The Boris Johnson thread.

Started by vandermolen, June 15, 2019, 04:21:09 AM

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Iota

Quote from: Mandryka on August 21, 2020, 07:50:58 AM
Our leader

He's the most un-leader like leader I can ever recall us having.

It still seems odd seeing the Daily Wail turn on their own, but hardly ever seeing it I may be out of touch.

Iota

Quote from: Papy Oli on August 21, 2020, 07:52:52 AM
for all in tents and purposes...  0:)

Hehe.

(At the risk of repeating myself ..)

Irons

You must have a very good opinion of yourself to write a symphony - John Ireland.

I opened the door people rushed through and I was left holding the knob - Bo Diddley.

Irons

#423
Quote from: Iota on August 21, 2020, 08:15:52 AM
He's the most un-leader like leader I can ever recall us having.

It still seems odd seeing the Daily Wail turn on their own, but hardly ever seeing it I may be out of touch.

They will change their tune six months before an election - trust me (I'm a reader :)).
You must have a very good opinion of yourself to write a symphony - John Ireland.

I opened the door people rushed through and I was left holding the knob - Bo Diddley.

Irons

You must have a very good opinion of yourself to write a symphony - John Ireland.

I opened the door people rushed through and I was left holding the knob - Bo Diddley.

Mandryka

Deloitte gets another huge COVID contract – for 'crazy' plan to test millions each day

https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/deloitte-gets-another-huge-covid-contract-for-crazy-plan-to-test-millions-each-day/


(Not at all sure what to make of this, which may be fake news)
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

vandermolen

#426
Quote from: Mandryka on August 21, 2020, 07:50:58 AM
Our leader





It's interesting that the right wing Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph have been critical of Johnson. I sometimes read the Mail and like the articles by Max Hastings but my daughter gets furious with me if she sees a copy of the Daily Mail in the house. Yet another thing I'm in trouble for.   ::)
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Mandryka

#427
Quote from: vandermolen on August 23, 2020, 10:46:01 PM
It's interesting that the right wing Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph have been critical of Johnson. I sometimes read the Mail and like the articles by Max Hastings but my daughter gets furious with me if she sees a copy of the Daily Mail in the house. Yet another thing I'm in trouble for.   ::)

. Look at this from the Telegraph

https://milled.com/telegraph-travel/a-catastrophic-economic-doom-loop-H5B0jkUyPK_Xkkk1
QuoteDear reader,

Following the series of fiascos over the past few weeks and months, Philip Johnston asks how long this Government will be able to survive the "stench of incompetence". Voters will forgive many things, but not the exam results debacle, he argues. Don't miss his column.


https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/08/19/britain-sucked-catastrophic-economic-doom-loop/
QuoteBritain is about to be sucked into a catastrophic economic doom loop
Huge state spending is set to trap the UK in a vicious circle of higher taxes and permanently lower growth


BJ has done his job, he's made Brexit happen. He's dispensable now. The knives are out, Gove will be waiting in the wings to take his job.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Scion7

I do wish the old boy was a bit more ... Longshankian:

" The Battle of Crécy was fought on 26 August 1346 in north-east France during the Hundred Years' War. It resulted in a victory for a greatly outnumbered English army led by King Edward III over the French led by King Philip VI and heavy loss of life among the French.  "

It's not too late to take Calais back ...
When, a few months before his death, Rachmaninov lamented that he no longer had the "strength and fire" to compose, friends reminded him of the Symphonic Dances, so charged with fire and strength. "Yes," he admitted. "I don't know how that happened. That was probably my last flicker."

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: vandermolen on August 13, 2020, 07:00:59 AM
Johnson, of course, is nowhere to be seen during the current A Level Results Fiasco. And it is a big fiasco.
How does that normally work in the UK and how are they adjusting it now?  From what I understand, it's a series of tests that students need to take to get into a university?  Are they all taken at the end of their final year of school?  And do you need to take them in all subjects?  Or just certain ones (that you want to study at uni)?

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

vandermolen

#430
Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on August 26, 2020, 09:41:39 AM
How does that normally work in the UK and how are they adjusting it now?  From what I understand, it's a series of tests that students need to take to get into a university?  Are they all taken at the end of their final year of school?  And do you need to take them in all subjects?  Or just certain ones (that you want to study at uni)?

