Message for Gordon Brown!

Davesnave

neverdespairgirl wrote: »

I am sure exams were easier when I did them (1993 for GCSE, and 1995 for A level) than when my parents did them. I looked at my mother's O level papers for Latin and German, which we both did, and they were an awful lot harder than the GCSEs I did.

Well, we'll have to differ on that. One of my daughters recently did the same 'A's as me and, frankly, the teaching and her response to it was far better.

It isn't just at the top end that I feel things have improved; the standard of junior school teaching was much higher when I left the profession than in the laissez faire days of the early 70s. This is not to deny that teachers are often hamstrung by bureaucracy, or that certain early years work, like the systematic teaching of reading, should be urgently reviewed. The stultifying effects of over-testing are already well documented too.

However, the real problem with education is that it doesn't operate in a vacuum; the world outside the classroom frequently works against teachers. In earlier times, the 'customers' were on-side, whereas many parents are now unwilling or unable to equip their kids with the basic skills and attitudes needed for school to be a positive experience. This has some of its roots in what I was saying about society focusing on exams & valuing the high-fliers at the expense of the also-rans, but other changes in our society also figure highly. Whatever the reasons, the effect of having half a dozen or more disaffected pupils in many classes cannot be underestimated.

macaque_2

pickledpink wrote: »

Yes it is depressing. And I'm sure someone will pipe up with a statistic from way back - but the country NOW has never been in such a mess as it is now!

Who voted for these loons anyway?:o

Gordon Brown has been systematically wrecking the economy for 11 years. Perhaps I missed it, but didn't hear any complaints from you whilst house prices were soaring. I think self interest and greed has kept most critics silent over the past few years.

squinty

pickledpink wrote: »

Wow! You must be a real Leftie!!:o

"COUNCIL TAX RISING- if wages have to rise, and we all need more services , ageing population, decent homes, we have to pay for it. I personally dont think council tax is that high for what you get for the money."

Firstly, wages are NOT rising in line with INFLATION!

And it seems that decent homes are a just a dream for those in need.

What actually are we getting for our extortionate council tax bills? Or are we paying extra for a third rate police force who are 'never there' and extra for our rubbish bins to be collected fortnightly instead of weekly?:eek: And before anyone asks....NO.....mine are emptied weekly: but I've read about areas where they're only collected once every two weeks!!

And your stupid remark about education speaks volumes. The only reason results are better than they have ever been is because they've DUMBED DOWN!! :rotfl: ANY idiot can get a degree these days - and quite frankly, with the lack of jobs available now - a degree is about as useful as a chocolate teapot!

As for the NHS - it's now almost on a par with a third world country. We have MRSA; contract cleaners who don't know how to clean; doctors dishing out cheap inferior alternatives for regular medicines, people living in Postcode Lotteries needlessly dying of cancer because of the cutbacks......and as for your STUPID remark about private patients shortening NHS queues...........HELLO!!!!:eek:

And crime! You claim crime isn't rising?!:rotfl: Hello???? Do you read the papers????? And as for the police recruiting extra staff - they're recruiting 'special' officers - the ones who are either midgets or have an IQ of 80! As for the staff they stick on the front desk - they're as bright as a 40w bulb!!!

My God! And to think people like you have the right to vote!!:rolleyes:

OK then, you want all services to be better funded - but you want to pay less for this. Get real, this is an impossibility. Due to demographics and changing expectations there is an increasing demand for a whole range of public services. To me the services are not perfect, but they are striving to improve. For example look at the school and hospital building programmes, these are real investments after years of neglect. In reality there will never be enough money to satisfy everyone and their competing demands.

pickledpink wrote: »

I haven't got the time to educate you (I'm busy) but I'll show you how misinformed you are on just a couple of points. And I may point out a few more facts for you tomorrow.

Interesting use of the word fact - these appear to be opinions based on very little actual fact.

Davesnave

squinty wrote: »

Interesting use of the word fact - these appear to be opinions based on very little actual fact.

