There is no reason why Gove cannot admit he may have got this wrong
Politically there's a very big and important reason why he can't admit he may have got it wrong, but the traditional solution would be to restart it with a new name and announce it as if it's his own idea.
One thing that even the most pilloried politician never said or implied was that one race was superior to another in terms of intelligence or capacity for intelligence
We all know what @tim is alluding to...he has previously claimed the increase in grades in inner London was due to "thick white racists " moving out.... He isn't saying so now to get around the moderators ban
Imagine the opposite was said.
The immigrant population in London is more highly educated than the "native" population, you would expect that to impact to a degree (geddit) on the results of children at school.Many of those immigrants of course are white, so there's clearly no racial angle. Read the data, immigrants have a higher level of education on the whole.
It seems to happen in other areas of the country to to a lesser degree, Graham Stuart the Tory Education Committee Chair was on the radio this morning saying Ofsted will identify problems up the East coast from Suffolk, Norfolk up through his own East Riding to Northumberland. Wales issues are well documented.
What do all these areas have in common, it's not political control. It could be this though.
You have also said that inner London schools have improved because "thick white racists" have left the area... Have the courage of your convictions.
You obviously believe the best thing for the country to do is import people that are more intelligent, resulting in the original people moving away from their homes and struggling in education somewhere else... You have said so many times, you point it out with glee. You have done it already today.
Now imagine a white person saying the same about school grades in South Africa
2001 Tower Hamlets white people 100,000 total population 196,000 2011 Tower Hamlets white people 115,000 total population 254,000
Your white flight obsession is distorting your thinking, and certainly doesn't explain the educational improvements.
"The fastest growing population of any local authority in the Uk"
"...the White British population fell by around 5,000 – the only ethnic group in the borough to see a drop in numbers."
Must harder tim, OFSTED wouldnt class your argument as good or outstanding....and you're not going to catch me out by confusing "white" with "white British"
Good too see you admit there is no racial angle in Eastern European immigration down thread... I will quote that relentlessly when people are accused of being racist for being anti mass EU immigration
"Business leaders have challenged Alex Salmond to cost his blueprint for an independent Scotland instead of making up answers “on the hoof” or producing “wish lists”. "
Sounds familiar - I wonder if these 'Business leaders' have been reading PB.com ?
No, 'business leaders' apparently have a wider outlook than PB.com and Telegraph spin. It appears that its both sides that have questions to answer.
'“It seems to us that increasingly there are some answers being made on the hoof to make policies up, or wishlists which are appearing, which basically tell us when we ask questions that it will be OK when we have independence, or it’ll be OK from the other side because the UK is a big country.”'
Spin? - Surely the only question remaining is, has there been a cost analysis or not to back up Salmond’s repeated assertions? – The business community are a funny lot, they actually want to see facts and figures before investing £millions, rather than relying on a wing and a prayer.
There is no reason why Gove cannot admit he may have got this wrong
Politically there's a very big and important reason why he can't admit he may have got it wrong, but the traditional solution would be to restart it with a new name and announce it as if it's his own idea.
Well, let's hope that he does. He is certainly clever enough, wily enough and politically savvy enough to. It would be ridiculous if something that was demonstrably working and getting results is consigned to history because it is ideologically inconvenient.
One thing that even the most pilloried politician never said or implied was that one race was superior to another in terms of intelligence or capacity for intelligence
We all know what @tim is alluding to...he has previously claimed the increase in grades in inner London was due to "thick white racists " moving out.... He isn't saying so now to get around the moderators ban
Imagine the opposite was said.
The immigrant population in London is more highly educated than the "native" population, you would expect that to impact to a degree (geddit) on the results of children at school.Many of those immigrants of course are white, so there's clearly no racial angle. Read the data, immigrants have a higher level of education on the whole.
It seems to happen in other areas of the country to to a lesser degree, Graham Stuart the Tory Education Committee Chair was on the radio this morning saying Ofsted will identify problems up the East coast from Suffolk, Norfolk up through his own East Riding to Northumberland. Wales issues are well documented.
What do all these areas have in common, it's not political control. It could be this though.
You have also said that inner London schools have improved because "thick white racists" have left the area... Have the courage of your convictions.
You obviously believe the best thing for the country to do is import people that are more intelligent, resulting in the original people moving away from their homes and struggling in education somewhere else... You have said so many times, you point it out with glee. You have done it already today.
Now imagine a white person saying the same about school grades in South Africa
2001 Tower Hamlets white people 100,000 total population 196,000 2011 Tower Hamlets white people 115,000 total population 254,000
Your white flight obsession is distorting your thinking, and certainly doesn't explain the educational improvements.
One thing that even the most pilloried politician never said or implied was that one race was superior to another in terms of intelligence or capacity for intelligence
We all know what @tim is alluding to...he has previously claimed the increase in grades in inner London was due to "thick white racists " moving out.... He isn't saying so now to get around the moderators ban
Imagine the opposite was said.
The immigrant population in London is more highly educated than the "native" population, you would expect that to impact to a degree (geddit) on the results of children at school.Many of those immigrants of course are white, so there's clearly no racial angle. Read the data, immigrants have a higher level of education on the whole.
It seems to happen in other areas of the country to to a lesser degree, Graham Stuart the Tory Education Committee Chair was on the radio this morning saying Ofsted will identify problems up the East coast from Suffolk, Norfolk up through his own East Riding to Northumberland. Wales issues are well documented.
What do all these areas have in common, it's not political control. It could be this though.
You have also said that inner London schools have improved because "thick white racists" have left the area... Have the courage of your convictions.
You obviously believe the best thing for the country to do is import people that are more intelligent, resulting in the original people moving away from their homes and struggling in education somewhere else... You have said so many times, you point it out with glee. You have done it already today.
Now imagine a white person saying the same about school grades in South Africa
2001 Tower Hamlets white people 100,000 total population 196,000 2011 Tower Hamlets white people 115,000 total population 254,000
Your white flight obsession is distorting your thinking, and certainly doesn't explain the educational improvements.
It's not about skin colour or religion, it's about being determined to address a problem and using every tool at your disposal to do something about it. This is just a superb achievement form those who work in Tower Hamlets' schools, the pupils and the local authority. If lessons are not learned or are ignored for political reasons it will be an absolute scandal.
Tim has said on more than one occasion that it was down to "thick white racists" moving out of inner London. e provided a graph today showing % people born in the UK live in relation to academic achievement. He is absolutely trying to connect non white immigrants with higher educational standards, and white British people with lower achievements.
if it was the London Challenge that is responsible for the good results, fair enough.
Typical unionist propaganda, if you actually watched it and listened , he actually said both the Scottish and Westminster governments had to show more detail on it. As ever spun to be a negative for Scotland rather than Westminster. Bit like the bare faced lies on supermarkets the day before.
