The thing I don't like so much about "gammon" is not that it's racist - that is a ludicrous interpretation - but that it's classist. It does not tend to get applied to your suave posho racists. So we do need a word for them. I'll work on it.
I've always thought the archetypal 'gammon' was a middle class real ale bore who too easily gives his opinion to anyone that will listen down the village boozer. Think Dave Nice from Smashie & Nicey.
Probably in the saloon bar. or the golf club.
Good morning fellow Pb-ers. I've a U3a Discussion Group to Zoom to this morning, on the subject of 'cancel culture'. Shall I be against it, as the rest of the group probably will be, or decide to be Devils Advocate and say that one has to ensure that people who have ever had 'unacceptable' views on something major shouldn't be heard on anything? Or something like that.
Nothing new about people being cancelled. It happened to Oscar Wilde for example, and cancelling of Jimmy Saville, Gary Glitter, Harvey Weinstein etc is widely supported.
Its a consumerist world and voting with their feet is how people can express their opinions, so I no longer drink in Wetherspoons, or use Facebook for example as I dislike their companies policies. Whats wrong with that?
When it comes to celebrities and "influencers" it comes to the same principle. A lot of Britons have cancelled Meghan and Harry for example, or David Starkey and yesterday even our Home Secretary seemed to want to cancel an ice cream manufacturer..
It is neither new nor strange, and ultimately an expression of individual power, in a world driven by marketing.
Thanks for the thoughts Dr F. Noted. I don't drink in Wetherspoons either. And yesterday went for the first time to what had been my favourite local pub, to be disconcerted by the lack of social distancing requirements, recording etc, as apparently a conscious decision by the management. Not quite the same, of course,
Of course we even have a long established way of cancelling people, named for a nineteenth century Irish land agent.
Sanctions against individuals are widely used as instruments of government policy too, whether internally (remember the eighties voicing of Gerry Adams by an actor) or external, such as used on a number or Russian oligarchs.
Or is cancelling only bad when organised by the people, rather than imposed by governments?
I would say being for or against "cancel culture" is kind of meaningless. Give specific examples. Surely it's case by case.
However, it is noticeable that often the people complaining that they are being "censored" are people with regular columns in national newspapers, regularly appear on TV, and often seem to have been "overpromoted" to these positions by the connections they have rather than any discernible merit.
The most amazing thing about this is that Alex Jones is 46 years old. Forty fcking six!
Why use the word gammon?
Because - as explained PT - it describes very well in a single word a white man who is past his prime and is a bit racist and so angry at lots of things that his blood boils.
Is there a better word that captures all of this?
You're looking silly here to be honest mate.
You can demonstrate that by answering my question.
Yes.
Any word that doesn't refer to the race of the person being described is better.
Why do you have to mention the colour? Is there a significant difference between a white past his prime racist angry man (like the man pictured before) and a non-white past his prime racist angry man?
The precise thing we are seeking to describe is this particular type of thick white bloke who's rather racist and not in the first flush and always getting angry about stuff.
Gammon is a snide and jokey reference to what can happen to skin tone when the blood boils.
So it's OK to use a phrase that describes "a particular type of" black person then?
I don’t see why not. If the purpose is to mock their opinions/views or actions - which they may have the right to hold/do in a free society, but which others have the right to criticise. And if they come up with a pithy word or phrase to describe it rather than having to spell it out in longhand every time then so be it. If the actual target of the phrase is not their views/actions but actually the colour of their skin, gender, sexuality etc then no.
The point here is that one of the views being criticised is attitudes towards non-English foreigners and/or ethnic minorities. In Englan such a person is highly likely to be white by definition, so it is not particularly racist to utilise this when coming up with the disputed phrase.
Thank god. That is vastly better than my efforts. I can go to bed.
I get it - racial slurs are sometimes ok 👍🏻
Yes - but only when they're not.
I go all blustery, pink-skinned, eyes bulge etc when I hear someone in a cafe ordering a panini when they should say a panino.
Does that make me a gammon?
It makes you a bit strange. Do you have the same reaction if someone says "this spaghetti is delicious" when according to the same logic they "should" say "these spaghetti are... "
Because that's the reason to introduce legislation, to annoy the left. How old is this person, 12?
To be fair she isn't saying that's why she is doing it, just that it will have that effect.
Australia effectively stopped migration like this from boats by reaching an agreement with Papua New Guinea that any asylum seekers who arrive in Australia will be taken instead to a detention centre in PNG while their application is processed. After that happened the arrivals by boats pretty much stopped. If the UK were to replicate that then it might work but it would drive many here mad in doing so.
Even more so if it were in Papua New Guinea. Does she have any suitably located countries as an alternative?
LOL probably not PNG.
I would think the obvious suggestions are either France or Turkey. Or possibly an African nation that wants cash.
Iceland? Or the Faroes if the Danes agree?
In World War Two there were internment camps on Man.
Or Greenland. Rockall an off the wall option after that invasion last year.
Better idea. Any tax haven under British jurisdiction.
That would clean up an awful lot of tax havens rather suddenly.
However, I don’t think he or Kate Green can be said to have set the agenda. They’ve largely been bystanders. The pressure on this has come from the media, the education sector and the Scottish government (ironically, the latter because of the extraordinary cockups they made themselves).
He needs to up his game a bit to seem a PM in waiting.
Gavin's 11th hour brinkmanship, masterstroke by using the mock results has taken the sting out of the tail in England I would suggest.
You are right, Starmer and Green have looked woefully poor. They will also have the undoubtedly debacle in Wales to explain away later today.
Williamson's quote has damaged chances of that.
I missed that. I thought the idea was a simple rabbit out of the hat trick which diffused the potential fallout. Has he un-diffused it ?
The boy got away with it - just enough UCAS points for his preferred degree course. Not what he should have got based on how he was performing but whatever. Now sending him more cash so he can go and get drunk...
I cannot comment on the exam results as I have no knowledge of the subject
However watching Sky this morning they had three students open their results live and each of the students was delighted and each had achieved their grades
They then went to a FE college and exactly the same with the two students opening their envelopes and one achieved her results for a teaching assistant and another received his results to gain access to the RAF as an aircraft engineer
It was good tv seeing young people so happy
I would just add Williamson is useless and needs to be sent to the backbenches
The boy got away with it - just enough UCAS points for his preferred degree course. Not what he should have got based on how he was performing but whatever. Now sending him more cash so he can go and get drunk...
Result, if not an ideal result. Imagine that is a great relief.
The boy got away with it - just enough UCAS points for his preferred degree course. Not what he should have got based on how he was performing but whatever. Now sending him more cash so he can go and get drunk...
Exactly my point. Congrats, well done, and every good fortune to him at Uni.
I feel instinctively that this is suspiciously low, unless the virus really has become a lot less dangerous (in which case very different policy responses are appropriate). If we are currently running at about 10-20 deaths a day with 1000 positive results (which in itself is probably missing cases of an order of magnitude unless they are just the same people being tested repeatedly) then 3 million isn't remotely statistically consistent with the relative case numbers/deaths back in April.
And that also ignores the possible issue (re: herd immunity) that 1) antibodies might not be the only indicator of previous infection and or immunity 2) if there is a natural level of immunity in the population already (some have suggested even as high as 80%, possibly caused by connection between COVID19 and something like the Common cold) then 6% might be more than enough anyway. And explains why in places like Sweden the death rates have tailed off at such an early stage in the apparent progression through the population.
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
It is expected Boris will refresh his cabinet in September and Williamson needs to be demoted, along with several others
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
The damage for A-Levels in the short term was always likely to be relatively contained due to the huge overcapacity in Universities due to lack of foreign students and individuals thinking about deferring due to COVID. GCSEs really do potentially matter now.
