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[Guerrillas in the Mist]

Money isn't good enough for that level of enthusiasm over here. Throw in the £9,000 a year fees to pay and we'd end up with nobody!

Still, that system holds the teaching profession in high esteem because it makes it desirable. Our countries politics always has teachers on the defensive and left feeling unappreciated most of the time. If we can change peoples perceptions of the profession and get people to understand the level of work that goes into it, things would be much better.

It'll be interesting to see what they do about scrapping the levelling system at Primary level. It'll probably be something ridiculous like a child going from a Level 2C to a C2!

The attitude of politicians and media doesn't help things. That has to change, more than anything else. This whole ordeal reeks of rebranding, using nostalgia to help get their point across.

 

[Namejj]

I was chatting to a friend the other day who has taught at both a private school and a state school. He reckons that really the issues which affect the attainment of pupils isn't primarily the standard of GCSEs, i.e. he didn't think that GCSE standards have caused bad levels of numeracy or literacy. He reckoned that the main difference in performance really comes down to stuff like class sizes.

I got the impression he taught at a pretty good private school which had small class sizes, so he could focus on each pupil much more, and was expected to have detailed individual learning plans for each kid depending on how they were doing in different areas. Whereas in the state school class sizes were more than double-ish and so it was a task and a half just to keep tabs on all of them. The appraisals for each kid were much harder as well because they were much briefer because state school teachers have more of them

He reckoned that this fed into everything else - if certain kids misbehaved it was harder to control them because they would have many more of their mates in the same classroom and you could only split up so many of them by moving them around. Its harder to galvanise and motivate 25-30 kids then it is 10 I suppose. Its also difficult to go into detailed discussion and make sure that each kid has really been keeping up with the lesson and the knowledge with more.

Thinking back to my own experience when the teachers asked questions in class there were like 25 or more of us (probably 30) and the teacher couldn't ask us all questions on all topics, so it was quite easy to avoid getting picked on really.

It made sense to me, since if you think about it one of the reasons that Oxford and Cambridge are held in such high regard is because of the intense undergrad tutorials they have, with a few pupils per teacher making it extremely Socratic and paying attention to each pupil.

 

[Yen]

Martin McGuinness will meet and shake hands with the Queen when she visits NI, next week. Good!

 

[Songbird]

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18567855

The fuck is this? As a 23 year old who isn't allowed by my parents to live at home, I would lose out on housing benefit under this? What about the huge council housing queues?

The only reason I'm "trapped in the welfare system" is because there are no jobs! I could get all the interviews possible and make all the effort and I would still end up being unable to afford shelter? Bedsits need me to be employed or a student!

"He said that he also favoured new curbs on the Jobseeker's Allowance."

Go and choke.

 

[f0rk]

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18567855

The fuck is this? As a 23 year old who isn't allowed by my parents to live at home, I would lose out on housing benefit under this? What about the huge council housing queues?

The only reason I'm "trapped in the welfare system" is because there are no jobs!

The idea is they want more people to live at home till they find a job and not move out so quickly. I can see their point, I would rather have young unemployed people living off their parents than the Government.

 

[Songbird]

The idea is they want more people to live at home till they find a job and not move out so quickly. I can see their point, I would rather have young unemployed people living off their parents than the Government.

So people like me would become homeless? Fantastic. At least I'd be over 25 when these changes happen.

 

[milanbaros]

The idea is they want more people to live at home till they find a job and not move out so quickly. I can see their point, I would rather have young unemployed people living off their parents than the Government.

What about people who's parents (reasonably) refuse to have their children live with them after they are 18?

This is an honest question. Don't know the proposal in detail.

 

[Tea and Toast]

Must be a bummer to have parents like that.

 

[Protome]

The idea is they want more people to live at home till they find a job and not move out so quickly. I can see their point, I would rather have young unemployed people living off their parents than the Government.

It'd be a decent proposal if there were enough jobs to go around. But with the tories constantly making cuts causing reductions in the number of jobs available, these proposals are simply idiotic and proves their thought process is definitely "take from the needy instead of the rich."

 

[Xavien]

It'd be a decent proposal if there were enough jobs to go around. But with the tories constantly making cuts causing reductions in the number of jobs available, these proposals are simply idiotic and proves their thought process is definitely "take from the needy instead of the rich."