God help us if business leaders take any guidance from the rubbish spouted on here.
One thing that even the most pilloried politician never said or implied was that one race was superior to another in terms of intelligence or capacity for intelligence
We all know what @tim is alluding to...he has previously claimed the increase in grades in inner London was due to "thick white racists " moving out.... He isn't saying so now to get around the moderators ban
Imagine the opposite was said.
It seems to happen in other areas of the country to to a lesser degree, Graham Stuart the Tory Education Committee Chair was on the radio this morning saying Ofsted will identify problems up the East coast from Suffolk, Norfolk up through his own East Riding to Northumberland. Wales issues are well documented.
What do all these areas have in common, it's not political control. It could be this though.
You have also said that inner London schools have improved because "thick white racists" have left the area... Have the courage of your convictions.
You obviously believe the best thing for the country to do is import people that are more intelligent, resulting in the original people moving away from their homes and struggling in education somewhere else... You have said so many times, you point it out with glee. You have done it already today.
Now imagine a white person saying the same about school grades in South Africa
2001 Tower Hamlets white people 100,000 total population 196,000 2011 Tower Hamlets white people 115,000 total population 254,000
Your white flight obsession is distorting your thinking, and certainly doesn't explain the educational improvements.
It's not about skin colour or religion, it's about being determined to address a problem and using every tool at your disposal to do something about it. This is just a superb achievement form those who work in Tower Hamlets' schools, the pupils and the local authority. If lessons are not learned or are ignored for political reasons it will be an absolute scandal.
Tim has said on more than one occasion that it was down to "thick white racists" moving out of inner London. e provided a graph today showing % people born in the UK live in relation to academic achievement. He is absolutely trying to connect non white immigrants with higher educational standards, and white British people with lower achievements.
if it was the London Challenge that is responsible for the good results, fair enough.
But that isn't what tim was saying
Well of course if a thick white racist leaves and is replaced by an educated immigrant of whatever colour then standards are likely to rise, but as the research showed I posted the other day on white flight there are far fewer thick white racists than you keep telling me there are.
You won't beat me on this one
You've made racist remarks about white people's educational potential, tried to confuse the demographic statistics and are now floundering
You'd be better off pointing out that Enoch Powell was receding at an early age, or that female voters didn't like his moustache
"Business leaders have challenged Alex Salmond to cost his blueprint for an independent Scotland instead of making up answers “on the hoof” or producing “wish lists”. "
Sounds familiar - I wonder if these 'Business leaders' have been reading PB.com ?
No, 'business leaders' apparently have a wider outlook than PB.com and Telegraph spin. It appears that its both sides that have questions to answer.
'“It seems to us that increasingly there are some answers being made on the hoof to make policies up, or wishlists which are appearing, which basically tell us when we ask questions that it will be OK when we have independence, or it’ll be OK from the other side because the UK is a big country.”'
Spin? - Surely the only question remaining is, has there been a cost analysis or not to back up Salmond’s repeated assertions? – The business community are a funny lot, they actually want to see facts and figures before investing £millions, rather than relying on a wing and a prayer.
Just so I can be certain on which side of the cock-eyed partiality threshold you reside, can you confirm if you think the following two passages, one a statement, the other selective quotes from that statement, are saying the same thing?
'Business leaders have challenged Alex Salmond to cost his blueprint for an independent Scotland instead of making up answers “on the hoof” or producing “wish lists"'
'“It seems to us that increasingly there are some answers being made on the hoof to make policies up, or wishlists which are appearing, which basically tell us when we ask questions that it will be OK when we have independence, or it’ll be OK from the other side because the UK is a big country.”'
One thing that even the most pilloried politician never said or implied was that one race was superior to another in terms of intelligence or capacity for intelligence
We all know what @tim is alluding to...he has previously claimed the increase in grades in inner London was due to "thick white racists " moving out.... He isn't saying so now to get around the moderators ban
Imagine the opposite was said.
The immigrant population in London is more highly educated than the "native" population, you would expect that to impact to a degree (geddit) on the results of children at school.Many of those immigrants of course are white, so there's clearly no racial angle. Read the data, immigrants have a higher level of education on the whole.
It seems to happen in other areas of the country to to a lesser degree, Graham Stuart the Tory Education Committee Chair was on the radio this morning saying Ofsted will identify problems up the East coast from Suffolk, Norfolk up through his own East Riding to Northumberland. Wales issues are well documented.
What do all these areas have in common, it's not political control. It could be this though.
You have also said that inner London schools have improved because "thick white racists" have left the area... Have the courage of your convictions.
You obviously believe the best thing for the country to do is import people that are more intelligent, resulting in the original people moving away from their homes and struggling in education somewhere else... You have said so many times, you point it out with glee. You have done it already today.
Now imagine a white person saying the same about school grades in South Africa
2001 Tower Hamlets white people 100,000 total population 196,000 2011 Tower Hamlets white people 115,000 total population 254,000
Your white flight obsession is distorting your thinking, and certainly doesn't explain the educational improvements.
It's not about skin colour or religion, it's about being determined to address a problem and using every tool at your disposal to do something about it. This is just a superb achievement form those who work in Tower Hamlets' schools, the pupils and the local authority. If lessons are not learned or are ignored for political reasons it will be an absolute scandal.
Tim has said on more than one occasion that it was down to "thick white racists" moving out of inner London. e provided a graph today showing % people born in the UK live in relation to academic achievement. He is absolutely trying to connect non white immigrants with higher educational standards, and white British people with lower achievements.
if it was the London Challenge that is responsible for the good results, fair enough.
But that isn't what tim was saying
My sense is that Tim may have had his tongue ever so slightly in his cheek with that claim. But if not, I disagree with him profoundly. I'd argue that racists of whatever skin colour do tend to be a bit thick, but I don't think that there are so many of them that their movement from one part of the country to another would make any real difference to things such as overall pupil performance in schools. For Tower Hamlets' improvement we have to look beyond ethnicity and religion to other factors - and, most important, we need to learn from them.
OT, Open Europe, who are a think-tank representing what used to be the mainstream Tory opinion on the EU (not sure if it still is) of in but renegotiated, have got a bunch of people together to pretend to represent different EU countries and war-game the negotiation.
Fascinating to see labour spinners repeating 'london challenge' like a regiment of parrots after their party was solely responsible for the catastrophic and hugely costly drop in standards revealed by PISA.
If I was you guys I'd start parroting 'london Challenge' at the severn bridge for the next 17 months.
Wales is where you rule and that frankly utterly shameful performance will be used as the shining example of what Labour do on education when it comes to 2015.
"Business leaders have challenged Alex Salmond to cost his blueprint for an independent Scotland instead of making up answers “on the hoof” or producing “wish lists”. "
Sounds familiar - I wonder if these 'Business leaders' have been reading PB.com ?
