tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post777034895437587329..comments2024-03-14T09:50:40.819+00:00Comments on Dr Grumble: The Middle of the Road ViewDr Grumblehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04417731064007601504noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-41602419931523755522011-01-08T20:55:59.427+00:002011-01-08T20:55:59.427+00:00"I cannot believe that anyone would want to s..."I cannot believe that anyone would want to send their children to schools where the teachers might not have formal teaching qualifications"<br /><br />What world have you lived in for years? The teachers at public schools in England (Durham, Charterhouse, Eton and the rest) traditionally had many graduates teaching who did not have post-grad teaching qualifications. None of them seemed to have much trouble finding takers.Eileenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02684985554953836607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-66271187354388139472011-01-05T09:13:52.329+00:002011-01-05T09:13:52.329+00:00on the banks, the collapse of the bond market, ste...on the banks, the collapse of the bond market, sterling crashing on the international markets and we would be broke. And <a href="http://www.bootswholesa.com/" title="Ugg boots" rel="nofollow">Ugg boots</a> it was oh! So close that that. And, whatever .xiaoxiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05952302839281453092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-57210527259547316342011-01-04T13:06:22.076+00:002011-01-04T13:06:22.076+00:00Well, Sam, thanks, it was of course Michael Lewis ...Well, Sam, thanks, it was of course Michael Lewis who said it through some "guys" in The Big Short.<br /><br />The truth is we were led to believe in our democracy and where I came from, we have nothing like that but we have now a very decent government in a crowded little place.<br /><br />News now is that even the rescued banks are going to be making lots of money. And bonuses! Sad.<br /><br /><a href="http://cockroachcatcher.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">The Cockroach Catcher </a>Cockroach Catcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14440000294855006966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-1722118581664497512011-01-04T01:46:48.758+00:002011-01-04T01:46:48.758+00:00" I think there is something fundamentally sc..." I think there is something fundamentally scary about our democracy…. Because I think people have a sense that the system is rigged, and it’s hard to argue that it isn’t."<br /><br /><br />'Say little, mean a lot'! CC, you're amaaazing! Summed it all up in 1! hehe :-)Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09558370387772079822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-38888171727496127172011-01-03T20:25:45.344+00:002011-01-03T20:25:45.344+00:00This doctor takes a different view. But she does h...<a href="http://racheljoyce.blogspot.com/2011/01/schools-shouldnt-answer-to-parents.html" rel="nofollow">This doctor</a> takes a different view. But she does have an axe to grind.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-35036639901806845702011-01-03T18:06:41.496+00:002011-01-03T18:06:41.496+00:00Unfortunately, Northern Teacher, this sort of madn...Unfortunately, Northern Teacher, this sort of madness is getting everywhere. I heard that item on the Today programme too but I noticed that parents wanted their children to be taught by qualified teachers - so plainly the public has not been taken in by this sort of nonsense.<br /><br />The powers-that-be seem to think that teachers, doctors and other professionals have created closed shops which are designed to protect the interests of professional groups. They are hell bent on challenging the need for pupils to be taught by teachers and patients to be treated by doctors. <br /><br />The reality is that professionals are not really out to protect their own interests. What they are most interested in doing is seeing that those who do their jobs are properly trained and competent to do what they are required to do. Taking short cuts with this is counter-productive. There are many doctors who take the view that getting nurses to do doctors' jobs costs money rather than saves money and getting healthcare assistants to substitute for nurses is also misguided and makes the wards less safe.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-33053394203642432382011-01-03T17:46:10.571+00:002011-01-03T17:46:10.571+00:00I checked out the BBC website http://www.bbc.co.uk...I checked out the BBC website http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12099245 after catching a comment on the Today prog this morning that 'teachers employed by them [free schools] will also not need to have formal teaching qualifications'. For crying out loud, have you ever heard anything so ridiculous? The article finishes with 'free schools will give all parents, not just the rich, the option of a good local school with great teaching, strong discipline and small class sizes'. Er, how does this work then? <br /><br />I cannot believe that anyone would want to send their children to schools where the teachers might not have formal teaching qualifications. This isn't teaching assistants they are talking about. State education should be properly funded now. <br /><br />There should be a stop to all this tinkering about with schools and the NHS (the current government is not the only guilty party here). We all know, don't we, that as soon as the government changes, the new ministers have to justify their presence by making changes for the sake of it.NorthernTeachernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-9585029447617144232011-01-03T13:02:53.413+00:002011-01-03T13:02:53.413+00:00I can only say that reading Michael Lewis' Big...I can only say that reading Michael Lewis' Big Short gave me a good deal of insight into what went wrong in the financial world and in democracy.