The rich are not as needy as the needy, man. Who gives a fuck if it destroys the prospects of an entire generation, that stuff costs a fortune you know.

This government is such a joke :/

 

[Pie and Beans]

Ah just when you wondered how much more disconnected from the rest of the country Cunto Cameron can come across, he delivers another beauty. Since the Jimmy Carr's tax evasion compared to Vodafone's handy dandy 4.8 billion dodge image reference is doing the rounds, its always a joy to see the "could save 2 billion!!!" footnotes on proposed cuts.

Its fascinating that with bizarre things like going back to calling them O-Levels, and all the changes this non-elected government have brought in, its like we're experiencing a direct repeat of where the country was in the 80's. Its some uncanny time warp shit. Hell, even Argentina is trying to flare up again.

 

[f0rk]

What about people who's parents (reasonably) refuse to have their children live with them after they are 18?

This is an honest question. Don't know the proposal in detail.

Well that's just as much a social issue. If it's harder to find a job and find your feet, why is it reasonable for parents to do that? University students haven't really 'moved out' until they are at least 21 and increasing numbers go back home afterwards anyway, why should it be any different for those that don't? If they are just lazy waster kids that have no intention of contributing to society they shouldn't get any benefits to move out with as the burden should be on the parents that raised them that way.

So people like me would become homeless? Fantastic. At least I'd be over 25 when these changes happen.

Why won't your parents let you live at home?

I'm not necessarily agreeing with Cameron's idea but I can see where he is coming from. Fixing Corporation tax dodges and this apparent BTL landlord abuse (which I know nothing about) should obviously come first.

 

[radioheadrule83]

An awful lot of housing benefit is going to buy to let landlords via ridiculous rent. What do they love more - entrepreneurs exploiting the lack of housing, the nimbyists in the way of alleviating the problem, or the 'traditional' family unit that they're always putting on a pedestal as the solution to society's ills?Imagine the emotional strain for a financially struggling young family, forcing them to live with their parents. You'll get people separating just so they can get independence and material assistance. They're not thinking about the future at all, they're thinking about what might be a short term vote winner for daily mail readers and the bitter and cynical who will begrudge paying to help anyone.

 

[milanbaros]

Well that's just as much a social issue. If it's harder to find a job and find your feet, why is it reasonable for parents to do that? University students haven't really 'moved out' until they are at least 21 and increasing numbers go back home afterwards anyway, why should it be any different for those that don't? If they are just lazy waster kids that have no intention of contributing to society they shouldn't get any benefits to move out with as the burden should be on the parents that raised them that way.

Because you're an adult? Because they have moved into smaller accommodation? Because you fucking hate each other? Because they have gone off to live in Spain?

There are plenty of plausible reasons why.

 

[Pie and Beans]

Its sad that the electorate at large wont remember that the current government made mention of none of this in their run up to not winning a majority, and see them being held accountable for all this giant sweeping reform shit.

Because thats not the sort of thing that makes for snappy "NO MORE BROWN" Sun headlines. Oh democracy just doesnt work when theres too much malleable stupid

 

[Songbird]

Why won't your parents let you live at home?

Because they think me renting a flat with benefits or being shipped from relative to relative will make me "more independent" despite other step-children being okay to stay.

I need work to be independent. Since work's not going to happen and I'm running out of relatives I'm scared of what will happen.

 

[Tea and Toast]

Because they think me renting a flat with benefits or being shipped from relative to relative will make me "more independent" despite other step-children being okay to stay.

I need work to be independent. Since work's not going to happen and I'm running out of relatives I'm scared of what will happen.

Step mum/dad not cool with you? How old are you if you don't mind me asking..?

 

[Songbird]

Step mum/dad not cool with you?

One of them isn't, ha. I just hope they wouldn't let me go without shelter.

Just feels like this government is making it harder and harder for me, and wants to do so further.

 

[Bo-Locks]

Its sad that the electorate at large wont remember that the current government made mention of none of this in their run up to not winning a majority, and see them being held accountable for all this giant sweeping reform shit.

