成人论坛

QE was not "designed to stimulate the economy".

It was "hoped" that this would encourage the banks to lend more and therefore stimulate our consumption based debt craving. In reality, it was "designed" to address the issue that banks balance sheets were woefully over exposed to high risk assets on their books.

Thanks to the taxpayer, the banks have built up their capital cushions. Hooray, so now they are to some extent protected from another spanking in the global markets, whereas it is now the tax payer who is the one whose trousers are slipping down.

'After reviewing five years of claims, Sir Thomas has recommended that 390 MPs, more than half, should repay 拢1.3m.

Some MPs say the way Sir Thomas carried out the audit was "sloppy" and 拢180,000 was cut off the total after appeals.'

Still, for a while, it distracted many from the plutocratic bankers and how they successfully walked off with billions paid for by future public debt and cuts in public services.

don't tell me they are still arguing the toss....tumbrills to the left, tumbrills to the right...away with the lot of 'em

I see I've been "referred to the mod" (wed) Well , aint it funny that you can crack jokes about hetros all day long but the minute we try and crack a joke about homosexuality, a phone call has to be made first...to a lawyer. Last time i checked, The gays desired equality, and in law they got that, it was always their biggest beef..well that should include laughing (or not laughting) at jokes at their expense. Mod: the Peter thatchell line was lame, if you pulled me on that..well, we are all doomed. The thought police will have won. Ask yourself this question Moddy, Do you want to be part of this orwellian police state?? do you want to be a minion of the tyrannical socialist thought control system, like Winston Smith? Have a cup of tea and a digestive Moddy, Give it some thought. Are you a minion or a free mind? don't let me twist your arm...its your decision, and i'll always respect your decision:)

The last year has not been a glorious period in our Parliament's history. MPs have disgraced themselves by abusing their position to line their own pockets. The fact that MPs still use the title "Honourable" in parliament to address each other makes me angry to say the least - very few warrant such a title.
I suggest that the title "Honourable" should be taken away from MPs for one year to signify the disgrace brought on by the expenses scandal. It will also provide an historical reference to this shameful period so that it is never forgotten, or repeated.

iraq inquiry

Ann Clywd

goodness. honour killing , FGM [female genital mutilation] and attacks on gays are all up in iraq since 'liberation'. Also christians are being burnt out and executed. Other minorities are demanding enclaves so they can be protected while others are forced into exile in Syria and Jordan . It would seem there is a sort of balkan ethnic cleansing movement of minority populations in iraq.

she has been trying to bring human rights into uk govt activity in relation to iraq and when asked if its working she paused and said slowly 'only time will tell'.

iraq has a quota of 25% of parliament is to be women [which is much higher than the uk].[ they can also elect their head of state.we can't. its even treason to suggest it]]

[maybe we should invade ourselves to bring 'democracy and human rights' to us?]

she said abuse and torture of prisoners in iraq is still too common. She gave the case of someone who was beaten, burnt and found dead in the cell. There is a culture of impunity and cruelty. She asks the americans not to hand prisoners over to the iraqi authority. She said you would need an enormous army of human rights workers to cover iraq.


........
seeing as it all sounds a great success where else shall we invade?

4. kevseywevsey 'Do you want to be part of this orwellian police state?? do you want to be a minion of the tyrannical socialist thought control system, like Winston Smith?'

Indeed, but is the system socialist or is it in aid of 'freedom'? One just has to think who is really being protected. If it's the agents of freedom and libertarianism (what we now call deregulation), then what is the purpose of this censorship?

This is a subtle question, and it's a genuine one. If one looks very carefully, the 'Orwellian police state' serves the interests of the plutarchy does it not? protection of minority rights makes out (just as George Orwell did), that it is supporting the meek against the mighty, the David against the Goliath - but is it? Orwell was, after all, a communist, just not the type which ended up running Russia in the 1930s. He fought for communism of the other sort though, and he shopped those of the other persuasion, just as New Labour does today when it isn't regime changing as part of it's foreign Jihad.

Whose interest does this fight for the allegedly oppressed really serve? It doesn't seem to benefit the UK.

On the defence adaptability report I thought Mark Urbans scope was pretty good.

As constructive criticisms though I did wonder about two areas - the debate over air mobility that may have been resolved by Iraq and Afghanistan and also scalability.

It would seem to me that in specific wars we need specific equipment - like helicopters and drones etc at the moment. But if there were a fight-for-your-life war we may need other things.