No, 'business leaders' apparently have a wider outlook than PB.com and Telegraph spin. It appears that its both sides that have questions to answer.
'“It seems to us that increasingly there are some answers being made on the hoof to make policies up, or wishlists which are appearing, which basically tell us when we ask questions that it will be OK when we have independence, or it’ll be OK from the other side because the UK is a big country.”'
Spin? - Surely the only question remaining is, has there been a cost analysis or not to back up Salmond’s repeated assertions? – The business community are a funny lot, they actually want to see facts and figures before investing £millions, rather than relying on a wing and a prayer.
Just so I can be certain on which side of the cock-eyed partiality threshold you reside, can you confirm if you think the following two passages, one a statement, the other selective quotes from that statement, are saying the same thing.
'Business leaders have challenged Alex Salmond to cost his blueprint for an independent Scotland instead of making up answers “on the hoof” or producing “wish lists"'
'“It seems to us that increasingly there are some answers being made on the hoof to make policies up, or wishlists which are appearing, which basically tell us when we ask questions that it will be OK when we have independence, or it’ll be OK from the other side because the UK is a big country.”'
Really not sure what point you are trying to make. - The business community are voicing disquiet at the lack of substantive facts and figures. It’s important stuff, so deal with it.
There's nothing to beat., you have no case, there's no civil war in London, there's no link between immigration and crime, there's a positive link between education standards and our immigrant population Best of all for Powellites of course is this fact
Mixed immigrant/non immigrant households are much much more successful.
The 7/7 bombings (that the killers described a s war), the Brixton riots,, the Stevenn Lawrence murder, the Lee Rigby murder (that the killers think of as war) are all examples of Powell being proved absolutely correct when he said "violence that can only be adequately be described as civil war"
The nature of Londons demographics, the segregated nature of the boroughs, the statistics on % of white british that you post yourself, are proof of him being completely right about immigration statistics
Both are unanswerable facts
Powell himself said that the best hope for a society that suffered so much change would be for mixed race marriages sô I agree with your last point
"Business leaders have challenged Alex Salmond to cost his blueprint for an independent Scotland instead of making up answers “on the hoof” or producing “wish lists”. "
Sounds familiar - I wonder if these 'Business leaders' have been reading PB.com ?
No, 'business leaders' apparently have a wider outlook than PB.com and Telegraph spin. It appears that its both sides that have questions to answer.
'“It seems to us that increasingly there are some answers being made on the hoof to make policies up, or wishlists which are appearing, which basically tell us when we ask questions that it will be OK when we have independence, or it’ll be OK from the other side because the UK is a big country.”'
Spin? - Surely the only question remaining is, has there been a cost analysis or not to back up Salmond’s repeated assertions? – The business community are a funny lot, they actually want to see facts and figures before investing £millions, rather than relying on a wing and a prayer.
Just so I can be certain on which side of the cock-eyed partiality threshold you reside, can you confirm if you think the following two passages, one a statement, the other selective quotes from that statement, are saying the same thing.
'Business leaders have challenged Alex Salmond to cost his blueprint for an independent Scotland instead of making up answers “on the hoof” or producing “wish lists"'
'“It seems to us that increasingly there are some answers being made on the hoof to make policies up, or wishlists which are appearing, which basically tell us when we ask questions that it will be OK when we have independence, or it’ll be OK from the other side because the UK is a big country.”'
Really not sure what point you are trying to make. - The business community are voicing disquiet at the lack of substantive facts and figures. It’s important stuff, so deal with it.
Jeez, it's like coaxing answers from an eight year old in a reading and comp test.
Yes, the business community want answers, but from BOTH sides, not just the SNP as suggested by the Telegraph, you and the other kneejerkers on here.
Fascinating to see labour spinners repeating 'london challenge' like a regiment of parrots after their party was solely responsible for the catastrophic and hugely costly drop in standards revealed by PISA.
If I was you guys I'd start parroting 'london Challenge' at the severn bridge for the next 17 months.
Wales is where you rule and that frankly utterly shameful performance will be used as the shining example of what Labour do on education when it comes to 2015.
Vote labour to become the dunces of Europe.
It's not spin that London schools do much better than those in other parts of the country and that Tower Hamlets has done an extraordinary job over the last 15 or so years. Labour in Wales and other parts of the UK would do well to learn the lessons, just as the Tories would.
And PISA does not show any drop in standards; overall, it shows no improvement; and that, of course, is very different. Absolutely not good enough, but very far from the disaster you would like it to be. However, the great news is that Tower Hamlets and other London boroughs may have a a fair few of the solutions, if we are prepared to look for them.
One thing that even the most pilloried politician never said or implied was that one race was superior to another in terms of intelligence or capacity for intelligence
We all know what @tim is alluding to...he has previously claimed the increase in grades in inner London was due to "thick white racists " moving out.... He isn't saying so now to get around the moderators ban
Imagine the opposite was said.
What do all these areas have in common, it's not political control. It could be this though.
2001 Tower Hamlets white people 100,000 total population 196,000 2011 Tower Hamlets white people 115,000 total population 254,000
Your white flight obsession is distorting your thinking, and certainly doesn't explain the educational improvements.
My sense is that Tim may have had his tongue ever so slightly in his cheek with that claim. But if not, I disagree with him profoundly. I'd argue that racists of whatever skin colour do tend to be a bit thick, but I don't think that there are so many of them that their movement from one part of the country to another would make any real difference to things such as overall pupil performance in schools. For Tower Hamlets' improvement we have to look beyond ethnicity and religion to other factors - and, most important, we need to learn from them.
Thats entirely my point. If thick racists leave and are replaced by more educated people then educational standards are likely to rise
But, as the research shows, despite isams determination to claim huge amounts of white flight from high achieving London schools due to racism, it's a much smaller factor than he would have us believe
Powell described mass immigration as immigrants taking over large areas of the towns, rather than white brirs leaving, so even though the "white flight" in terms of white Brits leaving Tower Hamlets is only 5,000, the fact that Tower Hamlets is the fastest growin population yet their are less white Brits is overwhelming evidence for what Powell accurately predicted.
Although I must say you are a trier,attempting to slip in the fastest growing element, white Eastern Europeans, in the same category, to blur the figures in your favour...
Can imagine you were were phased when I spotted that
as ever it is you that has described large groups of people disparagingly, never me. I am only responding to your racist insinuations
One thing that even the most pilloried politician never said or implied was that one race was superior to another in terms of intelligence or capacity for intelligence
We all know what @tim is alluding to...he has previously claimed the increase in grades in inner London was due to "thick white racists " moving out.... He isn't saying so now to get around the moderators ban
Imagine the opposite was said.
Clearly no racial angle? You know full well the demographics of Tower Hamlets,
You have also said that inner London schools have improved because "thick white racists" have left the area... Have the courage of your convictions.
