly as it may well end the existing media narrative of Con to UKIP defections, which had already more-or-less ground to a halt (though it would only take one to re-establish it). Another Purple-to-Blue would start a trend with a guessing game of 'who's next'. While that's all a bit Westminster Village, it's not the sort of momentum an insurgent party wants, looking as it does like a bubble deflating.
Off topic, Brrrraaaaaaddddddfffffoooooooorrrrrrdddd!!!!!
The problem is that this has happened before with countless UKIP MEP defections to the Tories in the past with zero effect on UKIP ( Bannerman was even a deputy leader of UKIP).
An MEP defection doesn't seem to count as much as an MP.
The Greens are always going to be able to go further left on the economy than Labour, even if Labour lost their marbles and offered anti-austerity, the Greens would demand anti-austerity with a cherry on top. There is no chance Labour are going to give up their position in the centre ground on cuts that was afforded to them with the Tories 1930's public services line.
The greens are already promising anti-austerity with a cherry on top. I think one of their policies costs £240bn....
The cost of citizens income is £240bn. The saving is probably somewhere north of £150bn (no JSA, no Jobcentres, no Basic Pension, tax recoveries, Child and Working Tax Credits recoveries and a whole host of other savings). Personally I think it probably wouldn't work but it is not as far from being effective as critics suggest.
We now have an entire generation of University graduates, who have huge levels of debt (even in Scotland there is debt due to the removal of grants) and the likelihood is that significant numbers of these students will not understand why they have this debt when there is no prospect for the bulk of them in earning more during their life. In many cases they will be behind the progression curve of, for example, someone who left school at 16, took a book-keepers apprenticeship (the few that still exist) then qualified as an accountant and with their years of experience are much higher up the the work pyramid than the recent graduate.
Perhaps the most lasting legacy of New Labour is how much they have devalued Higher Education in the UK, especially England where they have fees on top of living costs. It is an appalling legacy.
I needed to have a degree to get the job that I do, but in five and a half years I've not applied anything from my degree to what I do. That's probably got more to do with the fact that I did a geography degree, but I feel I'd have been better off not bothering with university and just going out to work at 18.
Off topic betting post. Ritchie Porte looking a good shot for the podium in this year's Tour de France. I've had a slice of the 80/1 e/w price with Hills amongst others.
He won in January last year and then flaked out as usual. Never shown the capability to ride for 3 weeks without a bad day (despite chances when his leader has crashed in the past) and will be expected to ride for Froome unless he gets unlucky again.
We shall see, still think the effective 20/1 for top 3 is value
@ShippersUnbound: UKIP man: "People talk about UKIP being bigots. There are hundreds of thousands of bigots in the UK and they too deserve representation."
On Topic. I don't think the Bashir affair will impact UKIP for 3 reasons:
One, UKIP were quick to dump a bucket (of varying allegations) on his head. Two, MEP defections in the past had no effect on domestic public opinion. Three, the first reactions on any subject are always overrated compared to the actual result (doom, gloom, excitement, euphoria ect ect ).
Could someone check my maths on the Snoopers' Charter, please.
60,000,000 people in the UK .... Let's assume 30,000,000 can be snooped on - that is, use social media, e-mails, telecommunications etc. Each one produces say 1,000 words a day - that's a total of 30 billion words daily.
Even if GCHQ are working full time with say 100 operatives, that's 300,000,000 words each. Obviously they use computers that recognise interesting phrases but ....
What are the chances of Joe Bloggs having his e-mail read? Slightly less than being struck by lightning. So what's the fuss? Is it the chance of it being a thin end of a wedge? But how could they interrogate 300,000,000 words daily to spot you? A little bit of arrogance, perhaps?
I'm genuinely happy to be educated.
Those 300 million words will be run through sentiment analysis software to flag potentials, not just key word phrase matching but general tone and structre. It would be trivial to build up a tone map of every single e-mail address and the senders/recipients of each address - so easily classify when and how often e-mails are sent, what kind of language is used in those e-mails, who the regular contacts are. Software could then flag sudden changes or shifts -new recipients or increased volumes to old recipients.
Often it is not the content of the message themselves but the meta data associated with it that is the goldmine of information.
We now have an entire generation of University graduates, who have huge levels of debt (even in Scotland there is debt due to the removal of grants) and the likelihood is that significant numbers of these students will not understand why they have this debt when there is no prospect for the bulk of them in earning more during their life. In many cases they will be behind the progression curve of, for example, someone who left school at 16, took a book-keepers apprenticeship (the few that still exist) then qualified as an accountant and with their years of experience are much higher up the the work pyramid than the recent graduate.