Procurement has been a very weak part of the MoD's history and has never been reformed properly to date.

Would it not be ideal to have hi-tech planes, armour and ships that cost pots but the ability to beef it up with extra more mundane and therefore cheaper equipment to supplement the highly efficient core force in a flexible and cost efficient way?

The other query is about ships. I can see we would all like to see the aircraft carriers but I wonder whether lower prestige ships may be needed in view of the future threat of terrorists doing a "Mumbai" and the fact that with the busy channel and the Arctic Sea (whatever happened to that story?) episode we may need more small fast boats to police the area - with I presume more Marines.

Legg made it quite clear that there would be an appeal process to iron out any problems and mistakes and that did happen - although some of the repayments were clearly in error.

It was the media frenzy that perhaps drew some innocent parties into the mire with those that were there on merit.

I was wondering about Afghanistan and the (assumed) poor intelligence we have on the al Qaeda lairs.

Given that the Talibs seem to change sides every other week I would have assumed that they would therefore leak like sieves.

That doesn't seem to happen - is there a reason?

Perhaps al Qaeda actually fire wall themselves but then that brave Pakistani police chief in the North Western Province seemed to believe that the Talibs and al Qaeda were pretty well one and the same these days.

It occurs to me that the lost souls of the Labour Party that sadly continue their never ending journey like the Ancient Mariner are not pre-smearing Chilcott or preparing their core voters and the public up for a big hit when the conclusions are reached.

Therefore they are pretty confident that although those conclusions will emerge after the election the impact at present is anticipated and acceptable.

I assume that's because the gap with the Tories has narrowed.

But surely their vote is itself still very soft and when it comes to May, or whenever, the public are quite likely to want to end this nightmare epic journey of wars and crashes and spin and smears and expenses.

They may not and Brown is smiling more often - but somehow I think that's a vote loser as it tends to bring to the fore emotions regarding Labour's arrogance with the public demonstrated by their use of spin such as 45 minutes misinterpretations that they never got round to correcting in a timely way and the "unique global economic phenomenon" that was almost identical in most respects (barring Keynes had already described how best to handle the crisis) to the Wall St Crash.

On the Press and Privacy I very well remember in 1995 a Charter 88 meeting - you should talk to Alister Campbell about that as he and many other media worthies were there!

The thing is its a Mexican stand off between the factions and interests but I do wonder whether the notion of public interest cannot be better defined and that that would perhaps lend itself to a happier resolution of private and public rights.

Nothing much has changed as yet and I doubt that it will change much.

On Toyota one observation is that this announcement has not been greeted with lots of xenophobic tub thumping - unless you count Jon Stewarts Daily show tongue in cheek sketches.

That's a good thing and shows society is moving on.

It may also perhaps reflect that quality is being squeezed as competition from other economies with lower costs bite in and may therefore herald significant socio-economic changes in Japan?

GO1...six posts in quick succession!..its like a blitzkrieg.

ANN CLWYD - SPECIAL AGENT (Dick Barton theme . . .) (#6)

Why didn't they ask her if she felt Tony had lied to Parliament? I think she would have sunk her little Pekingese teeth into Chilcot's leg. I was waiting to see that.

How did she last so long, in-post? Imagine reporting Johnnie Foreigner's humanitarian problems to Tony - I understand you can see his eyes glaze from the Moon.

Nowt so 'odd' as folk.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

SELF INVASION - BUT IS IT LEGAL? (#6)

"[maybe we should invade ourselves to bring 'democracy and human rights' to us?]"

That is surely going to tie The Attorney General up for a LONG time! I'm not sure if anyone has tried to invade themselves; it might just be legal under Civil Partnership Law. It has a 1441 feel about it to me - a bit Curate's Egg. Would there be 'serious consequences' - COULD THERE BE? One thing is certain, Uganda would send a gunboat.

Anyway Jaunty, you have cured my phobia - can't be bad.

More stuff on climate change scepticism? My oh my, how times have changed. Well done Newsnight! Maybe you will soon be back to being the Newsnight of old, if you know what I mean (honesty, as opposed to being a mouthpiece for the environMENTAL movenment).

Keep up the good work!

NOW FOR A PROPER LOOK AT 9/11 (#18)

"My oh my, how times have changed." Amen to that.

Does Newsnight know that 1000 (one thousand) QUALIFIED USA architects and engineers have signed up to a demand for an independent investigation into the collapse of 3 (three) buildings of the World Trade Centre complex, when not one similar structure (steel frame high-rise) building has collapsed before or since.