PD
They are taken at the end of the academic year (Year 13 here) when the students are c.18 and they act as a university or Higher Education entrance exam. After age 16 (GCSE exams) school pupils here specialise in just three or maybe four subjects. It's not like the International Baccalaureate where you continue with a wider range of subjects, although some school here do IB or Pre-U instead of A Levels. I teach Pre-U History of Art and for many decades taught A Level History.
They (the govt.) made a terrible mess of it by basing the estimated grade on how well the school did in the past! Crazy as it discriminated, for example, against high achieving students at poorly performing schools. For example, a clearly very bright girl who had a place at veterinary college depending on her results of As or Bs was awarded C and D grades. She said that her life had been ruined. As a result of this kind of thing the govt. had to perform a U-turn and instead of relying on an estimated grade through an algorithm it decided, as it should have done in the first place, to use the teacher's estimated grade. As a result of this the results will be slightly higher than usual as teachers will tend to give their students the benefit of the doubt when predicting grades. However, no one's life will be 'ruined' by this. They don't trust the teachers and, in this country (England) decisions are made about education by politicians who have no experience of teaching or education and just want to advance their political careers.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: vandermolen on August 26, 2020, 01:53:54 PM
They are taken at the end of the academic year (Year 13 here) when the students are c.18 and they act as a university or Higher Education entrance exam. After age 16 (GCSE exams) school pupils here specialise in just three or maybe four subjects. It's not like the International Baccalaureate where you continue with a wider range of subjects, although some school here do IB or Pre-U instead of A Levels. I teach Pre-U History of Art and for many decades taught A Level History.
They (the govt.) made a terrible mess of it by basing the estimated grade on how well the school did in the past! Crazy as it discriminated, for example, against high achieving students at poorly performing schools. For example, a clearly very bright girl who had a place at veterinary college depending on her results of As or Bs was awarded C and D grades. She said that her life had been ruined. As a result of this kind of thing the govt. had to perform a U-turn and instead of relying on an estimated grade through an algorithm it decided, as it should have done in the first place, to use the teacher's estimated grade. As a result of this the results will be slightly higher than usual as teachers will tend to give their students the benefit of the doubt when predicting grades. However, no one's life will be 'ruined' by this. They don't trust the teachers and, in this country (England) decisions are made about education by politicians who have no experience of teaching or education and just want to advance their political careers.
Thanks Jeffrey!

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

vandermolen

"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: vandermolen on August 27, 2020, 08:42:45 AM
My pleasure PD.
I'm back at school tomorrow  :o ??? ::)
I meant to ask you about that.  Do you know what precautions will be put in place and what new rules you'll be asked to follow?

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

vandermolen

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on August 27, 2020, 09:13:48 AM
I meant to ask you about that.  Do you know what precautions will be put in place and what new rules you'll be asked to follow?

PD

Sure, although the government's guidelines change every 5 minutes.
The Design and Technology Dept have made us all visors and we must wear face coverings ( I have one made by the Textiles dept.) when in the corridors or communal areas but not in the classrooms (otherwise my students would have no idea what I was taking about). Also, we must follow the one-way system in the school and all meetings must be attended online in a classroom (I could do this from home). Tomorrow is an Inset/Training day.
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: vandermolen on August 27, 2020, 09:26:48 AM
Sure, although the government's guidelines change every 5 minutes.
The Design and Technology Dept have made us all visors and we must wear face coverings ( I have one made by the Textiles dept.) when in the corridors or communal areas but not in the classrooms (otherwise my students would have no idea what I was taking about). Also, we must follow the one-way system in the school and all meetings must be attended online in a classroom (I could do this from home). Tomorrow is an Inset/Training day.
Are there the same number of students in classes (wondering if they're spacing the desks further apart)?
Pohjolas Daughter

vandermolen

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on August 27, 2020, 09:45:39 AM
Are there the same number of students in classes (wondering if they're spacing the desks further apart)?
I don't know yet but I gather that the desks have been spaced out. I've received so many emails from the school containing instructions of one kind or another that I feel fairly spaced out myself!
"Courage is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm" (Churchill).

'The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good' (Stanley Kubrick).

Irons

Quote from: vandermolen on August 27, 2020, 09:18:20 PM
I don't know yet but I gather that the desks have been spaced out. I've received so many emails from the school containing instructions of one kind or another that I feel fairly spaced out myself!

;D
You must have a very good opinion of yourself to write a symphony - John Ireland.

I opened the door people rushed through and I was left holding the knob - Bo Diddley.

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: vandermolen on August 27, 2020, 09:18:20 PM
I don't know yet but I gather that the desks have been spaced out. I've received so many emails from the school containing instructions of one kind or another that I feel fairly spaced out myself!
Oh, noooo!  :(

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

Mandryka

First The Mail and now The Express gets the knives out for Boris. I wonder if the Tory press will swing to Starmer's Labour, which is, after all, quite tory.

https://www.express.co.uk/comment/expresscomment/1330470/prime-ministers-questions-PMQs-Boris-Johnson-keir-starmer-exams-brexit


QuoteThe soundbites were easy and plentiful. Boris had a "tin ear" for criticism, this was the a "wasted Summer" of "serial incompetence" and the Labour leader even quoted one of Boris's own MP's as saying "it is mess after mess, god knows what's going on."

Boris could only glare furiously from across the despatch box.

To give you some idea of just how rattled the Prime Minster was his ill-tempered response to Starmer's barbs was not jovial Boris knock-backs but a series of rambling and slightly incoherent accusations that the Labour leader was an EU-backing Remainer (true, but irrelevant) and that he was an IRA sympathiser.

It came across as desperate stuff. Starmer spent five years in Northern Ireland prosecuting high-ranking members of the IRA... a fact he studiously, if slightly over-gleefully, pointed out.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen