Remember that old Yes Minister sketch about how we joined the EU so we could screw it up from the inside, having failed to wreck it from the outside? Well, it looks like we've finally figured out how to do it properly:
Surely, an extension will come with a requirement we hold the elections?
Not if it's a short extension, presumably. The EU lawyers do seem to think there's a genuine difficulty here. The real problem could be if we agree a short extension and then we want to extend it again. So I think it might go back to what Theresa May said last week: a short extension if parliament signs off the deal, else a longer extension and the UK participating in the EU elections. Expect big fireworks if it's the latter.
If the government promises to hold EU elections, will parliament need to pass something for them to keep their promise?
YouTube and Facebook have defended themselves against accusations that they failed to act quickly enough in the wake of the Christchurch terror attack, arguing that their moderation is as good as possible given the number of videos uploaded.
Facebook said on Tuesday that the original stream of the attack was viewed live fewer than 200 times and non-live by 4,000 people before it was removed from the site.
Copies of it spread rapidly and by Saturday evening the company had removed 1.5m uploads. By Tuesday morning more than 800 distinct edits of the footage had been posted to the site.
YouTube said it had tried to keep on top of the unprecedented number of videos uploaded, eventually going so far as to eject human reviewers from the loop in order to let automated systems take down more videos instantly.
A spokesman told the Guardian: “The volume of related videos uploaded to YouTube in the 24 hours after the attack was unprecedented both in scale and speed – at times as fast as a new upload every second.
“In response we took a number of steps, including automatically rejecting any footage of the violence, temporarily suspending the ability to sort or filter searches by upload date, and making sure searches on this event pulled up results from authoritative news sources.”
"As good as possible"? It's their decision to just publish and promote whatever anyone gives them without any human oversight. Saying that it's not "possible" to do any better isn't a defense, it's pointing out a fundamental flaw in their own product.
It's a reasonable response when someone tells you to read some history.
'I have a degree in history' still sounds a bit wanky, but reasonable enough; 'I managed a Double First in Modern History from Oxford' is pure wank bragging though, and possibly over gilded wank bragging at that.
"A "double first" at Oxford usually informally refers to first-class honours in both components of an undergraduate degree, i.e. Moderations/Prelims and the Final Honour School, or in both the bachelor's and master's components of an integrated master's degree." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_undergraduate_degree_classification
Google is your friend.
So he got a first in the first bit of his undergraduate degree and a first in the second bit of his undergraduate degree. So he got a first overall. But for some godforsaken reason Oxford calls this a "Double First". Ok, good to know.
Incidentally, what's an "integrated batchelors and masters" degree? Is it just a four-year Batchelor's. Masters degrees aren't divided into 1/2.1/2.2/3etc, they're divided into "Distinction/Pass/Fail" or similar.
(Heard this secondhand, so sorry if it's BS, but...)
Is that the thing where Oxford will sell you a Masters for an extra £50 when you complete your degree... but apparently no-one goes for it unless they want to hawk themselves abroad because everyone* in the UK knows about it and it's not seen as a classy look.
(*Spoiler alert: I didn't)
No, it's an MSci (not sure what the equivalent name is for non-MSc masters). Offered by many universities, not just Oxford.
All things is going to be ringing alarm bells like crazy for the EU. Avoiding no-deal crashout is a priority, but there are also other voices very worried about granting an extension without a crystal-clear wish list.
All things is going to be ringing alarm bells like crazy for the EU. Avoiding no-deal crashout is a priority, but there are also other voices very worried about granting an extension without a crystal-clear wish list.
It is going to take amazing diplomacy to get all 27 to agree to a delay of any form. Not sure we are hearing too much about that side of things.
All things is going to be ringing alarm bells like crazy for the EU. Avoiding no-deal crashout is a priority, but there are also other voices very worried about granting an extension without a crystal-clear wish list.
It is going to take amazing diplomacy to get all 27 to agree to a delay of any form. Not sure we are hearing too much about that side of things.
Assumptions as usual from UK.
If I were an EU head of government, I'd say I'd grant a short extension simply to ratify the WA.
