bickster Posted January 3, 2022 Moderator Share Posted January 3, 2022 1 minute ago, Genie said: If others are claiming £8k a year in language lessons they aren’t taking then they’ll quickly be found out. Hes in the fortunate position to be able to claim he learned it from the lessons. Do we know if he’s the only one at it? I wouldn’t be surprised if other bilingual MP’s have also cottoned on. They send 8k a year to the language teacher. The language teachers brother in law makes sure their paint work and wallpapering is kept looking first class. The cousin ensures that MP’s child keeps getting the extra violin lessons. That’s way too well thought out. MPs especially our Dan, aren’t that clever Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StefanAVFC Posted January 3, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted January 3, 2022 39 minutes ago, Genie said: He will be in a minority of being fluent in a second language, so can pass it off as learned during the lessons (without actually having to take them). Your other run of the mill crook MP’s don’t have that luxury. He isn't just fluent in another language. It's his first language. He's a native speaker. Imagine Diane Abbott spending 22 grand on English lessons the uproar there would be. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davkaus Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 14 minutes ago, StefanAVFC said: Imagine Diane Abbott spending 22 grand on English lessons the uproar there would be. Absolutely, she should have spent it on maths tuition 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davkaus Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 33 minutes ago, Genie said: Do we know if he’s the only one at it? I wouldn’t be surprised if other bilingual MP’s have also cottoned on. I can't find a full breakdown by MP, but politics.co.uk claims that in total, MPs have claimed £127,000 of language classes in the last 5 years. Kawczynsk is responsible for 20% of the entire parliamentary cost. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted January 3, 2022 Share Posted January 3, 2022 Absolutely guarantee that by the end of this Johnson will have to deny having seven sessions with someone called Madam Esperanto. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panto_Villan Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 7 hours ago, StefanAVFC said: He isn't just fluent in another language. It's his first language. He's a native speaker. Imagine Diane Abbott spending 22 grand on English lessons the uproar there would be. You’re a native Polish speaker, right? There’s a video of him speaking / reading Polish on the previous page,. How’s his accent? Does he sound like a native Polish person or a Brit speaking Polish? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 (edited) One minor point I'd make here, which is not intended as a defence of him because I don't know about his case, is that being 'fluent' is not necessarily the end to the language learning journey, and also that the more advanced a student is, the more expensive their further tuition becomes. To explain this as simply as I can: most language students are low level, in any language. Consequently, it is easy for lower-level students to join group classes, and easy(ish) for providers to hire medium-skilled teaching practitioners to teach them, and easy to find good quality published textbooks and other materials pitched at these levels to aid the language learning process. As learners become more advanced, they will become more 'fluent', and for the vast majority the need to study the language further will wither away when they reach a level that allows for easy daily communication (typically, 'B1' or 'B2' in the CEFR). However, some students may want or need to study beyond these levels, even though they are functionally or actually 'fluent'. These students are fewer, so often cannot join group classes, and teachers that can teach them well are (much) rarer. To give an example, the hardest class I have taught (in terms of just creating a program of study) was a one-to-one class with a Hungarian translator who worked for the European Parliament. She was already 'fluent' at a native level; in CEFR terms she was beyond C2, in the level we term 'Proficiency'. In practice, there was still plenty for her to learn (she wanted to work on her intonation, to learn more idioms commonly used in business and politics, and to be better able to understand nuances of meaning when listening). But it was extremely difficult to prepare materials for her, and truthfully I was not very good at it and was not the right choice of teacher, nor was it the right choice of school. A teacher who could truly have taught her properly could have commanded a high price for the skills needed in doing so. Again, this is not to say that this is the situation for Kawczynski; I have no idea if it is. But the ideas of already being high-level at a language and paying quite steep rates for futher improvement is not as contradictory as it might seem. Edited January 4, 2022 by HanoiVillan 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post HanoiVillan Posted January 4, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted January 4, 2022 In terms of Kawczynski's personal character, it is probably also worth mentioning that he has been reported to the parliamentary commissioner for standards as a result of the following story, which demonstrates (on a completely different topic) his avarice and corruption: Tory MP needing ‘to pay school fees’ pleaded for lucrative Middle East work 'A Conservative MP pleaded with a fixer to help him secure a well-paid second job with a Saudi company or other work relating to the Middle East, at one point saying he needed money to pay school fees. Daniel Kawczynski’s repeated pleas for lucrative employment – revealed in a series of WhatsApp messages seen by the Guardian – show him citing his pro-Saudi stance in parliament as part of an attempt to get paid work from a businessman. The Tory MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham asked a fixer to find him work with a Saudi employer, describing himself as the most “pro-Saudi” member of parliament and boasting