The science IS NOT SETTLED but it is a lot more persuasive than 'climate science', and two wars (SO FAR) have been hung on the 9/11 trick.

19. barriesingleton - That many? Next you'll have us looking into the demographics of NYC..... and Kamikaze Toyotas.

Today, Mr Johnson seemed to be suggesting that The Opposition was trying to undermine the public's trust in 'independent' statistics. I thought the Science and Technology Committee had already made the point that there were grave concerns about these and that even the independence of National Statistician was a matter of concern. Surely that nice Mr Johnson isn't making the scurrilous suggestion that the Civil Service has been politicised? Surely Chilcot showed that to be absolute nonsense? Those pressured by politicians to serve up what is wanted resign don't they?

Just as a matter of curiosity, is the long-term prison population falling by any chance (given the alleged falling violent crime rate)?

AH WELL - YOU CAN'T BE GOOD AT EVRYTHING, CAN YOU STATIST? (#20)

But 'Kamikaze Toyotas' is a tight gag, so you certainly qualify as a certifiable comedian.

british gas lower prices not only after the cold weather but the day after the regulator said privatisation was a failure and the industry might need state intervention.

The market fundamentalist belief that the market is the best arranger of a nation's strategic resources is just fanatsy.

22. jauntycyclist - Sadly reading , it seems that 'the regulator' Ofgem is more likely to ask for a 'steer' from 'HMG' (aka us) just as the financial service sector did...., i.e to burden consumers with a 'sub'....

Now, call me a cynic, but that normally works out as either a) higher taxes or b) higher prices doesn't it?

These 'regulators' have proven pretty toothless e.g. FSA - sinecures.

How much was the bonus pay out recently?

Pardon me Clegg Report, am I thick or something? If someone owes me 拢1.1 million and it costs me 拢1.2 million to recover it, surely I am owed 拢2.3 million and thats not even counting interest!

Anyone seriously interested in the , especially violent crime, should look for the Home Office report on the rate of crime over the past 100 years, not just the last 10 or 20. The figures are indeed shocking. Note that this is the rate (it controls for population growth), but it doesn't touch upon the demographic changes to this country, although I believe many others have pointed these changes out many times, for what little it's worth.

A word to the wise and interested:- Mark Easton's blog may warrant some close attention to the originator of the complaint....

Like the USA, I fear this country is in deep trouble.

16. At 4:24pm on 04 Feb 2010, you wrote:
This comment has been referred to the moderators. Explain.

I thought that Newsnight was a liberal non-political alignment programme. I can't understand therefore why the truth was not allowed to be put in print. But there again, we live in world these days where there is constant cover-ups and from the people you least expect and the most unlikely quarters. You learn every day and where subversion and blocking of free thought is now constantly implemental and undermined.

Dr David Hill
Executive Director
World Innovation Foundation Charity

It may be a bit quirky, but every time I see a name like Wiseman, Goodheart, Wonderman etc, aalrm bells start ringing.

Whilst it's always good to be proven wrong, my advice is to boldly go where others may have not dug before, just to be sure that all is even-handed, proportional, and above-board.

The lawyer is wrong.

A person's sex life is their own business
unless they are a politician or someone
in position projection an image of clean living.

The Mosley case was only about jealous journalists
and the NOTW making money.
It didn't have any effect on his job.

Of course, when journalists have strayed
that doesn't seem to get covered.

#29

Ron Taylor

Yes it does get covered sometimes, either by other jealous or vengful journalists or politicians whose motives would be likewise, and not only in this country.

mim

#30 addendum

Or indeed by third parties of whatever profession manipulating the above

mim

The poor Newsnight lawyer would have been quietly having a cup of
tea and a biscuit when the row broke out in the studio. He probabably
dropped the tea pot. If the blogger was wrong his moment of
fame could be very costly to his bank account.

Did no one at Newsnight bother to check Guido Fawkes blog, which had all the Tim Yeo stuff on before the programme. Were you surprised such a well known self-publicist might pull a stunt? People will form their own opinion of the Staines/Yeo row, which may mean your lack of preparedness goes without comment. But it shouldn't.

#28

Statist

I'm sorry to read you've reached such a cynical frame of mind. The vast majority of people have both good and so good sides to them apart from individuals likne Mother Teresa who, as far as I am concerned, was good, full stop, though obviously not having known her personally I cannot certify 100%.

