Always seems like a good idea, but never seems take off. There's only 44 utcs, I think. Genuinely, I don't know enough about this age group, why has this not worked? Parents don't like it? Kids don't? Industry doesnt buy in? Lack of gov funding?
Also, grammars were meant to be accompanied by good secondary modern and technical/science schools. They dumped the technical ones, and SMs were crap. The idea failed. Bringing back one part of that system doesnt even make sense on its own terms.
Young people have laughed at them over the social media panic, most parents have rolled their eyes, so they're resorting to scaremongering. (And obviously in these cases your get a prevent referral and/or social services involvement.)
The National Review had a very funny, scathing review of it when it came out.
They. Are. Human. Shields.
Absolutely. And he'd have seen very clearly that the westerners there are no more than human shields too self absorbed to realise it...
I was reading Ballard's High Rise this morning and this made me think of Dubai
Ace. I've loved your stuff since I read A Private Bottling during my English Lit A Level in 1993.
Yesterday he said they'd bomb indiscriminately for ever, today he's realised they've already run out of vital ammo. Oh.
A friend was in Washington last week and said it was terrifying how nobody at any level feels able to say what they think, or criticise the regime. A recipe for disaster! (This is why they love AI, it obeys.)
My brother lives in Cumbria and a lot of people have never been further than Blackburn. My parents in North Yorkshire, most people born there and never moved. Incomers in some places (Harrogate, Lakes) but overall they're a small number. (I realise this is anecdotal, someone must have the numbers!)
All these places are at the extremities of the country. People generally don't move there, but many move away and don't return. So most ppl who live there were born there and never lived anywhere else. That's all you're seeing.
Also it never says no! A wonderful advance on using generals.
A friend was in washington speaking to government people last week, said they were scared to say what they think. This is what happens when nobody says no. (Or you ask AI to pick targets. It says 'yes of course' not 'bad idea'.) Will end badly. Or perhaps will end when they quickly run out of ammo.
My nan, from north Yorkshire, considered sheffield to be the start of the south.
Had none of them heard of Teams?
I mean, I would have thought given the events of the past few days a Teams meeting might have been suggested?
Hahaha I wrote in 2009 that this would happen to the 'equity punks', didn't expect it would take this long!
Also, as the father of teenagers, it is absolutely amazing/hilarious to finally give the vote to 16 year olds cos you're sure they'll vote for you, then ban social media!! That means every single 16 year voting green. Masterful strategy. Genius.
Agreed. Nothing wrong with some fun nonsense. Also, very weird to say you care about young people being depressed and your solution is to take away something they say they like!
The 400 year old version of leopards eating faces
Germain Greer gave me a look of (justified) disgust as I was mopping out a maggoty wheelie bin into the gutter outside a restaurant I was working in.
All most people will see if you change is weakness and chaos. No better than the other lot. And there is no electable alternative leader. Whoever comes in faces the same problems. Everyone needs to slow down, accept imperfection, and take a the strategic view.
A million times. Totally inability to see the big picture, you have to give the government 5 years to try to turn things round. Productivity is up, relations with the Eu are improving, small improvements all over the place. Yet people are hell bent on sacrificing it all for perpetual drama.
Crackers. Deranged. I'll be sure to freak out at my kids while they're watching football tiktoks tonight, and snapping their mates.
Yes. I'm thinking about doing an ma at the IoE, but I'm told out of 30 students just 2 or 3 will be English, and actually care about the subject. Unsure if it's worth the 14k...
He went to Verulum school. I know it. All boys. Good school. A few 'working class' areas in st albans but not many. I'm trying to think of 'terraced houses on the outskirts', not sure where he means. He was raised by his mum, who worked in HR for the NHS. So not well off, I'm sure,but working class?
So sorry.
Interested to hear what the people who have been wrong about everything ever have to say on this issue. Illuminating.
Vulnerable people are vulnerable online as we as off. We should help them. (Blanket bans wouldn't help the roots of their problems.)
