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AIBU?

To say thank fuck for Nicola Sturgeon

454 replies

Chippednailvarnish · 04/09/2015 11:45

I can't stand her anti English stance, but at least one political leader is doing something for the refugees...

OP posts:
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ClearBlueWater · 09/09/2015 23:34

Was at Tweedbank today.
Her Maj was v late and stayed about 12mins.

NS much more grovelly to Her Maj than I expected.
There is a funny pic of them though, facial expressions say it all.

NS was there for HOURS letting every tom, dick and harry have his/her pic taken with her, arms around, cheesy grin.
She works hard for the money.

We bumped into her in Pizza Express a couple of days after the IndyRef.
She'd come in for a quiet dinner with her husband.
My kids and I were the only ones there too.
She very nicely said hello to them and posed for a pic
(I was squirming, but the kids were thrilled) which was decent of her in the circs.

But I wish she'd stop being a 'sleb' politican and get on and DO something.

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Lightbulbon · 08/09/2015 21:01

I still have my primary school teport cards from the 80s.

They don't have grades or percentages on them or give any indication of my placing within my class.

They had a handful of 3 tier tick boxes and the odd descriptive sentence.

The cfe ones are a bit daft but they do give more detail than those 80s ones.

The descriptions above of 'studying for the test' sound exactly like how my private school taught us in the 90s.

As long as there are exams teachers/pupils/parents will 'teach to the test'.

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Hamiltoes · 08/09/2015 20:00

Yes definitely frustrating re Exams and general dumbing down.

I had to do an SVQ a couple of years ago after my HND to complete my qualification. Dear god that was hideous. Half the time I was telling my assessor the actual answers and god forbid you wrote down you did a job (a general, everyday job such as turning on a PC) without first stating you have checked who the first aider is and found your nearest fire exit, eye wash etc.

Absolute nonsense but I'm going a little off piste.

I think the audits, tests and documents etc are a bit of a vicious circle? The more people point the finger the more auditors are brought in, the more time is spent doing that instead of actual role, the more people point fingers.

I'd like to see testing for my child but I don't think its anyones buisness what level my child is at except mines and the few people and bodies who have control of her education. So in that sense I'm against publishing tables and results and percentages etc, but all for a few tests taking place over the years.

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PacificDogwood · 08/09/2015 19:32

It was as if it was more important to be seen to be doing something

This is true in health care too - we are tying ourselves in knots documenting everything we do and as long as we do that, there's no comeback for having done something wrong?? Hmm. One has to be seen to be auditing, and documenting, and having mounds of boxes ticked to the detriment of care IMO. I am hoping for a turnaround some time soon

My eldest has just started high school - his history homework was to colour the front of his jotter in Hmm
I do wonder whether the general trend to dumbing stuff down to the lowest common denominator is a country- or even world-wide one? This pandering to everybody being a special snowflake is all part of a very ego-centric and hedonistic society we have become (certainly in the rich North-West). I often wonder whether we are in a similar situation as the Roman Empire just before its fall.

Hm. I think I may gone just slightly off topic of this thread Grin

Talk amongst yourselves. It is very interesting. Even if not always edifying.

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RJnomaaaaaargh · 08/09/2015 19:27

Yes screm, my daughter lost points on her nat5 prelims for using terminology that doesn't get taught till higher. I don't know if that's standard but I was Shock that a correct answer was marked incorrect for not being simplistic enough? Is that standard in other places?

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Scremersford · 08/09/2015 19:08

Oh, and re education - I did a science Higher at a night class with college pupils 2 years ago, and I was pretty appalled at what was required. I passed, but only after dumbing down what I was trying to do to learning certain responses by rote and being able to churn them out without thinking.

I didn't like the 3 limited fields of study or the fact that there were so many tests and assessment, prelims, mock prelims and so on that after the first few weeks, all you were doing was preparing to pass tests on quite a limited area of study with a limited range of responses. The essay responses in particular were in no way comparable even in short form as to how you should properly construct an essay at university level. The exam/text schedule meant that everything was very hurried.

It was as if it was more important to be seen to be doing something (showing certain attainment levels to a wider audience/being able to follow a very prescriptive set of responses) than actually gaining knowledge and a qualification worth anything.

I remember once writing "precipitation" instead of "rainfall" and being marked as incorrect because it didn't appear on the answer sheet. (When in fact precipitation was more correct as it also encompassed due and snowfall).

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Scremersford · 08/09/2015 19:01

I feel so uncomfortable and so depressed at whats happening in Scotland, and actually quite frightened, I just want to sell up and move away. Unfortunately we no longer have the property market we have enjoyed up here for most of my life, and my property has been on the market for 6 months with almost no viewings and a substantial price reduction (well under the valuation). I want to move to England. The SNP can do what they like in Scotland, but I don't want to own a property there any more.

