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.

It is certainly true of Germany. One of the reasons that Germany has had so much success is that apprenticeships are regarded so well in their society.

Nobody wants to be an apprentice, they have higher aspirations.

That's part of the problem. In Germany apprentices are regarded as well as graduates. It is a bit like the way that being a waiter in France is a good job. A well trained French waiter is a different thing from a British waiter who drifts into the job.

MK - who says? ..... apprenticeships lead to great things, and why would you or anyone else think otherwise? ...... as i have frequently voiced before, a graduate with a 2.2 in say media studies from some 3rd rate university is of no earthly use to the real world, and will only have any value a while down the line when real experience has been gained

Haystack, cynic.

You summed it up in your posts 70 + 71.

I was an apprentice (electrical engineering), and it served me very well.

Hays........they didnt get an overal majority. David Camoron has the liberals to thank for being the PM.

Haystack - 15 Oct 2013 13:51 - 31066 of 31071

http://richardwillisuk.wordpress.com/2013/10/15/new-yougov-poll-tories-cut-labours-lead-to-1/

The Conservatives got 36.1% of the vote at the 2010 election and now have 37% support.

CYNERS...........who you supporting tonight Poland??????????

Relate back to the thoughtless destruction of the Technical Colleges.

At that time and previous many apprentices did the theoretical part of the training in TCs..

Also, the TCs had good working relationships with industry and institutions and many getting HNDs, City and Guilds qualifications went on to high quality research and more "theoretical" pathways.

Who destroyed them and why?

But less people like getting their hands dirty, like MK2 all being even I would advise my grandchildren to do a degree at the majority of university.

Another problem is that clock do not like being wound backwards.

=========


Another thing which confuses me is why everybody (other than the idle rich) should wish to work harder.

I thought technical advances and computers were to enable "all" to do less work or retire earlier.

What energy is going into the unnecessary production of trash for barrow boys to make money on.

UMMMMSMSM SOS

House prices hit record high during summer

ONS index reached its highest level for several decades in August, as average price of a UK home rose to £247,000


Hilary Osborne

theguardian.com, Tuesday 15 October 2013 10.57 BST


UK house prices hit a record high in August, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.


The ONS said that its index, which measures purchases financed with mortgages over the month, had surpassed its previous peak by 0.3% to hit 186 – its highest level since 1968. It put the average price of a UK home at £247,000.


According to the ONS figures, the rate of house price inflation gathered pace through the summer, with the year-on-year increase reaching 3.8% in August, up from 3.3% in July. The year-on-year increase reflected growth of 4.1% in England, 1.1% in Northern Ireland and 1.0% in Wales, offset by a fall of 0.7% in Scotland.



More ramping here: http://www.theguardian.com/money/2013/oct/15/house-prices-hit-record-high

TNS BMRB – CON 34, LAB 36, LD 9, UKIP 13

TNS BMRB have a new poll out today. Topline figures are CON 34% (+5), LAB 36% (-3), LD 9%(nc), UKIP 13%(-1). These are particularly unusual figures, TNS normally show some of the biggest Labour leads of any company, and for the last six months or so have been pretty consistent in showing Labour leads up around ten points. Suddenly we have a big narrowing of the Labour lead, dropping right down to 2 points, the lowest I have from TNS since November 2011.

sticky - shan't watch the football as it has no real interest for me at all ... would almost rather watch you fishing!

mk - in that case, why your post 69?

fred - i continue to work primarily because i enjoy it

MK - house prices at a record high????????? ..... how can that be when the average house price has dropped (i guess) about 20% in the last 3/5 years, and indeed, the whole housing market has been like a corpse, in great part thanks to the paucity of mortgage availability

Fred - I think a lot of people carry on working because they actually enjoy it. They enjoy the stimulation, the challenge, keeping the brain cells working etc. I have several friends who could have retired years ago and have said - words to the effect - why on earth would I want to retire, I would be mostly stuck in the house just arguing with the wife.

Hays that poll its down to the sale of Royal Mail Stock. Short term opportunity for non investors/traders.

Soon will be forgotten.

Must admit Rachel Reeves pretending to be a Tory hasnt gone down well either despite her info that disabled savers/pension holders will no longer be penalised.

Think Ill have to have a word in her ear.

DB.

If you are enjoying, fine.

I enjoyed my work, but also have enjoyed my retirement and even though offered work preferred not having the responsibility which goes with it.

BUT, there are many who are not in the same fortunate position than you, carrying out boring, mundane work sometimes heavy manual work and are trapped by "economics" in those situations. Sometimes those in manual work are physically worked out.

Many would prefer to be on the river bank fishing with GF, or miss-hitting a golf ball on patchy grass with Manuel.

so you think the public is selective in its political memory?

i recollect that the idea of everyone being able to retire earlier and earlier and gadgetry taking all the drudgery and time out of housework dates back to the early 50s or perhaps even earlier ..... never works out that way for some reason, but then Utopia doesn't exist either :-)

Neither will you.

That might be a form of Utopia.


How many times have you hope that your next game of golf will be better than your last?

always always, and no matter how well you play, you KNOW you could do better .... and at other times, you just want to throw your clubs off the nearest pier or, in my case, weir

PS.

"They" said that women in the UK would never get the vote, which you venerate.

Also, stated with conviction by some :

UK, that slaves in USA would not be freed.

That it was right that children should work in coal mines.

That "some" children should not be educated.

That the NHS was wrong,

And some are still saying that the Well Fare Services should be scrapped.

But these and much similar has been the improvements forced on society by said Utopians.

========

I think Mitchell is FFFFF pain in the backsides, and should be dumped.

But it is laughable that the good and virtuous standing by him.

I would see it as thieves and beggars gathering round him. How many of his supporters were caught dipping their hands into the sty with false claims?

Mitchell abused a public servant who was doing his job, and did not accept that the officer was "just doing his job" and therefore does not deserve sympathy, but it does seem the police did falsified evidence and some should have their fingers rapped.