You obviously believe the best thing for the country to do is import people that are more intelligent, resulting in the original people moving away from their homes and struggling in education somewhere else... You have said so many times, you point it out with glee. You have done it already today.
Now imagine a white person saying the same about school grades in South Africa
2001 Tower Hamlets white people 100,000 total population 196,000 2011 Tower Hamlets white people 115,000 total population 254,000
Your white flight obsession is distorting your thinking, and certainly doesn't explain the educational improvements.
It's not about skin colour or religion, it's about being determined to address a problem and using every tool at your disposal to do something about it. This is just a superb achievement form those who work in Tower Hamlets' schools, the pupils and the local authority. If lessons are not learned or are ignored for political reasons it will be an absolute scandal.
Tim has said on more than one occasion that it was down to "thick white racists" moving out of inner London. e provided a graph today showing % people born in the UK live in relation to academic achievement. He is absolutely trying to connect non white immigrants with higher educational standards, and white British people with lower achievements.
if it was the London Challenge that is responsible for the good results, fair enough.
But that isn't what tim was saying
My sense is that Tim may have had his tongue ever so slightly in his cheek with that claim. But if not, I disagree with him profoundly. I'd argue that racists of whatever skin colour do tend to be a bit thick, but I don't think that there are so many of them that their movement from one part of the country to another would make any real difference to things such as overall pupil performance in schools. For Tower Hamlets' improvement we have to look beyond ethnicity and religion to other factors - and, most important, we need to learn from them.
With so many easily offended people around, Southam, it isn't advisable to make tongue in cheek remarks around race and the part it plays in learning ability...
"Business leaders have challenged Alex Salmond to cost his blueprint for an independent Scotland instead of making up answers “on the hoof” or producing “wish lists”. "
Sounds familiar - I wonder if these 'Business leaders' have been reading PB.com ?
No, 'business leaders' apparently have a wider outlook than PB.com and Telegraph spin. It appears that its both sides that have questions to answer.
'“It seems to us that increasingly there are some answers being made on the hoof to make policies up, or wishlists which are appearing, which basically tell us when we ask questions that it will be OK when we have independence, or it’ll be OK from the other side because the UK is a big country.”'
Spin? - Surely the only question remaining is, has there been a cost analysis or not to back up Salmond’s repeated assertions? – The business community are a funny lot, they actually want to see facts and figures before investing £millions, rather than relying on a wing and a prayer.
Just so I can be certain on which side of the cock-eyed partiality threshold you reside, can you confirm if you think the following two passages, one a statement, the other selective quotes from that statement, are saying the same thing.
'Business leaders have challenged Alex Salmond to cost his blueprint for an independent Scotland instead of making up answers “on the hoof” or producing “wish lists"'
'“It seems to us that increasingly there are some answers being made on the hoof to make policies up, or wishlists which are appearing, which basically tell us when we ask questions that it will be OK when we have independence, or it’ll be OK from the other side because the UK is a big country.”'
Really not sure what point you are trying to make. - The business community are voicing disquiet at the lack of substantive facts and figures. It’s important stuff, so deal with it.
Jeez, it's like coaxing answers from an eight year old in a reading and comp test.
Yes, the business community want answers, but from BOTH sides, not just the SNP as suggested by the Telegraph, you and the other kneejerkers on here.
Mr Divvie, take some advice -Stay away from the YES to Independence steering committee.
One thing that even the most pilloried politician never said or implied was that one race was superior to another in terms of intelligence or capacity for intelligence
We all know what @tim is alluding to...he has previously claimed the increase in grades in inner London was due to "thick white racists " moving out.... He isn't saying so now to get around the moderators ban
Imagine the opposite was said.
Clearly no racial angle? You know full well the demographics of Tower Hamlets,
You have also said that inner London schools have improved because "thick white racists" have left the area... Have the courage of your convictions.
You obviously believe the best thing for the country to do is import people that are more intelligent, resulting in the original people moving away from their homes and struggling in education somewhere else... You have said so many times, you point it out with glee. You have done it already today.
Now imagine a white person saying the same about school grades in South Africa
2001 Tower Hamlets white people 100,000 total population 196,000 2011 Tower Hamlets white people 115,000 total population 254,000
Your white flight obsession is distorting your thinking, and certainly doesn't explain the educational improvements.
It's not about skin colour or religion, it's about being determined to address a problem and using every tool at your disposal to do something about it. This is just a superb achievement form those who work in Tower Hamlets' schools, the pupils and the local authority. If lessons are not learned or are ignored for political reasons it will be an absolute scandal.
Tim has said on more than one occasion that it was down to "thick white racists" moving out of inner London. e provided a graph today showing % people born in the UK live in relation to academic achievement. He is absolutely trying to connect non white immigrants with higher educational standards, and white British people with lower achievements.
if it was the London Challenge that is responsible for the good results, fair enough.
But that isn't what tim was saying
My sense is that Tim may have had his tongue ever so slightly in his cheek with that claim. But if not, I disagree with him profoundly. I'd argue that racists of whatever skin colour do tend to be a bit thick, but I don't think that there are so many of them that their movement from one part of the country to another would make any real difference to things such as overall pupil performance in schools. For Tower Hamlets' improvement we have to look beyond ethnicity and religion to other factors - and, most important, we need to learn from them.
With so many easily offended people around, Southam, it isn't advisable to make tongue in cheek remarks around race and the part it plays in learning ability...
Discussing race on an internet message board is never a good idea. It invariably leads to misunderstanding, misinterpretation, offence and accusation. Avoid.
Amusing to see the Labour spinners, as usual, completely ignoring what Gove actually does and says, in favour of believing what they want to believe. He most certainly did not kill off London Challenge for ideological or any other reasons - he's learnt from it and is extending it, as for example in this speech where he specifically discusses the improvements in Tower Hamlets:
The last Government launched the London Challenge in 2003. There were several elements to this but the three most important were:
- Sponsored Academies - The use of outstanding schools to mentor others - A focus on improving the quality of teaching - especially through Teach First
Each of these strands has had a profound effect on performance and on my thinking. In each case this Government has learnt the lessons and is spreading the benefits of these reforms across the rest of the country.
One thing that even the most pilloried politician never said or implied was that one race was superior to another in terms of intelligence or capacity for intelligence
We all know what @tim is alluding to...he has previously claimed the increase in grades in inner London was due to "thick white racists " moving out.... He isn't saying so now to get around the moderators ban
Imagine the opposite was said.
Clearly no racial angle? You know full well the demographics of Tower Hamlets,
You have also said that inner London schools have improved because "thick white racists" have left the area... Have the courage of your convictions.
You obviously believe the best thing for the country to do is import people that are more intelligent, resulting in the original people moving away from their homes and struggling in education somewhere else... You have said so many times, you point it out with glee. You have done it already today.
Now imagine a white person saying the same about school grades in South Africa
2001 Tower Hamlets white people 100,000 total population 196,000 2011 Tower Hamlets white people 115,000 total population 254,000
Your white flight obsession is distorting your thinking, and certainly doesn't explain the educational improvements.
It's not about skin colour or religion, it's about being determined to address a problem and using every tool at your disposal to do something about it. This is just a superb achievement form those who work in Tower Hamlets' schools, the pupils and the local authority. If lessons are not learned or are ignored for political reasons it will be an absolute scandal.
Tim has said on more than one occasion that it was down to "thick white racists" moving out of inner London. e provided a graph today showing % people born in the UK live in relation to academic achievement. He is absolutely trying to connect non white immigrants with higher educational standards, and white British people with lower achievements.
if it was the London Challenge that is responsible for the good results, fair enough.
But that isn't what tim was saying
My sense is that Tim may have had his tongue ever so slightly in his cheek with that claim. But if not, I disagree with him profoundly. I'd argue that racists of whatever skin colour do tend to be a bit thick, but I don't think that there are so many of them that their movement from one part of the country to another would make any real difference to things such as overall pupil performance in schools. For Tower Hamlets' improvement we have to look beyond ethnicity and religion to other factors - and, most important, we need to learn from them.
With so many easily offended people around, Southam, it isn't advisable to make tongue in cheek remarks around race and the part it plays in learning ability...
Discussing race on an internet message board is never a good idea. It invariably leads to misunderstanding, misinterpretation, offence and accusation. Avoid.
I agree, wrong impressions are easily grasped by those looking for trouble.
One thing that even the most pilloried politician never said or implied was that one race was superior to another in terms of intelligence or capacity for intelligence
We all know what @tim is alluding to...he has previously claimed the increase in grades in inner London was due to "thick white racists " moving out.... He isn't saying so now to get around the moderators ban
Imagine the opposite was said.
Clearly no racial angle? You know full well the demographics of Tower Hamlets,
You have also said that inner London schools have improved because "thick white racists" have left the area... Have the courage of your convictions.
You obviously believe the best thing for the country to do is import people that are more intelligent, resulting in the original people moving away from their homes and struggling in education somewhere else... You have said so many times, you point it out with glee. You have done it already today.
Now imagine a white person saying the same about school grades in South Africa
2001 Tower Hamlets white people 100,000 total population 196,000 2011 Tower Hamlets white people 115,000 total population 254,000
Your white flight obsession is distorting your thinking, and certainly doesn't explain the educational improvements.
It's not about skin colour or religion, it's about being determined to address a problem and using every tool at your disposal to do something about it. This is just a superb achievement form those who work in Tower Hamlets' schools, the pupils and the local authority. If lessons are not learned or are ignored for political reasons it will be an absolute scandal.
Tim has said on more than one occasion that it was down to "thick white racists" moving out of inner London. e provided a graph today showing % people born in the UK live in relation to academic achievement. He is absolutely trying to connect non white immigrants with higher educational standards, and white British people with lower achievements.
if it was the London Challenge that is responsible for the good results, fair enough.
But that isn't what tim was saying
My sense is that Tim may have had his tongue ever so slightly in his cheek with that claim. But if not, I disagree with him profoundly. I'd argue that racists of whatever skin colour do tend to be a bit thick, but I don't think that there are so many of them that their movement from one part of the country to another would make any real difference to things such as overall pupil performance in schools. For Tower Hamlets' improvement we have to look beyond ethnicity and religion to other factors - and, most important, we need to learn from them.
With so many easily offended people around, Southam, it isn't advisable to make tongue in cheek remarks around race and the part it plays in learning ability...
There's no evidence race plays a art in learning ability,education and economic research shows bilingualism may well do, but it also tends to raise the standards of the native populatio as well.
You need to drop this Powell obsession, its like watching Socrates and his Muslim thing, a waste really.
Amusing to see the Labour spinners, as usual, completely ignoring what Gove actually does and says, in favour of believing what they want to believe. He most certainly did not kill off London Challenge for ideological or any other reasons - he's learnt from it and is extending it, as for example in this speech where he specifically discusses the improvements in Tower Hamlets:
The last Government launched the London Challenge in 2003. There were several elements to this but the three most important were:
- Sponsored Academies - The use of outstanding schools to mentor others - A focus on improving the quality of teaching - especially through Teach First
Each of these strands has had a profound effect on performance and on my thinking. In each case this Government has learnt the lessons and is spreading the benefits of these reforms across the rest of the country.
So why did he kill it? And his claims about academies have been rejected. Local authority schools actually performed better than academy schools, according to Ofsted.
Since the introduction of London Challenge, secondary schools in London have performed better and improved at a faster rate than schools in the rest of England in terms of their examination results.
Looking at the photos in the Mail Cam didn;t have much choice. The Danish PM essentially forced his chops into the picture with one of her perfectly manicured hands....
Ian Dunt @IanDunt 2m Cameron becoming a parody of a PM. Selfies at memorials and bragging about being on Team Nigella. Is it too much to ask for a little poise?
The DoE and Ofsted reviews of London Challenge denied that academy status played a significant part and/or stated that the number of academies included was too small to make a judgement from. Gove of course has persuaded you that it played a major part, but thats simply his ideology, evidence-free. The destruction of school sports partnerships followed a similar pattern, similarly cheered on by people on here.
And what he has done since 2010 is focused on getting the top rated schools to covert to academies so that he can get people like Toby Young to write articles saying that academies do better than local authority schools. What is noticeable about Tower Hamlets is that it achieved its results without a single school being an academy.
Eight of the top 10 performing authorities for secondary schools are in London.
Bath and North East Somerset 100% Camden 100% Hammersmith and Fulham 100% Hounslow 100% Islington 100% Kensington and Chelsea 100% Rutland 100% Tower Hamlets 100% Westminster 100% Hackney 99%
The percentage relates to schools that are either rated good or outstanding.
Amusing to see the Labour spinners, as usual, completely ignoring what Gove actually does and says, in favour of believing what they want to believe. He most certainly did not kill off London Challenge for ideological or any other reasons - he's learnt from it and is extending it, as for example in this speech where he specifically discusses the improvements in Tower Hamlets:
The last Government launched the London Challenge in 2003. There were several elements to this but the three most important were:
- Sponsored Academies - The use of outstanding schools to mentor others - A focus on improving the quality of teaching - especially through Teach First
Each of these strands has had a profound effect on performance and on my thinking. In each case this Government has learnt the lessons and is spreading the benefits of these reforms across the rest of the country.
So why did he kill it?
No point in funding something when it doesn't need the additional money anymore. Better to focus the money in other areas where it is needed.
"Although funding for London Challenge was cut two years ago, results have kept rising. It seems the improvement has developed its own momentum."
Funerals are usually sombre affairs but Memorials are exactly that .. to remember the life of the deceased person .. to share memories,good and bad, to celebrate..to take vid and pics of the ones at the service ... it should be a celebration.