All things is going to be ringing alarm bells like crazy for the EU. Avoiding no-deal crashout is a priority, but there are also other voices very worried about granting an extension without a crystal-clear wish list.
I wouldn't say 'Yes, have whatever you want until you sort it out' if I were one of the 27.
Anyhoo I hear Paul Nuttal has a quadruple first from Oxford.
Well he went to Edge Hill University, they probably hand out quadruple firsts there if you can manage to get through the re-enrolment forms at the start of every year....apparently he had some insightful views during his undergraduate studies....
Edge Hill did not become a University in its own right until 2009. Prior to then, it awarded Degrees from the University of Lancaster. My wife went there, and has (in her eyes) the more prestigious award from Lancaster.
Remember that old Yes Minister sketch about how we joined the EU so we could screw it up from the inside, having failed to wreck it from the outside? Well, it looks like we've finally figured out how to do it properly:
Surely, an extension will come with a requirement we hold the elections?
Not if it's a short extension, presumably. The EU lawyers do seem to think there's a genuine difficulty here. The real problem could be if we agree a short extension and then we want to extend it again. So I think it might go back to what Theresa May said last week: a short extension if parliament signs off the deal, else a longer extension and the UK participating in the EU elections. Expect big fireworks if it's the latter.
If the government promises to hold EU elections, will parliament need to pass something for them to keep their promise?
"A "double first" at Oxford usually informally refers to first-class honours in both components of an undergraduate degree, i.e. Moderations/Prelims and the Final Honour School, or in both the bachelor's and master's components of an integrated master's degree." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_undergraduate_degree_classification
Google is your friend.
So he got a first in the first bit of his undergraduate degree and a first in the second bit of his undergraduate degree. So he got a first overall. But for some godforsaken reason Oxford calls this a "Double First". Ok, good to know.
Incidentally, what's an "integrated batchelors and masters" degree? Is it just a four-year Batchelor's. Masters degrees aren't divided into 1/2.1/2.2/3etc, they're divided into "Distinction/Pass/Fail" or similar.
(Heard this secondhand, so sorry if it's BS, but...)
Is that the thing where Oxford will sell you a Masters for an extra £50 when you complete your degree... but apparently no-one goes for it unless they want to hawk themselves abroad because everyone* in the UK knows about it and it's not seen as a classy look.
(*Spoiler alert: I didn't)
I don't know. The anecdote I believe comes from an episode of Yes Minister. But it is possible to get a Master's degree from Oxford in the conventional manner, after one year's study comprising a compulsory nine-month taught course and an optional three-months thesis. If you pass the nine-month element then drop out or fail the thesis you get a Diploma. If you pass the nine-month element and the thesis you get the Master's degree.
It's a reasonable response when someone tells you to read some history.
You can be highly educated and shockingly negligent to the point of recklessness about the facts. Daniel Hannan regularly falls into that category.
I wouldn't disagree.
What puzzles me is this. It's not at all easy to get a good degree from Oxbridge or a Russell Group University. You have to be bright. But, quite frequently, people who have obtained such degrees act incompetently in later life.
"A "double first" at Oxford usually informally refers to first-class honours in both components of an undergraduate degree, i.e. Moderations/Prelims and the Final Honour School, or in both the bachelor's and master's components of an integrated master's degree." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_undergraduate_degree_classification
Google is your friend.
So he got a first in the first bit of his undergraduate degree and a first in the second bit of his undergraduate degree. So he got a first overall. But for some godforsaken reason Oxford calls this a "Double First". Ok, good to know.
Incidentally, what's an "integrated batchelors and masters" degree? Is it just a four-year Batchelor's. Masters degrees aren't divided into 1/2.1/2.2/3etc, they're divided into "Distinction/Pass/Fail" or similar.
(Heard this secondhand, so sorry if it's BS, but...)
Is that the thing where Oxford will sell you a Masters for an extra £50 when you complete your degree... but apparently no-one goes for it unless they want to hawk themselves abroad because everyone* in the UK knows about it and it's not seen as a classy look.
