The 2015 Popularity Contest (aka UK General Election )

[peteblue]

....I understand the principle of collective Cabinet responsibility but today's revelations from Danny Alexander about what the Tory's wanted to do to Child Benefit and other payments make me even more convinced that the Liberals were drunk on power. All I saw from Alexander was him acting like a nodding donkey agreeing and shouting 'hear' 'hear' when Osborne addressed Parliament. Now his own seat is in jeopardy he's dishing the dirt, I hope he's too late.

I'm disappointed with him tbh, I thought he was made of better material than this...........

 

[Whistlin' Dixie]

But what are those obstacles? it would appear some of it (some of it, I repeat) is a mental barrier, kids looking back at generations before them not going to uni and assuming they also can't go. A bit of encouragement and helping them to see how they could benefit would go a long way.

Not in all cases. It's a considered risk for a lot of kids.

Feels strange arguing this as I'd say we need fewer kids going to uni and better alternative pathways for the less academic. A handful of lads in my year, who completely failed at their GCSE's, went on to run successful and lucrative repair garages. A practical mind should not be deemed inferior to an academic mind.

Valid enough points and not disagreeable. However, the excessively crass & almost immediate decision to scrap the EMA by this Govt. has seen plenty of kids' development stymied that would have flourished through that path.

 

[ToffeeDoug]

Just 7 more sleeps!

Or 8 if you don't stay up for the result.

 

[tsubaki]

Valid enough points and not disagreeable. However, the excessively crass & almost immediate decision to scrap the EMA by this Govt. has seen plenty of kids' development stymied that would have flourished through that path.

Not really - even at top whack EMA wasnt enough money, and it didnt come at the right time in their academic lives, for its removal to have any meaningful effect on the vast majority of students.

Or to put it another way, its removal did a lot less damage to social mobility and educational opportunity (if we arent talking about the same thing here) than either the end of the grant system (something started by Major but finished off by Blair) or the imposition of tuition fees (for which Blair bears almost sole responsibility) and the debt that pays for it all does.

I suppose though that this will end up being a self-correcting error though; the University system in this country is that dependent on students getting themselves into ludicrous levels of debt that, the moment enough people realise that it isnt in their financial interest to go to University straight after leaving school, most of the system will collapse and we will be left with a sensible number of genuine Universities with a sensible number of state-supported students, who recieve a sensible amount of funding.

 

[Whistlin' Dixie]

http://www.newstatesman.com/politic...n-fine-wine-couldn-t-wash-away-taste-my-mouth
Journo writes about a meeting with that vile waste of oxygen Ian Duncan Smith.

Aye. He's a turd that just won't flush. I remember him losing his rag & gettin torn to shreds in a radio interview......Good listening for anyone who hasn't heard it before! (Not computer savvy enough to paste the relevant part in here, I'm afraid)

http://www.lbc.co.uk/listen-obriens-explosive-row-with-duncan-smith-67738

 

[Whistlin' Dixie]

Not really - even at top whack EMA wasnt enough money, and it didnt come at the right time in their academic lives, for its removal to have any meaningful effect on the vast majority of students.

Or to put it another way, its removal did a lot less damage to social mobility and educational opportunity (if we arent talking about the same thing here) than either the end of the grant system (something started by Major but finished off by Blair) or the imposition of tuition fees (for which Blair bears almost sole responsibility) and the debt that pays for it all does.

I suppose though that this will end up being a self-correcting error though; the University system in this country is that dependent on students getting themselves into ludicrous levels of debt that, the moment enough people realise that it isnt in their financial interest to go to University straight after leaving school, most of the system will collapse and we will be left with a sensible number of genuine Universities with a sensible number of state-supported students, who recieve a sensible amount of funding.

I agree - £30 isn't enough - but it was at least something to incentivise kids to stay on at school or go to college

What have they got now? Workfare...Or £2.73 per hour as an apprentice (In Tesco ffs.)

 

[davek]

Aye. He's a turd that just won't flush. I remember him losing his rag & gettin torn to shreds in a radio interview......Good listening for anyone who hasn't heard it before! (Not computer savvy enough to paste the relevant part in here, I'm afraid)

http://www.lbc.co.uk/listen-obriens-explosive-row-with-duncan-smith-67738

O'Brien nails that sociopath there. He should have been given the Newsnight anchor role when Paxman left.

 

[davek]

http://www.theguardian.com/politics...party-but-ed-miliband-leads-the-race-to-no-10

Good overview of the situation vis-a-vis largest party/largest bloc given the current state of play in the polls.

 

[Walken]

O'Brien nails that sociopath there. He should have been given the Newsnight anchor role when Paxman left.

was he the fella who slaughtered farage that time

 

[chewee]

Subscribed to this podcast recently, it's a decent listen if you've got half an hour to fill.

http://kpedley.podbean.com/

 

[Whistlin' Dixie]

was he the fella who slaughtered farage that time

Yep. IIRC falange's PR bloke pulled him out of the interview.

 

[Clint Planet]

Basically, anybody who wants to speak out against the inequality should reject any income which would bring them above the poverty line? The guy is a multi-millionaire, yes, but that doesn't mean he can't have views about poverty because doesn't live in poverty does it? If we all thought like yourself and that interviewer, that Brand has no right to discuss wealth distribution because he's too rich, the poverty-stricken would have no voice at all - many journalists and politicians who highlight these issues probably earn too much too.

The interviewer clearly wasn't good at his job.

"When I was poor and I complained about inequality people said I was bitter, now I'm rich and I complain about inequality they say I'm a hypocrite. I'm beginning to think they just don't want to talk about inequality" - Russell Brand

 

[Pienaar's gloves]

EMA was the bomb. Paid for my travel to college, my food and then maybe there was enough left over for a Maccies on a Friday.

When they abolished it I had to get a job and had to skip college to fulfil the demands of the job.

Others just came to college a lot less.

 

[Clint Planet]

Just 7 more sleeps!

Or 8 if you don't stay up for the result.

The burning question still unanswered: Can we make it to 1000 pages?

 

[roydo]

The burning question still unanswered: Can we make it to 1000 pages?

Farage is a widely misunderstood unifying figure.

That should do it.