that the Saudi leader, Mohammed bin Salman, “has stated that Saudi has no better friend in UK than me”. In one message, Kawczynski said: “I am looking for a position with a company as non exec director or adviser/consultant. Obviously my passion for Anglo Arab relations [is] something which could help a company with relations in the UK or Middle East. Not sure what remuneration I am looking for but you are such a good negotiator!!! Best wishes Daniel.” In another, the Tory MP asked the fixer for paid work on a conference related to Saudi Arabia’s regional foe, Qatar: “Promise you will push for good remuneration too for me … I need it to pay school fees!” Kawczynski arranged to host one potential Saudi employer in parliament, offering him a tour of the House of Commons and a dinner in the MPs’ private dining room. He also arranged to meet the fixer in his parliamentary office to discuss a project. While no new employment appears to have materialised from the conversations, both incidents raise questions over whether Kawczynski breached rules that bar MPs from using the House of Commons for private work. A spokesperson for Kawczynski said he had “broken no rules with regards to second jobs, and most importantly he prioritises his work as MP for the constituency of Shrewsbury and Atcham”. [...] In one exchange, which took place late at night, the fixer raised the prospect of arranging paid work for Kawczynski with the Saudi businessman Yasser bin Homran: “He has money and is from a very prominent family in Saudi. He wants to engage in politics.” Kawczynski replied within minutes: “He wants to engage in British politics?? What time are you free in morning to discuss please?” When Bin Homran was in London, Kawczynski made himself available at short notice and booked a table for dinner with him in the MPs’ private dining room in the House of Commons, saying he would take the Saudi businessman on a tour of parliament and “into the chamber to watch debate”. Later, when the possibility of a paid consultancy appeared to be receding, the Tory MP asked the fixer to emphasise how committed he had been to promoting the interests of the Saudis in parliament. “Do they understand how genuinely pro Saudi I am??? No one in Commons has promoted Saudi more during last 12 years as genuinely pro Saudi.”' more at link: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/dec/15/tory-mp-daniel-kawczynski-fixer-job-with-saudi-contacts-school-fees Whatever the truth about his language lessons, the man is a greedy, possibly corrupt and definitely morally-depraved scumbag. 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 4, 2022 Share Posted January 4, 2022 Anything linking to a Tory should just say “moron link” tbh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StefanAVFC Posted January 4, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted January 4, 2022 (edited) 2 hours ago, Panto_Villan said: You’re a native Polish speaker, right? There’s a video of him speaking / reading Polish on the previous page,. How’s his accent? Does he sound like a native Polish person or a Brit speaking Polish? No, it's my 2nd language. He's a native. His parents are Polish, he was born in Warsaw. When he speaks English, he has a Polish speaking English twang. Edited January 4, 2022 by StefanAVFC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choffer Posted January 4, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted January 4, 2022 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post mjmooney Posted January 6, 2022 VT Supporter Popular Post Share Posted January 6, 2022 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted January 6, 2022 Moderator Share Posted January 6, 2022 29 minutes ago, mjmooney said: I wonder if we could crownfund that for billboards and just put the number for Conservative Central Office on it? 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyrusr Posted January 6, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted January 6, 2022 This is a first I think, I agree with Jacob Rees-Mogg Jacob Rees-Mogg defends jury system amid criticism of Edward Colston statue verdict Quote Jacob Rees-Mogg has defended juries amid criticism from some Conservative MPs after four people who removed a statue of slave trader Edward Colston were cleared of criminal damage. ... He told MPs that monuments should be protected and only removed through "due process", but added that "one of our greatest monuments is the jury system which is the great sublime protector of our liberties". "Juries must be free to come to decisions that they choose to come to on the facts that are in front of them in relation to a specific case and what they hear from the prosecuting counsel, from the defence counsel and from the judge," he said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davkaus Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted January 6, 2022 Moderator Share Posted January 6, 2022 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted January 6, 2022 Moderator Share Posted January 6, 2022 Just in case anyone wasn't sure, Sky News is not a parody site 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjmooney Posted January 6, 2022 VT Supporter Share Posted January 6, 2022 6 minutes ago, bickster said: Just in case anyone wasn't sure, Sky News is not a padody site Quite apart from the obvious responses - when exactly is the end of the broadcasting day? I can remember this being played when TV shut down before midnight, but now it's basically 24/7, with no downtime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xann Posted January 6, 2022 Share Posted January 6, 2022 After tax shy Brexit scum Mogg lied to her, then those pics from No10 came out, I imagine she's got little time for the BoJo bellends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted January 6, 2022 Moderator Share Posted January 6, 2022 11 minutes ago, Xann said: After tax shy Brexit scum Mogg lied to her, then those pics from No10 came out, I imagine she's got little time for the BoJo bellends. The Firm have never like Mogg, always considered him to be a charlatan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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