Page 22 | Westminstenders: In the Brexit Lane

RedToothBrush · 2018-08-02T08:25:39+00:00

I honestly couldn't think of a better starter to the thread than simply just this tweet Robert Peston @ peston ^We’ve got an official opposition tearing itself apart over antisemitism, the founder of the EDL running rings around the judiciary and a government negotiating a Brexit plan that its own MPs and ministers tell me is dead. When will we pull ourselves together, as a nation?^ But don't worry, your blue passport will get you an extra special long wait at passport control. And no deal could lead to continued freedom of movement anyway. Something for everyone in there.

NoCryingInEngineering · 08/08/2018 08:49

Compound interest is definitely useful to know. And is something we were taught in S2. Comparing financial products (or even supermarket "special offers") is generally basic arithmetic though and just requires you to blank out everything that says Special Offer or Limited Time Only and check the list prices.

I have a double (maybe even triple) chip on my shoulder about this so feel free to ignore the ranting. But this all feeds the STEM shortage AND the perception that maths & science is hard and the perception that these subjects are Not For Girls

As long as it's fine for adults to just accept that maths is hard and believe that there's no point to half of what's in GCSE maths a large chunk of the school population will be put of maths and STEM subjects before they even understand what they are. While even "functional skills" maths tests contain lots of reading to work out what the problem your being asked to solve is, kids with undiagnosed dyslexia limited reading skills end up believing they can't do maths. While kids are being asked to jump through more and more hoops at younger and younger ages more and more of them will end up believing they are failures. NONE of this is going to fix the economy, or Brexit. Or anything else

Rant over. Sorry about that

lonelyplanetmum · 08/08/2018 09:02

Head of Brexit communications?

www.civilservicejobs.service.gov.uk/csr/index.cgi?SID=Y3NvdXJjZT1jc3FzZWFyY2gmb3duZXJ0eXBlPWZhaXImb3duZXI9NTA3MDAwMCZ1c2Vyc2VhcmNoY29udGV4dD02MDgwNTYxMiZwYWdlY2xhc3M9Sm9icyZqb2JsaXN0X3ZpZXdfdmFjPTE1OTQ3OTMmcGFnZWFjdGlvbj12aWV3dmFjYnlqb2JsaXN0JnNlYXJjaF9zbGljZV9jdXJyZW50PTYmcmVxc2lnPTE1MzI2OTM4NzctZjI2MDExZTg2MWU5ZjU5ZDZmMDZkZWM1NmY4NTQ4MTg4YzYyMmVkZQ

More departures.

www.france24.com/en/20180807-hsbc-move-seven-offices-london-paris-brexit-european-passports-city-london-eu

lonelyplanetmum · 08/08/2018 09:03

They need a head of communications - the word 'exisitng' has a typo.

jasjas1973 · 08/08/2018 09:25

Philip Hammond, the Chancellor of the Exchequer (the UK's finance minister) told a group of British bankers in July that he fears that European countries led by France are trying to take advantage of Brexit to weaken the City

...and why exactly Mr Hammond would'nt they? is the Gov really this stupid.... EU finance has to, in the main, take place within EU jurisdiction, no longer the 'City.

It beggars belief that he is moaning about this.

borntobequiet · 08/08/2018 09:28

So my last Maths based contribution, as this isn't a thread about teaching...
Though most people think that dyslexia impacts on English (reading, writing), it's not always the case. Some people with dyslexia don't have any significant problems with reading and writing, but their Maths is heavily affected. They are sometimes diagnosed as dyscalculic, but almost always wrongly.
Certain dyslexics who are highly numerate and of high general intelligence are very good at Maths. They are able to visualise problems and mostly solve problems mentally. They are often very reluctant to show their working, and when they do, it's evident that they work in non standard and sometimes counterintuitive ways. They are frequently the people whose reading and writing is somewhat compromised, and they may try to avoid doing too much of either if they don't have to.
Other people with dyslexia may have few problems with reading and writing (in fact they may write very well). I believe that these are people are those who either by accident or design learn to read using the "whole word" method, so they recognise the shape of the word, and in fact may have been early readers. Spelling is not generally an issue because of this, though unfamiliar words may cause problems initially. However, for those who are averagely numerate, their Maths may be compromised by the processing, memory and organisation difficulties associated with dyslexia. Typical indicators are: difficulties telling the time/calculating with time; a tendency to do things "backwards", particularly dividing where they should multiply (and vice versa), adding where they should subtract; if given a problem that does not have the information given in a structured and ordered way, being unable to organise it themselves (so "not knowing where to start"); similarly if given a problem with information presented in different ways, for example a piece of text and a graph, being unable to connect the two; and finally, if a problem has been solved, coming to the wrong conclusion ("Which is the cheapest option, A or B?" They will respond A, even if their working shows B).
Both my children are dyslexic, which is why I became interested in the first place. My son falls into the first category above, though he began to experience difficulty at A level and I think dropped a grade due to dyslexia. My daughter falls into the second, and got a grade above expected at GCSE due to careful, patient teaching and methodical working.
I myself do the "reversal" thing a lot, have to watch out for it, and only belatedly realised that I'm probably a bit dyslexic as well...could read at 3 and have never had problems with writing.
Sorry that was long!

Peregrina · 08/08/2018 09:28

As indeed during the last War, the US took advantage of a weakened France and UK to muscle in on their former powers. Of course they are!