Because thats not the sort of thing that makes for snappy "NO MORE BROWN" Sun headlines. Oh democracy just doesnt work when theres too much malleable stupid

Never understood this attitude. You vote for the MP, not the government that you want. What you are moaning about seems to be parliamentary democracy in general. If anything, this is probably the most democratic government in my lifetime, with well over 50% of the popular vote. Bipartisanship is something that should always be encouraged. There are lots of European countries with minority governments, coalitions etc, are they all undemocratic too? And your statement about the current government not winning a majority makes no sense at all.

I'd like to see more hung parliaments and coalition governments in the future.

And we all know that the manifestos of the parties before general elections are worthless anyway, for a variety of reasons.

 

[twobear]

To hear any Tory minister talking about an 'entitlement culture' just frankly beggars belief.

 

[Songbird]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18575453

David Cameron is considering bringing in regional rates of benefits, as part of a "wider debate" about welfare.

No 10 says the prime minister wants to look at whether "it makes sense" to set benefits at a national level, given differing regional pay levels.

In a speech the PM also raised the idea of cutting housing benefits for under-25s to "stop the state dragging young people into dependency".

And my dad would say this would lead to over-dependency on family. I'm sick of being reminded that I'm a parasite. Hell, just bring back indentured servitude. It would get me a place to live.

In his speech in Kent Mr Cameron defended benefits for the elderly and disabled but said the system of working-age benefits had gone "truly awry" and created a "welfare gap between those living long-term in the welfare system and those outside it".

"Those within it grow up with a series of expectations: you can have a home of your own, the state will support you whatever decisions you make, you will always be able to take out no matter what you put in.

"This has sent out some incredibly damaging signals. That it pays not to work. That you are owed something for nothing. It gave us millions of working-age people sitting at home on benefits even before the recession hit. It created a culture of entitlement.

"And it has led to huge resentment amongst those who pay into the system, because they feel that what they're having to work hard for, others are getting without having to put in the effort," he said.

He said the housing benefit system for people under 25 encouraged young people to "grab" their independence through the the benefit system rather than earn it.

"For literally millions, the passage to independence is several years living in their childhood bedroom as they save up to move out while for many others, it's a trip to the council where they can get housing benefit at 18 or 19 - even if they're not actively seeking work, " he argued.

Just...ugh. No matter how hard I try to say that I would hide in my room forever, cook all my own meals and clean nobody wants me back. We don't all have that luxury, David! I even spent six months renting an apartment in Hull, one of the worst cities for jobs, and did all that. I'm still being rejected from fast food jobs and losing out at interviews because of competition, all the while people are telling me to lower my standards. It makes me suicidal sometimes, knowing I'll run out of people to stay with. And I would lose housing benefit under this, for when I have no other accommodation options? Just throw me under a bus.

To hear any Tory minister talking about an 'entitlement culture' just frankly beggars belief.

People living on benefits and making no effort to have real working lives is an actual problem though. It's hurting people like me a lot.

 

[twobear]

People living on benefits and making no effort to have real working lives is an actual problem though. It's hurting people like me a lot.

Yeah but it's a straw man. Nobody denies that there are some people on the benefit system who use it to get a free lunch. The problem is that the Tories assume that it's most people on the benefit system and thus want to remove it from everybody. It's just a continuation of this absurd right-wing fantasy that the problem with the economy is that everyone's lazy and doesn't want a job and not that nobody has any money so demand has dropped.

 

[operon]

Good old dave, distract us all form the rich availing of tax avoidance schemes by pandering to daily mail mob

 

[Jackpot]

David Cameron is considering bringing in regional rates of benefits, as part of a "wider debate" about welfare.

No 10 says the prime minister wants to look at whether "it makes sense" to set benefits at a national level, given differing regional pay levels.

Doesn't region-based pay ensure that the poor stay poor and can not migrate to better cities due to their savings only being sufficient for the craphole they're in?

 

[Songbird]

Yeah but it's a straw man. Nobody denies that there are some people on the benefit system who use it to get a free lunch. The problem is that the Tories assume that it's most people on the benefit system and thus want to remove it from everybody. It's just a continuation of this absurd right-wing fantasy that the problem with the economy is that everyone's lazy and doesn't want a job and not that nobody has any money so demand has dropped.