(*Spoiler alert: I didn't)
All undergraduates at Oxford can come back and get their MA if they want to having been out in the world for 18 months - they don't sell it! It's nothing to do with taught or research based Masters' degrees. Engineering is normally an integrated programme ending up in a masters (MEng) - having studied and taught at Oxford I can say with 100% confidence that anyone who claims they got a "double first" is a total cock. In addition to which it's just a bachelor's degree - it's not even level in the "I am much cleverer than thou" egofest of academia.
Tories would likely still have more seats than Labour on those numbers though
It isn't most seats that matters, it is the ability to command a majority in the Commons. We can do that even if we are a handful of seats behind the Tories.
It's a reasonable response when someone tells you to read some history.
You can be highly educated and shockingly negligent to the point of recklessness about the facts. Daniel Hannan regularly falls into that category.
I wouldn't disagree.
What puzzles me is this. It's not at all easy to get a good degree from Oxbridge or a Russell Group University. You have to be bright. But, quite frequently, people who have obtained such degrees act incompetently in later life.
A degree simply means you can be trained to think a certain way, it provides no guarantees on capability or character
"A "double first" at Oxford usually informally refers to first-class honours in both components of an undergraduate degree, i.e. Moderations/Prelims and the Final Honour School, or in both the bachelor's and master's components of an integrated master's degree." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_undergraduate_degree_classification
Google is your friend.
So he got a first in the first bit of his undergraduate degree and a first in the second bit of his undergraduate degree. So he got a first overall. But for some godforsaken reason Oxford calls this a "Double First". Ok, good to know.
Incidentally, what's an "integrated batchelors and masters" degree? Is it just a four-year Batchelor's. Masters degrees aren't divided into 1/2.1/2.2/3etc, they're divided into "Distinction/Pass/Fail" or similar.
(Heard this secondhand, so sorry if it's BS, but...)
Is that the thing where Oxford will sell you a Masters for an extra £50 when you complete your degree... but apparently no-one goes for it unless they want to hawk themselves abroad because everyone* in the UK knows about it and it's not seen as a classy look.
(*Spoiler alert: I didn't)
I don't know. The anecdote I believe comes from an episode of Yes Minister. But it is possible to get a Master's degree from Oxford in the conventional manner, after one year's study comprising a compulsory nine-month taught course and an optional three-months thesis. If you pass the nine-month element then drop out or fail the thesis you get a Diploma. If you pass the nine-month element and the thesis you get the Master's degree.
As an aside, I've just applied to do a Masters' Degree, in Military History, with Buckingham University. It will be the first time in thirty years that I've done an academic course.
Tories would likely still have more seats than Labour on those numbers though
It isn't most seats that matters, it is the ability to command a majority in the Commons. We can do that even if we are a handful of seats behind the Tories.
There would only be a handful of seats in it either way agreed and Labour would almost certainly go into a confidence and supply agreement with the SNP to form a government which means BINO or EUref2
Those uploads must have been done by an organised group.
There are more than enough idiots in the world to do such a thing without organisation, and as soon as it becomes clear that such content is being removed the idiots will go bananas to keep posting.
It's a reasonable response when someone tells you to read some history.
You can be highly educated and shockingly negligent to the point of recklessness about the facts. Daniel Hannan regularly falls into that category.
I wouldn't disagree.
What puzzles me is this. It's not at all easy to get a good degree from Oxbridge or a Russell Group University. You have to be bright. But, quite frequently, people who have obtained such degrees act incompetently in later life.
Daniel Hannan isn't incompetent. He has obtained a extremely well paid job with little success criteria, devoted the resultant free time to write polemics, traveled widely to promulgate those polemics, played a crucial part in generating the momentum for the referendum, helped win it, and on departing the EP will receive a £150k payoff. That's not incompetence. His flaw is that he is capable of holding a view of the world untrammeled by doubt or responsibility. Anything and everything that goes wrong is the fault of others : if it wasn't for other people things would be great. Parenthetically, he is also childlike, but that's more a personal quirk than a flaw.
It's a reasonable response when someone tells you to read some history.
You can be highly educated and shockingly negligent to the point of recklessness about the facts. Daniel Hannan regularly falls into that category.