Ah but it's a rant; a venerable old English tradition. Imagine, if you will, verbal morris dancing, but without the discipline; it all means something, but nobody's very sure what, except that it's probably rude and based mainly on superstition. Whatever, you don't need facts to indulge in a rant, but again, like morris dancing, it certainly improves and makes more sense with liberal doses of alcohol.:rotfl:

macaque_2

squinty wrote: »

OK then, you want all services to be better funded - but you want to pay less for this. Get real, this is an impossibility. Due to demographics and changing expectations there is an increasing demand for a whole range of public services. To me the services are not perfect, but they are striving to improve. For example look at the school and hospital building programmes, these are real investments after years of neglect. In reality there will never be enough money to satisfy everyone and their competing demands.
Interesting use of the word fact - these appear to be opinions based on very little actual fact.

Fewer police stations
Dissapearing public WCs
Rising class sizes
Bin collections reduced to fortnightly
Worst cancer care in Europe
Highest rates of hospital acquired infections
Fines and service charges for every kind of council service
Rationing of care to the elderly
Dentists working fewer hours
Doctors on record salaries
Drugs rationing
Local council officials going on junkets around the world
£10billion wasted on useless NHS computer system
Failure of countless other computer projects
Council snoopers everywhere you look
Quality of maths teaching declining
Rising levels of illiteracy and innumeracy
Soaring University charges
Crumbling roads
Congestion charges
Highest petrol duty in the world

And then this!!!!

Chair of Ofcom
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Part Time
Salary: CIRCA £200,000

Chief Executive
Employer: STOCKTON ON TEES BC
Industry: Environment - Planning,Housing - Regeneration, Senior executive - Public sector
Qualifs: Postgraduate degree (senior business/technical)
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full Time
Salary: £165,000

Director of Intelligence
Employer: CARE QUALITY COMISSION
Industry: Senior executive - Government,Social care - General
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full Time
Salary: Salary range c£100,000 - £150,000 plus benefits

Director of Methods
Employer: CARE QUALITY COMISSION
Industry: Senior executive - Government,Social care - General
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full Time
Salary: Salary range c£100,000 - £150,000 plus benefits

Director of Engagement
Employer: CARE QUALITY COMISSION
Industry: Senior executive - Government,Social care - General
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full Time
Salary: Salary range c£100,000 - £150,000 plus benefits

Director of Operations
Employer: CARE QUALITY COMISSION
Industry: Senior executive - Government,Social care - General
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full Time
Salary: £100,000 - £150,000 plus benefits

Director of Regulation and Strategy
Employer: CARE QUALITY COMISSION
Industry: Senior executive - Government,Social care - General
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full Time
Salary: £100,000 - £150,000 plus benefits

Group Chief Executive
Employer: NETWORK HOUSING GROUP
Industry: Housing - Housing services,Senior executive - General
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full Time
Salary: £150k package plus PRP to 10%

Corporate Director Neighbourhoods
Employer: DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL
Industry: Government - Local government,Senior executive - Government
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full Time
Salary: up to £140k

Corporate Director Regeneration and Economic Development
Employer: DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL
Industry: Government - Local government,Senior executive - Government
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full Time
Salary: up to £140k

Corporate Director Resources
Employer: DURHAM COUNTY COUNCIL
Industry: Government - Local government,Senior executive - Government
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full Time
Salary: up to £140k

Corporate Directors x 4
Employer: CORNWALL COUNCIL
Industry: Environment - Planning,Government - Local government, Senior executive - Government, Social care
Contract: Permanent
Hours: Full Time
Salary: Up to £140,000

The reality is that the massive increase in taxation over the past few years has been used for self enrichement and gold plated pensions of public servants.

lowis

this is so very obviously a global recession, i really don't see how any one single leader can be blamed for it. greed caused this recession.

today's problems we face haven't just appeared overnight, it takes years for problems in society to manifest themselves. the anti-social problems we are facing today within our own country are a result of the seeds planted during the 1980's...all those problem kids/adolescents running around at the moment, well they are the off-spring of the kids who were royally shafted by the Tories in the 1980's. same goes for housing...the Tories sold off a lot of council housing under the RTB scheme, but did not put any system in place for replacing the stock they were selling. we now have housing problems.

oh...and i would suggest the OP prints off his original post and post it to Gordon, he probably doesn't have time to hang around messageboards.

poppysarah

The oil prices are a global problem - but some groups of people have been pleading for more renewables for years. Sweden and Greenland are aiming to be oil free by 2020 and other countries have been reducing their reliance on oil and gas.
The UK seems to be floundering in a sea of energy companies ripping off customers at the slightest chance and blaming it on EU rules that link oil and gas prices for us.