I dunno, man. It hurts to say this as a liberal and it's probably my rage leaking out, but I go to Jobcentre Plus every fortnight and see these people. They don't care. They humour them. You can lie and write down utterly false efforts you've made and get your £115. My advisor has stopped booking me interviews for help and checking up on me because I'm "on top of things and getting interviews very well." I appreciated those sessions for voicing my concerns and worries instead of bottling them up but they probably don't care.

The Jobcentre is more concerned about keeping themselves employed than getting other people employed.

 

[radioheadrule83]

We need to build more fucking property. People are throwing good money after bad and renting when they really oughtn't, great swathes of the country can't afford to get on the ladder. I don't blame anyone who can get assistance with living costs if they can't live at home... some people in council housing are doing the economically sensible thing. Even working people need assistance to live anything beyond a meagre existence these days. I don't know anyone who has been able to buy their own house without years of throwing money down the drain on rent, while they scrimp and save and suffer, or anyone who has done it without getting a hand me down from mummy and daddy or some other windfall. Most people, on a median wage, cannot fucking do it.

We're still protecting people who speculated on housing, investing in property just to sell up later, or people who bought just to rent and exploit people. That is money that could have been invested in something more widely beneficial, like a productive business that employs people! Why are we keeping house prices so high?

I'd feel bad for anyone who would find themselves with a mortgage obligation way in excess of the new value, and we'd have to skirt a delicate balance to ensure people don't just walk away from those obligations -- but -- if we want to empower people and make them feel like they're working for something, make it easier to get on the ladder. Make it easier for them to be economically independent and active, let them pour their hard earned money into the productive economy instead of simply bestowing further riches on people who are lucky enough to have property.

They should earmark expansion in every city.

 

[Songbird]

Fucking Homes Under the Hammer.

 

[Pie and Beans]

The regional pay stuff is astounding, it was bad enough with the NHS "suggestion" but to then contemplate applying that to benefits is utter madness. I'd like to think that would be the straw that broke the "not London" dwellers back and we all just storm fucking parliament at that point.

 

[Songbird]

I'm getting close to wanting to demonstrate. I'll give it two more months.

Ed: BBC are saying this will be popular with voters. Eww. And these changes are "feel good," because homeless under-25s turn the public on.
Gentleman on BBC News is making some very good points.

 

[twobear]

I'm getting close to wanting to demonstrate. I'll give it two more months.

Ed: BBC are saying this will be popular with voters. Eww. And these changes are "feel good," because homeless under-25s turn the public on.

Yeah, it takes a particularly vicious Tory policy like this to remind me how out of step with my fellow countrymen I am. And people wonder why I have no pride in Britain.

 

[Walshicus]

Doesn't region-based pay ensure that the poor stay poor and can not migrate to better cities due to their savings only being sufficient for the craphole they're in?

Yup. Region-agnostic pay should be used to even out disparities. Regional pay will just entrench them.

 

[CHEEZMO™]

A bunch of utter twats.

 

[radioheadrule83]

Yup. Region-agnostic pay should be used to even out disparities. Regional pay will just entrench them.

I'm not so sure that works wholesale, I think raising wages artificially could actually be quite damaging to certain regions, and benefits should be set at a level that allows people to live with dignity in times of need, it shouldn't be an arbitrary figure that gets paid out no matter what your circumstances are. Everything should be better means tested.

I find it hard to believe, in an age where we have world-class economists drawing up all sorts of practical algorithms, that we couldn't find a way to make pay proportional to a number of factors... like, the cost of living (rent/mortgage averages), local fuel and food costs etc... if the most basic pay is set proportionally above that, and I'm not talking a minimum wage - I mean a living wage -- then everyone in every area should be able to save, and plan the use of their money.

I think a benefit to a more overt regional competition on pay would be that companies might actually look outside London if its cheaper in a whole variety of ways to employ people in the North West or something. What I'd be wary of, is companies using cheaper areas for their menial work that will forever be low paid, and dragging down the regional pay average. If regional benefits/allowances became a reality I'd want to see councils be given the powers needed to encourage growth, and avoid their constituencies becoming a ghetto for cheap manual labour or something.

We should be encouraging the growth of our cities and towns outside of London, and that means making them more attractive and competitive for business. On the foundations of that sort of success, regenerating areas, you'll get more mobility and growing affluence. They should build more houses where tight supply is financially crippling the people this government is claiming to help, and where demand and growth potential are high... bring down the high costs people face and the need for high wages, you'll create an attractive environment for jobs...

