UK XI: I Want To Ride My Diecycle

[Asura]

Gillian Keegan plans to ban mobile phones from English schools | Education policy | The Guardian
But in a 'broken clock is sometimes right' news - I'm okay with this one

Not sure how I feel about this one. My immediate thoughts are that I dislike the idea, because I have a deep-seated belief in communication as a human ideal.

But I think I've said it here before, in another thread; I'm not sure we thought through the ramifications of the information era on teens, in particular, the way it has networked teens in the same way it's networked everyone else. In earlier eras, kids only really had contact with the kids in their neighborhood, the kids at their school, maybe the kids at their judo class or riding school or youth club, and perhaps a penpal. That's it. Teen culture in Sheffield had no real contact with teen culture in London, teen culture in London had no contact with teen culture in Huddersfield...

Now, the comms era has introduced plenty of problems for adults. Look at the 15-minute-cities protestors, marching against surveillance while all having Facebook accounts. But I think it's fair to say that adults (taken as a group) are different to kids, with a bit more understanding of how their actions have long-term consequences. The information era has shown that people are easily influenced but that teenagers are influenced most of all; the army of kids who are obsessed with the likes of Andrew Tate are a perfect example of this.

People typically post that ancient greek person's quote saying how kids no longer respect their elders, and are idle, and what-have-you, and suggest "twas ever thus"... But specifically with the likes of Tiktok and so on, I'm not so sure if that's true, and whether we're at the cusp of a fundamental and permanent shift in youth culture.

[charlesr]

Time to withhold benefits from those who won’t look for work, says Jeremy Hunt | Benefits | The Guardian
Aware that fatigue is setting in on blaming immigrants for everything, the Tories now try to resurrect blaming people on benefits

BBC pointed out that he's announcing something that's actually already in place and has been for years.

[Anpanman]

Not sure how I feel about this one. My immediate thoughts are that I dislike the idea, because I have a deep-seated belief in communication as a human ideal.

People typically post that ancient greek person's quote saying how kids no longer respect their elders, and are idle, and what-have-you, and suggest "twas ever thus"... But specifically with the likes of Tiktok and so on, I'm not so sure if that's true, and whether we're at the cusp of a fundamental and permanent shift in youth culture.

As far as mobiles in the wider sense communication is a paramount tool for humans and I think it's a prerogative of parents to talk and engage their kids as much a possible, sadly go past any kids playground and you'll probably see parents pushing kids on swings whilst playing around on their devices and not talking to their kids..
As for school I don't see why they can't be banned at junior school but at secondary - certainly in our case, our daughter had to have one as all their homework was delivered electronically via a school portal. I can't see why schools cannot treat students as adults and ask them to turn off whilst in class or put them away just as adults would do in a meeting.

I don't think elders are respected, I don't feel today I'm respected as much as I respected older people when I was young. I respected older people less than when my dad did when he was young. Therefore it's not just the elders question for me it's society as a whole. The twats are worse now than when I was young.
That said, younger people who aren't scumbags are certainly more forgiving and kinder to other races, religions, gays and so on versus when I was young, I'm constantly amazed at how kind, thoughtful and forgiving my daughter and her friends are.

[Neon Ignition]

For schools I'm fine with the idea of them being banned because ultimately you can rhyme off the list of negatives they introduce to the situation with ease, but really there are no real positives. There was a lot of discussion on its reveal yesterday about things like kids accessing class timetables, deadlines etc via phone apps but that largely ignores the decades upon decades of generations that coped just fine with keeping track that they had English at 1pm each Tuesday. For me, the idea of secondary school kids having mobiles with them in school is much worse than primary kids. For things like homework nothing would be affected, the kids would still have their phones outside of school hours. I can only imagine how much harder teachers find navigating around 30 mobiles in a class is, or how much more pronounced an insidious bullying has become by the introduction of a device that can relentlessly video, message, share etc. Honestly, I can't think of a single legitimate reason a kid would need a phone during school hours - barely any reasons they'd need one out of school for that matter

[Neon Ignition]

Rishi Sunak says he should not be ‘rushed’ into taking HS2 decision – UK politics live (theguardian.com)
Despite relentless, widespread reports that the death of the remainder of HS2 is now cemented, Sunak says that like the rail line there will be nothing high speed about his final decision. The conference ends tomorrow so expect the decision on Thursday when he's out of Manchester.

