UKIP go from strength to strength

[Truronian]

I am fully in support of restoring the grammar schools.
I'm ignorant of the rest of their education policies. Anything interesting?

That's the only one I can find!

Grammar schools are a bad idea, but I won't get into the specifics of why right now.

 

[Terxpahseyton]

I'm fine with objectivism up to the end of the first bolded bit. And the second bolded bit looks OK, too.

Yeah from what I gathered about its premises myself they do seem more or less sound. At least no obviously wrong. The problem is the crazy-arse conclusion. Which seems to basically rest on an awfully crude analogy rather than an actual account of the human condition an its myriads of issues. But I guess that follows a proud liberal tradition .

And that's why Germany is my favourite contemporary European country. Prost!

On behalf of the German people - I shall feel honoured! Though to be perfectly honest, I have the impression that beyond the Anglo-Saxon sphere there is no country whatsoever where objectivisim is a thing.
Be it Germany, Italy, India, Brazil or Nigeria.

And are you sure Germany has no Objectivists? The Netherlands has plenty!

Okay maybe I was wrong.
Really?!
Where do they come from? How do you know about them? What is happening?!

 

[Borachio]

Sure, wealthy parents can pay for tuition for their children in preparation for the 11+ which delivers a large advantage in contrast to lower income parents. However, in a grammar school system it is less of an advantage to be wealthy than it is in the present system. We would return to a more equal, but still unequal playing field. That's still an improvement on the current system. Unless you can propose a completely fair way of education without reducing standards massively?

All the leftists I read in the press and in real life always point to how Germany does so well and how we should emulate the German model in everything. They always seem to forget the selection by ability the German system is underpinned by!

I think the UK would do better to emulate the best.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_in_Finland

The Finnish strategy for achieving equality and excellence in education has been based on constructing a publicly funded comprehensive school system without selecting, tracking, or streaming students during their common basic education.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_Index

Oh look. Finland's only #2.

Denmark, then.

 

[Terxpahseyton]

Some German states select after the fourth grade. That clearly is ridiculous IMO. How a kid does in elementary school is IMO certainly no reliable means to establish what kind of school career it should pursue. And that is suggested by common sense but also strongly backed up by my personal experience. On the other hand, what it seems to do is highly depend the educational success of a children on the parents. Since this is what is happening in Germany and that also makes a lot of sense.

The Danish system seems to also only select after the 10th grade.

Though it should be stressed that simply no selection until fairly late is of course no solution at all in itself. Weather if Finish or Danish schools - their whole philosophies of schooling have to be taken into account.

A thing Germany seems to do well is that if you want to have yourself trained in a job rather than pursuing higher education you have to split your time between the theory and work-time at a company. Whereas other countries seem to allow for entirely or mostly theoretical trainings in that department.

 

[Tahuti]

Okay maybe I was wrong.
Really?!
Where do they come from? How do you know about them? What is happening?!

'Plenty' being a relative descriptor, since they cannot make any electoral success (nor can they in America for that matter) but you can meet quite a few if you frequent political forums in the Netherlands.

 

[Terxpahseyton]

Hugh... well I never encountered a German objectivist on the Internet (or anywhere else for that matter). Nor have I heard of such an encounter. The only Germans who even know that word seem to be those who frequently interact with Americans on the Internet.

Two factors come to my mind.
For one I think the Netherlands have a stronger liberal tradition than Germany does (or most European countries - if not even all?).
For another your people are exceedingly proficient in English because of American shows being broadcasted in their original language. And regarding the internet that may mean particular exposure to American randroids.

 

[Tahuti]

For one I think the Netherlands have a stronger liberal tradition than Germany does (or most European countries - if not even all?).

That's true perhaps. Of all European countries (including Britain), the Netherlands is perhaps the most similar to America in terms of mentality.