Now, with regard to baing more good than bad, I would assign this to people who don't just see and act out of selfishness but go out of their way to help less privileged, for whatever reason, than themselves rather than just trying to achieve some imaginary goal over dead bodies, or if not dead bodies than by doing as much harm as they fancy and probably in the end not in fact achieving that goal anyway.

How would you qualify such people and would you hear alarm bells ringing or not?

mim
mim

I was going to watch Newsnight tonight but overslept having had a busy day. I'll try and watch it on the iplayer tomorrow.

mim

#34

fr33cyclerO

And what are you doing here if not publicising your thoughts and criticisms though without the evidence for us to know who you are and what you look like?

And what's wrong with publicity anyway as long as there are others prepared to or interested in what one writes, thinks and does? And if one is a good performer they get noticed and the publicity may start assuming its own momentum, etc

#26

That's a useful tip about Mark Easton, Statist!

mim

Being tired, I may not be able to put a ditty together
And so I may have to talk about the weather
Again, - of how milder it has been in the last couple of days
And making cycling around much easer in ways.

From home to Roehamptom and then way home again
Only to cycle doing some big shopping later,
Following which a bike ride to the Blue Moon in South Kensington
Over the Batersea Bridge, York Road and Wandsworth
Eventually resting in Southfields at home.

Did quite a bit of snapping while doing my cycling
Particularly of lights which I do find attractive.

mim

27

World Innovation Foundation Charity...

looks like a one world government end capitalism cult that seems obsessed with the 'working class' background [as a sign of virtue?] of inventors?

e.g ...A new system should be created that is totally focused on social relief and justice, not pandering to the calls of the profit-driven private sector capitalist market that permeates the present world, says Dr David Hill. ...

read more psycho babble here



we get stuff like

..鈥淚n the next century, nations as we know it will be obsolete; all states will recognize a single, global authority. National sovereignty wasn鈥檛 a good idea after all鈥�..

its seems it more about the art of persuasion [sophistry] than demonstration?


wouldn't surprise me if it shared the same ideals as the maurice strong vision leadership mob.

That 'media freedom vs. privacy' debate/conflab between the QCs, Judges and politicians sounds interesting. Shame it wasn't televised or broadcast on/recorded for the radio; or was it?

It's slightly infuriating having to sustain myself on whatever scraps the broadcasters deem it worthy to throw to me and any other interested party.

Terry Pratchett's "Richard Dimbleby Lecture" was all well and good, but wasn't he recently granted the privilege of an extensive two-part T.V. doc. to expound the very same views? This does seem to be slight overkill, given the wealth of available topics to discuss or expose to a wider audience. Look at the forests鈥�-worth of magazines in any large newsagent, for proof of what information we could be apprised of. Perhaps, though, the 成人论坛 was just propagandising again.

It is slightly bemusing that there appears to be list of acceptable faces and voices and topics, from which you must not deviate.

at40: If your desperate for a differnt approach from news ,here's one for yer. topic: markets, finance and scandal.

Russia Today

#41

Good 'mother' Russia, kevsey?

Does she pay well? What are your personal expectations?

mim

Toying in toilets, kevsey?

Laoughing whule dying at all this spying leading to nothing

enojy your fcture, kevsey, good luck

mim

is it your birthday today, kevsey?
what are your plans? how are you planning to celebrate? with champagne?

mim

I鈥檓 listening to the 鈥楳oonlight Sonata鈥�
That is my favourite sonata

As I woke up with blurred eyes, a few mistakes have crept into #44 and may be the others, but in #44 it should be 'while', 'laughing' and 'future'.

Apologies, Mods, for making you read yet another of my posts and thank you so much for letting all of them through recently.

mim

Dittied Expression of Gratitude

I鈥檓 really over the moon with my treatment these days
My GP is great as is my 鈥榮hrink鈥�, not talking of Alice,
The Social Worker who always finds ways
Of helping and giving advice
Who from the beginning has with me been nice!
Can鈥檛 thank her enough for the first smile
She gave me on the 6th of April
And all the others whenever we meet.
Perhaps one day we will have a feast.
Alice has dimples whenever she smiles
And such lovely expressions on her nice face.

mim

A revealing remark made by Lord Falconer on Question Time last night (in response to a question from the public as to what consequences there could be should the Chilcot Inquiry reveal any wrong doing by members of HMG), was.....nothing, as the invasion of Iraq wasn't a Crime of Aggression or could not be prosecuted as such, as intent could not be proven. The question, answer and discussion was about 30 minutes into the programme.