<br /><br />" I think there is something fundamentally scary about our democracy…. Because I think people have a sense that the system is rigged, and it’s hard to argue that it isn’t."<br /><br /><a href="http://cockroachcatcher.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">The Cockroach Catcher </a>Cockroach Catcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14440000294855006966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-18653913051414555612011-01-03T12:57:11.322+00:002011-01-03T12:57:11.322+00:00It's better to pay people to work than pay peo...It's better to pay people to work than pay people to be on the dole. The inevitable consequence of the cuts is becoming apparent already as the as <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/jan/02/welfare-bill-soars-coalition-austerity" rel="nofollow">welfare bills soar</a>.<br /><br />And while we have all these people at home with no work being supported by the hard-pressed taxpayer we are busy outsourcing work to India. There is a madness to some of this.Dr Grumblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04417731064007601504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-17227684723848434942011-01-03T12:43:31.082+00:002011-01-03T12:43:31.082+00:00Dr Aust
While we are importing hundreds of thousa...Dr Aust<br /><br />While we are importing hundreds of thousands of mainly Indian nationals on ICT visas (which are uncapped) who are subcontracted into the labour market here for far less than market rates, and many are used to move British jobs to Indian on an industrial scale, then there can be no hope of jobs being saved by the private sector. They bring their families in, get national insurance and tax dispensations, fill the schools with their children, the hospitals with their families. Raping this country of its prime intellectual property. And many go onto get indefinite leave to remain. We may as well outsource the whole dam country to India thats what we are doing.<br /><br />Cameron has made a massive mistake by talking tough about an immigration cap while in practise leaving the flood gates open.<br /><br />There is much more wrong than you seem to realise.No Onehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01441448586081929872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-53711717795948711412011-01-03T12:33:20.895+00:002011-01-03T12:33:20.895+00:00"When people lose their jobs it costs us all ...<i>"When people lose their jobs it costs us all money so it's not a straightforward issue."</i><br /><br />In addition to which, the private and public sectors are entwined, so the idea that private sector growth will re-employ the people that public sector cuts are making redundant is sheer wishful thinking.<br /><br />To give one obvious example, who actually builds public sector capital building projects? The answer, of course, is private sector architects, engineers and building firms.<br /><br />One of my relatives is the boss of a large architecture office - private sector. Much of their recent work has been designing and building new schools for the <i>public</i> sector under the last Labour Govt's schools renewal programme. <br /><br />Now that the programme has been slashed, most of this work has evaporated and his firm have laid off a good number of employees that they were employing to do it. Thus public sector cuts mean <i>private</i> (as well as public} sector redundancies.<br /><br />You cannot take lots of the publicly-funded economic activity out of the economy and expect that it will miraculously re-appear through entrepreneurialism. As far as I can see it is pure myth.Dr Austhttp://draust.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-89809913352774426602011-01-03T11:24:08.400+00:002011-01-03T11:24:08.400+00:00Grumble,
