Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

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press report i read over the weekend the CONSERVATIVE PARTY is finished in the north of england . cameron as fcuked up my party he must be kicked out now .

"the CONSERVATIVE PARTY is finished in the north of england" Hardly news Tanks, they've been finished up there for years.

Conservative Party lost the plot when they stuck the knife into Margaret Thatcher and it's never been the same since imo.

Thatcher was only ditched when they realised that she was an election liability.

The Tory Party has never been anything but what it's always been, Which is an organisation on behalf of Big Business and predominately for Big Business's interests.

Well tomorrow will be interesting for some.

Osborne's report, which should be an apology will show how much he and Cameron have ruin the economy by being pigheaded.

The only decent thing the Cameroon can do is fire his trusted "fag" Georgie Boy and then resign as the majority of his own party wish him to do.

It seems that many of the tory party want to replace him with Fauxpage, because it seems the majority of the present tory followers, will be voting BNP or UKIP.

Osborne, has b. the country and Cameroon is being b. by the press barons.

The latter is gutless. Never mind he can always go out on the Boxing Day Hunt with Beccy and Jeremiah.

Got a feeling Murdock won't be at the party!

What pack of incompetents.

PS..

However it is good to see the government to put £1billion into schools for the privileged academic "elite", at the expense general social "Welfare" in order.

Probably, the supposition being based on an expectancy that the newly created educational "elite" who will advantage themselves of the opportunity will vote tory, or UKIP next time.

Meanwhile, the "common" or "garden" schools will be having their budgets cut.

Interesting policies.

Along with the "student" fees (£9000+ a year) policy introduced by coalition. Both will hit home just before the next election.

No wonder the Labour party want to keep Cameron as tory leader. They are onto a winner.

UMHHHH,

do i take it that you do not believe in competitive sport either, as that means there'll be losers (can't possibly have that) or in the grammar school system which de facto encourages the (relatively) talented to be even more so?

personally, i'ld very much like to see companies being financially encouraged to take apprentices and similar ...... as it stands, it's very very difficult for someone who has taken a plumbing or building course or similar to get proper and most necessary field experience

OSBORNE IS JUST A BIG LIAR liar liar

the only good thing this gov as done is wipe out thebastard libs
that is great news they are parasites

UKIP are our only hope

Cynic,

I played sport at reasonably high levels and likewise, bridge and chess and enjoyed doing so.

Yes, I was competitive, but had most pleasure from "close" games rather than being overwhelmed, or overwhelming opposition.

I enjoyed the satisfaction of the increasing my own skills, etc..

Being beaten at chess by my grandchildren is satisfying, as was being beaten by some young squash player who I had help to coach.

Also, I was a grammar school boy and thought that the "secondary modern" schools should have had improvement in level of teaching, rather than destruction of some of them.

I prefer a well thought out, and well introduced and practical comprehensive system of education in general, but thought the manner the system was introduced was rushed and flawed.

But as you realise I am not grumbling about that, but I am grumbling about the syphoning off of "taxes" to pay for schools, which will disproportionally "financed" for a "selected" group, ie. the vociferous supposed "upward mobile" middle class.

Regarding apprentices, I think the introduction of the "said" comprehensive education system and changes to universities and technical colleges was again damaging to apprentices and education in general.

But the biggest loss of apprentices was due to the Thatcherite policies, which were applauded by the "blue rinse" brigade and their cohorts and crucified industry at the same time, in favour of the "financial" industry.

I wonder which school tinker went to?

If it was the school of hard knocks, it wasn't hard enough.

fred - i'm far from convinced that your line of argument would actually stand up to investigation by someone who actually knew what he was talking about ..... certainly i would be very interested to know why apprenticeships are so readily available in NL and, i think, in Germany, but very clearly not in UK

Cynic,

I don't know how the figures work out for the countries I think you indicate, but would have to relate them against heavy and light industries in those countries.

One of the effects of our loss (possibly necessary) of heavy industries and cut backs was the reduction of need of "apprentices", also cuts backs on "apprentices" was due to some industries expecting with technical advances to need a less skilled "services" in the future.

(I was teasing my garage about them not being mechanics any longer and just changing old parts for new. The person I was talking true replied that they had become skilled fitters, but knew where the new bit was necessary.)

How these factors played in NL and Germany is concerned I don't know, but post war relationships and "technical" advances were changed and applied more easily in those countries and in the UK this process was obstructed by unions and lousy industrial relationships and the worn out/ out of date plant.

The process of some of the Thatcherite changes were probably necessary. The rate of that change was obscene.

Similar to the destruction of the Coal Industry, which had a tremendous number of apprentices.

Part of the problems which we have in the now "uncaring" society can be related back to that period.

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Another reason was Blair's obsession with getting 50% of the country's kids to go to Uni regardless of the fact that apprenticeships would have been better for many.

Now we have lost those apprenticeships and can't afford the 50% of kids attending uni.

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Dil - i agree with the thrust of your comment .... unfortunately, uni has been held out as the holy grail, whereas many and perhaps even most are only capable of modest degrees from third rate institutions and in worthless subjects .... the graduates are then totally bewildered that they are effectively unemployable

that most degrees could actually be completed in 2 years rather than the 3 allocated is another possible matter for discussion ..... i can't remember how many hours lectures per week are (generally) now given and/or obligatory, but it is risibly few

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http://youtu.be/E4yzvwVFW3w