However, I don’t think he or Kate Green can be said to have set the agenda. They’ve largely been bystanders. The pressure on this has come from the media, the education sector and the Scottish government (ironically, the latter because of the extraordinary cockups they made themselves).
He needs to up his game a bit to seem a PM in waiting.
Gavin's 11th hour brinkmanship, masterstroke by using the mock results has taken the sting out of the tail in England I would suggest.
You are right, Starmer and Green have looked woefully poor. They will also have the undoubtedly debacle in Wales to explain away later today.
The boy got away with it - just enough UCAS points for his preferred degree course. Not what he should have got based on how he was performing but whatever. Now sending him more cash so he can go and get drunk...
Exactly my point. Congrats, well done, and every good fortune to him at Uni.
He should have got better grades than awarded - but as it won't stop him accepting / deferring his preferred degree will live with it. Its still a bloody fiasco though
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
But will the media care as much about GCSEs, though? Perhaps they should, but unless they can show a student who's dreams of university have been dashed (probably a good looking girl), it's not such a good story.
The boy got away with it - just enough UCAS points for his preferred degree course. Not what he should have got based on how he was performing but whatever. Now sending him more cash so he can go and get drunk...
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
It is expected Boris will refresh his cabinet in September and Williamson needs to be demoted, along with several others
But it doesn’t work like that, does it? If he appointed by ability and competence, about the only ones to survive a purge would be Sunak, Wallace, Buckland, Coffey and Hart.
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
It is expected Boris will refresh his cabinet in September and Williamson needs to be demoted, along with several others
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
But will the media care as much about GCSEs, though? Perhaps they should, but unless they can show a student who's dreams of university have been dashed (probably a good looking girl), it's not such a good story.
Sometimes, just sometimes I regret being part of the party, movement, call it what you will, that felt that, given the situation In Uganda in the v.early 70's, Asians living there had the right to come to Britain!
Today's party feel that Asians living in Hong Kong who are being persecuted also have the right to come to Britain.
This is what happens when both sides try and fight a culture war using the weapon of social media.
It all becomes about provoking and stiffing the other.
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
It is expected Boris will refresh his cabinet in September and Williamson needs to be demoted, along with several others
But it doesn’t work like that, does it? If he appointed by ability and competence, about the only ones to survive a purge would be Sunak, Wallace, Buckland, Coffey and Hart.
And that includes Johnson himself.
Johnson has a track record of success and undeniable ability and competence.
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
It is expected Boris will refresh his cabinet in September and Williamson needs to be demoted, along with several others
Can Johnson demote himself for incompetence?
I hope the party will deal with this post brexit next year
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
It is expected Boris will refresh his cabinet in September and Williamson needs to be demoted, along with several others
But it doesn’t work like that, does it? If he appointed by ability and competence, about the only ones to survive a purge would be Sunak, Wallace, Buckland, Coffey and Hart.
And that includes Johnson himself.
Johnson has a track record of success and undeniable ability and competence.
He has a track record of electoral success, and undeniable ability at campaigning.
I’m struggling to think of any time he’s shown competence. He couldn’t even read an autocue correctly on Have I Got News For You.
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
It is expected Boris will refresh his cabinet in September and Williamson needs to be demoted, along with several others
But it doesn’t work like that, does it? If he appointed by ability and competence, about the only ones to survive a purge would be Sunak, Wallace, Buckland, Coffey and Hart.
And that includes Johnson himself.
I would not disagree with that apart from Coffey who is not upto the job
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
It is expected Boris will refresh his cabinet in September and Williamson needs to be demoted, along with several others
But it doesn’t work like that, does it? If he appointed by ability and competence, about the only ones to survive a purge would be Sunak, Wallace, Buckland, Coffey and Hart.
And that includes Johnson himself.
I would not disagree with that apart from Coffey who is not upto the job
I was assuming as she hadn’t made any extraordinary public errors that she knew what she was doing.
If I’m wrong, that reinforces my point though so I’ll take it.
This is the most lightweight administration since the first Baldwin government of 1923, where just about the only competent ministers were Lord Curzon and Neville Chamberlain.
Both statements can be correct: just because AS levels are useful in these exceptional circumstances does not mean they are generally so.
I’m personally in two minds on the general value of AS levels; they were very useful for making predictions and it gave me thee weeks each summer where I didn’t have to teach my Y12s (nor mark their exams) but the modular course did lead to a lot of weaker candidates treating them as a trial run rather than the real thing no matter how many times we told them That their UCAS predictions would be their AS grades. Combined with the time taken to go through past papers etc. it also pretty much wrote off the summer in terms of getting any new work done: the last few weeks of the term being taken up with too much other stuff so that it is rare to have a full Y12 class for any lesson.
I know other teachers have different opinions and indeed experiences of this, but for me as a Physics teacher I quite like the new format.
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
It is expected Boris will refresh his cabinet in September and Williamson needs to be demoted, along with several others
But it doesn’t work like that, does it? If he appointed by ability and competence, about the only ones to survive a purge would be Sunak, Wallace, Buckland, Coffey and Hart.
And that includes Johnson himself.
Johnson has a track record of success and undeniable ability and competence.
He has a track record of electoral success, and undeniable ability at campaigning.
I’m struggling to think of any time he’s shown competence. He couldn’t even read an autocue correctly on Have I Got News For You.
For a party leader electoral success is one of the most important elements of competence required. That extends to a Prime Minister too under a Cabinet style of government - Sunak is more competent Chancellor than Dodds or McDonnell would be and its only because of Boris's electoral success that we have Sunak.
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
But will the media care as much about GCSEs, though? Perhaps they should, but unless they can show a student who's dreams of university have been dashed (probably a good looking girl), it's not such a good story.
The media as a lump? Probably not.
How about parents?
Perhaps, but unless the media runs with it, no one will notice. I guess you're thinking that those on the C/D boundary (or whatever the grading system is now!) are the ones who we ought to care about - and I think you're right. But the media only cares about pretty middle class girls.
Also frankly, I can see how it can be seen as offensive.
It’s supposed to be offensive.
I'd defend people's right to offend others. But it's interesting to point out this an insult based on something people can't change about themselves.
I don’t like the word, but it’s not about colour.
Yes only a white person can be a gammon, but not every white person is a gammon. It refers to white people who go into a frothing rage such as in the video. It’s that what is being ridiculed, not their colour.
Similar to the N word then
My understanding was that the N word is/was used to describe all black people.
Gammon is used to ridicule dense twats such as that guy in Austin, who happen to be white. Not quite the same.
No, it’s the same. Black people who think they’re better than other black people call them the N word
As a non-Black person I can’t comment on the dynamics of black people calling other black people the N word.
I cannot recall a time when a black person called another black person the N word, apart from in Tarantino films and the like. Never heard it in flesh world.
“ A former football anti-racism campaigner is being sued by a black ex-player after calling him “n*****” in a text message.
Paul Elliott, a former Chelsea defender, sent the text to Richard Rufus during a row over a failed business venture.“
like I said, something I have never heard in flesh world, at least not from a black person.
Happened daily all the time in my boxing gym. It says as much as much about your social circles as anything.
Yes, I have never been in a boxing gym, maybe its the norm there.
I did live in South London in the Eighties, for one year in a shared house with a couple of West Indians, and since then in the Midlands in cities with significant Black populations. I work with Black people from a wide variety of social backgrounds, and have never heard any of them use the N word, nor whilst out and about in the cities. Maybe it is context specific to certain social environments, but if so, I have never encountered it.
Here's the problem with the fiasco the sacked liar has created:
"Gavin Williamson has just admitted on LBC radio that the standardisation process “tends to” disadvantage high-achieving pupils in low-performing schools - and has said he has asked exam boards to contact these schools, to ask them to mount appeals on those childrens’ behalf.
