and in France.

The BBC in describing the Home Secretary's approach to the current debacle sums it up:

"Mr Clarke himself, meanwhile, appears to have adopted a version of the self-flagellation strategy, touring every media outlet and making a full Commons statement admitting the mistake, putting his hands up and insisting it is his duty to stay and sort it out. It is a tried and tested strategy which may or may not have the desired effect. "

Where ever people screw up there seems to be this idea that you can put your hand up, pretend to take the blame, and it'll all be forgotten by the morning. What's happened to the tried and tested strategy of you screw up you resign?

I want out of this country and go and live it Italy.

CK

Please don't take my comments personally. I enjoyed the story but it got me thinking.

I've got quite ( o.k. then ..very ) strong right wing leanings, but all they do is raise my blood pressure because I am well aware that I am powerless to change anything.

I am therefore trying to see the other side of each equation and hope that I will live longer as a result.( Unless I'm murdered by a grasshopper )

Raykay

My kids go to a local comprehensive and a friend of mine was a teacher so I am well aware of what goes on in schools. What I was trying to say was that the kids who are disruptive need to be treated differently to the kids who just want to get on and learn. If we can educate the disruptive kids to behave and become useful members of society then it will make life better for all of us.

Drug use and criminal behaviour costs the country billions of pounds a year , not to mention the human cost in destroyed lives of victims and wasted lives of the perpetrators. I strongly believe that we should lock up violent or persistent offenders but while they are locked up we should make every effort to change their behaviour and turn them into useful citizens.

As Henners says, politicians preach to us about how we should live our lives and then go and do the opposite and then expect us to look up to them.

Phil

CK - You seem to have touched a nerve! Sorry if my rant upset some people.

rcgbob44 - I agree with you. Spent a lot of time in Italy (Bologna) and loved it. They seem to have the work/life balance just right. Terrible beer, though :)

Wanting to move to Canada for exactly the same reasons. (good beer as well..)


ant (sic)

[Edited on 27-4-2006 by Chief R.B.]

And Hockey!!!!!:D:D:D

As you said they should be treated differently, not preferentially as they are now. There is no longer any deterent for misbehaviour in schools, as the schools them selves are constantly haranged by the newest social experimentationalists. Why therefore should the good kids in school strive so hard to achieve when all around them, in school and out, the latest Jade Goody or Michael Carroll is receiving more attention, money and respect than they ever will with their 9-5 mon-fri jobs.

I dont really know when the rot truely started to set in but I would say when with the backing of the Teachers unions to ban capitial punishment (I had the cane once and never bothered to try and have it again,its called DISCIPLINE) and the idea that intergration of uncontrolable children who dont want to learn in classes of pupils who do is a national disaster.
when I was at school everyone was given an equal chance to learn but if you where determined to disrupt classes you where put in a special class you still got a basic education but you could not stop the rest of the pupils from making progress.
I know this wont go down well but when teachers start moaning about lack of discipline and respect from pupils I have only to say it was self inflicted
I respected my teachers because of the way they were Firm/Honest generaly fair and passionate about their subjects
what i remember most was the fact that they wanted to impart learning they werent concerned whether there was 10 bright pupils or 50 as long as they passed on the basic skills to get on in life.
now all teachers are concerned about is there position in the school exam league tables,instead of learning a broad spectrum of a subject the kids are fed parrot fashion on focused areas so that they walk in to the exam an work like preprogrammed robots.
and my final gripe about respect is when dress like kids you are like kids and the teacher pupil divide is gone and I shouldnt think it will be long before there all wearing hoodies.

its like all liberal/labour scocial engineering its all a case of dumbing down if you take away decent education so people have low expectations there easier to brain wash.
look at labours voters there made up of unmarried mothers immigrants and the work shy all because these are the ones most protected by labour.:flame::flame::flame:

.....and all this knowledge is based on.....???????

When was the last time you went into school and sat in class????:)