Westminstenders: PreGrades (Minority Report comes to the UK)

[RedToothBrush]

In Aug 2020, London, DC's prototype 'PreGrades' launched from the education department stops plebs before they go to university, reducing the social mobility rate to zero percent. Social mobility is predicted using specialized mutated humans, called "Teachers", who "predict" grades by marking shit lots of course work and exams over a period of years. Would-be social climbers are knocked down in a computer algorithm which distorts reality and hits the disadvantaged hardest. Central government is on the verge of adopting the controversial program nationwide by applying it in all departments from the DWP, the Home Office, the Department of Health and the Department of Justice to predict benefit fraud, getting sick asylum seeking and crime before it occurs.

DC's vision of the future is based on excellence being genetically ingrained into the elite but he must sell this vision to the unsuspecting public in a series of public votes which rely on the idea of the 'undeserving'. Little do they know that they too will be the victims of this plan until a mysterious bug appears and only the wealthy and well connected are able to get hold of adequate PPE and they are no longer able to buy bog roll nor retire to Spain as they had previously and endless queues for pizza form near Kent.

I know this is The Sun, but will some more pennies be dropping?

Disaster Dossier www.thesun.co.uk/news/12474511/emergency-plans-perfect-storm-no-deal-brexit-coronavirus-second-wave/amp/

That Sun article describes a "reasonable" worse case scenario. What about a worst worse case scenario

.....given that the far-reaching impact of Covid 19 has already been worse than the worst case scenarios I don't think many epidemiologists or futurologists predicted a virus that while it wasn't as lethal as, say, Ebola, was so highly infectious both asymptomatically and/or prior to developing symptoms, thus requiring a world wide lockdown

There is nothing in that Sun article that wasn't already being forecasted at previous cliff edges. Are we governed by goldfish?

"Top Tories" turning on WIlliamson, but he is one of BJ's protected Dumb But Chums

www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/aug/23/senior-tories-turn-on-gavin-williamson-exams-fiasco-a-level-gcse

The parliamentary party is split.
If you backed Vote Leave and backed Boris for leader, you are protected.
The rest of us are not listened to.
In fact, we are completely ignored.”

Tory unrest over Williamson’s position has added to pre-existing frustration over why he held the education post in the first place,
having never shown a particular interest in the issue.

The cabinet post came as a reward for his help in ensuring Johnson secured enough MPs’ support to win the leadership.

One Tory minister said that Williamson’s survival was “shocking”, before adding wearily:
“But nothing surprises me.”

Williamson has also been protected by the reluctance of Mark Spencer, the chief whip, to back a reshuffle,
concluding that it could leave Johnson with more enemies than new friends

Prettybird I don't think many epidemiologists or futurologists predicted a virus that while it wasn't as lethal as, say, Ebola, was so highly infectious both asymptomatically and/or prior to developing symptoms, thus requiring a world wide lockdown

I don’t think many epidemiologists have ever thought that a virus more lethal and infectious than any previously seen wasn’t likely if not inevitable. Maybe not precisely in 2020 but certainly at some point. In fact they are still thinking Covid might not be “the big one, it could be worse. There has been research going on worldwide to try and prepare for that eventuality, there was a scientist in Wuhan working on bay corona viruses to try to build understanding, it is just that they sampled the viruses in caves in Yunnan not on their doorstep, which as it turns out has different and more primitive RNR than Covid. After SARS they were very clear it was a lucky escape, it wasn’t “the big one” . At the start of the SARS outbreak that was the fear, that it was virus more deadly than flu with the same or greater infectivity. It took narrowing down how the virus had transmitted (lift buttons, soil pipes ) to realise it wasn’t airborne. That this time it was will have come as no surprise, and indeed in parts of Asia they were prepared.

The issue was not that it wasn’t expected, it was just that nobody listened.....

Governments have to plan - and act - for "reasonable worst case"
e.g. the Whitty / Vallance back ½ million COVID dead if nothing was done

(and no developed country did absolutely nothing)

However, while planning for "worst worst case" should also take place to some extent, actions in advance for this would likely in themselves be a disaster

the Whitty / Vallance back in March of ½ million COVID dead if nothing was done

When Exam fiasco meets healthcare disasters
news.sky.com/story/chair-of-embattled-exam-watchdog-owned-data-firm-that-was-involved-in-major-nhs-care-scandal-12054707

www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/philip-rycroft-scottish-independence-rest-of-uk
Interesting article on the consequences of Scottish independence, by Philip Rycroft.