 

[Protome]

Yeah, it takes a particularly vicious Tory policy like this to remind me how out of step with my fellow countrymen I am. And people wonder why I have no pride in Britain.

Hey, don't dump all of Britain into this. Scottish voters are going to despise this, and it will only go to help people vote for independence in 2014.
Right now though it's solely a threat, Cameron can't push these changes through Labour or Lib Dems. What's really crazy is that he's making these threats now. The changes Tories have made have increased unemployment, and as such people on benefits, and now they threaten those people? This is a rapidly increasing section of voters thanks to Torie policies, they are NOT the people to be pissing off.

 

[CHEEZMO™]

Fuck that speech by Cameron. Cunt.

 

[Walshicus]

Economy shrank more than thought in Q4 2011:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18623199

Barclays have been manipulating the Libor rates:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18622264

 

[radioheadrule83]

Economy shrank more than thought in Q4 2011:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18623199

Barclays have been manipulating the Libor rates:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18622264

The fine for Barclays is a joke... are we being lenient because we expect them to take a kicking for it all over the world?

 

[Walshicus]

The fine for Barclays is a joke... are we being lenient because we expect them to take a kicking for it all over the world?

They should be fined a multiple greater than 1 of what they gained from the scam, and everyone knowingly involved should face gaol time.

But I guess that won't happen. Privilege; private law.

 

[Ushojax]

The clamour for prosecutions in this Barclays fiasco is going to become defeaning. It's fraud pure and simple, the fact that Diamond is still in position is depressingly predictable. These fuckers deserve jail time.

 

[twobear]

Economy shrank more than thought in Q4 2011:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-18623199

Yet more evidence of the failure of government policies. Neoliberal economic policy has died death after death, can we please scrap it now?

 

[radioheadrule83]

The clamour for prosecutions in this Barclays fiasco is going to become defeaning. It's fraud pure and simple, the fact that Diamond is still in position is depressingly predictable. These fuckers deserve jail time.

Diamond only became deputy chief exec in 2010 and group chief exec in 2011, John Varley was top dog when all this occurred. The papers will probably go after Diamond, but I'm personally more interested in who was really responsible, and who knew what and at what kind of levels.

If I were Diamond, and confident I wasn't involved, I'd be throwing the people responsible under the bus post haste.

Perhaps Barclays have been relatively co-operative in this investigation. Other banks still under investigation may have done even worse! The whole thing reminds me actually, I wonder why nothing ever came of those Wikileaks threats regarding Bank of America? Does this pile pressure on Osborne to maybe be more robust in his plans? His current plans for reform stop short of breaking up the banks, but if things like this are going on - that show clear conflicts of interest within huge banks leading to poor behaviour - surely, he's going to have his arm twisted?

 

[Jezbollah]

AP have reported a major US bank are being investigated for the same practices - this could get big and nasty in no time at all.

 

[zomgbbqftw]

Diamond only became deputy chief exec in 2010 and group chief exec in 2011, John Varley was top dog when all this occurred. The papers will probably go after Diamond, but I'm personally more interested in who was really responsible, and who knew what and at what kind of levels.

If I were Diamond, and confident I wasn't involved, I'd be throwing the people responsible under the bus post haste.

Diamond was in charge of the division where the fraud took place at the time of the manipulation. He has a lot of questions to answer.

 

[Jex]

Diamond was in charge of the division where the fraud took place at the time of the manipulation. He has a lot of questions to answer.

Although, apparently no evidence was found linking him to the case, so apparently he wont have to answer any questions on that front.

 

[zomgbbqftw]

Although, apparently no evidence was found linking him to the case, so apparently he wont have to answer any questions on that front.

Amazing, right?

 

[Walshicus]

Big enough news to be spun off into its own thread?

 

[twobear]

Corruption in the banking sector? Just fancy that!

 

[8bit]

The clamour for prosecutions in this Barclays fiasco is going to become defeaning.

His head will be on a stick for the Olympic riots if nothing changes.

 

[Walshicus]

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=480398

Made a new thread for this - it's big enough.

 

[BradleyUK]

Conservatives are busy making this a class war so all their crony run of with the money.