I wouldn't disagree.
What puzzles me is this. It's not at all easy to get a good degree from Oxbridge or a Russell Group University. You have to be bright. But, quite frequently, people who have obtained such degrees act incompetently in later life.
Daniel Hannan isn't incompetent. He has obtained a extremely well paid job with little success criteria, devoted the resultant free time to write polemics, traveled widely to promulgate those polemics, played a crucial part in generating the momentum for the referendum, helped win it, and on departing the EP will receive a £150k payoff. That's not incompetence. His flaw is that he is capable of holding a view of the world untrammeled by doubt or responsibility. Anything and everything that goes wrong is the fault of others : if it wasn't for other people things would be great. Parenthetically, he is also childlike, but that's more a personal quirk than a flaw.
In the reams of speculative unsourced quotes and briefings of the last year, something looks a bit different about this one. It's the detail and comprehensiveness of the picture and course painted in one tweet, and the foreclosing of possibilities.
"A "double first" at Oxford usually informally refers to first-class honours in both components of an undergraduate degree, i.e. Moderations/Prelims and the Final Honour School, or in both the bachelor's and master's components of an integrated master's degree." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_undergraduate_degree_classification
Google is your friend.
So he got a first in the first bit of his undergraduate degree and a first in the second bit of his undergraduate degree. So he got a first overall. But for some godforsaken reason Oxford calls this a "Double First". Ok, good to know.
Incidentally, what's an "integrated batchelors and masters" degree? Is it just a four-year Batchelor's. Masters degrees aren't divided into 1/2.1/2.2/3etc, they're divided into "Distinction/Pass/Fail" or similar.
(Heard this secondhand, so sorry if it's BS, but...)
Is that the thing where Oxford will sell you a Masters for an extra £50 when you complete your degree... but apparently no-one goes for it unless they want to hawk themselves abroad because everyone* in the UK knows about it and it's not seen as a classy look.
(*Spoiler alert: I didn't)
I don't know. The anecdote I believe comes from an episode of Yes Minister. But it is possible to get a Master's degree from Oxford in the conventional manner, after one year's study comprising a compulsory nine-month taught course and an optional three-months thesis. If you pass the nine-month element then drop out or fail the thesis you get a Diploma. If you pass the nine-month element and the thesis you get the Master's degree.
As an aside, I've just applied to do a Masters' Degree, in Military History, with Buckingham University. It will be the first time in thirty years that I've done an academic course.
"As good as possible"? It's their decision to just publish and promote whatever anyone gives them without any human oversight. Saying that it's not "possible" to do any better isn't a defense, it's pointing out a fundamental flaw in their own product.
Hundreds of hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. You would need literally tens of thousands of people watching video round the clock to provide even the most basic human screening, never mind the expert evaluation to deal with corner cases. It is a very difficult problem, and one that is only getting harder as more and more content distribution is automated.
You only have to look at how hard it is for well funded organisations like the Premier League to fight illegal streaming. That is a very narrow scope, a lot of effort goes into thwarting it, and yet they fail miserably.
It's a reasonable response when someone tells you to read some history.
You can be highly educated and shockingly negligent to the point of recklessness about the facts. Daniel Hannan regularly falls into that category.
I wouldn't disagree.
What puzzles me is this. It's not at all easy to get a good degree from Oxbridge or a Russell Group University. You have to be bright. But, quite frequently, people who have obtained such degrees act incompetently in later life.
Daniel Hannan isn't incompetent. He has obtained a extremely well paid job with little success criteria, devoted the resultant free time to write polemics, traveled widely to promulgate those polemics, played a crucial part in generating the momentum for the referendum, helped win it, and on departing the EP will receive a £150k payoff. That's not incompetence. His flaw is that he is capable of holding a view of the world untrammeled by doubt or responsibility. Anything and everything that goes wrong is the fault of others : if it wasn't for other people things would be great. Parenthetically, he is also childlike, but that's more a personal quirk than a flaw.
Clearly you have never bothered to read any of the books he has written or you would not make such ill informed comments. Much of what he writes about could have come straight from a Lib Dem manifesto.