Those children, of course, will already have already been rejected by their universities by the time their appeal is decided. That wasn’t discussed in the interview but one presumes those questions will be asked eventually.
Williamson said: “There is sometimes a danger where you have an exceptionally high-performing child in a low-performing school to be in a situation where they don’t get the grades that they want to.
“What we’ve asked the exam boards is, where they think there may be outliers, is actually to be contacting the schools to talk with them to make sure that appeals are put forward.”
This is an utter farce. They are issuing results which they know are wrong and know will mark down bright kids in poor areas - the very kids the system is there to help make something of themselves. 'The exam board will issue results they know are wrong and unfair but will help the student make an appeal against its own decision'.
What The Actual Fuck? 'You can appeal' is one thing. 'We know the results are wrong we'll ensure they help you appeal against the wrong result they're giving you' is absurd.
Both statements can be correct: just because AS levels are useful in these exceptional circumstances does not mean they are generally so.
I’m personally in two minds on the general value of AS levels; they were very useful for making predictions and it gave me thee weeks each summer where I didn’t have to teach my Y12s (nor mark their exams) but the modular course did lead to a lot of weaker candidates treating them as a trial run rather than the real thing no matter how many times we told them That their UCAS predictions would be their AS grades. Combined with the time taken to go through past papers etc. it also pretty much wrote off the summer in terms of getting any new work done: the last few weeks of the term being taken up with too much other stuff so that it is rare to have a full Y12 class for any lesson.
I know other teachers have different opinions and indeed experiences of this, but for me as a Physics teacher I quite like the new format.
They were useful in History as a bolt on to the main exam. They served as a neat stepping stone to the level required at A-level and took a lot of the stress off Year 13 for the best candidates who didn’t have to resit as a result. Conversely, they made things harder for weaker candidates who had to cover so much ground for resits, and they did mean Year 11 onwards became a constant grind of exams.
When they lost that, they were worse than useless because not only is the approach to teaching them totally different but as you note we lost a lot of time in the summer when we could usefully have been sorting out coursework.
On the whole, I can live without them. But the irony of Williamson supporting and opposing them in the same breath is delicious.
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
But will the media care as much about GCSEs, though? Perhaps they should, but unless they can show a student who's dreams of university have been dashed (probably a good looking girl), it's not such a good story.
There will be an issue with GCSEs if there are significant numbers who don't reach the threshold to get on to A-level courses, and if their aspirational parents thinks they should have done so. This could dash dreams of university. Of course sixth forms may lower the threshold, but that would store up major problems for A-level outcomes in two years. As would grade inflation at GCSE.
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
But will the media care as much about GCSEs, though? Perhaps they should, but unless they can show a student who's dreams of university have been dashed (probably a good looking girl), it's not such a good story.
Also the students who have just got their A-level results are almost certainly over 18 so using their pictures is less of an issue than doing the same with a bunch of 16 year olds...
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
It is expected Boris will refresh his cabinet in September and Williamson needs to be demoted, along with several others
But it doesn’t work like that, does it? If he appointed by ability and competence, about the only ones to survive a purge would be Sunak, Wallace, Buckland, Coffey and Hart.
And that includes Johnson himself.
I would not disagree with that apart from Coffey who is not upto the job
I was assuming as she hadn’t made any extraordinary public errors that she knew what she was doing.
If I’m wrong, that reinforces my point though so I’ll take it.
This is the most lightweight administration since the first Baldwin government of 1923, where just about the only competent ministers were Lord Curzon and Neville Chamberlain.
Re your last paragraph I do not remember that cabinet !!!!!!
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
But will the media care as much about GCSEs, though? Perhaps they should, but unless they can show a student who's dreams of university have been dashed (probably a good looking girl), it's not such a good story.
Also the students who have just got their A-level results are almost certainly over 18 so using their pictures is less of an issue than doing the same with a bunch of 16 year olds...
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
But will the media care as much about GCSEs, though? Perhaps they should, but unless they can show a student who's dreams of university have been dashed (probably a good looking girl), it's not such a good story.
Also the students who have just got their A-level results are almost certainly over 18 so using their pictures is less of an issue than doing the same with a bunch of 16 year olds...
Exam results day is about the only day in the year when the media actually seem to favour seeking out good news stories and pictures of happy people.
No, it isn’t just you. I’ve no idea what the thread header is about.
I think the Header was about who is and isn't a gammon and whether the word has a place in political discourse. Not sure who wrote it though. Certainly wasn't me. I both like the word and yet hardly ever use it. Go figure.
But anyway, loved this juxta of headlines today, which I think says a lot about where America is as we approach 3/11 -
"BIDEN AND HARRIS SAY TRUMP HAS LEFT THE US IN TATTERS."
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
It is expected Boris will refresh his cabinet in September and Williamson needs to be demoted, along with several others
But it doesn’t work like that, does it? If he appointed by ability and competence, about the only ones to survive a purge would be Sunak, Wallace, Buckland, Coffey and Hart.
And that includes Johnson himself.
I would not disagree with that apart from Coffey who is not upto the job
I was assuming as she hadn’t made any extraordinary public errors that she knew what she was doing.
If I’m wrong, that reinforces my point though so I’ll take it.
This is the most lightweight administration since the first Baldwin government of 1923, where just about the only competent ministers were Lord Curzon and Neville Chamberlain.
People always claim the current cabinet is lightweight.
"Big beasts" only tend to be big beasts after they've left office. Quite possible in the future people will be complaining about the weak Cabinet of the day and longing back for the days of big beasts like Sunak, Patel etc
Revised death series for UK now active on Worldometer site
Awww - I thought we might bring people back to life!
On the revised data it is however now likely that we will be overtaken by the US at some point.
Does anyone know what's the before and after deaths per 100,000 ratio? Also what the US's is?
The US really should have a much lower rate than the UK, it is a much more socially distanced nation. Their population density is nothing like ours.
We've just gone down about 10% so were about 680 (per million) before. Although your corollary doesn't necessarily follow. You need to consider medians (or even modes) rather than means.
Both statements can be correct: just because AS levels are useful in these exceptional circumstances does not mean they are generally so.
I’m personally in two minds on the general value of AS levels; they were very useful for making predictions and it gave me thee weeks each summer where I didn’t have to teach my Y12s (nor mark their exams) but the modular course did lead to a lot of weaker candidates treating them as a trial run rather than the real thing no matter how many times we told them That their UCAS predictions would be their AS grades. Combined with the time taken to go through past papers etc. it also pretty much wrote off the summer in terms of getting any new work done: the last few weeks of the term being taken up with too much other stuff so that it is rare to have a full Y12 class for any lesson.
I know other teachers have different opinions and indeed experiences of this, but for me as a Physics teacher I quite like the new format.
They were useful in History as a bolt on to the main exam. They served as a neat stepping stone to the level required at A-level and took a lot of the stress off Year 13 for the best candidates who didn’t have to resit as a result. Conversely, they made things harder for weaker candidates who had to cover so much ground for resits, and they did mean Year 11 onwards became a constant grind of exams.
When they lost that, they were worse than useless because not only is the approach to teaching them totally different but as you note we lost a lot of time in the summer when we could usefully have been sorting out coursework.
On the whole, I can live without them. But the irony of Williamson supporting and opposing them in the same breath is delicious.
I agree it was clever questioning. But I still think he was broadly right on this. The nuance of “normally AS levels were not helpful so getting rid of them was correct, however under these unique circumstances they would have helped” is probably beyond most journalists though.
Edit: I not defending Williamson in general though: the whole thing has been a shambles and sending out conflicting messages the day before the results come out is almost calculated to worry vast numbers of students and their parents.