It highlighted the pointlessness (PR status) of the Inquiry to some.

In the programme, Lord Falconer asserted that Lord Goldsmith had changed his mind before the latter met with Blair's friends/advisors . This meeting had been implicated in Goldsmith's change in mind, clearly Lord Falconer was refuting suggestion in last night's Question Time. Lord Falconer and Lady Morgan have not been called by Chilcot, and so were apparently free to advise Blair before his appearance before Chilcot.

Intent, it's just psychological (and thus almost impossible to prove).... in the absence of physical evidence or admission.

Anybody listening to Today this morning?

Did you hear about the experiment going on in France? A group of journalists holed up in a farmhouse in (southern?) France, cut off from all obvious media sources. They are only using social networking sites, to see if young people are well informed of news events. Quite interesting I thought. Although there was a lot of chatter about a loud bang in Paris, lots of theories and discussion, and eventually someone posted it was an aircraft breaking the sound barrier! And also a big discussion about a Russian who was arrested, but allowed to keep his mobile phone, so was contacting all and sundry. They even contacted him, is this the way news will travel in the future?

Answer for Free #30

They should all be allowed to relocate to the UK for 'sexual asylum'!

It is easy to see today, how and why words have become more important that that to which they refer. When this happens, not only do experts with words take precedence over experts with what they refer to, but we begin to live in a world of make-believe, i.e. where the entertainment industry 9and those who prosper within it) has a disproportionate (and potentially dangerous) influence on all our lives.

OMG @ #52 - Ecolizzy - I've just read that! I'm not commenting on that....perhaps there is going to be a hung Parliament after all.......

I also see that Alistair Campbell is going to coach the PM for his appearance on Piers Morgan



......pity he could not stretch as far as Jeremy :p

SO THAT'S WHY DAVE WAS GIVEN A BONA EEK ON THE POSTERS! (#52)

He's going for the 'Alternative Vote'.

What does Dolly Dave know about THE NUMBERS that we don't?

#51

Ecolizzy

News is already travelling like that, it just depends on the subject.

mim

In his only written legal opinion, on 7 March 2003, Goldsmith shifted his ground from opposition to war to telling Blair that a case could be made out that an invasion was justified in law. However, he warned there was a risk that the government and British military commanders would be charged with war crimes. "There are a number of ways in which the opponents of military action might seek to bring a legal case 鈥� We cannot be certain that they would not succeed," he said.

He insisted that it was for the UN security council to assess whether Iraq was in breach of its obligation not to continue producing weapons of mass destruction.

Goldsmith's legal advice and warnings were not shown to the cabinet.

It is known that Goldsmith met Morgan and Falconer on 13 March. It is understood that no minutes were taken.'


From

What is highlighted here is that in the absence of hard, physical, evdience, anything can be argued.

That's the problem these days, or so it seems to me.

In the end, it seems to come down to being clever with words, not with practical reality - which demands skills in (answerable to nature by outcome) science and technology which has an inbuilt corrective, i.e demonstrable failure. If one can find people, or groups of people who naturally excel in wordsmithery, one is onto a winner these days it would seem - but at what long-term cost? What if the long-term doesn't bother such people much, as their skills depend on their not seeing the longer-term consequences any more than say, children can?

What are we to do if this is true? This bothers me.

Does it bother anyone else?

#57

You are bothered about anything, Statist, rather than yourself? That's certainly good news.

mim

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

mp's expenses

when soldiers have to buy their own kit one wonders how duck houses and house flipping fits into the narrative that we are at war and deep in debt?

Building Worshipping

is the uk religion. Buildings will be preserved and worshipped while those who made something happen in those buildings are ignored. Same with Bletchley Park. Spend millions on preserving some wooden huts when the money could be spent on training cryptographers.

BRICKS AND MORTAR
#60 Jaunty (Building Worship)


Well said. It happens with new buildings also. Bricks and Mortar are the interdependent blocks of a building, but the Bricks represent the physical structure, the Mortar (glue) the service delivered within.

They build a new school, with state of the art equipment, new labs and libraries, sports fields, staff room. They then push back in all of the same mix of students, teachers, auxiliary staff without examining or changing who they are, what they deliver, how they are measured. And more importantly managing it the same old same old manner usually by some band of faceless, spineless self important PC loving bureaucrats in some far distant stuffy old regional office.