The banking crisis has been of companies choice. Being greedy and seeing opportunities.

Someone said on newsnight the other night "Banks will have to NOW look at whether you can pay back a loan or not" - you mean they didn't have to before?
That's not due to international global circumstances. Lloyds TSB didn't fill their boots with pushing massive loans to people who can't pay them back. It was down to choice and lack of regulation in a very greedy industry.

Gordon was chancellor for ten years and responsible for ensuring that people in the UK don't see DEBT as a problem. It is. It's a huge problem that's biting us all on the bot right now.

lowis

most people are in debt because of their own greed - and you can't blame Gordon for that.

didn't ANYONE who kept accumulating debt just stop and think for 1 minute that things couldn't carry on as they were? seems not...not even our financial institutions!

poppysarah

lowis wrote: »

most people are in debt because of their own greed - and you can't blame Gordon for that.

didn't ANYONE who kept accumulating debt just stop and think for 1 minute that things couldn't carry on as they were? seems not...not even our financial institutions!

Sadly it doesn't work like that. Personal responsibility goes out the window when you get the spending bug, when big companies tell you it's ok to have a credit card in every colour of the rainbow.

The financial system should work properly to stop people being able to have dozens of credit cards and loans. But it doesn't. People being stupid and enjoying spending all that money and then not taking responsibilility for their debt is wrong.

The government has given out the message that the economy has been doing well whilst people run up trillions in debt on plastic, take out silly liar loans.

They've not done the things they should to stop this mess. Gordon is to blame as chancellor for not realising the good times were fake. The emporers new clothes have just been exposed for the fakes they are.

Natty082

lynzpower wrote: »

. I actually dont agree with the governmetn having EVERYTHING to do with this, more that there is a global capitalist system to which we are all entrenched .
CREDIT CRUNCH - AGREE
REDUNDANCIES- AGREE
UNEMPLOYMENT RISING - Benefits system a shambles high unemployement as its much easier to sit and home on your !!!! all day than go out and get a job.
INFLATION- AGREE
PROPERTY CRASHING - AGREE
FUEL BILLS RISING- Pure greed by the suppliers, they issue huge profits every year yet we all struggle to pay - they should be capped. Take EoN as an example 'more money for us'
FOOD PRICES RISING-Unsure on this one

COUNCIL TAX RISING- Too many jobs created by labour in local councils - slash these jobs and stop paying the high wages demands. We have a 'fairness' officer in our local council !!!!!!??,. I personally dont think council tax is that high for what you get for the money. You don't live in Bolton then! - I've been asking 3 years for a barrier to be put on a car park near me that is plagued by boy racers - the local councellors have done nothing - the police have done nothing (response times terrible!). We have just been reverted back to weekly collections after a shambolic 2 week collection (thats if they actually turn up every week anyway!!).... I could be here all day....
NHS CRUMBLING- is it, increasing services everywhere (where?) try and get an appointment at my doctors. more drugs - which you pay for with prescription charges that are scandalous!, better equipment, shorter waiting times - rubbish, more and more people i.e immigrants coming in using our service for free pushing up waiting times. MRSA - Only a recent thing - unheard of when I was a child! I have had 2 relatives contract this whilst in hospital.
EDUCATION CRUMBLING- results the best ever - because its easier - a lot easier than our day - also the system is different - ours were exam based where you sat in a hall and wrote out what you had learned on a piece of paper. These days they are coursework based....where they can access the internet for help!
CRIME RISING - is it?Where on earth do you live!? The moon? stabbings, mugging old ladies, teenage alcoholism, theft, terroism!...... My dad used to keep his doors unlocked all night apparently!..... You need 5 lever mortice locks now just to get house insurance!!!
CUTBACKS IN THE POLICE- where? Everywhere - paperwork eating into police time. In london certainly there are more officers,(lucky London - more officers in London because of high crime rates perhaps?) and they are always recruiting for front & back room staff. And employing 'specials' that can't do anything anyway! Waste of money!

.

Just my point of view!

I have a friend who votes Labour - I asked why on earth she would and she stated 'because Thatcher made a hash of this country' I asked how she would remember that when we are only 26 and never really 'lived' when she was in power ...... "Well my dad told me and he votes for Labour"

This is wrong - think you should vote based on what is happening in the world 'now' not years ago (or what your dad does or if the Labour MP bought you a pint in the pub!) - things change!