Re "What this shows is that it is a...Grumble,<br /><br />Re "What this shows is that it is as much dependent on the local people as the schools" er bollocks I am afraid. You really need to spend some time on the poorest estates up north, there really are some clever children, and they really are let down big time by the system. Most of the wealth creators in this country are in any case MOBILE and nor part of the state subsidised stable geographically sector like NHS workers and the like. People who can afford it are forced to move to the areas served by half decent schools, there is mass migration which totally distorts where folk live. In short a dead hamster with its head chopped off could provide better education than the state schools in the sink estates have done through years of governments of both main party.<br /><br />As for thinking yourself left wing you should start reading John Redwoods blog, and read back through his previous posts. You will be surprised to find that you share views with him on many many subjects, you are remarkably close. But then common sense none polictically correct thinking is bleedin obvious.<br /><br />Love Life and Peace as Spike would sayNo Onehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01441448586081929872noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-80428703315977925682011-01-03T08:16:51.610+00:002011-01-03T08:16:51.610+00:00Gosh, Julie, I remember all that. Each and every c...Gosh, Julie, I remember all that. Each and every cheque you wrote was sent back to you and I can certainly remember writing cheques to withdraw cash. I remember wondering about the security. Often there was very little. It was based on trust and the bank staff recognising you. And I certainly remember being interviewed to get a mortgage.<br /><br />Of course Grumble's view that debt is bad is outmoded. If Grumble had borrowed more for his house instead of playing safe he would be much better off now than he is.<br /><br />Money has changed over the years. There was a time when it was backed by gold or silver. Money is now debt. Perhaps that is when the precarious nature of banking started. <br /><br />Most people think the government creates money. In fact it is the banks. And it represents debt. Whatever we think, the world is actually built on debt.<br /><br />For anybody reading this who is as ignorant as Grumble, please watch this video on the <a href="http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-2550156453790090544#docid=5352106773770802849" rel="nofollow">nature of money</a>.Dr Grumblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04417731064007601504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-42482822760520752052011-01-03T01:17:38.479+00:002011-01-03T01:17:38.479+00:00Yes,
I (rightly or wrongly) feel that the point w...Yes,<br /><br />I (rightly or wrongly) feel that the point when the rot set in was in the mid eighties when they allowed banks to be both the seller and lender of a mortgage. That was a conflict of interest that was almost certain to end in tears.<br /><br />Interestingly, some months back I was clearing out my late father's bank statements. He had kept them all from 1969 up until the present day and it was like a history of banking policy. The oldest statements had the cheques that he had written, returned for his records. He also had to write himself cheques to take money out. As I moved into the mid eighties, the statements came with leaflets on loans attached. The envelopes got thicker and thicker with various offers on mortgages and home insurance, then life insurance and so on. When you got to the latest statements it was difficult to find it amongst all the bumff. My father never gave in to this kind of thing; he hated being in debt to anyone, but I'm sure a lot of people must have succumbed.Julienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-44842822617330226322011-01-03T00:19:19.862+00:002011-01-03T00:19:19.862+00:00I accept my opinion is down mostly to instinct. Bu...I accept my opinion is down mostly to instinct. But one thing that does annoy me is the view that the debt is a recent thing. I remember discussing it with friends a few years before the crisis who informed me that it would be better to get on top of it sooner rather than laterFuddled Medichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01745789223098027251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-1770068246442612752011-01-02T23:31:48.406+00:002011-01-02T23:31:48.406+00:00"the older generation always takes the view t..."the older generation always takes the view that the generation behind is not quite as good as they were."<br /><br />This is delibrately done to motivate the kids to be like you. I did it myself until the kids surpassed me. I even asked my parents and extended family not to ever mention that I was moderate in Chemistry, and my degree and prize certificate showing I was second overall on graduation still hangs in our breakfast room next to the kids degrees and other achievements. I always framed those and hung them in that room as one way to motivate them and it always worked! Time to remove mine? Nah, I was the youngest at 20 with a 4 year degree too ... this they can't beat! <br /><br />I bet they'll do the same to their own kids one day too :-)<br /><br />As for language, you are right, although of course mine are much better than me in English, but languages over all, no! <br /><br />It's also sad that medicine no longer trains medics on accent, speech etiquette ... etc, however, I insisted on that myself from a young age too ... makes me sound like a Mrs doubtfire, don't it! :-DSamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09558370387772079822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-59825230891353497812011-01-02T23:31:10.832+00:002011-01-02T23:31:10.832+00:00Well that's interesting Fuddled Medic.