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
It is expected Boris will refresh his cabinet in September and Williamson needs to be demoted, along with several others
But it doesn’t work like that, does it? If he appointed by ability and competence, about the only ones to survive a purge would be Sunak, Wallace, Buckland, Coffey and Hart.
And that includes Johnson himself.
I would not disagree with that apart from Coffey who is not upto the job
I was assuming as she hadn’t made any extraordinary public errors that she knew what she was doing.
If I’m wrong, that reinforces my point though so I’ll take it.
This is the most lightweight administration since the first Baldwin government of 1923, where just about the only competent ministers were Lord Curzon and Neville Chamberlain.
People always claim the current cabinet is lightweight.
"Big beasts" only tend to be big beasts after they've left office. Quite possible in the future people will be complaining about the weak Cabinet of the day and longing back for the days of big beasts like Sunak, Patel etc
Exhibit A - Diane Abbott being strangely prominent on the BBC last week (talking about immigration policy as a "former Shadow Home Secretary". And John McDonnell given far more time than he ever would have been in the past.
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
It is expected Boris will refresh his cabinet in September and Williamson needs to be demoted, along with several others
But it doesn’t work like that, does it? If he appointed by ability and competence, about the only ones to survive a purge would be Sunak, Wallace, Buckland, Coffey and Hart.
And that includes Johnson himself.
I would not disagree with that apart from Coffey who is not upto the job
I was assuming as she hadn’t made any extraordinary public errors that she knew what she was doing.
If I’m wrong, that reinforces my point though so I’ll take it.
This is the most lightweight administration since the first Baldwin government of 1923, where just about the only competent ministers were Lord Curzon and Neville Chamberlain.
People always claim the current cabinet is lightweight.
"Big beasts" only tend to be big beasts after they've left office. Quite possible in the future people will be complaining about the weak Cabinet of the day and longing back for the days of big beasts like Sunak, Patel etc
Ummmm
*Thinks hard*
No. They really won’t.
Yes there is a tendency to compare cabinets unfavourably with their predecessors, although not always. I didn’t hear anyone say the coalition cabinet was weaker than Brown’s, or Blair’s first compared to Major’s final cabinet.
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
It is expected Boris will refresh his cabinet in September and Williamson needs to be demoted, along with several others
But it doesn’t work like that, does it? If he appointed by ability and competence, about the only ones to survive a purge would be Sunak, Wallace, Buckland, Coffey and Hart.
And that includes Johnson himself.
Johnson has a track record of success and undeniable ability and competence.
He has a track record of electoral success, and undeniable ability at campaigning.
I’m struggling to think of any time he’s shown competence. He couldn’t even read an autocue correctly on Have I Got News For You.
For a party leader electoral success is one of the most important elements of competence required. That extends to a Prime Minister too under a Cabinet style of government - Sunak is more competent Chancellor than Dodds or McDonnell would be and its only because of Boris's electoral success that we have Sunak.
How do you know? They have never been tested, what you actually mean is that Sunak does things I like and agree with the others ‘might’ not. Sunak as yet has not been tested he has just doled out money come back in two years and maybe a value judgement can be made on his ability.
The most amazing thing about this is that Alex Jones is 46 years old. Forty fcking six!
Why use the word gammon?
Because - as explained PT - it describes very well in a single word a white man who is past his prime and is a bit racist and so angry at lots of things that his blood boils.
Is there a better word that captures all of this?
You're looking silly here to be honest mate.
You can demonstrate that by answering my question.
Yes.
Any word that doesn't refer to the race of the person being described is better.
Why do you have to mention the colour? Is there a significant difference between a white past his prime racist angry man (like the man pictured before) and a non-white past his prime racist angry man?
The precise thing we are seeking to describe is this particular type of thick white bloke who's rather racist and not in the first flush and always getting angry about stuff.
Gammon is a snide and jokey reference to what can happen to skin tone when the blood boils.
We all know the sort of bloke. And now we have a word that nails it. It does the job brilliantly and is not racist in any meaningful sense of that word. It's simply derogatory.
I do not bandy it about - in fact today is the first time in ages - but there is no way I'm dropping it just because people who are forever downplaying real racism with accusations of "playing the race card" now play the race card to ludicrously try to claim that a word to describe a angry white racist bloke is racist.
No. Gammon lives.
It's a lexical weapon in the culture war. When they go low, we go high most of the time but sometimes we go low too - but with considerably more wit and intelligence.
But calling people like Corbyn a gammon, what does it achieve?
Why not just denounce angry old racists? Why do you need a word for his type?
It's somewhat ironic that this is typically directed against poor white male voters, who have very little advantage, who are simultaneously expected to accept that they have "white privilege" as well.
Revised death series for UK now active on Worldometer site
Awww - I thought we might bring people back to life!
On the revised data it is however now likely that we will be overtaken by the US at some point.
Does anyone know what's the before and after deaths per 100,000 ratio? Also what the US's is?
The US really should have a much lower rate than the UK, it is a much more socially distanced nation. Their population density is nothing like ours.
We've just gone down about 10% so were about 680 (per million) before. Although your corollary doesn't necessarily follow. You need to consider medians (or even modes) rather than means.
And the median/mode US town has far greater natural social distancing than the UK does. Only 10% of the US population use public transportation whereas for England the figure is closer to 20%.
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
But will the media care as much about GCSEs, though? Perhaps they should, but unless they can show a student who's dreams of university have been dashed (probably a good looking girl), it's not such a good story.
Also the students who have just got their A-level results are almost certainly over 18 so using their pictures is less of an issue than doing the same with a bunch of 16 year olds...
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
It is expected Boris will refresh his cabinet in September and Williamson needs to be demoted, along with several others
But it doesn’t work like that, does it? If he appointed by ability and competence, about the only ones to survive a purge would be Sunak, Wallace, Buckland, Coffey and Hart.
And that includes Johnson himself.
I would not disagree with that apart from Coffey who is not upto the job
I was assuming as she hadn’t made any extraordinary public errors that she knew what she was doing.
If I’m wrong, that reinforces my point though so I’ll take it.
This is the most lightweight administration since the first Baldwin government of 1923, where just about the only competent ministers were Lord Curzon and Neville Chamberlain.
People always claim the current cabinet is lightweight.
"Big beasts" only tend to be big beasts after they've left office. Quite possible in the future people will be complaining about the weak Cabinet of the day and longing back for the days of big beasts like Sunak, Patel etc
Not the most uplifting of comments - that a time may come when we look back and yearn for the days when Priti Patel strode the corridors of power - but I can't fault it. Things being bad does not preclude them getting worse.
Revised death series for UK now active on Worldometer site
Awww - I thought we might bring people back to life!
On the revised data it is however now likely that we will be overtaken by the US at some point.
Does anyone know what's the before and after deaths per 100,000 ratio? Also what the US's is?
The US really should have a much lower rate than the UK, it is a much more socially distanced nation. Their population density is nothing like ours.
We've just gone down about 10% so were about 680 (per million) before. Although your corollary doesn't necessarily follow. You need to consider medians (or even modes) rather than means.
And the median/mode US town has far greater natural social distancing than the UK does. Only 10% of the US population use public transportation whereas for England the figure is closer to 20%.
I haven’t used public transport since February. Mind you I used my car for the first time this week, just to move it so that I could get at the weeds under it. I had been worried about the battery so I bought a trickle charger back in April. It looks like the battery went right down at one point: the clock had reset and my car thinks it’s 2006...
I cannot comment on the exam results as I have no knowledge of the subject
However watching Sky this morning they had three students open their results live and each of the students was delighted and each had achieved their grades
They then went to a FE college and exactly the same with the two students opening their envelopes and one achieved her results for a teaching assistant and another received his results to gain access to the RAF as an aircraft engineer
It was good tv seeing young people so happy
I would just add Williamson is useless and needs to be sent to the backbenches
Schools had the results yesterday, if you want to rig a story it wasn't exactly difficult.