Who would replace Rishi Sunak as Tory leader if he loses the election? | Conservative conference 2023 | The Guardian
A breakdown of how much worse the Tories will make themselves if they lose the GE with the supposed front runners for next party leader lined up as being:

-Cruella Braverman
Immigrants are "an existential threat"

-Kemi Badenoch
Charities that criticise the Government "should have their funding cut", "We are the Government, we should mark our own homework"

-Priti (Awful) Patel
We need to fight the "disease" that is socialism

-Penny Mordaunt
Once carried a sword

-James Cleverly
Trump did "positive things in international relations"

-Tom Tugendhat
The Security Minister who missed he was working with a China Spy

-Liz Truss
Fresh Ambition, Fresh Farage Support, Fresh Lettuce


Badenoch criticises opponents of inclusivity plans (msn.com)
Kemi says that the UK is the best country in the world for black people because in this country everyone just see's the person, no-one sees labels and the like. If you feel otherwise then it's because of Labour and them peddling racism fuelled lies!

Kemi Badenoch failed to declare meeting with Rupert Murdoch | Kemi Badenoch | The Guardian
When she's not busy selling her morality for a job title, Kemi is also busy breaking the ministerial code for... probably a job title

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/oct/02/families-should-have-more-children-to-care-for-ageing-uk-population-minister-says

Apparently the UK population needs to start banging out more kids! Get to it!

[Asura]

I can't see why schools cannot treat students as adults and ask them to turn off whilst in class or put them away just as adults would do in a meeting.

I mean; they can't because a teacher can't make a student do something. You can ask an adult at work to do something, and when it's reasonable, most people will do it, even if they don't like it. If they don't, you can discipline them, perhaps even fire them. Some teens are the same, but let's face it, many aren't.

[Neon Ignition]

Trans hospital patients in England to be banned from female- and male-only wards | Transgender | The Guardian
It feels like the mid-point fo the Trump presidency - the wait for the Tory era to be over feels never ending

[Asura]

Trans hospital patients in England to be banned from female- and male-only wards | Transgender | The Guardian
It feels like the mid-point fo the Trump presidency - the wait for the Tory era to be over feels never ending

They probably think they're being dead clever. They won't think so when this person is being treated in a women's ward:

[Anpanman]

I mean; they can't because a teacher can't make a student do something. You can ask an adult at work to do something, and when it's reasonable, most people will do it, even if they don't like it. If they don't, you can discipline them, perhaps even fire them. Some teens are the same, but let's face it, many aren't.

Fair point, different in the 70's.

[Nu-Eclipse]

The leader of the Reform Party (The Arsehole formerly known as the Brexit Party) complaining that the Tories are stealing their policies is satire that The Onion and Newsthump would struggle to come up with.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-66939798

[Neon Ignition]

Suella Braverman claims ‘hurricane’ of mass migration coming to UK | Conservative conference 2023 | The Guardian
Career racist Cruella spouts utter made up nonsense about Labours plans and attempts to further ignite racial hatred and various social phobias leading to a prominent Tory member calling her out and being kicked out of the conference by security

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/oct/03/sunak-refuses-to-rule-out-welcoming-farage-back-into-tory-party

And to sum up precisely where the Tory party are now at - the door is open for Nigel Farage to return to them

[Neon Ignition]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2023/oct/04/at-least-one-tenth-tory-donations-since-2010-property-industry

Tories can be bought shocker

[Asura]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics...perty-industry
Tories can be bought shocker

The party of landlords. Everyone knows it.

[MartyG]

The leader of the Reform Party (The Arsehole formerly known as the Brexit Party) complaining that the Tories are stealing their policies is satire that The Onion and Newsthump would struggle to come up with.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-66939798

One of the downsides of PR is we'll have Reform Party MPs.

[CMcK]

No way will Westminster ever adopt PR. FPTP represents the best chance of a majority government for the big two. Democracy my derrière!