Perhaps an even wider issue is one of determinedly preserving the past to the detriment of the future.

#60 Another one or two buildings Jaunty!

#7 statist

"protection of minority rights makes out (just as George Orwell did), that it is supporting the meek against the mighty, the David against the Goliath - but is it?"

Firstly it takes significant psychological flaws to NOT want to protect minority rights.

Secondly there are people out there, would you believe, who believe there are racial differences in intelligence and also believe in the Jewish "hegemony" and that Hitler was right to regard Jews "as an internal political and economic threat". I can't remember the name of the crazy poster that kept ranting on about that. When people deny or are agnostic on the Holocaust that tells you a lot.

At the moment we await to see whether the BNP will conform to legal requirements over membership.

Though they are "not a Nazi Party" and are instead "modern and progressive". They had been "wanting to change their membership policy for a long time".

They won't be showing up at a trial with scientific "evidence" of the right of their claims on race any more than they will show up at the alleged Nazi death camp guard Djemjanjuk with evidence that there was no Holocaust.

Therefore they know that they are manufacturing lies and are prepared to commit unspeakable acts of evil with no intellectual or moral justification - fortunately though as examples to date most of the far right would be bombers have been as organisationally incompetent as they are intellectually incompetent.

#25 statist

" but it doesn't touch upon the demographic changes to this country, although I believe many others have pointed these changes out many times, for what little it's worth."

Demographics would not show up facts like the far right, for instance, actually number far more would be bombers than al Qaeda in this country would they.

Leave aside the kind of crimes that were committed by the only National Socialist governments to have obtained power in the 30's and 40's in Europe.

You really should look into it.

That said as there is no National Socialist party today there is no threat as the BNP is not a National Socialist party.

If prove were ever needed that David Camarooon is not a Conservative, he wishes to import gay Africans - this on top of the recent six month paternity leave announcement - is going to be enough of wavering Tory voters to switch to other parties; the protest vote parties. The last radical prime minister was Thatcher. Today we are represented by well meaning but out-of-touch folk. Dave is a clone, no depth, just good presentational skills, I deal with his kind all the time, its Blair in disguise. This upcoming election will be the undoing of the idea that mainstream party politics is sound. An uncertain future unfolds with radical politics -extream - will enter the arena. Margeret Hodge says she thinks recently arrived immigrants should not recieve benefits, no hand outs what so ever. Well she would say that would'nt she, she's up against Nick Griffin at the upcoming General election...UKIP splitting the vote won't even save this woman.

61. brightyangthing 'They then push back in all of the same mix of students, teachers, auxiliary staff without examining or changing who they are, what they deliver, how they are measured. And more importantly managing it the same old same old manner usually by some band of faceless, spineless self important PC loving bureaucrats in some far distant stuffy old regional office.'

Well, the schools themselves are actually owned by the private sector consortiums (borrowing) the money, and they are just rented by the Local Authorities. As to all the cosmetics, the owners like to tell the public that everything comes down to improving their environments, that way, if improvments do not come about, they can blame the people tasked with/paid for delivering the services, which will include teachers/ Note that's where most of the budget goes in education.

This is all, I suggest, a clever (devilishly) way of sqeezing money out of a naive public. Alas, not enough people currently see this, as most people have been indoctrinated/educated to believe that it is all environment - even the poor teachers.

Some day soon, the penny will drop. Sadly it will be too late I fear.

I don't know where to comment on this- how come the Thursday edition of Newsnight isn't on the iplayer. It doesn't say coming soon, it says not available.
=(

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

On the HuffPost:

"Jon Stewart Tells Bill O'Reilly: You're The 'Voice Of Sanity' At Fox News (VIDEO)"

'O'Reilly said the Obama attacks were primarily coming from Sean Hannity and Glenn Beck, who have two of the highest-rated programs on Fox. O'Reilly called Beck an "everyman."

"He just spouts," O'Reilly said. "He spouts for what he believes. If you think Beck spouts for the Republican Party, you're out of your mind.'

So meanwhile Sarah Palin, nominally associated with the Republicans, adds to the balanced perspective of news merged with all flavour's of Republican opinion? The good ol' boys talk turkey?

When you consider the epic problems Obama has to deal with in the face of the ultra-partisan GOP he may not get reelected.

Can you imagine the cultural direction of the US under the Tea Party-GOP-Palin-Fox News axis?