"A "double first" at Oxford usually informally refers to first-class honours in both components of an undergraduate degree, i.e. Moderations/Prelims and the Final Honour School, or in both the bachelor's and master's components of an integrated master's degree." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_undergraduate_degree_classification
Google is your friend.
So he got a first in the first bit of his undergraduate degree and a first in the second bit of his undergraduate degree. So he got a first overall. But for some godforsaken reason Oxford calls this a "Double First". Ok, good to know.
Incidentally, what's an "integrated batchelors and masters" degree? Is it just a four-year Batchelor's. Masters degrees aren't divided into 1/2.1/2.2/3etc, they're divided into "Distinction/Pass/Fail" or similar.
(Heard this secondhand, so sorry if it's BS, but...)
Is that the thing where Oxford will sell you a Masters for an extra £50 when you complete your degree... but apparently no-one goes for it unless they want to hawk themselves abroad because everyone* in the UK knows about it and it's not seen as a classy look.
(*Spoiler alert: I didn't)
I don't know. The anecdote I believe comes from an episode of Yes Minister. But it is possible to get a Master's degree from Oxford in the conventional manner, after one year's study comprising a compulsory nine-month taught course and an optional three-months thesis. If you pass the nine-month element then drop out or fail the thesis you get a Diploma. If you pass the nine-month element and the thesis you get the Master's degree.
As an aside, I've just applied to do a Masters' Degree, in Military History, with Buckingham University. It will be the first time in thirty years that I've done an academic course.
I did something similar. It was very interesting explaining and discussing ideas, and having the discipline of writing to someone else's satisfaction, as opposed to commercially, although I wrote for the professional press.
It's a reasonable response when someone tells you to read some history.
You can be highly educated and shockingly negligent to the point of recklessness about the facts. Daniel Hannan regularly falls into that category.
I wouldn't disagree.
What puzzles me is this. It's not at all easy to get a good degree from Oxbridge or a Russell Group University. You have to be bright. But, quite frequently, people who have obtained such degrees act incompetently in later life.
Though Firsts are a good deal easier to obtain than they were - say - fifty years ago.
It's a reasonable response when someone tells you to read some history.
You can be highly educated and shockingly negligent to the point of recklessness about the facts. Daniel Hannan regularly falls into that category.
I wouldn't disagree.
What puzzles me is this. It's not at all easy to get a good degree from Oxbridge or a Russell Group University. You have to be bright. But, quite frequently, people who have obtained such degrees act incompetently in later life.
I had an utterly inglorious academic career at Oxford - also reading history a couple of years below Hannan. Most of my failure was down to pure indolence but a lot of it was down to huge amounts of self-doubt. Time after time I found myself seeing eight sides of the problem and wondering which the tutor would prefer. Those who did best had not an iota of doubt about anything at all. Particularly the Union Hack types who dominate the Conservative Party. It's a continuation of getting their slate elected to them.
All things is going to be ringing alarm bells like crazy for the EU. Avoiding no-deal crashout is a priority, but there are also other voices very worried about granting an extension without a crystal-clear wish list.
It is going to take amazing diplomacy to get all 27 to agree to a delay of any form. Not sure we are hearing too much about that side of things.
Assumptions as usual from UK.
If I were an EU head of government, I'd say I'd grant a short extension simply to ratify the WA.
It's a reasonable response when someone tells you to read some history.
You can be highly educated and shockingly negligent to the point of recklessness about the facts. Daniel Hannan regularly falls into that category.
I wouldn't disagree.
What puzzles me is this. It's not at all easy to get a good degree from Oxbridge or a Russell Group University. You have to be bright. But, quite frequently, people who have obtained such degrees act incompetently in later life.
Daniel Hannan isn't incompetent. He has obtained a extremely well paid job with little success criteria, devoted the resultant free time to write polemics, traveled widely to promulgate those polemics, played a crucial part in generating the momentum for the referendum, helped win it, and on departing the EP will receive a £150k payoff. That's not incompetence. His flaw is that he is capable of holding a view of the world untrammeled by doubt or responsibility. Anything and everything that goes wrong is the fault of others : if it wasn't for other people things would be great. Parenthetically, he is also childlike, but that's more a personal quirk than a flaw.