In case you are interested, some more Reactionary ranting:

Spoiler :

I also think it is largely acculturation that is the result of its rupture with the Southern Netherlands (generally known as Belgium). As much as I like the Dutch royal family, I have one time stated that Belgians are perhaps better Dutch people in my view than Dutch people are themselves and I still stand by that view. Because we have come to lack the Southern Netherlands (a division already started with the fall of Antwerp), the geographical features of the (Northern) Netherlands in combination with political stasis ensuing from the continued power of the States' forced us to become a trading nation with the result that we adopted free trade and a more liberal outlook on things in general. Belgians have been consistently better at conserving traditions that used to be common for the Low Countries in general and while I support a Greater Netherlands, it ought to make Dutch more like Flemish and Walloons than the other way around.

 

[Quackers]

UKIP have a fantastic chance of winning their first ever seat in the House of Commons today.

Here are a couple of videos of the great man himself:


Link to video.


Link to video.

 

[Truronian]

Carswell is sceptical about anthropogenic global warming, believing current climate change to be driven by non-human factors. He came to this position after reading Ian Plimer's Heaven and Earth.

Also, he's apparently a libertarian.

 

[Quackers]

Carswell is sceptical about anthropogenic global warming, believing current climate change to be driven by non-human factors. He came to this position after reading Ian Plimer's Heaven and Earth.

Also, he's apparently a libertarian.

So???

 

[Truronian]

So???

Well, you called him a great man. I wouldn't want people getting too carried away...

 

[Quackers]

Even if you acknowledge the mainstream reasoning for global warming you can no nothing about it. I think the UK as a country forms <2% of global CO2 emissions. We could start emitting the same level of CO2 as Anglo Saxon England did and it would barely affect the outcome of global warming.

Which in my view, makes the whole idea of green politics in the UK redundant. Fact.

 

[Old Hippy]

Even if you acknowledge the mainstream reasoning for global warming you can no nothing about it. I think the UK as a country forms <2% of global CO2 emissions. We could start emitting the same level of CO2 as Anglo Saxon England did and it would barely affect the outcome of global warming.

Which in my view, makes the whole idea of green politics in the UK redundant. Fact.

but green politics in the UK does not make their input into what China and India do redundant, there is redundant UK green polices and then there is redundant UK on world issues...

 

[Truronian]

Even if you acknowledge the mainstream reasoning for global warming you can no nothing about it. I think the UK as a country forms <2% of global CO2 emissions. We could start emitting the same level of CO2 as Anglo Saxon England did and it would barely affect the outcome of global warming.

Which in my view, makes the whole idea of green politics in the UK redundant. Fact.

If every country takes that viewpoint then of course nothing will happen. If every country does it bit then it will make a difference. I don't want to live in the kind of selfish country UKIP is pushing for.

 

[warpus]

I didn't know libertarians were allowed to be great. I thought we capped them off at "alright".

 

[Arakhor]

Like many great Tories, he also appears to have been implicated in the expenses scandal, wasting tax payers' money with 'cunning' accounting dodges. What a terrific chap all-round!

 

[useless]

No you see he's a good man because ukip

 

[Samson]

So UKIP won in Clacton, and nearly beat Labour in Heywood and Middleton (their majority dropped from 6000 to 600). It is always difficult to read too much into by election results as they tend to be protest votes, but still I think this is a very serious development.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29549414

 

[Quackers]

So UKIP won in Clacton, and nearly beat Labour in Heywood and Middleton (their majority dropped from 6000 to 600). It is always difficult to read too much into by election results as they tend to be protest votes, but still I think this is a very serious development.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-29549414

I am delighted. First time I've ever fist pumped the air in celebration over politics. The Heywood and Middleton result may even be a greater achievement then Clacton in the bigger picture. An incredible boost in support for UKIP.

Farage was on the BBC claiming UKIP will hold the balance of power. I'm not sure if we will reach that kingmaker status next term but to even be talking about having any MPs is a marvelous improvement.

 

[Samson]

I am delighted. First time I've ever fist pumped the air in celebration over politics. The Heywood and Middleton result may even be a greater achievement then Clacton in the bigger picture. An incredible boost in support for UKIP.

I thought you might be, but as I care more about the UK economy than keeping them from takin' our jeerbs I am more worried

I do agree that the Heywood and Middleton result is the bigger news. UKIP taking a lot of votes from labour in its heartland is much more significant than an encumbant who has changed the colour of his right wing banner keeping his seat.