We have our results and in a focus group of2 children and 5 results there are 3 appeals and that's from a good school.
Another child got is appealing 2 out of 3 where the final grade is lower than both the mock and the school grade.
I assume that most people here have vivid memories of getting their results?
GCE? A Level? Memories but not vivid. Pharmacy Professional Qualifying? Yes, largely because the results came out on a Friday and the District Manager of the firm for whom I worked kept phoning my workplace to know if I'd qualified, 'because he needed me to run one of the firms pharmacies' on the Monday! Results came by post and I lived in a small community up in the Pennines where the post never arrived before about 10.30. Even in the early 60's.
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
But will the media care as much about GCSEs, though? Perhaps they should, but unless they can show a student who's dreams of university have been dashed (probably a good looking girl), it's not such a good story.
There will be an issue with GCSEs if there are significant numbers who don't reach the threshold to get on to A-level courses, and if their aspirational parents thinks they should have done so. This could dash dreams of university. Of course sixth forms may lower the threshold, but that would store up major problems for A-level outcomes in two years. As would grade inflation at GCSE.
It will also create funding issues at 6th form vocational colleges as children will head there thinking they are still academic when with exam results they may have decided plumbing was sensible.
I cannot comment on the exam results as I have no knowledge of the subject
However watching Sky this morning they had three students open their results live and each of the students was delighted and each had achieved their grades
They then went to a FE college and exactly the same with the two students opening their envelopes and one achieved her results for a teaching assistant and another received his results to gain access to the RAF as an aircraft engineer
It was good tv seeing young people so happy
I would just add Williamson is useless and needs to be sent to the backbenches
R4 had the same thing - two happy students who got the grades they wanted - followed by two very articulate apprentices selling the value of apprenticeships vs academia.
Of course Leonard is crap, but a) who else have they got? and b) Leonard has gone along with the Scotland policy that has emanated from UK Labour (which has been mostly decided by the tin eared Ian Murray). The painful truth is that not many people in Scotland give a toss who leads Labour or SLab..
I cannot comment on the exam results as I have no knowledge of the subject
However watching Sky this morning they had three students open their results live and each of the students was delighted and each had achieved their grades
They then went to a FE college and exactly the same with the two students opening their envelopes and one achieved her results for a teaching assistant and another received his results to gain access to the RAF as an aircraft engineer
It was good tv seeing young people so happy
I would just add Williamson is useless and needs to be sent to the backbenches
Schools had the results yesterday, if you want to rig a story it wasn't exactly difficult.
We have our results and in a focus group of2 children and 5 results there are 3 appeals and that's from a good school.
Another child got is appealing 2 out of 3 where the final grade is lower than both the mock and the school grade.
That sucks. Really sorry to hear this. Best of luck with the appeals.
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
It is expected Boris will refresh his cabinet in September and Williamson needs to be demoted, along with several others
But it doesn’t work like that, does it? If he appointed by ability and competence, about the only ones to survive a purge would be Sunak, Wallace, Buckland, Coffey and Hart.
And that includes Johnson himself.
Johnson has a track record of success and undeniable ability and competence.
He has a track record of electoral success, and undeniable ability at campaigning.
I’m struggling to think of any time he’s shown competence. He couldn’t even read an autocue correctly on Have I Got News For You.
For a party leader electoral success is one of the most important elements of competence required. That extends to a Prime Minister too under a Cabinet style of government - Sunak is more competent Chancellor than Dodds or McDonnell would be and its only because of Boris's electoral success that we have Sunak.
How do you know? They have never been tested, what you actually mean is that Sunak does things I like and agree with the others ‘might’ not. Sunak as yet has not been tested he has just doled out money come back in two years and maybe a value judgement can be made on his ability.
Sunak has been tested more than most Chancellors ever would already and has so far done a very impressive job - far better than just doling out money.
The furlough scheme was set up with unprecedented efficiency and worked. During his summer emergency jobs statement he identified where the economy was really struggling and came out with very targeted proposals rather than blanket ones.
The one masterstroke other than the furlough scheme was the Eat Out scheme which cost the Treasury a miniscule amount of money in the COVID scheme of things but has had a transformative impact. When it was announced my first reaction was it was a bit gimmicky, but I was wrong it was quite intelligent and well thought through. It is getting a very powerful return on the money spent by the Treasury compared to any proposed alternatives. We were out yesterday at a local restaurant which we wouldn't have gone to had it not been for the scheme, the restaurant was fully booked out which would never normally happen on a Wednesday.
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
It is expected Boris will refresh his cabinet in September and Williamson needs to be demoted, along with several others
But it doesn’t work like that, does it? If he appointed by ability and competence, about the only ones to survive a purge would be Sunak, Wallace, Buckland, Coffey and Hart.
And that includes Johnson himself.
I would not disagree with that apart from Coffey who is not upto the job
I was assuming as she hadn’t made any extraordinary public errors that she knew what she was doing.
If I’m wrong, that reinforces my point though so I’ll take it.
This is the most lightweight administration since the first Baldwin government of 1923, where just about the only competent ministers were Lord Curzon and Neville Chamberlain.
People always claim the current cabinet is lightweight.
"Big beasts" only tend to be big beasts after they've left office. Quite possible in the future people will be complaining about the weak Cabinet of the day and longing back for the days of big beasts like Sunak, Patel etc
Not the most uplifting of comments - that a time may come when we look back and yearn for the days when Priti Patel strode the corridors of power - but I can't fault it. Things being bad does not preclude them getting worse.
“ If I mistake not you are an admirer of paintings, at least I judged so from the attention you appeared to be bestowing on mine when I entered the room. If you will permit me, I shall be happy to show you my picture gallery, composed entirely of works by the ancient masters—warranted as such. Not a modern picture among them. I cannot endure the modern school of painting.” “You are perfectly right in objecting to them, for this one great fault—that they have not yet had time to become old.”
“Or will you allow me to show you several fine statues by Thorwaldsen, Bartoloni, and Canova?—all foreign artists, for, as you may perceive, I think but very indifferently of our French sculptors.” “You have a right to be unjust to them, monsieur; they are your compatriots.” “
I assume that most people here have vivid memories of getting their results?
Forty years ago. We were always on holiday when the O and A level results came out. So we had to have them posted to us.
I don't remember any worries about O level, but do remember being very worried and fretful for days running up to the A level results. The first half of that holiday was not brilliant!
I cannot comment on the exam results as I have no knowledge of the subject
However watching Sky this morning they had three students open their results live and each of the students was delighted and each had achieved their grades
They then went to a FE college and exactly the same with the two students opening their envelopes and one achieved her results for a teaching assistant and another received his results to gain access to the RAF as an aircraft engineer
It was good tv seeing young people so happy
I would just add Williamson is useless and needs to be sent to the backbenches
Schools had the results yesterday, if you want to rig a story it wasn't exactly difficult.
We have our results and in a focus group of2 children and 5 results there are 3 appeals and that's from a good school.
Another child got is appealing 2 out of 3 where the final grade is lower than both the mock and the school grade.
Are you suggesting Sky rigged their report
Watching it 'live' there was no doubt none of the students knew their results before opening their envelope
I cannot comment on the exam results as I have no knowledge of the subject
However watching Sky this morning they had three students open their results live and each of the students was delighted and each had achieved their grades
They then went to a FE college and exactly the same with the two students opening their envelopes and one achieved her results for a teaching assistant and another received his results to gain access to the RAF as an aircraft engineer
It was good tv seeing young people so happy
I would just add Williamson is useless and needs to be sent to the backbenches
Schools had the results yesterday, if you want to rig a story it wasn't exactly difficult.
We have our results and in a focus group of2 children and 5 results there are 3 appeals and that's from a good school.
Another child got is appealing 2 out of 3 where the final grade is lower than both the mock and the school grade.
Are you suggesting Sky rigged their report
Watching it 'live' there was no doubt none of the students knew their results before opening their envelope
Their school would have done and told them who to focus on.
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
It is expected Boris will refresh his cabinet in September and Williamson needs to be demoted, along with several others
But it doesn’t work like that, does it? If he appointed by ability and competence, about the only ones to survive a purge would be Sunak, Wallace, Buckland, Coffey and Hart.
And that includes Johnson himself.
Johnson has a track record of success and undeniable ability and competence.
He has a track record of electoral success, and undeniable ability at campaigning.
I’m struggling to think of any time he’s shown competence. He couldn’t even read an autocue correctly on Have I Got News For You.
For a party leader electoral success is one of the most important elements of competence required. That extends to a Prime Minister too under a Cabinet style of government - Sunak is more competent Chancellor than Dodds or McDonnell would be and its only because of Boris's electoral success that we have Sunak.
How do you know? They have never been tested, what you actually mean is that Sunak does things I like and agree with the others ‘might’ not. Sunak as yet has not been tested he has just doled out money come back in two years and maybe a value judgement can be made on his ability.
Sunak has been tested more than most Chancellors ever would already and has so far done a very impressive job - far better than just doling out money.
The furlough scheme was set up with unprecedented efficiency and worked. During his summer emergency jobs statement he identified where the economy was really struggling and came out with very targeted proposals rather than blanket ones.
The one masterstroke other than the furlough scheme was the Eat Out scheme which cost the Treasury a miniscule amount of money in the COVID scheme of things but has had a transformative impact. When it was announced my first reaction was it was a bit gimmicky, but I was wrong it was quite intelligent and well thought through. It is getting a very powerful return on the money spent by the Treasury compared to any proposed alternatives. We were out yesterday at a local restaurant which we wouldn't have gone to had it not been for the scheme, the restaurant was fully booked out which would never normally happen on a Wednesday.
I wonder if the furlough scheme was one of those left over from the trashed 'pandemic planning' of ...... when was it ...... 2018? I think the Eat out scheme has partly, but not entirely, transferred eating out from later in the week.
I cannot comment on the exam results as I have no knowledge of the subject
However watching Sky this morning they had three students open their results live and each of the students was delighted and each had achieved their grades
They then went to a FE college and exactly the same with the two students opening their envelopes and one achieved her results for a teaching assistant and another received his results to gain access to the RAF as an aircraft engineer
It was good tv seeing young people so happy
I would just add Williamson is useless and needs to be sent to the backbenches
Schools had the results yesterday, if you want to rig a story it wasn't exactly difficult.
We have our results and in a focus group of2 children and 5 results there are 3 appeals and that's from a good school.
Another child got is appealing 2 out of 3 where the final grade is lower than both the mock and the school grade.
Are you suggesting Sky rigged their report
Watching it 'live' there was no doubt none of the students knew their results before opening their envelope
Their school would have done and told them who to focus on.
Are we really now into conspiracy theories by the media to make HMG look good !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
It is expected Boris will refresh his cabinet in September and Williamson needs to be demoted, along with several others
But it doesn’t work like that, does it? If he appointed by ability and competence, about the only ones to survive a purge would be Sunak, Wallace, Buckland, Coffey and Hart.
And that includes Johnson himself.
Johnson has a track record of success and undeniable ability and competence.
He has a track record of electoral success, and undeniable ability at campaigning.
I’m struggling to think of any time he’s shown competence. He couldn’t even read an autocue correctly on Have I Got News For You.
For a party leader electoral success is one of the most important elements of competence required. That extends to a Prime Minister too under a Cabinet style of government - Sunak is more competent Chancellor than Dodds or McDonnell would be and its only because of Boris's electoral success that we have Sunak.
How do you know? They have never been tested, what you actually mean is that Sunak does things I like and agree with the others ‘might’ not. Sunak as yet has not been tested he has just doled out money come back in two years and maybe a value judgement can be made on his ability.
Sunak has been tested more than most Chancellors ever would already and has so far done a very impressive job - far better than just doling out money.
The furlough scheme was set up with unprecedented efficiency and worked. During his summer emergency jobs statement he identified where the economy was really struggling and came out with very targeted proposals rather than blanket ones.
The one masterstroke other than the furlough scheme was the Eat Out scheme which cost the Treasury a miniscule amount of money in the COVID scheme of things but has had a transformative impact. When it was announced my first reaction was it was a bit gimmicky, but I was wrong it was quite intelligent and well thought through. It is getting a very powerful return on the money spent by the Treasury compared to any proposed alternatives. We were out yesterday at a local restaurant which we wouldn't have gone to had it not been for the scheme, the restaurant was fully booked out which would never normally happen on a Wednesday.
I wonder if the furlough scheme was one of those left over from the trashed 'pandemic planning' of ...... when was it ...... 2018? I think the Eat out scheme has partly, but not entirely, transferred eating out from later in the week.
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
It is expected Boris will refresh his cabinet in September and Williamson needs to be demoted, along with several others
But it doesn’t work like that, does it? If he appointed by ability and competence, about the only ones to survive a purge would be Sunak, Wallace, Buckland, Coffey and Hart.
And that includes Johnson himself.
Johnson has a track record of success and undeniable ability and competence.
He has a track record of electoral success, and undeniable ability at campaigning.
I’m struggling to think of any time he’s shown competence. He couldn’t even read an autocue correctly on Have I Got News For You.
For a party leader electoral success is one of the most important elements of competence required. That extends to a Prime Minister too under a Cabinet style of government - Sunak is more competent Chancellor than Dodds or McDonnell would be and its only because of Boris's electoral success that we have Sunak.
How do you know? They have never been tested, what you actually mean is that Sunak does things I like and agree with the others ‘might’ not. Sunak as yet has not been tested he has just doled out money come back in two years and maybe a value judgement can be made on his ability.
Sunak has been tested more than most Chancellors ever would already and has so far done a very impressive job - far better than just doling out money.
The furlough scheme was set up with unprecedented efficiency and worked. During his summer emergency jobs statement he identified where the economy was really struggling and came out with very targeted proposals rather than blanket ones.
The one masterstroke other than the furlough scheme was the Eat Out scheme which cost the Treasury a miniscule amount of money in the COVID scheme of things but has had a transformative impact. When it was announced my first reaction was it was a bit gimmicky, but I was wrong it was quite intelligent and well thought through. It is getting a very powerful return on the money spent by the Treasury compared to any proposed alternatives. We were out yesterday at a local restaurant which we wouldn't have gone to had it not been for the scheme, the restaurant was fully booked out which would never normally happen on a Wednesday.
I wonder if the furlough scheme was one of those left over from the trashed 'pandemic planning' of ...... when was it ...... 2018? I think the Eat out scheme has partly, but not entirely, transferred eating out from later in the week.
If the furlough scheme was then good job the planning was done. If it wasn't then it was wonderfully creative.
I doubt it regarding the Eat Out scheme. Personally we would never have gone out this weekend so our meal yesterday was definitely an extra one. Yesterday was our first meal out since February and having crossed that bridge and had a meal out now I'd feel a lot more confident to have another one next month even without the scheme.
I assume that most people here have vivid memories of getting their results?
Yes, I remember it well.
We all piled down the pub at lunchtime after O level results, to celebrate and commiserate. Plenty of pubs weren't too fussy on underage drinking, back in the day, provided you behaved.
Listening to LBC - call after call where even 1 exam downgraded by 1 mark is enough to slam the door shut. Hearing the sheer number of marks downgraded its truly astonishing. Nick Ferrari - hardly a lefty - put Williamson to the sword earlier and keeps saying he cannot understand why they don't copy Scotland.