Clearly you have never bothered to read any of the books he has written or you would not make such ill informed comments. Much of what he writes about could have come straight from a Lib Dem manifesto.
Good thread on the extension. If there is a short extension, a further extension is very problematic because by then we will have withdrawn from the EU parliament and it would be difficult to slot back in again. If there is a long extension, EU elections will happen and in principle further extensions are possible.
It's a reasonable response when someone tells you to read some history.
You can be highly educated and shockingly negligent to the point of recklessness about the facts. Daniel Hannan regularly falls into that category.
I wouldn't disagree.
What puzzles me is this. It's not at all easy to get a good degree from Oxbridge or a Russell Group University. You have to be bright. But, quite frequently, people who have obtained such degrees act incompetently in later life.
I had an utterly inglorious academic career at Oxford - also reading history a couple of years below Hannan. Most of my failure was down to pure indolence but a lot of it was down to huge amounts of self-doubt. Time after time I found myself seeing eight sides of the problem and wondering which the tutor would prefer. Those who did best had not an iota of doubt about anything at all. Particularly the Union Hack types who dominate the Conservative Party. It's a continuation of getting their slate elected to them.
I wonder, seriously, what our History teacher and former academic Ydoethur, would say about that. Friend of mine was a Theology don and he told me that arguing ones case was, effectively, the chief skill learnt by his students.
Good thread on the extension. If there is a short extension, a further extension is very problematic because by then we will have withdrawn from the EU parliament and it would be difficult to slot back in again. If there is a long extension, EU elections will happen and in principle further extensions are possible.
The EU are not going to indulge the UK is granting us a multiple choice extension. Nor are they going to indulge May in giving her just a touch longer as her deal will pass honest. It'll be like the Dead Parrot sketch, with Barnier pointing at May's deal saying "I'll tell you what's wrong with it, it's dead, that's what's wrong with it"
We are going to have to give them a reason. "Because I have no other options and need to wait until I can persuade the Queen to restart parliament" isn't a valid reason. We need a general election - a 3 month delay to hold an election and then either sort ourselves out with the legislation required to leave, or to revoke the whole thing.
I now see May as Veruca Salt out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She will cross her arms scowl and say "shan't" at every option presented other than her deal.
The EU are not going to indulge the UK is granting us a multiple choice extension. Nor are they going to indulge May in giving her just a touch longer as her deal will pass honest. It'll be like the Dead Parrot sketch, with Barnier pointing at May's deal saying "I'll tell you what's wrong with it, it's dead, that's what's wrong with it"
We are going to have to give them a reason. "Because I have no other options and need to wait until I can persuade the Queen to restart parliament" isn't a valid reason. We need a general election - a 3 month delay to hold an election and then either sort ourselves out with the legislation required to leave, or to revoke the whole thing.
I now see May as Veruca Salt out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She will cross her arms scowl and say "shan't" at every option presented other than her deal.
Batten down your pants, we're going no deal...
You don't think she'll be like Violet Elizabeth Bott and thcream and thcream until she makes herself thick?
"A "double first" at Oxford usually informally refers to first-class honours in both components of an undergraduate degree, i.e. Moderations/Prelims and the Final Honour School, or in both the bachelor's and master's components of an integrated master's degree." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_undergraduate_degree_classification
Google is your friend.
So he got a first in the first bit of his undergraduate degree and a first in the second bit of his undergraduate degree. So he got a first overall. But for some godforsaken reason Oxford calls this a "Double First". Ok, good to know.
Incidentally, what's an "integrated batchelors and masters" degree? Is it just a four-year Batchelor's. Masters degrees aren't divided into 1/2.1/2.2/3etc, they're divided into "Distinction/Pass/Fail" or similar.
(Heard this secondhand, so sorry if it's BS, but...)
Is that the thing where Oxford will sell you a Masters for an extra £50 when you complete your degree... but apparently no-one goes for it unless they want to hawk themselves abroad because everyone* in the UK knows about it and it's not seen as a classy look.