Cameron becoming a parody of a PM. Selfies at memorials and bragging about being on Team Nigella. Is it too much to ask for a little poise?
I think we should give Cameron a break on this one. Barack would have got in more trouble if he'd been left to do the shot with just him and Helle. Once he's in the shot Cameron can't look all somber and serious while she's grinning like she's just got an autograph from Sarah Jessica Parker.
Thinning hair, having your pic taken on a cell phone, at a Memorial service, albeit with Obama..what a disaster Cameron is. He will be taking his grossly obese body for a swim next.
Amusing to see the Labour spinners, as usual, completely ignoring what Gove actually does and says, in favour of believing what they want to believe. He most certainly did not kill off London Challenge for ideological or any other reasons - he's learnt from it and is extending it, as for example in this speech where he specifically discusses the improvements in Tower Hamlets:
The last Government launched the London Challenge in 2003. There were several elements to this but the three most important were:
- Sponsored Academies - The use of outstanding schools to mentor others - A focus on improving the quality of teaching - especially through Teach First
Each of these strands has had a profound effect on performance and on my thinking. In each case this Government has learnt the lessons and is spreading the benefits of these reforms across the rest of the country.
So why did he kill it?
No point in funding something when it doesn't need the additional money anymore. Better to focus the money in other areas where it is needed.
"Although funding for London Challenge was cut two years ago, results have kept rising. It seems the improvement has developed its own momentum."
If it was working and it was, why end it? We can only hope that as school leaderships change, teachers move on and local authority influence wanes London does not go into reverse. Let's also hope that the money was not redeployed to create free schools in areas which do not need them.
It does seem that one thing we can all agree on is that the London Challenge was a Labour education policy that worked spectacularly well in both Labour and Tory London authorities, with very different ethnic, religious and socio-economic mixes. In the end, the most important thing is that the lessons of this are learned, not ignored or papered over.
Thinning hair, having your pic taken on a cell phone, at a Memorial service, albeit with Obama..what a disaster Cameron is. He will be taking his grossly obese body for a swim next.
That Mandela memorial picture in full.
No, not the one of the UK and Danish PMs with a jovial American President, laughing and amusing themselves together, - or the one of Clegg and Clinton warmly shaking hands in animated conversation; I’m referring to yesterday’s photo of a lonely figure, ignored by every world leader it would appear, as he shoots ‘if looks could kill’ at everyone around him. – I think his name is David.
The overweight,balding, jet lagged photographed PM seems to be giving the LOTO a good kicking again..almost painful to watch these days..And Balls is stilll making a total tit of himself with the the semaphore stuff
Good PMQ's by Cameron today, at last taking the line that should run from now to the election - Labour made a huge mess and all they offer is criticism of how quickly the coalition is clearing it up. This line was taken 3-4 times in various forms and blunts nearly every Labour attack.
Not sure where the High Rate Tax cut to 40% line came from, not seen anything mooted on that??
The overweight,balding, jet lagged photographed PM seems to be giving the LOTO a good kicking again..almost painful to watch these days..And Balls is stilll making a total tit of himself with the the semaphore stuff
When Balls is sacked he might consider becoming a sign language translator for Jacob Zuma.
Tim Shipman (Mail) @ShippersUnbound 18s Dave on the selfie: 'when a member of the kinnock family asked me for a photograph I thought it only polite to say yes...
Ed Miliband going on the cost of living just opened the door for Cameron to talk about the economic recovery, and of course the last Labour Governments toxic economic legacy that this Government inherited.
The overweight,balding, jet lagged photographed PM seems to be giving the LOTO a good kicking again..almost painful to watch these days..And Balls is stilll making a total tit of himself with the the semaphore stuff
Good PMQ's by Cameron today, at last taking the line that should run from now to the election - Labour made a huge mess and all they offer is criticism of how quickly the coalition is clearing it up. This line was taken 3-4 times in various forms and blunts nearly every Labour attack.
Not sure where the High Rate Tax cut to 40% line came from, not seen anything mooted on that??
Good PMQ's by Cameron today, at last taking the line that should run from now to the election - Labour made a huge mess and all they offer is criticism of how quickly the coalition is clearing it up. This line was taken 3-4 times in various forms and blunts nearly every Labour attack.
Not sure where the High Rate Tax cut to 40% line came from, not seen anything mooted on that??
Fraser Nelson's interview for the Xmas Spectator has in there that Cam wanted 40% not 45%.... open Q whether it's a policy in his little black book for the manifesto...
Dan Hodges in the Telegraph - My cunning plan for crashing Ed Miliband's Christmas party "Then I had a brainwave. “The reason you never get invited to Ed’s parties is because you write nasty things about him”, I said to myself, perceptively. So the solution’s simple. Write something nice. I wouldn’t necessarily have to mean it. I could write some glowing tribute this week, then go back to eviscerating him the next. A bit like Polly Toynbee did with Gordon Brown.
So I sat down and started to type. “It’s time for people, myself included, to hold up our hands and say 'I was wrong about Ed Miliband." But then I looked down at the screen. The words “Sorry. But Ed Miliband still doesn’t get it” were staring back at me.
I hastily hit delete, and started again. “This year Ed Miliband has finally shown he has what it takes to be Prime Minister”. And it happened again. “This was the year Ed Miliband’s chances of becoming Prime Minister crumbled to dust”.
I turned autocorrect on and off, fiddled with spellcheck, and tried a third time. “Like it nor not, Ed Miliband appears to be moving closer towards his date with political destiny”. I closed my eyes and opened them. And there it was: “Ed Miliband? Are you having a laugh?”
I can’t say I’m with John. Or on an urgent errand for Chris Hope. Or pretend I’m Hilary Benn. And I certainly can’t write something nice about Ed Miliband.
So if I’m not going to spend another Christmas darning socks and penning sermons, there’s only one thing for it. Gel in the hair. Tie askew. Here we go … three … two … one …” Hi Ed, I’m Harry Cole. Thanks for inviting me.”"
amazing how this pb thread is utterly swamped by the PBreds until PMQs and then 'tumbleweed'...
Normal service will resume shortly no doubt.....
Not enough tractor stats this morning.
Stodge will be disappointed.
To redress the omission, here is an interesting table from the latest ONS Economic Review. It looks at Gross Value Added to the economy in the different regions of the UK. All figures 2012 over 2011 and most positive, with the East Midlands the notable exception.
In the same publication there is a table on the decline in manufacturing between 1997 and 2011, which shows that the Midlands have suffered the largest declines.
Over this period the contribution of manufacturing to regional GVA declined in each NUTS1 region. The regions showing the greatest decrease in absolute terms are the West Midlands, where manufacturing accounted for 27.5% of GVA in 1997 and 13.8% in 2011, and the East Midlands, where manufacturing accounted for 27.0% of GVA in 1997 and 15.8% of GVA in 2011.