Perhaps the most lasting legacy of New Labour is how much they have devalued Higher Education in the UK, especially England where they have fees on top of living costs. It is an appalling legacy.
I needed to have a degree to get the job that I do, but in five and a half years I've not applied anything from my degree to what I do. That's probably got more to do with the fact that I did a geography degree, but I feel I'd have been better off not bothering with university and just going out to work at 18.
It's not so much the contents of the course, but the training to study/analyse/present solutions; which should be applicable in a wider setting.
However, the biggest error with putting more people in Uni is the claim of the amount that graduates can earn. This ignores that (a) if there are more graduates they will have to take lower-paying jobs as there are only so many good jobs going around, and (b) the graduates may well have earned more because of their natural skills regardless of the degree.
Putting more people through any old degree course doesn't help anyone.
@ShippersUnbound: UKIP man: "People talk about UKIP being bigots. There are hundreds of thousands of bigots in the UK and they too deserve representation."
That is factually and politically accurate, everyone has the right to vote, even people whom the majority disagrees with on most subjects.
I imagine this might be the first of many the Lynton Crosby has up his sleeve. I've got 2 stories on them myself which will probably be national.
Interestingly when canvassing today, I came across 4 hoouseholds saying UKIP as soon as I spoke. I explored it in a bit further detail. In the end they themselves said they have no policies and they probably won't end up voting for them.
Where do the Tories stand on grammar schools?
Grammar schools were a specific type of school that was suitable for the era they were prevalent. They were not without faults, however.
The Tory policy of free schools allows heads and governors to establish a similar academic focus and rigour if they so wish. They are not allowed to select on academic merit only, but equally there are ways around this: I prefer setting personally, but it can be complicated, so many schools go for streaming instead
So: not grammar schools in name, but the flexibility for schools to pursue that route if they wish.
I am very much in favour of setting, and implacably opposed to streaming.
@ShippersUnbound: UKIP man: "People talk about UKIP being bigots. There are hundreds of thousands of bigots in the UK and they too deserve representation."
That is factually and politically accurate, everyone has the right to vote, even people whom the majority disagrees with on most subjects.
Not much of an ambition, though - hundreds of thousands of votes?
You have to think the bigot vote might just put off the rest of us tens of millions?
Political defection, range of anti-UKIP stories across the quality and tabloid media. This has Crosby's fingerprints all over it. In the past UKIP have been able to shrug off such onslaughts, but it's not invincible. Eventually the force will be too much to bear, and the whole UKIP edifice may topple.
Off topic betting post. Ritchie Porte looking a good shot for the podium in this year's Tour de France. I've had a slice of the 80/1 e/w price with Hills amongst others.
Porte is a great cyclist and world class contender. In one week tours.
He has never shown the stamina to compete over three weeks, not once in his career has he been able to maintain form over that length of time. He's gutsy, talented and strong but a three week Grand Tour man he really isn't.
Certainly a top cyclist can domestique on the hills as Froome demonstrated in Vuelta 2011 and Tour 2012 when he still was able to hold on and compete for a podium. But Porte in the same roll has failed to stay competitive every time he has had this roll. He can't maintain the stamina required for 3 weeks.
Having said all that, 80/1 may have some value. However this would be mainly to get very excited for the first 8 to 12 days, not to make a profit.
Political defection, range of anti-UKIP stories across the quality and tabloid media. This has Crosby's fingerprints all over it. In the past UKIP have been able to shrug off such onslaughts, but it's not invincible. Eventually the force will be too much to bear, and the whole UKIP edifice may topple.
Political defection, range of anti-UKIP stories across the quality and tabloid media. This has Crosby's fingerprints all over it. In the past UKIP have been able to shrug off such onslaughts, but it's not invincible. Eventually the force will be too much to bear, and the whole UKIP edifice may topple.
I have read this. Actually, Warsi has written a good and thoughtful article from the "other side". If every Muslim is checked out, how will they ever be accepted as part of society ?
Ironically, if you are a supporter of Israel and support the bombings of Gazan children as a "defensive measure", you will be described as a "moderate".
Political defection, range of anti-UKIP stories across the quality and tabloid media. This has Crosby's fingerprints all over it. In the past UKIP have been able to shrug off such onslaughts, but it's not invincible. Eventually the force will be too much to bear, and the whole UKIP edifice may topple.
The timing of this is fascinating, Nigel has his big TV interview with Marr in the morning.....
Looks like this is the Sunday Times story that is bad for UKIP.
UK has “hundreds of thousands of bigots” and the UKIP is proud to stand up for them, says one of Farage’s most senior aides
Has he been on here ? Would hardly be news.
Meanwhile in the Observer, Warsi has bought a one way ticket to the wilderness.
