| Question Time 23:46 - Dec 11 with 791 views | albertodelrio |
General Melchett
What a joke Nigel Farage is! Next May this loon might be in power ( coalition )
God help us all |  | | |  |
| Question Time on 10:05 - Dec 12 with 732 views | West_Stand_Ultra |
What a gobshite Russel Bland is ,I thought NF was rather eloquent, had a little chukkle at the left wing nutter with the purple rinse hair. [Post edited 12 Dec 2014 10:06]
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| Question Time on 12:12 - Dec 12 with 694 views | terminallytangerine |
| Question Time on 10:05 - Dec 12 by West_Stand_Ultra |
What a gobshite Russel Bland is ,I thought NF was rather eloquent, had a little chukkle at the left wing nutter with the purple rinse hair. [Post edited 12 Dec 2014 10:06]
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The 'pound land Enoch Powell' will probably stick though. How ironic that his initials are NF!
I wasn't too impressed by Russell or Nigel but thought Mary Creagh and The Times journalist spoke well.
Roll on the next Labour government. | | | |
| Question Time on 12:27 - Dec 12 with 689 views | Tejas |
I thought Cammilla Cavendish was very good and the most pragmatic and objective of the bunch, shame she’s not a politician. Farage struggled a bit with immigration but made an excellent point about grammar schools (which I strongly agree with) and Creagh did OK too. Although she was exposed a little with her/Labour’s confused view on the difference between NHS privatisation and sub-contracting out. It was down to Cavendish to put her straight, which she did rather well in my view.
Brand pushed out his usual sound bites but looked well out of his depth with any level of serious debate. He made a good point about profit and healthcare not being great bedfellows and his usual attack on the City and Bankers and the distribution of their wealth was also well made, but he kept to himself just how that was to be achieved. This probably explains why he gets the youth vote, but not the mature one.
For me the poorest performer was Penny Mordaunt who just doesn’t seem to be able to get out of spin mode and in true politician fashion never really answered a question. To be fair though she was defending an “in Government position” which is much harder to do. She really didn’t install confidence though.
As for Bunny La Roche, if anyone will push the good people of South Thanet to tick the Farage box, it’s her I’m afraid. It’s difficult to take an out and out ranter very seriously. All in all I found listening to a question time where the words “mate”, “dude” and “scumbag” were used in abundance was a little disturbing. | | | |
| Question Time on 12:38 - Dec 12 with 680 views | terminallytangerine |
| Question Time on 12:27 - Dec 12 by Tejas |
I thought Cammilla Cavendish was very good and the most pragmatic and objective of the bunch, shame she’s not a politician. Farage struggled a bit with immigration but made an excellent point about grammar schools (which I strongly agree with) and Creagh did OK too. Although she was exposed a little with her/Labour’s confused view on the difference between NHS privatisation and sub-contracting out. It was down to Cavendish to put her straight, which she did rather well in my view.
Brand pushed out his usual sound bites but looked well out of his depth with any level of serious debate. He made a good point about profit and healthcare not being great bedfellows and his usual attack on the City and Bankers and the distribution of their wealth was also well made, but he kept to himself just how that was to be achieved. This probably explains why he gets the youth vote, but not the mature one.
For me the poorest performer was Penny Mordaunt who just doesn’t seem to be able to get out of spin mode and in true politician fashion never really answered a question. To be fair though she was defending an “in Government position” which is much harder to do. She really didn’t install confidence though.
As for Bunny La Roche, if anyone will push the good people of South Thanet to tick the Farage box, it’s her I’m afraid. It’s difficult to take an out and out ranter very seriously. All in all I found listening to a question time where the words “mate”, “dude” and “scumbag” were used in abundance was a little disturbing. |
Good summary Tejas.
I take issue with the grammar school plug though. To me this is just cheap populism and ignores the damage that a two tier system did to a generation of schoolchildren who were told at 11 that learning was something that other children did. Comprehensivisation is actually a great success story and has opened opportunities to millions who would not have had that in the days of the grammar schools. A shame that neither of the major political parties will stick up for state education in the way that it deserves and praise its achievements despite the elephant in the room that is publicly subsidised private education.
Otherwise I think your analysis is spot on. | | | |
| Question Time on 12:54 - Dec 12 with 672 views | Tejas |
| Question Time on 12:38 - Dec 12 by terminallytangerine |
Good summary Tejas.
I take issue with the grammar school plug though. To me this is just cheap populism and ignores the damage that a two tier system did to a generation of schoolchildren who were told at 11 that learning was something that other children did. Comprehensivisation is actually a great success story and has opened opportunities to millions who would not have had that in the days of the grammar schools. A shame that neither of the major political parties will stick up for state education in the way that it deserves and praise its achievements despite the elephant in the room that is publicly subsidised private education.
Otherwise I think your analysis is spot on. |
I think the point being made, and again it was left to Cavendish to embelish Farage's rather clumsy explaination, is that what we need is a return to the standards of Grammar schools. Back in the day they were available to all who passed the 11 plus, irrespective of "class". Today, they are a domain only for the middle class as only they can afford to live in the catchment areas. Not everyone is a good fit for acedemia, and those who went to Comprehensives (I was one) were better suited to vocational trades. That was the old model and I think it worked. Although the destruction of Industry, especially in the North, hasn't helped I don't think the social tinkering of the Blair/Brown era to force everyone through university works at all and has left many with huge debt a worthless qualifications. A two tier system, done on ability and not wealth or class status did appear to naturally address the issue and abolishing this has created an even more elite system of Public Schools. Just my view, it wouldn't be right if we all had the same opinion. | | | |
| Question Time on 13:32 - Dec 12 with 647 views | terminallytangerine |
| Question Time on 12:54 - Dec 12 by Tejas |
I think the point being made, and again it was left to Cavendish to embelish Farage's rather clumsy explaination, is that what we need is a return to the standards of Grammar schools. Back in the day they were available to all who passed the 11 plus, irrespective of "class". Today, they are a domain only for the middle class as only they can afford to live in the catchment areas. Not everyone is a good fit for acedemia, and those who went to Comprehensives (I was one) were better suited to vocational trades. That was the old model and I think it worked. Although the destruction of Industry, especially in the North, hasn't helped I don't think the social tinkering of the Blair/Brown era to force everyone through university works at all and has left many with huge debt a worthless qualifications. A two tier system, done on ability and not wealth or class status did appear to naturally address the issue and abolishing this has created an even more elite system of Public Schools. Just my view, it wouldn't be right if we all had the same opinion. |
Agreed Tejas.
Your clarity of argument and analysis belie the distinction you make between those with a vocational or academic bent methinks - and arguably demonstrates the success of the comprehensive system (though I am of course biased on this.)
In a society which is so divided I always think that social tinkering is something to be welcomed. I don't think we disagree on the need for good schools for all but would like to see the conventional wisdom of failed state education challenged more often by our politicians who like Farage can get nodding approval for any criticism. Unfortunately since the 1988 Great Education Reform Act schools have become a political football and a Maoist revolution of perpetual change to satisfy the whims of here today gone tomorrow education ministers and popular prejudice so that the stability that would have seen us reap the benefits of comprehensivisation has been absent.
I'm sure there will be many who disagree but good to hear sensible discussion here. | | | |
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