(*Spoiler alert: I didn't)
All undergraduates at Oxford can come back and get their MA if they want to having been out in the world for 18 months - they don't sell it! It's nothing to do with taught or research based Masters' degrees. Engineering is normally an integrated programme ending up in a masters (MEng) - having studied and taught at Oxford I can say with 100% confidence that anyone who claims they got a "double first" is a total cock. In addition to which it's just a bachelor's degree - it's not even level in the "I am much cleverer than thou" egofest of academia.
They do charge you. So it is a sale, but a pretty clear one.
I wish the Government could table the withdrawal bill for the third time and see if the Speaker disallows it then hopefully use Parliamentary procedures to have no further business until the day after Brexit unless the Speaker relents...heyho...
I had wondered whether someone would attempt a filibuster to achieve the same end (I seem to recall parliamentary days being lost that way in the past).
The Electoral Reform Society says that it's no wonder people are divorced from Parliament; most votes cast in general elections made no difference to who was elected.
"A "double first" at Oxford usually informally refers to first-class honours in both components of an undergraduate degree, i.e. Moderations/Prelims and the Final Honour School, or in both the bachelor's and master's components of an integrated master's degree." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_undergraduate_degree_classification
Google is your friend.
So he got a first in the first bit of his undergraduate degree and a first in the second bit of his undergraduate degree. So he got a first overall. But for some godforsaken reason Oxford calls this a "Double First". Ok, good to know.
Incidentally, what's an "integrated batchelors and masters" degree? Is it just a four-year Batchelor's. Masters degrees aren't divided into 1/2.1/2.2/3etc, they're divided into "Distinction/Pass/Fail" or similar.
(Heard this secondhand, so sorry if it's BS, but...)
Is that the thing where Oxford will sell you a Masters for an extra £50 when you complete your degree... but apparently no-one goes for it unless they want to hawk themselves abroad because everyone* in the UK knows about it and it's not seen as a classy look.
(*Spoiler alert: I didn't)
All undergraduates at Oxford can come back and get their MA if they want to having been out in the world for 18 months - they don't sell it! It's nothing to do with taught or research based Masters' degrees. Engineering is normally an integrated programme ending up in a masters (MEng) - having studied and taught at Oxford I can say with 100% confidence that anyone who claims they got a "double first" is a total cock. In addition to which it's just a bachelor's degree - it's not even level in the "I am much cleverer than thou" egofest of academia.
They do charge you. So it is a sale, but a pretty clear one.
Presumably the "cost" of a nice certificate. Happy to withdraw "sell", though
The Electoral Reform Society says that it's no wonder people are divorced from Parliament; most votes cast in general elections made no difference to who was elected.
The Electoral Reform Society says that it's no wonder people are divorced from Parliament; most votes cast in general elections made no difference to who was elected.
That's true in any electoral system.
Might not get ones first choice under STV but it gets a lot closer.
Senior members of the shadow cabinet have told The Londoner that they understand Jeremy Corbyn would like to step down as leader of the Labour Party.
The sources say that a number of those around the leader are also of the view that Corbyn, who is 70 in May, would like to pass on the reins of his surprisingly successful socialist project.
One member of the shadow cabinet told us: “He’s tired and fed up.” Another: “Corbyn is ready to step down. He wants to step down.”
It's a reasonable response when someone tells you to read some history.
You can be highly educated and shockingly negligent to the point of recklessness about the facts. Daniel Hannan regularly falls into that category.
I wouldn't disagree.
What puzzles me is this. It's not at all easy to get a good degree from Oxbridge or a Russell Group University. You have to be bright. But, quite frequently, people who have obtained such degrees act incompetently in later life.
I had an utterly inglorious academic career at Oxford - also reading history a couple of years below Hannan. Most of my failure was down to pure indolence but a lot of it was down to huge amounts of self-doubt. Time after time I found myself seeing eight sides of the problem and wondering which the tutor would prefer. Those who did best had not an iota of doubt about anything at all. Particularly the Union Hack types who dominate the Conservative Party. It's a continuation of getting their slate elected to them.