My in...Well that's interesting Fuddled Medic. <br /><br />My inclination too is to get all debt paid off as quickly as possible. It may be that we are in a cleft stick and that there is not too much room for manoeuvre but I am not so sure about that. And there is a view that cutting back on spending is not the best way forward for a struggling economy. When people lose their jobs it costs us all money so it's not a straightforward issue.Dr Grumblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02459592334604944530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-54113560414558234672011-01-02T22:26:40.078+00:002011-01-02T22:26:40.078+00:00I relatively recently did my A-levels and I can co...I relatively recently did my A-levels and I can confidently state that they were easier then what they were ten years ago.<br /><br />One subject I did was Physics, the topics taught were the same over a 10 year period. But I sat an A-leve paper from 1995 and even though the topics were the same the questions were harder, the maths was more difficult with answers that didn't divide by 10 etc. <br /><br />Another problems is that todays modular system mean there is an abundance of past papers.<br /><br /> I doubt I saw a single original question in my A-levels due to having answered all twenty available past paper questions on that particular topic.<br /><br />I am not that bright, the only reason I got the grades I did was because I asked my teachers nicely for every single past paper and markscheme going. <br /><br />With regards to the economy I am generally in favour of reducing the deficit as quickly as possible - it annoys me that silly spending means we spend millions a day on paying off debt interest. Although i accept this is probably a silly view - far more cleverer people then me with economic degrees say otherwiseFuddled Medichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01745789223098027251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-10319986306096805512011-01-02T21:49:27.459+00:002011-01-02T21:49:27.459+00:00I can see that in music with set pieces - some of ...I can see that in music with set pieces - some of which must remain the same from one generation to the next - the yardsticks by which performance is measured must be fairly stable.<br /><br />I am quite sure that my children knew more science than I did at equivalent stages but some of what they know nobody knew when I was at school. Up and down quarks are a mystery to me to this day. The fundamental particles were rather bigger in my day.<br /><br />I would say that my children's language skills are feeble compared to mine. I don't think they have ever really had to write essays and foreign languages have virtually been abandoned by today's kids. I don't think this is altogether bad. Despite my quote above, Latin has never been of much use to me and I rarely use my limited skills in French or German.<br /> <br />Changes over the years make it difficult to judge how today's school pupils compare with yesterday's but I do remember similar accusations being levelled at me when I was at school and that is why I remember the phrase from Virgil. My kindly Latin teacher pointed out to us that the older generation always takes the view that the generation behind is not quite as good as they were. I decided then to make a point of remembering that so that I didn't make the same mistake.Dr Grumblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04417731064007601504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-42462363579353978312011-01-02T20:07:15.117+00:002011-01-02T20:07:15.117+00:00The reason that I know this is the case in music, ...The reason that I know this is the case in music, Dr G, is that there are music grades set by the Associated Board of Music which are separate from the general education system. Each grade represents a year's study and the standard of those grades has remained largely the same. When I sat my Higher Music I was expected to perform pieces of a Grade 7 standard. It is now Grade 5. I can't speak for other subjects of course, but my teaching friends tell me that it is a similar story. The other aspect of this is that if you flunk your exams at an early age and then try to return to full time education, it's more difficult to do this. My local college used to offer crash highers and standard grades in academic subjects which you could do in a year; now what you have to do is study three modules for a year and if you complete that, you are allowed to sit a meaningful exam the next year. There are lots of people who can find a year out to further their qualifications. Two years is a different matter. Basically, if you don't get your subjects first time round, you're ***ed. For my own subject, being Grade 7 standard and being Grade 5 standard is the difference between finding work and not finding work. I don't think people are any less able than they were twenty years ago, but I think they are less well educated and with a purpose.Julienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-31492934822499828832011-01-02T19:21:34.468+00:002011-01-02T19:21:34.468+00:00I am reminded of a passage from Virgil's Aenei...I am reminded of a passage from Virgil's Aeneid Book XII. It goes something like: qualia nunc hominum producit corpora tellus.<br /><br />Every generation tends to say that today's men are not up to the standard of yesterday's. This is very much so in medicine when it is said that today's young doctors are not as good as we were. It's probably not true. They are probably better than we were (though maybe not at Latin). Certainly Virgil seemed to be of the view that today's man was not quite up to yesterday's in terms of strength.