Original poster

RedToothBrush · 08/08/2018 09:40

Compound interest is definitely useful to know. And is something we were taught in S2. Comparing financial products (or even supermarket "special offers") is generally basic arithmetic though and just requires you to blank out everything that says Special Offer or Limited Time Only and check the list prices.

Compound interest absoluetely should be taught in schools better.

There are people who sell mortgages who don't know how to calculate compound interest the right way...

I believe that there is currently a case in the US regarding Wells Fargo which is relates to computer software which incorrectly calculated loans which led to foreclosures.

Its not something restricted to the US.

I would not be surprised if we eventually get a compound interest scandal here eventually. If the people writing the programming don't properly understand compound interest or take short cuts it will leave people massively out of pocket.

Think about it - when was the last time you checked that the compound interest charged on your mortgage was right, and was calculated on the right day? You just 'trust' that the bank has done it right don't you?

Strictly speaking we should double check it. I could do it, but truthfully I don't.

I also don't check the supermarket special offers which I should do. They drive me nuts but when I'm going around the supermarket with a toddler I'm not really in the head space to do it and I need a calculator to do it. DH can do it all in his head (bastard), and even though he has the ability to do it in his head, even he hates supermarket offers because its such a hassle. I personally think 'special offers' should be banned in supermarkets as no one normal has the ability to check that they really are special offers. Ticket price and price per kg only.

OP posts:

NoCryingInEngineering · 08/08/2018 09:46

The price per kg should always be displayed. But the classic supermarket "Special Offer" is the red ticket on the 4 pack of baked beans for £2.50, while individual tins are 50p each on the shelf below. Definitely designed to distract the shopper who is also trying to prevent their kids from destroying the shop

HesterThrale · 08/08/2018 09:51

If Boris was sincerely trying to open a debate about the burka, why is everyone talking about him?
Because that's exactly what he intended and wanted. He's an ambitious self-publicist who cares nothing for other people. (Cf Nazanin).
We should all just ignore him and he might stop making attention-grabbing remarks that are offensive, divisive and might risk the public safety of some Muslim women.
(Sadly I don't think that will happen. He has a column in the Torygraph, for one thing. And for another, here I am talking about him!)

Original poster

RedToothBrush · 08/08/2018 10:01

Certain dyslexics who are highly numerate and of high general intelligence are very good at Maths. They are able to visualise problems and mostly solve problems mentally. They are often very reluctant to show their working, and when they do, it's evident that they work in non standard and sometimes counterintuitive ways. They are frequently the people whose reading and writing is somewhat compromised, and they may try to avoid doing too much of either if they don't have to.

This is DH.

I have real issues with mental maths - I can't hold numbers in my head. If people read a telephone number out I REALLY struggle with it, because I can't visualise at all. Give me a piece of paper and time to work it out, and I'm very good at maths. (I'm trained as a bookkeeper).

The way we both do maths is very very differently. I'm not sure we could be more difficult. But we are taught to beleive that there is only one way to do maths.

Our brains work in very different ways and schools do not reflect that difference at all.

But thats education in a nutshell - very monolithic.

Re: IT teaching, DH made a comment which I thought interesting. He says that technically speaking although he can only speak english he is multilingual because he programmes in numerous different programming languages. People who can do this tend to be much better at learning foreign languages too. DH can pick up bits of language incredibly fast in a way I can't and he thinks its to do with how his brain is wired because of skills with programming languages.

It occured to me that the UK being so backward with foreign languages therefore makes us disadvantaged when it comes to programming languages too and this might well be problematic when it comes to the mindset of teaching programming in the UK too.

OP posts:

Original poster

RedToothBrush · 08/08/2018 10:04

If Boris was sincerely trying to open a debate about the burka

Why did he make deliberately offensive remarks when doing it, rather than make the point in more neutral and frankly grown up terms?

But then thats Boris isn't? A school boy.

OP posts:

AdaHopper · 08/08/2018 10:21

Did you see the requirements for the Communication Manager Role?

^Nationality requirements
Open to UK, Commonwealth and European Economic Area (EEA) and certain non EEA nationals.^

Mrsr8 · 08/08/2018 10:23

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Peregrina · 08/08/2018 10:42

Nationality requirements
Open to UK, Commonwealth and European Economic Area (EEA) and certain non EEA nationals.

I saw that, and then wondered:
which other Nationals?
why EEA?
and a killer - what about those N Irish citizens who identify as Irish? Or do they count as the certain non EEA nationals? There has already been one job advert which had to be amended because of this omission.

FishesaPlenty · 08/08/2018 10:46

Ireland is in the EEA.

DGRossetti · 08/08/2018 10:47

The price per kg should always be displayed.

There are many who struggle to compare £/kg and £/100g. How will they cope when we revert to £sd and imperial ?

prettybird · 08/08/2018 10:57

The EEA consists of the combined EU and EFTA countries.

Peregrina · 08/08/2018 11:02

So the EEA will cover Irish NI citizens? Is this some sort of a fudge which caused a previous advert to be withdrawn when it specified British Citizens?

Funnily enough, although some older people whinge about imperial measurements, I haven't heard anyone talk about wanting to go back to Pounds, shillings and Pence. I wonder why? I tend to avoid firms which quote things in lbs and oz - thinking that they reflect an outdated and Brexit mindset.

falcon5 · 08/08/2018 11:03

Oh dear God no one is suggesting we revert to imperial measures are they?

prettybird · 08/08/2018 11:08

There were indeed some such suggestions shortly after the Referendum that we could revert to "proper" Imperial measures but I hope none don't think any have been taken seriously.