America - but not as we knew and respected it?

Whatever happened to the Balls promise to look at whether the BNP were using positions as teachers to promote their ideology?

Did he decide there was no case to answer or is that ongoing?

Addendum to #68

Refers to #63


#67 How interesting Hannah. I was going to iplayer also. I await either its appearance or explanation. But I won't be holding my breath.

#66
I have no evidential basis to conclude that ALL school buildings in UK are WHOLLY owned by private sector therefore, on that element of post, NO COMMENT.

I am not against PFI/PPI and all other such acronyms - how they are managed and the breadth of benefits delivered is of more import. Sadly have not yet seen a model that was NOT based on greed and profit for the inadequate few.

Local authorities and those charged with the delivery of most 'essential' services such as education, could all use a refresher course on meeting the needs of their customer base. In fact, slide 1 should re-introduce "THE END USER as CUSTOMER"

The problem of all services whose costs arer met through indirect means (taxes) is that they do not have to be seen to be answerable to the end user, merely their salary payers.

Something is very rotten in this state of ours.

However, on points around
"....as most people have been indoctrinated/educated to believe that it is all environment - even the poor teachers." I have to agree, also with much distress and sadness.

as to "....Some day soon, the penny will drop. Sadly it will be too late I fear." Shove halfpenny anyone????

OK then, since name calling, labelling and emotive language apears to be moderated on a one way street, lets try #68 this way................

#63 gango wrote

"....and that Hitler was right to regard Jews "as an internal political and economic threat". "

Just pondering.

An opinion, even one of a much despised dictator is only an opinion. Much like you may regard a colleague or a neighbour perhaps as a scrounger, a drug addict, an alcoholic, a thieving banker, a crooked MP, a manipulative newspaper baron, a wife beater or whatever.

Is the opinion punishable?
Or merely any action taken against the individuals and others like them who threaten the peace and prosperity of YOUR existence.

What was it statist #57, said somewhere about clever use of language. Don't knock it till you've tried it!!!!!!!!

71. brightyangthing - I was referring to (Maintained) Secondary School BSF projects which are PFI funded (and via the notorious SIV route too, i.e those 'vehicles' which caused the property and other markets so much grief elsewhere).

My suggestion is that, as elsewhere in the Public Sector, 'coal-face' education managers have effectively been bribed with baubles which they will have to pay for dearly in the future. It happened in the Criminal Justice System long ago, and it's happening in the NHS too (to name but two of the public spirited domains). I really don't think Senior Management (Leadership) Teams in our schools, or even those in the LEAs, can have fully appreciated just how Faustian this has all been. This, I suspect, is because a) the the legalities are subtle and b) the agenda...is well... dark.

Teachers, like health professionals, tend to be 'nicely' naive i.e. tend to think better of people than perhaps they should.....it goes with the territory. Their managers take on more than they are really equipped to competently deal with, that's how the pact is sold. It exploits their egos and sense of omnipotence borne of only managing quite young people all the time.

#72

I wonder who he was referring to? Any clues?

mim

#73 Statist

Applying my frequent rule of starting at the bottom...........

One of the greatest issues I see in teaching is that far too many teachers, SMT鈥檚 and education managers in LEA鈥檚 have spent far too great a percentage of their lives from age 4 upwards closely ensconced within a closely knit externally manipulated institutions.

I know some whose only holidays are escorting school ski trips or language exchanges 鈥� so fearful they are of encountering the real world beyond the school gates. The wise ones know that they are ill equipped to deal with it. The naive ones think that everything they do and how they do it is how the rest of the world does it. That they have THE definitive method of information/education delivery and management. For far too many, their highest accolade is found in the number of clones (the next generation of mediocre teachers) they turn out. I am generally pro non education manger in all schools providing the balance of internal and external values can be met. They seldom are.

Far too many others either fell into teaching through the trite but true 鈥榯hose that can do, those that can鈥檛 teach鈥� route, as women wanting a child friendly 'career' to drop in and out of to the detriment frequently of their colleagues and clients, or entered with fine ideals that were very quickly and expertly stamped out of them by the application of the three line whip, - it鈥檚 the party line or the dole queue. No room for individuality. No Mr Holland鈥檚 Opus or Dead Poets Society here. And there they stay, actually quite comfortable in their cubby holes and lunch time bridge club in the staff room sticking their heads above the parapet ONLY when it is their little world that is threatened. Few suggest strike action or work to rule because the service given to pupils is being eroded.

