tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10908924.post8776153955034594208..comments2023-11-05T12:45:44.399+00:00Comments on Ted Foan: Brown's Britain....it's mostly Balls!Ted Foanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04497077127882545545noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10908924.post-45166438817376826712009-03-19T10:41:00.000+00:002009-03-19T10:41:00.000+00:00The rise of Chinese manufacturing amongst other th...The rise of Chinese manufacturing amongst other things means that British industry does not require as much factory fodder as it did in the past.<BR/><BR/>Our whole society (not just schools etc) has never needed produce as many people who can think for and look after themselves in a highly interconnected global economy.<BR/><BR/>In the old days we used grammar schools to produce just enough people to populate the ranks of middle management and provincial solicitors and doctors offices. Everyone else (apart from the public school toffs who were in charge) spent their days pretending to work down the local factory or mine.<BR/><BR/>The solution? Eradicate Socialism. Focus on teaching business skills, science, and technology in schools. Stop paying benefits to scroungers. Bring back Maggie.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10908924.post-2836294761186909452009-03-16T00:06:00.000+00:002009-03-16T00:06:00.000+00:00Subrosa - I do worry about some of our young peopl...Subrosa - I do worry about some of our young people and their life chances they will get. Politicians of all hues have tinkered with the education system and bodged most of what they have introduced over the last 30 years or so.<BR/><BR/>Paying kids to stay on at school speaks more about the convoluted tax credit system that Labour has introduced and the need to bribe parents as well as the kids.<BR/><BR/>You're right about Mrs T - she won't accept less than 100% effort from our 12 year-old son who is doing well because he is attending a comprehensive that still maintains the ethos of the old-style grammar schools. And it's working!Ted Foanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04497077127882545545noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10908924.post-13485803861442654282009-03-15T02:40:00.000+00:002009-03-15T02:40:00.000+00:00Oh Ted, if it wasn't so serious a subject it would...Oh Ted, if it wasn't so serious a subject it would be amusing.<BR/><BR/>In the latter part of my career I dealt with teenagers like your niece (they always wanted to work with children or animals) and this reminds me of those days. Not particularly happy days because it was evident, even under Maggie Thatcher, that the English comprehensive system was failing far too many youngsters.<BR/><BR/>I can't speak for the English system these days but the Scottish system has also been on the slide in recent years with more and more young people being encouraged to stay on at school rather than go into the world and broaden their horizons. Aren't 6th formers paid to stay on? I think somewhere I read they receive £30.<BR/><BR/>It can't be easy being an uncle but your wife is doing a good job of being an aunt :)subrosahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00151702590329788260noreply@blogger.com