I don't know what Warsi has said but she's not in the wilderness rather she has a lifetime of living it up at the taxpayer's expense thanks to Cameron putting her in the HoL.
Looks like this is the Sunday Times story that is bad for UKIP.
UK has “hundreds of thousands of bigots” and the UKIP is proud to stand up for them, says one of Farage’s most senior aides
I love it when TSE eggs on a story thats against UKIP and it either explodes in his face , or like this one, is so damp a squib, that by Sunday afternoon it will have vanished up it's own asshole.
This election won't be decided by a few crossers, but by c. 35 million people who cast their votes. And they sure as heck won't be influenced by Amjad Bashir, Martin Bashir, or any other basher left, right or centre.
More serious is Mike's point about whether it's indicative of something else going on in UKIP HQ, and that's a different story. There are a significant number of reports emerging about in-fighting at the top and Farage's own leadership style to give cause for UKIP alarm, and cheer to the others. If this isn't sorted very, very, soon then that will be serious.
Not too worry ! Enough bad news means Farage fails to win Thanet South and Carswell becomes the leader of 1,2 MPs. The party implodes or explodes, take your pick.
I would suggest that Farage failing to win but UKIP picking up a few seats and 10 - 15 % of the vote would be very bad indeed for the Tories.. An entrenched UKIP in Parliament with a leader who didn't want to run the party as his own personal toy would be very dangerous indeed for the Tories.
Looks like this is the Sunday Times story that is bad for UKIP.
UK has “hundreds of thousands of bigots” and the UKIP is proud to stand up for them, says one of Farage’s most senior aides
Has he been on here ? Would hardly be news.
Meanwhile in the Observer, Warsi has bought a one way ticket to the wilderness.
I don't know what Warsi has said but she's not in the wilderness rather she has a lifetime of living it up at the taxpayer's expense thanks to Cameron putting her in the HoL.
Lady Warsi has delivered a blistering critique of the government’s approach towards Britain’s Muslims, warning that failure to engage properly with communities across the UK has created a climate of suspicion and undermined the fight against extremism.
In her first major intervention on the relationship between Muslims and the rest of society since she resigned from the cabinet five months ago, Warsi says the coalition’s policy of non-engagement has caused deep unease and resentment towards the government.
We now have an entire generation of University graduates, who have huge levels of debt (even in Scotland there is debt due to the removal of grants) and the likelihood is that significant numbers of these students will not understand why they have this debt when there is no prospect for the bulk of them in earning more during their life. In many cases they will be behind the progression curve of, for example, someone who left school at 16, took a book-keepers apprenticeship (the few that still exist) then qualified as an accountant and with their years of experience are much higher up the the work pyramid than the recent graduate.
Perhaps the most lasting legacy of New Labour is how much they have devalued Higher Education in the UK, especially England where they have fees on top of living costs. It is an appalling legacy.
I needed to have a degree to get the job that I do, but in five and a half years I've not applied anything from my degree to what I do. That's probably got more to do with the fact that I did a geography degree, but I feel I'd have been better off not bothering with university and just going out to work at 18.
Yes and this is reflected in so many careers, especially what one would have considered "Comfortably Well Off" careers back in the 60s and 70s. Accountancy is the big bogeyman where today's youth require a degree in Accountancy, Business or Maths to become an accountant when 40 years ago the idea of an Accountant needing a degree was farcical.
If the expansion of Higher Education had been focused on subjects which were academically based and free then the workforce would be in a far better place than we have with the Media Studies with £27k of debt typical graduate of today.
Looks like this is the Sunday Times story that is bad for UKIP.
UK has “hundreds of thousands of bigots” and the UKIP is proud to stand up for them, says one of Farage’s most senior aides
Just as well it came from their PR Chief. Imagine what it would sound like if it hadn't been spun properly!
Bashir will be forgotten quickly, but it does all show a certain amount of lack of slickness at the heart of the UKIP team. I suggest more time in the office assessing procedures and less time down the pub.
Looks like this is the Sunday Times story that is bad for UKIP.
UK has “hundreds of thousands of bigots” and the UKIP is proud to stand up for them, says one of Farage’s most senior aides
That's it?
That sounds like the sort of thing that Lynton Crosby would say about the Conservatives.
The Tories are really scraping the barrel if this is all they have.
A lot of UKIP members find it amusing being branded bigot, racist, fruitcake, swivel eyed, loony, etc. So to say he is standing up for "hundreds of thousands of bigots" is not really front page news.
Looks like this is the Sunday Times story that is bad for UKIP.
UK has “hundreds of thousands of bigots” and the UKIP is proud to stand up for them, says one of Farage’s most senior aides
That's it?
That sounds like the sort of thing that Lynton Crosby would say about the Conservatives.
