villaajax Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 May only be a local council by election, but fifth place behind the Elvis bus pass party http://metro.co.uk/2014/03/07/lib-dems-beaten-by-bus-pass-elvis-party-in-clifton-north-by-election-4457529/?ITO=facebook tbf they don't normally even field a candidate in that ward but yes to be behind the joke party is pretty sad UKIP or Elvis? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted March 7, 2014 Author Moderator Share Posted March 7, 2014 May only be a local council by election, but fifth place behind the Elvis bus pass party http://metro.co.uk/2014/03/07/lib-dems-beaten-by-bus-pass-elvis-party-in-clifton-north-by-election-4457529/?ITO=facebook tbf they don't normally even field a candidate in that ward but yes to be behind the joke party is pretty sad UKIP or Elvis? If only UKIP were a joke, intact UKIP are the reason the Tories lost that seat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterms Posted March 7, 2014 Share Posted March 7, 2014 Oh dear. The vile taxdodger Ashcroft spends years, and £millions, polling everyone in sight and passing on key info about how the Tories might possibly overcome the general hate people feel for them, and specifically how to get people of the female persuasion to vote for them, and the thick oaf Osborne ignores it all and torpedoes the great Lord's efforts. Silly boy.Here. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingfisher Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 (edited) On the day that more NHS contracts are revealed to be up for grabs, clause 119 has it's final vote in parliament. Caroline Lucas is leading a cross party effort to try and defeat the government. Clause 119 allows the government to go ahead with the closures of hospitals without need for a judicial review. More in link : http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2013-14/656 Edited March 10, 2014 by Kingfisher Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingfisher Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Green Party pledges to abolish Ofsted. Seems to be what teachers want. http://m.huffpost.com/uk/entry/4920199?utm_hp_ref=uk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dont_do_it_doug. Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Green Party pledges to abolish Ofsted. Seems to be what teachers want. http://m.huffpost.com/uk/entry/4920199?utm_hp_ref=uk Of course it's what teachers want. Nobody wants to have targets to reach. I'm not saying Ofstead are any good. I'm pretty sure they're not. But I couldn't really gather from that article what The Greens are suggesting as an alrernative? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingfisher Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Green Party pledges to abolish Ofsted. Seems to be what teachers want. http://m.huffpost.com/uk/entry/4920199?utm_hp_ref=uk Of course it's what teachers want. Nobody wants to have targets to reach. I'm not saying Ofstead are any good. I'm pretty sure they're not. But I couldn't really gather from that article what The Greens are suggesting as an alrernative?In the article. 'It calls for its replacement with continuous collaborative assessment and for national council educational excellence working closely with local authorities. To further encourage local accountability and reaction to local needs, the policy calls for education authorities to encourage schools to set up parent councils or forums, providing a mechanism for direct local input, and also for representatives of older students to be able to attend governing body meetings and have input into their decisions.' Sounds like they want a less top down, more regional and inclusive decision making process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentVilla Posted March 10, 2014 Moderator Share Posted March 10, 2014 Then they are living in the past because the agenda set by the current government and enforced through Ofsted is the move to academies and the destruction of what used to be LEA's, is no LA's and soon will be sweet FA's in terms of their power. The days of the local authority having sway over schools is gone, at the current rate local education authorities run by councils won't exist in 5-10 years time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eames Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Then they are living in the past because the agenda set by the current government and enforced through Ofsted is the move to academies and the destruction of what used to be LEA's, is no LA's and soon will be sweet FA's in terms of their power. The days of the local authority having sway over schools is gone, at the current rate local education authorities run by councils won't exist in 5-10 years time. Its different area to area but a lot of LEAs are transfering services over to Social Enterprise Companies. There is a lot of statutory "stuff" the LAs have to do but the agenda at the DfE is very much giving Head Teachers as much power as possible. This is almost universally a terrible idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 Then they are living in the past because the agenda set by the current government and enforced through Ofsted is the move to academies and the destruction of what used to be LEA's, is no LA's and soon will be sweet FA's in terms of their power. The days of the local authority having sway over schools is gone, at the current rate local education authorities run by councils won't exist in 5-10 years time. Its different area to area but a lot of LEAs are transfering services over to Social Enterprise Companies. There is a lot of statutory "stuff" the LAs have to do but the agenda at the DfE is very much giving Head Teachers as much power as possible. This is almost universally a terrible idea. Sorry, are you suggesting that Head teachers lack the experience and business acumen to run an SME in order to turn a profit, tap into new and innovative revenue streams, anticipate changes in built environment demands that will only be finalised 2 months AFTER the time slot for appealing for funding closes, hit ever changing targets and KPI's and still offer a genuinely rounded education? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eames Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 No. Not at all. The LA in my area is the one with the SMEs not the schools. THe point that I was making (poorly) is that Head Teachers (particularly those running Secondary schools) are not the altuistic superbeings whose sole purpose in life is to care for and nuture the children that the DfE would have us believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingfisher Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 RIP Bob Crow, he was a savvy operator. I saw him being interviewed by Andrew Neil recently. He effortlessly batted away Neil's attempts to undermine him with the kind of trivial, personal bullshit the right wing media use when they know they're losing the argument. He increased union membership and did well for his members. He was a real thorn in the side of the few who want it all their own way at our expense. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentVilla Posted March 11, 2014 Moderator Share Posted March 11, 2014 RIP Bob Crow, he was a savvy operator. I saw him being interviewed by Andrew Neil recently. He effortlessly batted away Neil's attempts to undermine him with the kind of trivial, personal bullshit the right wing media use when they know they're losing the argument. He increased union membership and did well for his members. He was a real thorn in the side of the few who want it all their own way at our expense. Well that is certainly one view of the man just not one I share personally although I would agree that he did very well for his members. That aside I thought he was extremely unpleasant, at times pedantic and inflexible to the point insanity and totally and utterly unrealistic. I also think he was a bully and a hypocrite. I don't celebrate his passing, far from it but I don't see any reason to hold a different view of the man today because he sadly passed away to that I held about him yesterday. Not that I'm saying your view has changed obviously. Its just seems that this country is a little obsessed with the 'don't speak ill of the dead' mantra. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eames Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I've been trying to write a sensible response to the Bob Crow news.... and Trent has gone and done it all for me. My thought are with his family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingfisher Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I don't think the general public are obsessed by not speaking badly of the dead. If you we're enough of a cock in your life to piss people off I think the British public are quite unabashed when it come to expressing that. Just look at Thatcher. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentVilla Posted March 11, 2014 Moderator Share Posted March 11, 2014 I don't think the general public are obsessed by not speaking badly of the dead. If you we're enough of a cock in your life to piss people off I think the British public are quite unabashed when it come to expressing that. Just look at Thatcher. I think Thatcher was an exception to the rule not evidence of the rule personally yet even then there were plenty who still wouldn't speak ill of the dead and condemned those that did. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villaajax Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I have a lot of respect for Bob Crow he fought for his union members and for what was right. RIP. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Awol Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Bob Crow was an utter cock, but I certainly wouldn't wish him dead. RIP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisp65 Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 I wish the people looking out for my pay and conditions were similar utter cocks. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markavfc40 Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 (edited) I wish the people looking out for my pay and conditions were similar utter cocks. Well said. RIP Bob. Edited March 11, 2014 by markavfc40 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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