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.

Westminster is a very good school and academically almost certainly better than Eton. The entrance exam for a Westminster is very difficult, My son has two friends there who were in his class at school. Both are very clever kids and are about to go Oxford next year. My guess is that both will be politicians with one a possible PM. I remember collecting them from school at around 7 years old and it was like having a conversation with a clever adult,

2517

Perhaps he considered what he was as more important on what he had been.

======

Haze,

You are confused again.

The way to change a club is to join it and as long as you conform to the rules of that club there is no reason for not attempting to alter them.

The problem with the tories is that many have the mentality of dinosaurs and unable to modify antiquated philosophy and ideology, (Frightened of change. But at the same time, sometimes rushing for change in to look as if they are doing something, or keeping up with the Jones.)

You are stuck with outmoded class distinctions.

I can see nothing wrong in availing oneself of the best education, health advice etc. one can afford for one's children, while at the same time you are trying to raise the standards of the various organisation to the standards of the ones you wish to utilise for oneself.

Your thinking is becoming more primitive and tribal.

Stuck in the past, not learning from it.

an analogy
those who get a first at oxbridge are often almost unemployable in the real world as they frequently lack common sense or commercial nous

Hays in your lingo define a "clever adult". Not me obviously.

for starters, (s)he will have a greater vocabulary than the average reader of the sun or mirror!

but of course there's all sorts of "clever", from acadamically to market trader, most of which require very different skills

Tony Benn would have made a great PM , how he could have controled the hardline dogma of the Union's of the time is the question. His foreign policy during the Cold war is another.

He was a agnostic , think he said it gave him more time for politics

Question Time

Douglas Alexander was rubbish , Nick Hewer had some way out views , but the best was the Conservative. Dimbleby is getting worse by not controlling the debate

Manuel,

Do you mean brighter and more thoughtful than you appear to be, and without the cunning, or morals of some barrow boy spivs?

I find most of the kids at public school have plenty of common sense. Through my kids, I know boys at Westminster, City, Highgate, Eton, Rugby, Winchester, Stowe, Harrow and a couple of other major public schools. They are all well rounded people, very clever and with plenty of common sense. Public school gives the pupils a lot of confidence. That is almost more important than the good exam results. It is why public school children end up in positions of responsibility. Richard Branson went to Stowe (hence Stowe corner at Silverstone just over the fence). Branson had that confidence that didn't allow for failure. It is a quality that I see in all my son's friends. They all assume that they will be successful in life.

It is my son's 18th birthday and I have at least 10 and maybe 20 of them staying the night tonight, mostly sleeping on the floor. It will be interesting tomorrow morning. It may be bacon sandwiches for 20. Every time they come here, they hide things. For weeks we are looking for odd items. Door stops in the fridge, the cat in a wardrobe etc.

Haystack

I use to think you were a Farmer with that username , or is it a nickname for your size ?

Yep I agree with Alders, bad night for labour on Question Time.

ps, alders did you watch the politacal programme after with Andrew Neal

Think that young kid gave my mate Portillio a right kicking.

Hes damed good for a youngster.

i was out last night, but i like portillo .... he often talks sensibly and gets his point across well .... in many ways, i think he'ld have made a good party leader or even pm, though i suspect he wasn't inclined that way, for you need to be very driven

No i missed it. Hes damed good for a youngster

How old was he ?

Hays good post above but for every Public School Boy in 5,000 theirs going to be one from humble beginnings whos going to be better.

Look at Harold Wilson.

John Major.


Rachel Reeves

PM elect.


Fact is Harold and Rachel remain the highest scorers in the London School of Ecomics exam history.

Cyners your totaly wrong,

Mick Portillio for primeminster....... any day.

In my opinion hes miles in front of Camoron or Osbourne hes only problem is his own sexuality ie, hes wrote he doesnt know.

Cyners your totaly wrong,

Mick Portillio for primeminster....... any day.

In my opinion hes miles in front of Camoron or Osbourne hes only problem is his own sexuality ie, hes wrote he doesnt know.

GF.

Do you mean the show where one of the participants paid the stable bill out of expenses, paid for by the taxpayers?

I wonder what would have happened to one of the immigrant scroungers who over claimed?

--------

You are getting old. That boy, Owen Jones is 29 years old and knows his facts. Very able and fluent.

I think Neil should shut up sometimes and listen to the answers, even if they don't suit his pitch.

Surprised how out of touch Portillo was. Usually, he is quite rational.

Agreed Fred.

Owen Jones...................can never remember his name.


Fred for PM.

sticky - i said i didn't think he really wanted the job

gf
The 'kid' you were talking about is Owen Jones. He writes for the Independent and the Guardian. He is no kid, he is 30. His grandfather was involved with the Communist Party and his parents met as members of a Trotskyist group, the Militant tendency. He used to be a lobbyist for the trade union movement.

I thought he spouted the usual working class nonsense about the trade unions and ignored Portillo's comments about the harm unions have done to Britain.

GF.

No!


I am to old.


Prefer playing chess with 70 year olds.

Cunning bs, who know all the openings and talk when its their opponent's move!


8-)

This is a b. of a market!