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JohnCusacksWife · 08/09/2015 19:00

Well, "we" are not complaining...the unions are. And the Devil's in the detail, isn't it. If they introduced testing at primary that gave me a clear indication of how my child and their school was performing in simple terms like a % mark or an A/B/C grade etc then I would support that. But I strongly doubt that that is what's being proposed since it seems to run contrary to current educational theory to tell parents how primary pupils are performing.

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WankerDeAsalWipe · 08/09/2015 18:58

...and if you reread your post, it's not parents that are complaining, it's the teachers unions.

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WankerDeAsalWipe · 08/09/2015 18:57

Maybe it's because some of them are up to their eyes in trying to implement the CofE and maybe others are afraid of being caught out for being lazy?

The interesting thing about having children 1 school year apart is seeing them do exactly the same work from the same teacher this is despite the frequent time given for lesson prep etc. One was particularly known for it. Fuck knows what she was preparing unless there was a big queue for the photocopier. This was in the days where they were doing their A-E assessments or whatever it was. Both my children had identical reports - Marked straight down the middle of course - and neither passed or sat any assessments in the year that they were in her class.

I appreciate that this was pre SNP etc however just showing an example of where overall testing should help since it would show that no progress was being made.

Incidentally she got bumped from P3 to P1 - I wonder if they thought she could so less harm at that age though personally I think it would be better to give them a decent start...

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Hamiltoes · 08/09/2015 18:44

BBC news reporting that teachers unions are up in arms about the testing being introduced.

So we complain about not being able to hold them to account over literacy and numeracy skills, and then we complain when they want to test literacy and numeracy skills. Am I missing something ShockHmm

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Robertaquimby · 08/09/2015 17:31

JohnCusack I am not keen on AS either. I voted SNP in May but still wanted to vomit when I heard him say "The Scottish lion roared."

One of things I like about NS is that she doesn't seem to assume everything English is bad eg visiting London schools to look for lessons about how they have been so successful.in raising attainment.

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SquirrelledAway · 08/09/2015 16:37

Aberdeen is ??2746 for Band G. I think it buys us more impressive potholes.

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Aeroflotgirl · 08/09/2015 16:22

She's all hot air and talk. His many refugees are Scotland taking in!

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Alibabsandthe40Musketeers · 08/09/2015 15:10

I've been away from the thread for a couple of days, but Ubik no not 'both of them' as you have incorrectly assumed.

DH's family are Scottish, many have lived there until very recently, working in various sectors. There is a great deal of unease at how things are moving, both among the family connections we have, and among other friends.

Really important lesson - don't assume someone is uninformed just because they have a different opinion to you.

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JohnCusacksWife · 08/09/2015 13:06

Robertaquimby, if it's any consolation I hate AS more than NS! I just hate the small minded, parochial, chip on both shoulders attitude that many nationalists seem to have. They would deny it of course but I truly believe the root of a lot of their support is a resentment of the English and definite feeling that somehow Scots are inherently fairer, more decent people. That's why I reserve particular dislike for NS and her party.

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WankerDeAsalWipe · 08/09/2015 12:39

Also their blanket ban on GM crops without actually looking at the science. It's no different to what farmers did eons ago cross breeding crops to get hardier crops or better yields - yet we've banned it and it could mean 10% higher crop yields which would help the economy.

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Scoobydoo8 · 08/09/2015 12:11

Should have said over half the votes were against independence.

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Scoobydoo8 · 08/09/2015 12:09

Scooby - don't you think SNP are a shoo-in for the next elections

Hmmm, everyone seemed very anti Tory at the last uk election and look who got in.

No commentators or media twigged that Labour were going to be demolished.

Round here we have SNP instead of Labour SMPs for the first time. But I will prob vote Labour if I have to next time to try to remove SNPs.

Hate their cover Scotland with wind Turbines policy.

Remember over half of Scotland voted against independence. If Labour makes any sort of a come back then many snps will lose their seats imo.

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ClearBlueWater · 08/09/2015 11:29

Thanks, WankerDe
Thanks, trixy

that was what I was thinking of.

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trixymalixy · 08/09/2015 11:01

Prettybird

The new standings orders state that any MP must "accept that no member shall within or outwith the parliament publicly criticise a group decision, policy or another member of the group".

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WankerDeAsalWipe · 08/09/2015 10:39

Its also worth reading the article posted earlier which explains the lack of oversight in the Holyrood system.

And the budget figures I've quoted are Scottish governments own figures which they have to produce but bury quite well.

iirc the budget "gap" is about a fifth of the overall budget but don't quote me on that.

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WankerDeAsalWipe · 08/09/2015 10:29

I think the actual phrase is quoted some way up the thread clear though I can't be gassed going looking for it.

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ClearBlueWater · 08/09/2015 10:07

Ok. I'll try to google some facts.
I was referring to the SNP requiring its MP's to stick to the Party line at all times.

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prettybird · 08/09/2015 10:03

ClearBlueWater - what are these "draconian measures put in place by the SNP to prevent dissent by its members"? Confused I've never come across them.

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