Teachers seldom get sacked for doing what they are told to do, badly. But delivering exiting classes, inspiring students, working their socks off for the benefit f the end user..... most often met with either an early change of career by choice or by force, or by slowly and painfully morphing into a cow towing automaton.

Nicely naive. Now I may perhaps accuse (in the nicest possible way) you of being too generous of spirit to some of your fellow men.

There are some wonderful teachers out there. Some going against the grain delivering the highest quality life enhancing service on some of the worst environments imaginable. Actually, most of the best that I have come across are there because of their belief that the bottom up is the way to change, their focus clearly on the end user.

Of the rest, few fit your description in my more recent experience, largely Scottish rural secondary 鈥� Academy. The worst of them, far from being naive, are in fact quite happy to support what they know is a rotten system because they too are rotten. Or at the very least, and to give credit where it is due, they recognise their own limitations and have met them. Sadly, they are usually best pals with SMT or in positions where replacement options are thin on the ground. Cronyism and group protection reigns supreme in Education as well as Policing, Judicial system, Health and other services. The complete reverse is practiced upon the end user. One guilty/all guilty is still (35 years after I left F/T education) the rule in schools.

Oh how subtle ARE the legalities; and how dark (and egotistic) are the motives/agenda.

Question is, do you see a catalyst for change?

75. brightyangthing 'Question is, do you see a catalyst for change?'

Only if and when the pendulum swings back away from the extreme environmentalism (what some describe as 'Marxism') which has plagued us for decades.

Educators, rehabilitators and therapists etc all appear to have a rather fanciful conception of what makes people tick and until a critical mass of them begin to see matters differently, no, I don't see change.

The catalyst for such change is already with us - namely, that current practices don't work in the way that people have been misled to believe. People should be more open to the evidence, which in my view is overwheming, having looked across all the relevant professions. Once more people do this, there will be a flip....

Much will continue as before, but with a different, more realistic, acceptance I hope. People will see that diversity is almost exclusively a function of how people are made in the womb, not in the classroom or family.

#76 Statist

Interesting. Isn鈥檛 鈥渁lmost exclusively鈥� an oxymoron?

I am not wholly unsympathetic to the idea that concept that expectation management is required to be applied rather than a blanket 鈥榚quality for all鈥� approach 鈥� if that is anything close to your meaning.

What exactly are the 鈥� fanciful (mis) conceptions鈥� do you see at work?

All nature/No Nurture? Is that how you see us? That there is nothing ANYONE or ANYTHNG can do to effect change from a pre determined finite subset of genes and cells with clearly categorised characteristics ?

That no experiences or events can mould differently or make a silk purse out of a sow鈥檚 ear?

What/How many identifiable 鈥榯ypes鈥� in your model?

What order follows?

77. brightyangthing - No oxymorn, just the way the evidence now stacks up (see 'shared' vs 'non-shared' and what these refer to).

I think I'll pass on the rest...people are too prone to get upset these days, and I'm it's all been said before anyway, and better I'm sure.

I'm receptive to evidence though - there just isn't any for the conventional view, aside from protecting people from harm - which is good if you can do it.

NN asks:

" What impact will this dark day in British politics have on the upcoming election and public opinion?"

Good question but whist we ponder that, can we not hang the buggers. I've heard that some MPs who are to be prosecuted have invoked a little known law from the 17th century that gives them immunity from pain of the Law. Get the Parliments achivist to dig up that other little known law, that any MP who are found wanting in the honesty dept.
are drawn, hung and quartered. Can this be arranged? preferbly just before the election.

GOOD QUESTIONS - DAMNED GOOD QUESTIONS - AND KEVSEYWEVSEY! (#79)

"Good question but whist we ponder that, can we not hang the buggers."

There goes the hernia again Kev. What a knack you have of cutting through the carp. Nub R you.

Bravo!

brightyangthing - It is worth giving some thought to how work along with the risks of ABSs and MBSs etc, especially in the context of rebuilding schools and other public servoces such as polyclincs in the NHS. Aski who has been doing disproportionately well out of property and other investment/debt businesses over time, how they have done so, at whose expense and risk.

It will bite in the end, and the long trail counts on most people giving up the investigation out of boredom or lack of stamina. As with all things, begin by assuming equality but then look for deviations from what's expected by chance. That, after all, is what being curious and rational is all about.

#81
Thank you.

Many things I find are worth giving independent thought to.