If you secretly recorded Tories after a few drinks, that is exactly what they will say. This is a non-story.
UKIP is BNP-lite. Everyone knows that. The worrisome story today is that an MEP like Amjad Bashir can get an audience with the Prime Minister straightaway.
Off topic betting post. Ritchie Porte looking a good shot for the podium in this year's Tour de France. I've had a slice of the 80/1 e/w price with Hills amongst others.
He won in January last year and then flaked out as usual. Never shown the capability to ride for 3 weeks without a bad day (despite chances when his leader has crashed in the past) and will be expected to ride for Froome unless he gets unlucky again.
We shall see, still think the effective 20/1 for top 3 is value
You would be better finding a bet on Geraint Thomas for top 15. You might get better odds.
Looks like this is the Sunday Times story that is bad for UKIP.
UK has “hundreds of thousands of bigots” and the UKIP is proud to stand up for them, says one of Farage’s most senior aides
That's it?
That sounds like the sort of thing that Lynton Crosby would say about the Conservatives.
If you secretly recorded Tories after a few drinks, that is exactly what they will say. This is a non-story.
UKIP is BNP-lite. Everyone knows that. The worrisome story today is that an MEP like Amjad Bashir can get an audience with the Prime Minister straightaway.
I wonder what would happen if you secretly recorded a Labour PM?
Looks like this is the Sunday Times story that is bad for UKIP.
UK has “hundreds of thousands of bigots” and the UKIP is proud to stand up for them, says one of Farage’s most senior aides
Has he been on here ? Would hardly be news.
Meanwhile in the Observer, Warsi has bought a one way ticket to the wilderness.
I don't know what Warsi has said but she's not in the wilderness rather she has a lifetime of living it up at the taxpayer's expense thanks to Cameron putting her in the HoL.
Lady Warsi has delivered a blistering critique of the government’s approach towards Britain’s Muslims, warning that failure to engage properly with communities across the UK has created a climate of suspicion and undermined the fight against extremism.
In her first major intervention on the relationship between Muslims and the rest of society since she resigned from the cabinet five months ago, Warsi says the coalition’s policy of non-engagement has caused deep unease and resentment towards the government.
Has Warsi said what she was doing while she was Communities Minister ?
We now have an entire generation of University graduates, who have huge levels of debt (even in Scotland there is debt due to the removal of grants) and the likelihood is that significant numbers of these students will not understand why they have this debt when there is no prospect for the bulk of them in earning more during their life. In many cases they will be behind the progression curve of, for example, someone who left school at 16, took a book-keepers apprenticeship (the few that still exist) then qualified as an accountant and with their years of experience are much higher up the the work pyramid than the recent graduate.
Perhaps the most lasting legacy of New Labour is how much they have devalued Higher Education in the UK, especially England where they have fees on top of living costs. It is an appalling legacy.
I needed to have a degree to get the job that I do, but in five and a half years I've not applied anything from my degree to what I do. That's probably got more to do with the fact that I did a geography degree, but I feel I'd have been better off not bothering with university and just going out to work at 18.
It's not so much the contents of the course, but the training to study/analyse/present solutions; which should be applicable in a wider setting.
However, the biggest error with putting more people in Uni is the claim of the amount that graduates can earn. This ignores that (a) if there are more graduates they will have to take lower-paying jobs as there are only so many good jobs going around, and (b) the graduates may well have earned more because of their natural skills regardless of the degree.
Putting more people through any old degree course doesn't help anyone.
Well, it might be a good thing in and of itself. It is noteworthy that the defence of the liberal arts education is seen as left wing in America but right wing over here. Michael Gove was its last champion.
But you are right that expecting the graduate premium to be sustained was a triumph of hope over numeracy.
Time for England to start running Scotland again, and to privatise the NHS?
SCOTLAND’S health service has been rated inferior to its English counterpart, despite receiving greater public spending, in a new international report.
The euro health consumer index — which measures healthcare performance in 36 European countries — ranks England 14th, with Scotland trailing in 16th position despite about £200 per head more being spent north of the border.
Looks like this is the Sunday Times story that is bad for UKIP.
UK has “hundreds of thousands of bigots” and the UKIP is proud to stand up for them, says one of Farage’s most senior aides
That's it?
That sounds like the sort of thing that Lynton Crosby would say about the Conservatives.
If you secretly recorded Tories after a few drinks, that is exactly what they will say. This is a non-story.
UKIP is BNP-lite. Everyone knows that. The worrisome story today is that an MEP like Amjad Bashir can get an audience with the Prime Minister straightaway.
And Labour are Black Panther-lite, with their "white people love to play divide and rule" rhetoric and their anti-whites racial preferences for jobs.
Looks like this is the Sunday Times story that is bad for UKIP.
UK has “hundreds of thousands of bigots” and the UKIP is proud to stand up for them, says one of Farage’s most senior aides
Just as well it came from their PR Chief. Imagine what it would sound like if it hadn't been spun properly!
Bashir will be forgotten quickly, but it does all show a certain amount of lack of slickness at the heart of the UKIP team. I suggest more time in the office assessing procedures and less time down the pub.
I thought being seen in the pub was party policy ! You see, they are like any other white bloke. Oh, and smoking a fag !
We now have an entire generation of University graduates, who have huge levels of debt (even in Scotland there is debt due to the removal of grants) and the likelihood is that significant numbers of these students will not understand why they have this debt when there is no prospect for the bulk of them in earning more during their life. In many cases they will be behind the progression curve of, for example, someone who left school at 16, took a book-keepers apprenticeship (the few that still exist) then qualified as an accountant and with their years of experience are much higher up the the work pyramid than the recent graduate.
Perhaps the most lasting legacy of New Labour is how much they have devalued Higher Education in the UK, especially England where they have fees on top of living costs. It is an appalling legacy.
I needed to have a degree to get the job that I do, but in five and a half years I've not applied anything from my degree to what I do. That's probably got more to do with the fact that I did a geography degree, but I feel I'd have been better off not bothering with university and just going out to work at 18.
It's not so much the contents of the course, but the training to study/analyse/present solutions; which should be applicable in a wider setting.
However, the biggest error with putting more people in Uni is the claim of the amount that graduates can earn. This ignores that (a) if there are more graduates they will have to take lower-paying jobs as there are only so many good jobs going around, and (b) the graduates may well have earned more because of their natural skills regardless of the degree.
Putting more people through any old degree course doesn't help anyone.
Having a better educated workforce is good for the country. We know this because of the Scottish Model, nothing else propelled Scotland from being the poorest country in Europe to being the richest (albeit at that point part of the UK) other than the First Adoption of universal education.
But it isn't immediately good for the individual, due to Qualification Inflation and Wage Deflation, as you suggest. That't the reason why it should be gifted to the country, much like Primary and Secondary education is.
Oh dear watch the Kippers turn on this chap now...
@ShippersUnbound: Matthew Richardson of UKIP also rude about Farage: "He's a man of Kent. Well, sounds like Kent anyway..."
Yep I'm loving this. Much worse than the S Times story are the other headlines.
The reason the papers are running with it is that everyone inside politics knows, and this might be a surprise to you UKIP foot soldiers on here, that there's a lot of trouble at the top of UKIP. The media have been waiting for an excuse to launch and Bashir has given them it. It's far from over.
I have read this. Actually, Warsi has written a good and thoughtful article from the "other side". If every Muslim is checked out, how will they ever be accepted as part of society ?
Ironically, if you are a supporter of Israel and support the bombings of Gazan children as a "defensive measure", you will be described as a "moderate".
What rubbish. Even the hardliners in Israel don't support the deliberate bombing of Gazan children. The moderates actively advocate a two state solution. They're certainly far more moderate than supposed "moderates" like the MCB.
Looks like this is the Sunday Times story that is bad for UKIP.
UK has “hundreds of thousands of bigots” and the UKIP is proud to stand up for them, says one of Farage’s most senior aides
That's it?
That sounds like the sort of thing that Lynton Crosby would say about the Conservatives.
If you secretly recorded Tories after a few drinks, that is exactly what they will say. This is a non-story.
UKIP is BNP-lite. Everyone knows that. The worrisome story today is that an MEP like Amjad Bashir can get an audience with the Prime Minister straightaway.
I wonder what would happen if you secretly recorded a Labour PM?
What might they say about bigots?
Exactly. Bigots are bigots. GB didn't say how wonderful she was.
Political defection, range of anti-UKIP stories across the quality and tabloid media. This has Crosby's fingerprints all over it. In the past UKIP have been able to shrug off such onslaughts, but it's not invincible. Eventually the force will be too much to bear, and the whole UKIP edifice may topple.
Perfect conservative thinking. "Even though this sort of tactic hasn't worked at all to date, eventually it will suddenly work tremendously!"
I guess that explains their EU negotiation strategy.
Looks like this is the Sunday Times story that is bad for UKIP.
UK has “hundreds of thousands of bigots” and the UKIP is proud to stand up for them, says one of Farage’s most senior aides
That's it?
That sounds like the sort of thing that Lynton Crosby would say about the Conservatives.
If you secretly recorded Tories after a few drinks, that is exactly what they will say. This is a non-story.
UKIP is BNP-lite. Everyone knows that. The worrisome story today is that an MEP like Amjad Bashir can get an audience with the Prime Minister straightaway.
I wonder what would happen if you secretly recorded a Labour PM?
What might they say about bigots?
Exactly. Bigots are bigots. GB didn't say how wonderful she was.
Because he's a nasty Labour scumbag that hates white English people. Just like Diane Abbott, just like Ed Miliband, just like Jim Murphy.
Political defection, range of anti-UKIP stories across the quality and tabloid media. This has Crosby's fingerprints all over it. In the past UKIP have been able to shrug off such onslaughts, but it's not invincible. Eventually the force will be too much to bear, and the whole UKIP edifice may topple.
Rubbish again from fantasist Stark_Dawning.
At some point you'll have to accept that Norsefire have been stuck around 16% for the last four months and are likely to be destroyed by Return to Norm in the run up to the general election.
Incidentally, the reaction to Leon Brittan's death among family, friends and workmates was:
"So that's why the government has been delaying the child abuse investigation."
Now the people I know might be more cynical than average but to me there seems to be a complete breakdown in trust towards the establishment among those who would have been instinctively its supporters only a decade or so ago.
Off topic betting post. Ritchie Porte looking a good shot for the podium in this year's Tour de France. I've had a slice of the 80/1 e/w price with Hills amongst others.
He won in January last year and then flaked out as usual. Never shown the capability to ride for 3 weeks without a bad day (despite chances when his leader has crashed in the past) and will be expected to ride for Froome unless he gets unlucky again.
We shall see, still think the effective 20/1 for top 3 is value
You would be better finding a bet on Geraint Thomas for top 15. You might get better odds.
So Labour, the Tories, the Times and the Mirror co-ordinate to time a defection and a leaked video together in an anti-UKIP manouver. It just shows how they're both part of one self-interested, corrupt elite. They put on this Punch and Judy act in public, but work together behind the scenes to try to stop the common man being represented, lest it shake-up their jealously-held ownership of government power.
Oh dear watch the Kippers turn on this chap now...
@ShippersUnbound: Matthew Richardson of UKIP also rude about Farage: "He's a man of Kent. Well, sounds like Kent anyway..."
Lets face it - when you look at the publicity and the 'target seats' Kent does not come out of it too well. I do hope the man and women of Kent can show that they are not part of the hundreds of thousands of bigots'. I hope the whole UK can see through UKIP.
So Labour and the Tories co-ordinate to time a defection and a leaked video together in an anti-UKIP manouver. It just shows how they're both part of one self-interested, corrupt elite.
I would love someone to explain how having a two party political system does anyone any good. UKIP have forced all of the parties to address real issues concerning voters up and down the country. Without them you can be sure the Tories would not be talking about the EU or immigration.
We now have an entire generation of University graduates, who have huge levels of debt (even in Scotland there is debt due to the removal of grants) and the likelihood is that significant numbers of these students will not understand why they have this debt when there is no prospect for the bulk of them in earning more during their life. In many cases they will be behind the progression curve of, for example, someone who left school at 16, took a book-keepers apprenticeship (the few that still exist) then qualified as an accountant and with their years of experience are much higher up the the work pyramid than the recent graduate.
Perhaps the most lasting legacy of New Labour is how much they have devalued Higher Education in the UK, especially England where they have fees on top of living costs. It is an appalling legacy.
I needed to have a degree to get the job that I do, but in five and a half years I've not applied anything from my degree to what I do. That's probably got more to do with the fact that I did a geography degree, but I feel I'd have been better off not bothering with university and just going out to work at 18.
Yes and this is reflected in so many careers, especially what one would have considered "Comfortably Well Off" careers back in the 60s and 70s. Accountancy is the big bogeyman where today's youth require a degree in Accountancy, Business or Maths to become an accountant when 40 years ago the idea of an Accountant needing a degree was farcical.
If the expansion of Higher Education had been focused on subjects which were academically based and free then the workforce would be in a far better place than we have with the Media Studies with £27k of debt typical graduate of today.
Strangely Media Studies graduates have the second highest employment rate (Medicine is first), albeit at fairly low salary:
What on Earth is wrong with describing Farage as a "man of Kent"? It's an accurate statement. The Times trying to spin it as an insult is laughable. It's embarrassing how the Tory sycophants on here believe every word Rupert Murdoch feeds them.
Comments
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04yk3w1
Part of the problem, for me at least, wasn't so much that we didn't get stretched - we did - it's that it can be quite intimidating being in a maths class of 37 where there are likely to be a couple of exceptionally bright students who can make you think that you're not that good yourself.
My school was more concerned with the fact that I wasn't particularly good at English instead of pushing the fact that I was very good at maths.