<br /><br />Julie may be right but, in England anyway, we are told that grades are going up and up.Dr Grumblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04417731064007601504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-91579496940714339232011-01-02T17:34:31.302+00:002011-01-02T17:34:31.302+00:00On the subject of education, I'm afraid that I...On the subject of education, I'm afraid that I don't have many solutions to offer; I can only give my own perspective on it. I am the daughter of two teachers and I have been a teacher myself and I have watched the 'progress' of the education system with some dismay. In my own subject (music) I can tell you that the standard now required at (Scottish)Higher is two grades (or years) below what was required when I was studying. Those in other subjects say that it's the same for them. I think there are a couple of things going on. Firstly, when the government changed funding to unis from a block to per capita basis, it forced the unis to take more students on. This meant that greater numbers of people were taken off the unemployment register. Secondly, (and this is where the conspiracy theory comes in) I have been convinced for a while that the government is deliberately training a low skills workforce, with just enough knowledge to function and get a job in whatever multinational is throwing a bone to the economy, but not enough education to be a nuisance and demand more money. That is the purpose I believe. For that reason, I don't think you are going to see the end of this anytime soon. The answer to this lies in peoples' own initiative and bucking the system themselves by setting up small businesses,(in Glasgow we are looking at the Grameens Bank which may contain answers to both the financial and educational problems) but ideologically we need our government to be convinced that we will do better with a flotilla of small businesses than a few multinationals and I think that we haven't quite got our heads round that yet; we are so used to the manufacturing model of economy.Julienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-21093912186170779202011-01-02T17:13:16.642+00:002011-01-02T17:13:16.642+00:00Middle of the Road;
Here's a few solutions, a...Middle of the Road;<br /><br />Here's a few solutions, as that's what you're looking for.<br /><br />We, ra people, now own the banks. We effectively bought them. So the government could cut bonuses. If the bankers in question moved to another country a) they could not take the bank with them b)I am sure there would be plenty of bright eyed, bushy tailed out of work graduates who would be more than happy with their starting salary.<br /><br />We could redirect some much needed money to the NHS by giving the profits from the re-financing of PFI loans back to the projects concerned. That would give the NHS some ease and might be the difference between holding the line and embarking on a suicidal sacking of frontline staff.<br /><br />We are currently in the middle of the biggest NHS shake up for 20 years. This could be an opportunity to look at why administrative costs in the NHS have risen from 6% to 23% since the introduction of the market and sort it out. My own country (Scotland) manages its NHS on 6% admin costs. Why can't England?Julienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-58011416624173183642011-01-02T13:40:04.510+00:002011-01-02T13:40:04.510+00:00"Lots of criticism but no solutions."
O..."Lots of criticism but no solutions."<br /><br />OK, You don't want to lose the bankers but want to still make them contribute to fixing the mess they made?<br /><br />I would force them to invest their bonus money in the public sector for a fixed period before they are allowed to draw it out again. This way, you don't have to force untested changes to the NHS, for example, and do not have to cancel ops and sack frontline staff, but will have more time to sensibly reconfigure the admin to a more effecient model. The bankers may not get a return on their investment, but they would contribute to bailing out those threatned by their incompetence now, as those have bailed them out before! Fair!<br /><br /> " Much could be done without destroying the city as a source of income."<br /><br />Nobody wants to see the city destroyed! Due to national pride too! But they will not go because even the countries you mentioned can not economically cope with such huge shift from London in the short term anyway! <br /><br />"And don't forget it was your very own Gordon Brown"<br /><br />Speaking for myself, I have no very own anybody, but I didn't mind Gordon because I could see that he was a hard working man who was trying to fix a mess that he inherited, this is where the blame lies really, on that sofa for one.<br /><br />And I like David Cameron now despite having not voted at all in the last election. I like him for the same reason in that he is a hard working man who is passionate about wanting to make a positive difference, only he has a very tough job to do so many of his decisions will not be liked by some. That I understand, but I hope he would do a U-turn when a decision turns out to be unsuitable, simply because those are unique times and what's needed are the best solutions that 'will' work in the long run.<br /><br />"As earners they will be in the top 1% of the population and will have the privilege of pushing a vocational career with rewards in terms of status and personal satisfaction far greater than many others." <br /><br />What top earners?! They graduate to 21k, 4k less than the national average and after 6 years at uni, have a debt of 50k too, soon to rise to 100k!<br /><br />"Why should they not pay more than, say, a school teacher or a social worker?"<br /><br />Because they spend double the time at uni hence graduate with double the debt and are 3 years older than those on graduation, hence lost 3 years income too ... and there are no jobs on all levels of training now, do you have a solution for that Anonymous because this lack of posts has completely wiped out all the 'privilages' you mentioned, those are now a thing of the past!Samhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09558370387772079822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25200961.post-13969777679741419982011-01-02T13:03:06.322+00:002011-01-02T13:03:06.322+00:00It seems to Dr No that the crux of the matter is c...It seems to Dr No that the crux of the matter is contained in two C words, neither of which, thankfully, has anything to do with culture.<br /><br />Dr G talks of a financial crisis. MOTRM talks of a financial catastrophe. <br /><br />Crisis has for centuries been part of the medical world. Doctors are used to managing crises, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. But they are part of life, and death, and they pass, and life goes on.<br /><br />Catastrophe is a very different matter. It is exceptional, terrifying, and demands the most urgent of actions. <br /><br />Dr G and MOTRM: two intelligent articulate individuals looking at the same problem. One calls it a crisis, the other a catastrophe.Dr Nohtt://www.badmed.netnoreply@blogger.com