Anyway here is the table. I await comment from Alanbrooke and another richard:
ONS: Regional Gross Value Added (Income Approach), December 2013 ================================================================= Regions | Gross Value Added | Gross Value Added | | per head | Total | ----------------|-----------------------------------------------| | Growth Index | Growth Share| | on (UK = | on of UK| | 2011 100) | 2011 Total| | £ % Index | £m % %| ----------------|-----------------------------------------------| United Kingdom |21,295 1.0 100.0 | 1,383,082 1.6 100.0| | | | England |21,937 1.1 103.0 | 1,173,512 1.8 84.8| Scotland |20,013 0.1 94.0 | 106,342 0.4 7.7| Wales |15,401 1.6 72.3 | 47,344 1.9 3.4| Northern Ireland|16,127 0.7 75.7 | 29,410 1.2 2.1| | | | London |37,232 0.7 174.8 | 309,339 2.0 22.4| South East |23,221 2.5 109.0 | 202,597 3.3 14.6| North West |18,438 1.7 86.6 | 130,618 2.2 9.4| East of England |19,658 0.9 92.3 | 116,125 1.6 8.4| South West |19,023 0.4 89.3 | 101,576 1.2 7.3| West Midlands |17,429 0.7 81.8 | 98,346 1.3 7.1| Yorkshire/Humber|17,556 0.4 82.4 | 93,339 1.0 6.7| East Midlands |17,448 -0.7 81.9 | 79,698 0.0 5.8| North East |16,091 1.4 75.6 | 41,874 1.7 3.0| | | | Extra-Regio | n/a n/a n/a | 24,160 -10.6 1.7| =================================================================
tim - would you accept that New Labpur cared more about state schools in London (the ones they would be sending their own kids to) than those in the rest of the country?
I got the chance to listen to PMQs for the first time in a while, and dull isn't the word I'd use. I'd go for 'catastrophic' - for Labour, in that IMO they didn't lay a glove on the PM specifically or the Government in general.
There is a risk in Cameron still, after more than 3 years of being in power, going for the 'We're clearing up the mess that lot left' line, but I think it's effective because he can say, with credibility, the previous government left such a mess that it can't be cleared up quickly.
Even the 'cost of living crisis' line can, I think, be rebutted by Cameron saying it takes a long time and difficult decisions to clear up the mess left by Labour. I like how he didn't try to duck questions about the living costs and disposable incomes, but instead basically said 'Bring it on if you really want to talk about the economy'. A stance that's backed up by the polls showing the Govt is still more trusted to run the economy than Labour are...
tim - would you accept that New Labpur cared more about state schools in London (the ones they would be sending their own kids to) than those in the rest of the country?
tim - would you accept that New Labpur cared more about state schools in London (the ones they would be sending their own kids to) than those in the rest of the country?
People forget just what a dump much of London turned into under the Tories, who had also wrecked local govt in the city. They vandalised the capital and it's schools.
You're describing London as it never was. Lay off the Chilean Merlot - it's wrecked your memory.
The PB Tories were spouting that line all summer and into the autumn, increasingly feverish in their excited anticipation of the polls closing.
Have the polls changed much from six months ago?
The Democrats used the same line in 2010. It's better than nothing, but the voters will vote mostly based on what they think about the current government, not the last one.
"People forget just what a dump much of London turned into under the Tories, who had also wrecked local govt in the city. They vandalised the capital and it's schools."
The GLC and the ILEA were in charge of Education in London throughout most of the Thatcher years, and they were not Tories...
Please don't make me post the link to the Schools in 1980's Labour run Haringey
tim - would you accept that New Labpur cared more about state schools in London (the ones they would be sending their own kids to) than those in the rest of the country?
tim - would you accept that New Labpur cared more about state schools in London (the ones they would be sending their own kids to) than those in the rest of the country?
As all the data shows Londons schools had become horrendous by 1997,Tower Hamlets the worse in the country, its hardly a surprise they had to be tackled, and I doubt many MPs were sending their children to those schools.I think the miraculous success has surprised everyone involved and the London Chellenge was being rolled out as that success became obvious.
People forget just what a dump much of London turned into under the Tories, who had also wrecked local govt in the city. They vandalised the capital and it's schools.
London used to be great. Not too overcrowded and you could afford a half decent home without being a millionaire.
Comments
"The fastest growing population of any local authority in the Uk"
"...the White British population fell by around 5,000 – the only ethnic group in the borough to see a drop in numbers."
http://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/news/census_tower_hamlets_changing_ethnic_demographic_1_1742260
Must harder tim, OFSTED wouldnt class your argument as good or outstanding....and you're not going to catch me out by confusing "white" with "white British"
Good too see you admit there is no racial angle in Eastern European immigration down thread... I will quote that relentlessly when people are accused of being racist for being anti mass EU immigration
Spin? - Surely the only question remaining is, has there been a cost analysis or not to back up Salmond’s repeated assertions? – The business community are a funny lot, they actually want to see facts and figures before investing £millions, rather than relying on a wing and a prayer.
2011 White 45%
if it was the London Challenge that is responsible for the good results, fair enough.
But that isn't what tim was saying
I can see Conservatives leading the GE2015 on popular vote but losing on seats It could be wise bet to take this bet on Paddy Power.
2013-12-11T10:09:08Z
..about half an hour ago. I didn't notice anything weird happen.
God help us if business leaders take any guidance from the rubbish spouted on here.
You've made racist remarks about white people's educational potential, tried to confuse the demographic statistics and are now floundering
You'd be better off pointing out that Enoch Powell was receding at an early age, or that female voters didn't like his moustache
'Business leaders have challenged Alex Salmond to cost his blueprint for an independent Scotland instead of making up answers “on the hoof” or producing “wish lists"'
'“It seems to us that increasingly there are some answers being made on the hoof to make policies up, or wishlists which are appearing, which basically tell us when we ask questions that it will be OK when we have independence, or it’ll be OK from the other side because the UK is a big country.”'
https://twitter.com/search?q=#EUwargames&src=hash&f=realtime
I liked this one:
If I was you guys I'd start parroting 'london Challenge' at the severn bridge for the next 17 months.
Wales is where you rule and that frankly utterly shameful performance will be used as the shining example of what Labour do on education when it comes to 2015.
Vote labour to become the dunces of Europe.
The nature of Londons demographics, the segregated nature of the boroughs, the statistics on % of white british that you post yourself, are proof of him being completely right about immigration statistics
Both are unanswerable facts
Powell himself said that the best hope for a society that suffered so much change would be for mixed race marriages sô I agree with your last point
Yes, the business community want answers, but from BOTH sides, not just the SNP as suggested by the Telegraph, you and the other kneejerkers on here.