The big difference with the Sun article is that it’s not Project Fear from Remoaners anymore. It’s preparation from the government stating there is a high risk of food shortages with a no deal brexit.

The fact it will end up in a shamble is finally been acknowledged by everyone.

I did wonder why that paper was leaked to the Sun rather than the Guardian or the Times...

LQ that’s what happens when you are co-opting your friends rather than choosing who has the relevant experience for te job.
Same with a few ministers too. Oh and track and trace guy who is now at the head of PHE (whatever Its new name is)

Good to see our Minister for post 16 education having a lovely time on holiday in the midst of the A level and BTEC fiasco:

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.standard.co.uk/news/education/education-minister-french-holiday-photos-a-level-debacle-a4531226.html%3famp

Caligula made his horse a Consul.

BJ might have done better to appoint Dylan the Dog as Education Secretary

Oh isn’t that nice for the Apprenticeship Minister. She looks as though she’s having a lovely time on holiday. Guess what, I cancelled my holiday last week so I could teach apprentices who need to pass exams to complete their apprenticeships in the next few weeks (and weren’t able to engage remotely for a number of reasons).

[quote SabrinaThwaite]Good to see our Minister for post 16 education having a lovely time on holiday in the midst of the A level and BTEC fiasco:

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.standard.co.uk/news/education/education-minister-french-holiday-photos-a-level-debacle-a4531226.html%3famp[/quote]
In France??
Isn’t there a quarantine in place now? So she wouldn’t even be able to attend meetings once she is back....

Chatting to a farming friend, apparently hay yields are down this year. They usually get 70 bales of hay per acre. This year it has been around 30. A lot of farmers are being forced to sell stock off early at a loss. As they don't think they will be able to feed them over the winter. (This is Dorset area and beef) This is to go with weather conditions rather than Brexit. However when it all combines together it is not good news.

quiteathome
What you were told agrees with other sources
www.fwi.co.uk/arable/harvest/harvest-2020-wheat-early-quality-looks-good-as-yields-slide

Interesting to watch the tectonic plates of Scottish independence shift underneath our very feet.

It seems there is a general assumption that it's now a question of when the next referendum is held (we can fork a discussion here about how it's assumed to be happening despite Boris insistence it won't).

Exhibit A is the fact that an argument has arisen over who should be allowed to vote in the not-going-to-happen Indyref ...

www.thenational.scot/news/18669692.stuart-cosgrove-independence-support-grows-unionists-desperation/

Better to tax us than Google, it seems.

www.theguardian.com/business/2020/aug/23/uk-to-drop-facebook-tax-covid-in-favour-of-post-brexit-trade-deal

The UK government is preparing to drop a recently introduced tax on global technology companies such as Facebook, Google and Amazon, due to fears that the so-called “Facebook tax” could jeopardise a post-Brexit trade deal.

Rishi Sunak is reportedly planning to ditch the digital services tax which was expected to generate about £500m to help pay towards the huge cost of the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.

.

Unless and until there is more respect for Scotland as a union partner and more support for opposition parties from their English counterparts, the independence movement will have its own way.

I genuinely believe that the Union as it stands has had its day. But there are alternatives to a bad break up (everything from a loose alliance to full federalisation). The problem is that Westminster will not address the issue until too late, after which point any desire for such a deal will be gone.

The problem is that Westminster will not address the issue until too late, after which point any desire for such a deal will be gone.

Which is exactly how they have treated the split from the EU - instead of amicably trying to find a way forward, it has been done with as much belligerence and blame as Westminster could muster.

Clav btw appears to be spending a lot of time dutifully trotting out government lines and promises on the ‘what the hell’s happening for schools’ threads on AIbu.

@Pepperwort

Clav btw appears to be spending a lot of time dutifully trotting out government lines and promises on the ‘what the hell’s happening for schools’ threads on AIbu.

Both Napoleon and Hitler paid a heavy price for fighting on two fronts.

Re the Sun article: if it's "reasonable" to expect food and medicine shortages in the event of no deal, remind me why we are doing this to ourselves?