I wonder, seriously, what our History teacher and former academic Ydoethur, would say about that. Friend of mine was a Theology don and he told me that arguing ones case was, effectively, the chief skill learnt by his students.
One of the big problems I see is that we are generating people who are capable of talking confidently without hesitation or deviation. As undergraduates (and at their peak ability to memorise content) they underpin the opinion they express with evidence.
As they progress, and especially if the evidence does not support their case, the ability to speak with confidence and authority persists, but the connection of opinion to evidence is allowed to drop, and this is where we end up.
Senior members of the shadow cabinet have told The Londoner that they understand Jeremy Corbyn would like to step down as leader of the Labour Party.
The sources say that a number of those around the leader are also of the view that Corbyn, who is 70 in May, would like to pass on the reins of his surprisingly successful socialist project.
One member of the shadow cabinet told us: “He’s tired and fed up.” Another: “Corbyn is ready to step down. He wants to step down.”
Senior members of the shadow cabinet have told The Londoner that they understand Jeremy Corbyn would like to step down as leader of the Labour Party.
The sources say that a number of those around the leader are also of the view that Corbyn, who is 70 in May, would like to pass on the reins of his surprisingly successful socialist project.
One member of the shadow cabinet told us: “He’s tired and fed up.” Another: “Corbyn is ready to step down. He wants to step down.”
Comments
I'll get my coat.
Assumptions as usual from UK.
https://twitter.com/bbclaurak/status/1107989414175797248?s=20
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-47622415
What puzzles me is this. It's not at all easy to get a good degree from Oxbridge or a Russell Group University. You have to be bright. But, quite frequently, people who have obtained such degrees act incompetently in later life.
It is either or (though I suppose it's possible a long extension might still get curtailed).
Surprised?
Einstein failed his general entrance exam at Zurich, although he got exceptional marks in Maths and Physics.
https://twitter.com/jairbolsonaro/status/1106720744564801541?s=21
In the reams of speculative unsourced quotes and briefings of the last year, something looks a bit different about this one. It's the detail and comprehensiveness of the picture and course painted in one tweet, and the foreclosing of possibilities.
You only have to look at how hard it is for well funded organisations like the Premier League to fight illegal streaming. That is a very narrow scope, a lot of effort goes into thwarting it, and yet they fail miserably.
you appear to have taken on the role of his PR agent
all the nonsense they have been doing for the past 2 years and still get paid for.
https://twitter.com/SandraDunn1955/status/1107702486268329985
https://twitter.com/BBCkatyaadler/status/1107967874163970048
Friend of mine was a Theology don and he told me that arguing ones case was, effectively, the chief skill learnt by his students.
We are going to have to give them a reason. "Because I have no other options and need to wait until I can persuade the Queen to restart parliament" isn't a valid reason. We need a general election - a 3 month delay to hold an election and then either sort ourselves out with the legislation required to leave, or to revoke the whole thing.
I now see May as Veruca Salt out of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She will cross her arms scowl and say "shan't" at every option presented other than her deal.
Batten down your pants, we're going no deal...
Another test of just how stupid is this government
Sainsbury and ASDA promise lower prices and better treatment of suppliers.
Greg Clark probably believes them.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business/companies
I had wondered whether someone would attempt a filibuster to achieve the same end (I seem to recall parliamentary days being lost that way in the past).
https://twitter.com/JasonGroves1/status/1107994026115022850
The sources say that a number of those around the leader are also of the view that Corbyn, who is 70 in May, would like to pass on the reins of his surprisingly successful socialist project.
One member of the shadow cabinet told us: “He’s tired and fed up.” Another: “Corbyn is ready to step down. He wants to step down.”
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/londoners-diary/the-londoner-corbyn-ponders-leadership-exit-a4094546.html
As they progress, and especially if the evidence does not support their case, the ability to speak with confidence and authority persists, but the connection of opinion to evidence is allowed to drop, and this is where we end up.
Just imagine a more widely popular Labour leader. Another nightmare for Mrs May.