Instead Williamson insists that the exam board issuing grades they know are wrong and then helping the student appeal against their own decision is sensible and fair.
An utter Wazzock. I expect the government will staunchly back him and insist the issue is now closed, move on as they have every other issue.
Both statements can be correct: just because AS levels are useful in these exceptional circumstances does not mean they are generally so.
I’m personally in two minds on the general value of AS levels; they were very useful for making predictions and it gave me thee weeks each summer where I didn’t have to teach my Y12s (nor mark their exams) but the modular course did lead to a lot of weaker candidates treating them as a trial run rather than the real thing no matter how many times we told them That their UCAS predictions would be their AS grades. Combined with the time taken to go through past papers etc. it also pretty much wrote off the summer in terms of getting any new work done: the last few weeks of the term being taken up with too much other stuff so that it is rare to have a full Y12 class for any lesson.
I know other teachers have different opinions and indeed experiences of this, but for me as a Physics teacher I quite like the new format.
I did the modular A levels. In both Maths and Physics I did exceptionally well at As level, with results in the 90% range on every exam. I then did very little work for a year (cos I was bright and lazy), with the result that I just scraped an A in Physics and a B in Maths at A level, with modular results which ranged from a C to a U.
I'm not sure a system where a very good performance at As level effectively guarantees good A levels even if you do no work is a good idea. Had I gone to university (and I got some good offers, none of which I took up) I might have actually needed some of the stuff I was supposed to have learnt in my second year of 6th form...
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
It is expected Boris will refresh his cabinet in September and Williamson needs to be demoted, along with several others
But it doesn’t work like that, does it? If he appointed by ability and competence, about the only ones to survive a purge would be Sunak, Wallace, Buckland, Coffey and Hart.
And that includes Johnson himself.
Johnson has a track record of success and undeniable ability and competence.
He has a track record of electoral success, and undeniable ability at campaigning.
I’m struggling to think of any time he’s shown competence. He couldn’t even read an autocue correctly on Have I Got News For You.
For a party leader electoral success is one of the most important elements of competence required. That extends to a Prime Minister too under a Cabinet style of government - Sunak is more competent Chancellor than Dodds or McDonnell would be and its only because of Boris's electoral success that we have Sunak.
How do you know? They have never been tested, what you actually mean is that Sunak does things I like and agree with the others ‘might’ not. Sunak as yet has not been tested he has just doled out money come back in two years and maybe a value judgement can be made on his ability.
Sunak has been tested more than most Chancellors ever would already and has so far done a very impressive job - far better than just doling out money.
The furlough scheme was set up with unprecedented efficiency and worked. During his summer emergency jobs statement he identified where the economy was really struggling and came out with very targeted proposals rather than blanket ones.
The one masterstroke other than the furlough scheme was the Eat Out scheme which cost the Treasury a miniscule amount of money in the COVID scheme of things but has had a transformative impact. When it was announced my first reaction was it was a bit gimmicky, but I was wrong it was quite intelligent and well thought through. It is getting a very powerful return on the money spent by the Treasury compared to any proposed alternatives. We were out yesterday at a local restaurant which we wouldn't have gone to had it not been for the scheme, the restaurant was fully booked out which would never normally happen on a Wednesday.
I wonder if the furlough scheme was one of those left over from the trashed 'pandemic planning' of ...... when was it ...... 2018? I think the Eat out scheme has partly, but not entirely, transferred eating out from later in the week.
One thought that occurs to me is that unlike in Scotland this is part 1 of 2.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
It is expected Boris will refresh his cabinet in September and Williamson needs to be demoted, along with several others
But it doesn’t work like that, does it? If he appointed by ability and competence, about the only ones to survive a purge would be Sunak, Wallace, Buckland, Coffey and Hart.
And that includes Johnson himself.
Johnson has a track record of success and undeniable ability and competence.
He has a track record of electoral success, and undeniable ability at campaigning.
I’m struggling to think of any time he’s shown competence. He couldn’t even read an autocue correctly on Have I Got News For You.
For a party leader electoral success is one of the most important elements of competence required. That extends to a Prime Minister too under a Cabinet style of government - Sunak is more competent Chancellor than Dodds or McDonnell would be and its only because of Boris's electoral success that we have Sunak.
How do you know? They have never been tested, what you actually mean is that Sunak does things I like and agree with the others ‘might’ not. Sunak as yet has not been tested he has just doled out money come back in two years and maybe a value judgement can be made on his ability.
Sunak has been tested more than most Chancellors ever would already and has so far done a very impressive job - far better than just doling out money.
The furlough scheme was set up with unprecedented efficiency and worked. During his summer emergency jobs statement he identified where the economy was really struggling and came out with very targeted proposals rather than blanket ones.
The one masterstroke other than the furlough scheme was the Eat Out scheme which cost the Treasury a miniscule amount of money in the COVID scheme of things but has had a transformative impact. When it was announced my first reaction was it was a bit gimmicky, but I was wrong it was quite intelligent and well thought through. It is getting a very powerful return on the money spent by the Treasury compared to any proposed alternatives. We were out yesterday at a local restaurant which we wouldn't have gone to had it not been for the scheme, the restaurant was fully booked out which would never normally happen on a Wednesday.
I wonder if the furlough scheme was one of those left over from the trashed 'pandemic planning' of ...... when was it ...... 2018? I think the Eat out scheme has partly, but not entirely, transferred eating out from later in the week.
If the furlough scheme was then good job the planning was done. If it wasn't then it was wonderfully creative.
I doubt it regarding the Eat Out scheme. Personally we would never have gone out this weekend so our meal yesterday was definitely an extra one. Yesterday was our first meal out since February and having crossed that bridge and had a meal out now I'd feel a lot more confident to have another one next month even without the scheme.
Agree about the furlough scheme, and sympathise with your feelings on eating out. We'd been to a local pub in mid July for my wife's birthday, just after pubs had been allowed to re-open, and a discussion with the manager. They've an outside eating area. We thought about going out last night, but as the forecast wasn't good, decided against it. The 'best' local restaurant normally only opens Thurs-Sun so isn't participating. We haven't 'eaten out' inside a restaurant for ages. Certainly not this year!
I assume that most people here have vivid memories of getting their results?
Yes, I remember it well.
We all piled down the pub at lunchtime after O level results, to celebrate and commiserate. Plenty of pubs weren't too fussy on underage drinking, back in the day, provided you behaved.
O-levels? That dates you. I did them as well and have the same memories of pubs that were not that fussy about ages. We even had a bar at school.
Welsh system seems to be the best to me (For this pandemic at least). An actual known grade to go off, rather than Scotland's plainly overgenerous current situation or the mess in England.
Comments
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/aug/13/up-to-6-of-englands-population-may-have-had-covid-study-suggests
However, it is noticeable that often the people complaining that they are being "censored" are people with regular columns in national newspapers, regularly appear on TV, and often seem to have been "overpromoted" to these positions by the connections they have rather than any discernible merit.
That would clean up an awful lot of tax havens rather suddenly.
However watching Sky this morning they had three students open their results live and each of the students was delighted and each had achieved their grades
They then went to a FE college and exactly the same with the two students opening their envelopes and one achieved her results for a teaching assistant and another received his results to gain access to the RAF as an aircraft engineer
It was good tv seeing young people so happy
I would just add Williamson is useless and needs to be sent to the backbenches
Is it just me?
Says Database Connection Error.
I've gone into comments via Vanilla.
And that also ignores the possible issue (re: herd immunity) that 1) antibodies might not be the only indicator of previous infection and or immunity 2) if there is a natural level of immunity in the population already (some have suggested even as high as 80%, possibly caused by connection between COVID19 and something like the Common cold) then 6% might be more than enough anyway. And explains why in places like Sweden the death rates have tailed off at such an early stage in the apparent progression through the population.
And next week will be much worse as the algorithm was far more important in GCSE results, and the damage done to grades of students in historically weak schools in core subjects, e.g. Maths and English, could be immense.
So although he hasn’t resigned yet, it’s only just beginning.
I think we are still on Night time cafe. But I've no idea.
I didn't get any cash though.
Not even from the veep choice...
https://www.isitdownrightnow.com/politicalbetting.com.html says its down.
And that includes Johnson himself.
How about parents?
This is what happens when both sides try and fight a culture war using the weapon of social media.
It all becomes about provoking and stiffing the other.
Whether he will feel personally able too given what’s about to hit him is another question.
I’m struggling to think of any time he’s shown competence. He couldn’t even read an autocue correctly on Have I Got News For You.
If I’m wrong, that reinforces my point though so I’ll take it.
This is the most lightweight administration since the first Baldwin government of 1923, where just about the only competent ministers were Lord Curzon and Neville Chamberlain.
I’m personally in two minds on the general value of AS levels; they were very useful for making predictions and it gave me thee weeks each summer where I didn’t have to teach my Y12s (nor mark their exams) but the modular course did lead to a lot of weaker candidates treating them as a trial run rather than the real thing no matter how many times we told them That their UCAS predictions would be their AS grades. Combined with the time taken to go through past papers etc. it also pretty much wrote off the summer in terms of getting any new work done: the last few weeks of the term being taken up with too much other stuff so that it is rare to have a full Y12 class for any lesson.
I know other teachers have different opinions and indeed experiences of this, but for me as a Physics teacher I quite like the new format.
I did live in South London in the Eighties, for one year in a shared house with a couple of West Indians, and since then in the Midlands in cities with significant Black populations. I work with Black people from a wide variety of social backgrounds, and have never heard any of them use the N word, nor whilst out and about in the cities. Maybe it is context specific to certain social environments, but if so, I have never encountered it.
"Gavin Williamson has just admitted on LBC radio that the standardisation process “tends to” disadvantage high-achieving pupils in low-performing schools - and has said he has asked exam boards to contact these schools, to ask them to mount appeals on those childrens’ behalf.
Those children, of course, will already have already been rejected by their universities by the time their appeal is decided. That wasn’t discussed in the interview but one presumes those questions will be asked eventually.
Williamson said: “There is sometimes a danger where you have an exceptionally high-performing child in a low-performing school to be in a situation where they don’t get the grades that they want to.
“What we’ve asked the exam boards is, where they think there may be outliers, is actually to be contacting the schools to talk with them to make sure that appeals are put forward.”
This is an utter farce. They are issuing results which they know are wrong and know will mark down bright kids in poor areas - the very kids the system is there to help make something of themselves. 'The exam board will issue results they know are wrong and unfair but will help the student make an appeal against its own decision'.
What The Actual Fuck? 'You can appeal' is one thing. 'We know the results are wrong we'll ensure they help you appeal against the wrong result they're giving you' is absurd.
When they lost that, they were worse than useless because not only is the approach to teaching them totally different but as you note we lost a lot of time in the summer when we could usefully have been sorting out coursework.
On the whole, I can live without them. But the irony of Williamson supporting and opposing them in the same breath is delicious.
The US really should have a much lower rate than the UK, it is a much more socially distanced nation. Their population density is nothing like ours.
But anyway, loved this juxta of headlines today, which I think says a lot about where America is as we approach 3/11 -
"BIDEN AND HARRIS SAY TRUMP HAS LEFT THE US IN TATTERS."
"TRUMP SAYS LOW PRESSURE SHOWER HEADS WON'T WASH."
"Big beasts" only tend to be big beasts after they've left office. Quite possible in the future people will be complaining about the weak Cabinet of the day and longing back for the days of big beasts like Sunak, Patel etc
Edit: I not defending Williamson in general though: the whole thing has been a shambles and sending out conflicting messages the day before the results come out is almost calculated to worry vast numbers of students and their parents.
Those are the rules for today; the rules of tomorrow might be quite different again.
What hasn't ended is prejudice itself.
*Thinks hard*
No. They really won’t.
Yes there is a tendency to compare cabinets unfavourably with their predecessors, although not always. I didn’t hear anyone say the coalition cabinet was weaker than Brown’s, or Blair’s first compared to Major’s final cabinet.
But this one is exceptionally weak.
We have our results and in a focus group of2 children and 5 results there are 3 appeals and that's from a good school.
Another child got is appealing 2 out of 3 where the final grade is lower than both the mock and the school grade.
Results came by post and I lived in a small community up in the Pennines where the post never arrived before about 10.30. Even in the early 60's.
https://twitter.com/paulhutcheon/status/1293806981556383745?s=20
Of course Leonard is crap, but a) who else have they got? and b) Leonard has gone along with the Scotland policy that has emanated from UK Labour (which has been mostly decided by the tin eared Ian Murray). The painful truth is that not many people in Scotland give a toss who leads Labour or SLab..
The furlough scheme was set up with unprecedented efficiency and worked.
During his summer emergency jobs statement he identified where the economy was really struggling and came out with very targeted proposals rather than blanket ones.
The one masterstroke other than the furlough scheme was the Eat Out scheme which cost the Treasury a miniscule amount of money in the COVID scheme of things but has had a transformative impact. When it was announced my first reaction was it was a bit gimmicky, but I was wrong it was quite intelligent and well thought through. It is getting a very powerful return on the money spent by the Treasury compared to any proposed alternatives. We were out yesterday at a local restaurant which we wouldn't have gone to had it not been for the scheme, the restaurant was fully booked out which would never normally happen on a Wednesday.
“You are perfectly right in objecting to them, for this one great fault—that they have not yet had time to become old.”
“Or will you allow me to show you several fine statues by Thorwaldsen, Bartoloni, and Canova?—all foreign artists, for, as you may perceive, I think but very indifferently of our French sculptors.”
“You have a right to be unjust to them, monsieur; they are your compatriots.” “
https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/180/the-count-of-monte-cristo/3315/chapter-46-unlimited-credit/
I don't remember any worries about O level, but do remember being very worried and fretful for days running up to the A level results. The first half of that holiday was not brilliant!
Watching it 'live' there was no doubt none of the students knew their results before opening their envelope
https://www.espncricinfo.com/series/15182/scorecard/64041/england-vs-south-africa-4th-test-south-africa-tour-of-england-and-ireland-2003
I see this script now on google for the homepage:
メッシュ·スクエア バッグ トート
I think the Eat out scheme has partly, but not entirely, transferred eating out from later in the week.
Cannot log in on my tablet, desktop, mobile or laptop and even vanilla needs me to sign in on my desktop
I doubt it regarding the Eat Out scheme. Personally we would never have gone out this weekend so our meal yesterday was definitely an extra one. Yesterday was our first meal out since February and having crossed that bridge and had a meal out now I'd feel a lot more confident to have another one next month even without the scheme.
We all piled down the pub at lunchtime after O level results, to celebrate and commiserate. Plenty of pubs weren't too fussy on underage drinking, back in the day, provided you behaved.
Instead Williamson insists that the exam board issuing grades they know are wrong and then helping the student appeal against their own decision is sensible and fair.
An utter Wazzock. I expect the government will staunchly back him and insist the issue is now closed, move on as they have every other issue.
I'm not sure a system where a very good performance at As level effectively guarantees good A levels even if you do no work is a good idea. Had I gone to university (and I got some good offers, none of which I took up) I might have actually needed some of the stuff I was supposed to have learnt in my second year of 6th form...
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We haven't 'eaten out' inside a restaurant for ages. Certainly not this year!