Reply to: Education, Education, Education!!

[Menelaus]

I believe you can add G. Brown to that list of TWATS.

Fixed that for you.

HTH

[HairyArsedBloke]

I believe you can add G. Brown to that list of non-economists.

But he does have a PhD in ............. the history of the Labour Party in Scotland

[Doggy Styles]

Just noticed your new picture.

Here's something to ask your NL tw@ when he rocks up ...

what's the difference between:

Terry Wogan
Robert Peston (BBC ****)
Eric Daniels (CEO Lloyds)
John Varley (CEO Barclays)

Answer: Terry Wogan's the only one with a banking qualification (he was a banker in Ireland before journalism)

I believe you can add G. Brown to that list of non-economists.

[Zippy]

Yup.

Anyone got plans for getting out of the UK?

As everyone I love is here, sadly not an option for me.

[Menelaus]

Going to have to do more than that.

It's going to hurt.

Yup.

Anyone got plans for getting out of the UK?

[Menelaus]

You got to hand it to NL for trying it on. 2bn spending cuts are now labour 'saving schools 2bn'

The other day they were going to cut spending on 'unnecessary programmes', WTF were they giving unnecessary programmes money for in the first place?

When the NL twat comes round my house looking for a vote next year I'm going to give him a swift boot in the stones.

Just noticed your new picture.

Here's something to ask your NL tw@ when he rocks up ...

what's the difference between:

Terry Wogan
Robert Peston (BBC ****)
Eric Daniels (CEO Lloyds)
John Varley (CEO Barclays)

Answer: Terry Wogan's the only one with a banking qualification (he was a banker in Ireland before journalism)

[HairyArsedBloke]

Going to have to do more than that.

It's goting to hurt.

[Zippy]

WSS

The only downside to this (and to be honest I'm not sure how much of a down it is) is that the advertising revenue that the Guardian pulls in to publish ads for transexual diversity officers - I mean, wtF?

Please don't Menelaus. It's been months since I had to deal with this kind of crap and my blood pressure is still off the scale.

[Menelaus]

I agree with you on the defence budgets, child benefit and quangos.

You can achieve very large savings in the NHS without affecting patient care, simply by sacking all the assistant apprentice tea-stirrers mates.

WSS

The only downside to this (and to be honest I'm not sure how much of a down it is) is that the advertising revenue that the Guardian pulls in to publish ads for transexual diversity officers - I mean, wtF?

[minestrone]

You got to hand it to NL for trying it on. 2bn spending cuts are now labour 'saving schools 2bn'

The other day they were going to cut spending on 'unnecessary programmes', WTF were they giving unnecessary programmes money for in the first place?

When the NL twat comes round my house looking for a vote next year I'm going to give him a swift boot in the stones.

[Zippy]

There's no nice way of saying this so there'll be no mincing of words from this location.

Public spending has GOT to be reduced. There should be absolutely NO sacred cows and I'm afraid that means that difficult decisions need to be made, including:

- scrapping or severely reducing many benefits including means testing child benefit and disability benefits
- reducing dramatically capital spending on defence projects (and, frankly, **** the job losses at BAe etc and double, treble, quadruple **** the Admirals at MoD who believe that they're still fighting the Cold War - I mean, aircraft carriers? WTF?)
- huge reductions in quangos - any non-self funding quangos (and that doesn't mean a massive increase in levies on businesses or individuals) will have funding removed
- NHS to be insurance supported for anything other than emergency medicine - with the insurance companies being encouraged to provide equal numbers of secondees to run the scheme (quango-free zone)

/rant

I agree with you on the defence budgets, child benefit and quangos.

You can achieve very large savings in the NHS without affecting patient care, simply by sacking all the assistant apprentice tea-stirrers mates.

[Menelaus]

There's no nice way of saying this so there'll be no mincing of words from this location.

Public spending has GOT to be reduced. There should be absolutely NO sacred cows and I'm afraid that means that difficult decisions need to be made, including:

- scrapping or severely reducing many benefits including means testing child benefit and disability benefits
- reducing dramatically capital spending on defence projects (and, frankly, **** the job losses at BAe etc and double, treble, quadruple **** the Admirals at MoD who believe that they're still fighting the Cold War - I mean, aircraft carriers? WTF?)
- huge reductions in quangos - any non-self funding quangos (and that doesn't mean a massive increase in levies on businesses or individuals) will have funding removed
- NHS to be insurance supported for anything other than emergency medicine - with the insurance companies being encouraged to provide equal numbers of secondees to run the scheme (quango-free zone)

/rant

[minestrone]

Went to the football with a friend who is a teacher today.

They have been promised a 2.5% increase next year and they are all going on strike if that gets touched. I told him that my rate was down 40% on last year and he might have to take what is coming. He told me I earn too much anyway. I told him I never got a 3rd at uni.

The only way public sector wages are going to come down is for a period of high inflation with no wage increases.

[George Parr]

But is it so clever to focus on education first, instead of, say, a bunch of fat cat quangos of marginal use?

Mind you, they could be starting with the most contentious first, so that by election time these won't be recent in voters' memories.

This way it is high visibility. Cameron has sold the idea of cuts quite well so far. Now Brown is effectively saying to the electorate "is this what you really want? - 'cos its what you'll get under the Tories only a lot worse."

[OwlHoot]

I think this is clever politics by NuLab. They are desperately trying to prove a point - that they can be trusted with the economy for another term. So a lamb or two gets sacrificed. A few token gesture cuts here and there, all for the greater good of the country of course, and wouldn't it be so much worse if the Tories got in yada yada yada.

But is it so clever to focus on education first, instead of, say, a bunch of fat cat quangos of marginal use?

Mind you, they could be starting with the most contentious first, so that by election time these won't be recent in voters' memories.