In the end they made me capable at a number of subjects. What I needed was guidance along the lines of, "yes, improve your English, but don't lose sight of the fact that you're naturally good at maths at focus your efforts on that".
I end up doing a geography degree!
I think they did very well. Schools should produce all rounders not specialists at that early age.
More serious is Mike's point about whether it's indicative of something else going on in UKIP HQ, and that's a different story. There are a significant number of reports emerging about in-fighting at the top and Farage's own leadership style to give cause for UKIP alarm, and cheer to the others. If this isn't sorted very, very, soon then that will be serious.
We ought to judge people by the content of their character, not the contents of their trousers.
Edited extra bit: think the bit about a Green vote being a way of 'letting the Tories in' starts around 10.30.
54 % of Britons feel that, looking back, US and UK were wrong to take military action - unchanged from 2013 and 2007
Nearly two thirds (63%) believe the decision to invade Iraq has increased the risk of terrorist attack on UK. Up 7%
48% believe Tony Blair deliberately set out to mislead the public over the Iraq war
Nearly a quarter (24%) believe Tony Blair should be tried as a war criminal including 15% of Labour voters
53% believe Chilcott inquiry will be a whitewash, although half believe it is worthwhile exercise
https://yougov.co.uk/news/2015/01/14/voters-prefer-spending-services-cutting-borrowing/
The end result is Labour gets squeezed from both ends: most of the small group of people who believe more cuts are necessary are going to go Tory (why would you not go for the market leaders in something? If McDonald's converted to serving pizza overnight, most people are still going to stick with Pizza Hut since people know they can trust them in that field), while at the same time throws away countless votes from the much bigger anti-austerity bloc.
The real centre ground would be saying no more cuts but no significant spending increases either.
There's going to be a big effect, one way or another, if Syrizia (spelling?) win in Greece.
Now lets say they win and end austerity and the EU gives in - its going to make anti-austerity look possible elsewhere.
Alternatively if they end austerity and the EU doesn't give in and Greece falls apart its going to make anti-austerity parties look highly dangerous.
** This ignores the actual reality that there is no austerity in the UK. **
Amjad Bashir - another sKipper.
Was it right to charge parents for a child's no-show at a party? 12% think it was not, 77% not
Some kids know what they want to do, but I didn't have a clue and in the end I didn't end up concentrating on anything in particular. I did maths, physics, chemistry, geography and politics. The last of those was actually what I was really interested in, and geography was the closest thing to it at school so I kept doing it.
What I really needed was someone to ask "are you actually interested in science/geography". Deep down, I now know the answer is not really. If I could go back and do it over again I would do maths, further maths, politics and economics.
Off topic, Brrrraaaaaaddddddfffffoooooooorrrrrrdddd!!!!!
UK has “hundreds of thousands of bigots” and the UKIP is proud to stand up for them, says one of Farage’s most senior aides
If they had any interest in principles they would have introduced AMS PR during their 13 years of dominant power when they must have known they had deserted all belief in their core principles and yet still decided they could appeal to Middle England and retain the rest of their support.
Now the SNP are destroying them, the Greens are eating away and withing two elections will be destroying them. The entitlement of the Labour politicans, especially the Islington set is beyond contempt. They will do anything, regardless of how it affects the country, their electorate and their core support as long as it is in the interest of them
The One True Socialistic and Apathetic Party
Paterson more sensible, though English votes for English laws isn't far enough.
In doing so they cast their back on the primary example of education as a route to wealth - the Scottish Model.
Scotland was the first country in the world to introduce universal, free, schooling and it was the main reason for the Scottish Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution and the wealth generated by the British Empire.
But it took decades for the introduction of free universal education to be rewarded with this increased wealth. Because it was free, it worked. There was no downside. We now have an entire generation of University graduates, who have huge levels of debt (even in Scotland there is debt due to the removal of grants) and the likelihood is that significant numbers of these students will not understand why they have this debt when there is no prospect for the bulk of them in earning more during their life. In many cases they will be behind the progression curve of, for example, someone who left school at 16, took a book-keepers apprenticeship (the few that still exist) then qualified as an accountant and with their years of experience are much higher up the the work pyramid than the recent graduate.
Perhaps the most lasting legacy of New Labour is how much they have devalued Higher Education in the UK, especially England where they have fees on top of living costs. It is an appalling legacy.
Meanwhile in the Observer, Warsi has bought a one way ticket to the wilderness.
Edited extra bit: pleased to hear the audience jeer her. Huzzah!
An MEP defection doesn't seem to count as much as an MP.
