The Politics Thread

[Worthy4England]

Indeed - as a radical thought - how about folks not going to University, unless they have a business sponsor to pay for it?

Surely the only "need" for University education is that some professions/jobs require it as a point of entry. Let them pick up the tab for it, then. It's hardly likely they could point to it making businesses "uncompetitive" (as they think they'd need it to be competitive).

I'm sure there are plenty of holes in this thinking (such as what about people with no jobs lined up), but really if you don't need it, why should everyone pick up the tab?

[Prufrock]

Depends how you define 'need' though doesn't it? It's a lot harder to do with something like 'education' than it is 'healthcare'. Do you *need* secondary education. I don't share the conviction many seem to that secondary education to 16 (or is it 18?) is obviously absolutely essential and university obviously isn't. Do people really *need* much more than basic maths and English? Or is school more than about *need* ? My life would have been a lot shitter if I'd left school like my nana at 12 than at 16 like my dad which would have been worse than if I'd left at 18 like my mum which would have been worse than if I'd left at 22 like I did. And that would have been worse if I hadn't gone back at 23 and again now off my own bat.

I personally think in today's world a university education is important if you want to get anywhere. There'll be exceptions, but not many. That might be stretching the word *need* though.

[Bruce Rioja]

I still say that more people would be better served by learning a trade rather than by going to uni. The balance is all to feck.

[Worthy4England]

I don't disagree with the sentiment about it being important if you want to get anywhere - just give some more focus on where that "anywhere" is, and get them to pick up the tab - as it's the people in that "anywhere" that apparently demand the University level of education to suffice their needs/requirements.

I do reckon that education up to 16 provides the bare minimum and basics - we could talk about the bit between 16 and 18 - although I think that does allow individual choice as to what they prefer to "specialise in", but after a certain point, we should be educating to meet a demand not a choice (otherwise I'm sure lots of folks would stay in full time education until they were 80.)

[Hoboh]

I still say that more people would be better served by learning a trade rather than by going to uni. The balance is all to feck.

[Hoboh]

new Brussels chief Jean-Claude Juncker said freedom of movement should be made easier.
Mr Juncker, who became European Commission president despite the fierce objections of Mr Cameron, told one of his new commissioners to 'promote freedom of movement' within the EU.

Outgoing European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso insisted over the weekend that an arbitrary cap on EU immigration would be incompatible with EU law.

Mr Juncker's call for EU migration to be made even easier is a further blow to the Prime Minister.
In a letter sent last month, Mr Juncker told Ms Thyssen, a Belgian MEP, that she should be 'improving the conditions for geographic and professional mobility across Europe'. He cited the EU-wide job exchange website EURES.

Oh dear and these things are coming out while the w*nkers are fairly quiet, no referendum and God knows what these little European nobodies will come up with!

[thebish]

I still say that more people would be better served by learning a trade rather than by going to uni. The balance is all to feck.

^ be afraid Bruce!

[Beefheart]

I think you need to balance the 'need' for going to uni against 3 years of getting pissed and having fun. I know I'd do it again if you told me I'd have no job prospects at the end of it.

[Prufrock]

Nope - didn't crease a grin. Wasn't bad as far as party political broadcasts go, though.

How about this:

[Worthy4England]

Nope - didn't crease a grin. Wasn't bad as far as party political broadcasts go, though.

How about this:

Errrr - Would now be a good time to suggest that The Office is unmitigated shoite, too?

[Prufrock]

No hope for you!

[Bruce Rioja]

Nope - didn't crease a grin. Wasn't bad as far as party political broadcasts go, though.

How about this:

Errrr - Would now be a good time to suggest that The Office is unmitigated shoite, too?

Away, man!

Every office has a David Brent, and if yours doesn't then it's you!

[thebish]

Nope - didn't crease a grin. Wasn't bad as far as party political broadcasts go, though.

How about this:

Errrr - Would now be a good time to suggest that The Office is unmitigated shoite, too?

i find Gervaise toe-curling... I know you are supposed to find Brent toe-curling - but, for me, it extends to Gervaise generally and i can't be doing with him!

[Worthy4England]

Nope - didn't crease a grin. Wasn't bad as far as party political broadcasts go, though.

How about this:

Errrr - Would now be a good time to suggest that The Office is unmitigated shoite, too?

Away, man!

Every office has a David Brent, and if yours doesn't then it's you!

That would be good, if of course I visited my office more than say three times in seven years.

I'm sure we have lots of David Brent's, from what I've seen of The Office. I make sure they're dispatched to places I'm not.

[TANGODANCER]

Think the whole point of The Office was for people to be able to say "Aye, we've got one of those in our place". We had a whole cast replacement in ours...

[Hoboh]

Soros told the Guardian: “There is a general dissatisfaction with the EU as a result of the euro crisis, which has perverted the initial impetus for forming a union of like-minded democratic states. The euro crisis was mishandled and lasted a long time, and it turned a voluntary union of equals into something quite different.”

Soros said the EU had become a dysfunctional relationship between creditor and debtor nations, resulting in widespread resentment

Not everyone is blind

[KeyserSoze]

You missed the bit in the speech where George Soros said he was a big supporter of the EU and its importance in the world, then.

[Hoboh]

You missed the bit in the speech where George Soros said he was a big supporter of the EU and its importance in the world, then.

No I didn't, but it looks well when even a 'big supporter' can see its riddled with faults that little insignificant countries commissioners chose to ignore to stop on the gravy train.
The EU is full of faults the biggest being it is unrealistic and undemocratic, Junker I'm looking at you, Merkel poodle.

[Prufrock]

You missed the bit in the speech where George Soros said he was a big supporter of the EU and its importance in the world, then.

No I didn't, but it looks well when even a 'big supporter' can see its riddled with faults that little insignificant countries commissioners chose to ignore to stop on the gravy train.
The EU is full of faults the biggest being it is unrealistic and undemocratic, Junker I'm looking at you, Merkel poodle.

No. It looks good when someone aware enough to weigh up both sides thinks it's a really good thing despite the faults he's able to see. Intelligence and nuance, Hobes, imagine!

[Hoboh]

You missed the bit in the speech where George Soros said he was a big supporter of the EU and its importance in the world, then.

No I didn't, but it looks well when even a 'big supporter' can see its riddled with faults that little insignificant countries commissioners chose to ignore to stop on the gravy train.
The EU is full of faults the biggest being it is unrealistic and undemocratic, Junker I'm looking at you, Merkel poodle.

No. It looks good when someone aware enough to weigh up both sides thinks it's a really good thing despite the faults he's able to see. Intelligence and nuance, Hobes, imagine!

Million or even billionaires sometimes lose it