And PISA does not show any drop in standards; overall, it shows no improvement; and that, of course, is very different. Absolutely not good enough, but very far from the disaster you would like it to be. However, the great news is that Tower Hamlets and other London boroughs may have a a fair few of the solutions, if we are prepared to look for them.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20576580
It is you that claimed "thick white racists" had left not me
but the census stats are easy enough to read
Tower Hamlets White British % 2001 = 42
Tower Hamlets white British % 2011 = 31
http://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/news/census_tower_hamlets_changing_ethnic_demographic_1_1742260
Powell described mass immigration as immigrants taking over large areas of the towns, rather than white brirs leaving, so even though the "white flight" in terms of white Brits leaving Tower Hamlets is only 5,000, the fact that Tower Hamlets is the fastest growin population yet their are less white Brits is overwhelming evidence for what Powell accurately predicted.
Although I must say you are a trier,attempting to slip in the fastest growing element, white Eastern Europeans, in the same category, to blur the figures in your favour...
Can imagine you were were phased when I spotted that
as ever it is you that has described large groups of people disparagingly, never me. I am only responding to your racist insinuations
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/michael-gove-at-the-national-college-annual-conference
The last Government launched the London Challenge in 2003. There were several elements to this but the three most important were:
- Sponsored Academies
- The use of outstanding schools to mentor others
- A focus on improving the quality of teaching - especially through Teach First
Each of these strands has had a profound effect on performance and on my thinking. In each case this Government has learnt the lessons and is spreading the benefits of these reforms across the rest of the country.
Since the introduction of London Challenge, secondary schools in London have performed better and improved at a faster rate than schools in the rest of England in terms of their examination results.
Looking at the photos in the Mail Cam didn;t have much choice. The Danish PM essentially forced his chops into the picture with one of her perfectly manicured hands....
Parody PM El Gordo
Osborne must be toast.
Eight of the top 10 performing authorities for secondary schools are in London.
Bath and North East Somerset 100%
Camden 100%
Hammersmith and Fulham 100%
Hounslow 100%
Islington 100%
Kensington and Chelsea 100%
Rutland 100%
Tower Hamlets 100%
Westminster 100%
Hackney 99%
The percentage relates to schools that are either rated good or outstanding.
No point in funding something when it doesn't need the additional money anymore. Better to focus the money in other areas where it is needed.
"Although funding for London Challenge was cut two years ago, results have kept rising. It seems the improvement has developed its own momentum."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-21534863
It does seem that one thing we can all agree on is that the London Challenge was a Labour education policy that worked spectacularly well in both Labour and Tory London authorities, with very different ethnic, religious and socio-economic mixes. In the end, the most important thing is that the lessons of this are learned, not ignored or papered over.
No, not the one of the UK and Danish PMs with a jovial American President, laughing and amusing themselves together, - or the one of Clegg and Clinton warmly shaking hands in animated conversation; I’m referring to yesterday’s photo of a lonely figure, ignored by every world leader it would appear, as he shoots ‘if looks could kill’ at everyone around him. – I think his name is David.
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/12/10/article-2521374-1A00640E00000578-814_634x470.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Ben_Kinsella
His killers aren't exactly the poster boys for the hard working, well educated, immigrant families you've spent most of the thread posting about.
Labour benches are so quiet it seems these days, unless shouting over their own leader???
And only last week he was blaming his piss poor performance on Tories doing the same.
Not sure where the High Rate Tax cut to 40% line came from, not seen anything mooted on that??
Dave on the selfie: 'when a member of the kinnock family asked me for a photograph I thought it only polite to say yes...
Brilliant - lol
Normal service will resume shortly no doubt.....
http://tinyurl.com/kkmkdsp
"Then I had a brainwave. “The reason you never get invited to Ed’s parties is because you write nasty things about him”, I said to myself, perceptively. So the solution’s simple. Write something nice. I wouldn’t necessarily have to mean it. I could write some glowing tribute this week, then go back to eviscerating him the next. A bit like Polly Toynbee did with Gordon Brown.
So I sat down and started to type. “It’s time for people, myself included, to hold up our hands and say 'I was wrong about Ed Miliband." But then I looked down at the screen. The words “Sorry. But Ed Miliband still doesn’t get it” were staring back at me.
I hastily hit delete, and started again. “This year Ed Miliband has finally shown he has what it takes to be Prime Minister”. And it happened again. “This was the year Ed Miliband’s chances of becoming Prime Minister crumbled to dust”.
I turned autocorrect on and off, fiddled with spellcheck, and tried a third time. “Like it nor not, Ed Miliband appears to be moving closer towards his date with political destiny”. I closed my eyes and opened them. And there it was: “Ed Miliband? Are you having a laugh?”
I can’t say I’m with John. Or on an urgent errand for Chris Hope. Or pretend I’m Hilary Benn. And I certainly can’t write something nice about Ed Miliband.
So if I’m not going to spend another Christmas darning socks and penning sermons, there’s only one thing for it. Gel in the hair. Tie askew. Here we go … three … two … one …” Hi Ed, I’m Harry Cole. Thanks for inviting me.”"
Stodge will be disappointed.
To redress the omission, here is an interesting table from the latest ONS Economic Review. It looks at Gross Value Added to the economy in the different regions of the UK. All figures 2012 over 2011 and most positive, with the East Midlands the notable exception.
In the same publication there is a table on the decline in manufacturing between 1997 and 2011, which shows that the Midlands have suffered the largest declines.
Over this period the contribution of manufacturing to regional GVA declined in each NUTS1 region. The regions showing the greatest decrease in absolute terms are the West Midlands, where manufacturing accounted for 27.5% of GVA in 1997 and 13.8% in 2011, and the East Midlands, where manufacturing accounted for 27.0% of GVA in 1997 and 15.8% of GVA in 2011.
Anyway here is the table. I await comment from Alanbrooke and another richard:
That was one of them…!
There is a risk in Cameron still, after more than 3 years of being in power, going for the 'We're clearing up the mess that lot left' line, but I think it's effective because he can say, with credibility, the previous government left such a mess that it can't be cleared up quickly.
Even the 'cost of living crisis' line can, I think, be rebutted by Cameron saying it takes a long time and difficult decisions to clear up the mess left by Labour. I like how he didn't try to duck questions about the living costs and disposable incomes, but instead basically said 'Bring it on if you really want to talk about the economy'. A stance that's backed up by the polls showing the Govt is still more trusted to run the economy than Labour are...
Just like labour with the economy and the country.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMyEGduC-k4
"People forget just what a dump much of London turned into under the Tories, who had also wrecked local govt in the city.
They vandalised the capital and it's schools."
The GLC and the ILEA were in charge of Education in London throughout most of the Thatcher years, and they were not Tories...
Please don't make me post the link to the Schools in 1980's Labour run Haringey
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_London_Council
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inner_London_Education_Authority
New thread