Matthew Richardson, UKIP political secretary, boasted that Party represents "hundreds of thousands of bigots" in Britain. See Sunday Times
Story here (not paywalled)
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B8JWrEOIgAI2XoS.jpg
and the Sunday Times front page here
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B8JWrEPIIAIwVPx.jpg
@ShippersUnbound: Labour are also releasing videos of Matthew Richardson comparing NHS spending to the activities of the Nazis
I don't think the Bashir affair will impact UKIP for 3 reasons:
One, UKIP were quick to dump a bucket (of varying allegations) on his head.
Two, MEP defections in the past had no effect on domestic public opinion.
Three, the first reactions on any subject are always overrated compared to the actual result (doom, gloom, excitement, euphoria ect ect ).
And with that, I'm out for the night.
Most of them aren't self-aware enough to know it.
Often it is not the content of the message themselves but the meta data associated with it that is the goldmine of information.
It's not so much the contents of the course, but the training to study/analyse/present solutions; which should be applicable in a wider setting.
However, the biggest error with putting more people in Uni is the claim of the amount that graduates can earn. This ignores that (a) if there are more graduates they will have to take lower-paying jobs as there are only so many good jobs going around, and (b) the graduates may well have earned more because of their natural skills regardless of the degree.
Putting more people through any old degree course doesn't help anyone.
Complete non-story.
The turnover tax was dropped.
The NHS comments were made years ago.
You have to think the bigot vote might just put off the rest of us tens of millions?
He has never shown the stamina to compete over three weeks, not once in his career has he been able to maintain form over that length of time. He's gutsy, talented and strong but a three week Grand Tour man he really isn't.
Certainly a top cyclist can domestique on the hills as Froome demonstrated in Vuelta 2011 and Tour 2012 when he still was able to hold on and compete for a podium. But Porte in the same roll has failed to stay competitive every time he has had this roll. He can't maintain the stamina required for 3 weeks.
Having said all that, 80/1 may have some value. However this would be mainly to get very excited for the first 8 to 12 days, not to make a profit.
I have read this. Actually, Warsi has written a good and thoughtful article from the "other side". If every Muslim is checked out, how will they ever be accepted as part of society ?
Ironically, if you are a supporter of Israel and support the bombings of Gazan children as a "defensive measure", you will be described as a "moderate".
That sounds like the sort of thing that Lynton Crosby would say about the Conservatives.
In her first major intervention on the relationship between Muslims and the rest of society since she resigned from the cabinet five months ago, Warsi says the coalition’s policy of non-engagement has caused deep unease and resentment towards the government.
If the expansion of Higher Education had been focused on subjects which were academically based and free then the workforce would be in a far better place than we have with the Media Studies with £27k of debt typical graduate of today.
Bashir will be forgotten quickly, but it does all show a certain amount of lack of slickness at the heart of the UKIP team. I suggest more time in the office assessing procedures and less time down the pub.
A lot of UKIP members find it amusing being branded bigot, racist, fruitcake, swivel eyed, loony, etc. So to say he is standing up for "hundreds of thousands of bigots" is not really front page news.
UKIP is BNP-lite. Everyone knows that. The worrisome story today is that an MEP like Amjad Bashir can get an audience with the Prime Minister straightaway.
@ShippersUnbound: Matthew Richardson of UKIP also rude about Farage: "He's a man of Kent. Well, sounds like Kent anyway..."
I wonder what would happen if you secretly recorded a Labour PM?
What might they say about bigots?
But you are right that expecting the graduate premium to be sustained was a triumph of hope over numeracy.
SCOTLAND’S health service has been rated inferior to its English counterpart, despite receiving greater public spending, in a new international report.
The euro health consumer index — which measures healthcare performance in 36 European countries — ranks England 14th, with Scotland trailing in 16th position despite about £200 per head more being spent north of the border.
http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/scotland/article1511346.ece?CMP=OTH-gnws-standard-2015_01_24
But it isn't immediately good for the individual, due to Qualification Inflation and Wage Deflation, as you suggest. That't the reason why it should be gifted to the country, much like Primary and Secondary education is.
The reason the papers are running with it is that everyone inside politics knows, and this might be a surprise to you UKIP foot soldiers on here, that there's a lot of trouble at the top of UKIP. The media have been waiting for an excuse to launch and Bashir has given them it. It's far from over.
I guess that explains their EU negotiation strategy.
Or still dream about a purple dawn, whatever.
"So that's why the government has been delaying the child abuse investigation."
Now the people I know might be more cynical than average but to me there seems to be a complete breakdown in trust towards the establishment among those who would have been instinctively its supporters only a decade or so ago.
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/mro/news-release/second-highest-work-rate-but-lowest-pay-for-media-studies-graduates/grad1113.html
Mind you a lot of my Medical degree was fairly pointless. I have not needed to draw the Krebs cycle in a very long time.