the day after the deadline: can the union survive brexit and other deep questions

we were promised red, white and blue.

this by boris johnson in russia is daft:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/emilyashton/boris-johnson-and-russias-foreign-minister-just-had-an

1 it’s hard for anyone to feel that “russian intervention” even if it existed can have been a factor of any sort of significance, compared to all the other factors, including boris johnson’s prevarication and then coming out and campaigning for leave
2 why’s he interrupting? the man’s a total fucking fool (i know)
3 even if it had an influence i think most people agree it wd be on the side of a disruptive leave vote.

his head’s totally scrambled by his own ego. he’s an utter buffoon.

I:d rather have a passport that didn't put me in the second tier of hostages to get shot

this guy fuckin' gets it

The lead story on the BBC news at 6 was that people went shopping today.

and this on the day when Jo Johnson has promised that no ISIS recruiters will be banned from speaking in the UK

You wouldn't think that part of his Universities minister remit would be to encourage even more students to become Labour voters.

I'm just looking forward to all of my speaking gigs at Rotary events and Young Conservative meetings.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/commentisfree/2017/sep/19/lobbying-act-stifling-charities-tories-gagging-law

Did Jo vote against The Lobbying Act? I'd guess not.

https://i0.wp.com/skwawkbox.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/dugher-sc.png?w=543&ssl=1
I wouldn't think any less of Stella for hanging out with Labour Right, various Tories and "mighty" Shed 7. Just thought this was amusing in isolation from the god-awful Skwawkbox piece I can't bring myself to read.

I have a cousin who is a beatles hair-weave type in a wedding band who also thinks they have earned the Mighty epitaph!

I wondered what happened to the Mighty Lemon Drops

https://foodfoundation.org.uk/new-evidence-of-child-food-insecurity-in-the-uk/

The UK finally pips Romania for no.1 EU country of child food insecurity, great work lads.

Peace at last for Graham Le Saux

lol! That reminds me also of how useless he was as a player and a pundit. He used to propagate this idea that he was bullied because he was a Graun reading intellectual, then he wrote a book that revealed he was quite pretentious and thick as pigshit.

IT'S THE SAME

I'm in too much of a rush r/n to be sub-editored, going swimming. But I'll think about that.

I've thought about it, there might be a distinction between "Graun reading intellectual" and a child pretending to be one, maybe not much in it - but perhaps something!

The government has apparently asked Toby Young to lead the new university regulator.

Happy new year!

are you fucking shitting me

yeah a real new year kick in the fucking balls. i mean one of my resolutions was to stop paying attention or emotionally engaging with culture wars bollocks but these fucking people.

lol @ "vital insight"!

I can remember some of Toby Young's vital insight once, it left an indelible impression on me!

Good to see all the years of guileless brown-nosing on Marr has got him a serious post though.

Some of his vital insights have been that friends are a very bad thing. You should blow Sylvester Stallone if he asks, cos he's a celebrity. Writers should be judged on how they look and old bald ones should be disparaged.

time for a fun 2018 revival

Most Hilarious Way for Toby Young to Die Although God Forbid It Should Ever Happen

I’ve just remembered that Mike Barber is chairing this thing, which is worrying in itself - leaving aside the appointment of Young, a PR flack from HSBC, the Chairman of Boots, etc.

Barber is smart and at least has a background in education but he is obsessed with the idea of ‘efficacy’ guiding literally every aspect of what organisations should do. It’s sensible to some extent - you ideally want some degree of measurably of the effectiveness of learning - but so ill defined and nebulous in practice that it becomes a tyranny. Expect more private universities, more league tables; more micromanaging / managerialism at every level of university life and probably more micro assessment / big data stuff. I don’t think that is necessarily always awful with things like the national curriculum or in a sector (like really badly run US for-profit colleges) but it runs counter to pretty much everything a university education of any real quality should be and is completely unnecessary in the UK.

UK university system at undergrad level already feels pretty fucked and in need of a complete review of what it's actually for tbh

It does a bit but I think that’s largely because of the soft implementation of some of the Barber ideas in the Blair era rather than something he is looking to fix.

oh i don't expect this to improve the situation and i agree about the causes.

there are two conflicting issues in general for me, between the purpose of education in individual development and its socioeconomic function. those two things have never felt further apart, but ironically i don't think either of them are well-served by things as they are.

my friends in UK academia are constantly trying to get out because of the degree of administrative micromanagement---and they know other systems too, they can make fair comparisons between e.g. UK & USA, Benelux, etc. From what I've read it's a nightmare of form filling, report writing, and paper shuffling, for no academic gain. I suppose it'll help get rid of all EU citizens in UK academia, apparently a goal of your government. Even UK citizens with pretty top jobs (Oxbridge e.g.) are quitting because of rock-bottom job satisfaction.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DSdED-9XcAAgUbK.jpg
some of Young's vital insight. Mary Beard has pointed out that the quote that he held a post at Cambridge is some creative CVing, big difference between being a "casual" and having a post.

time for a fun 2018 revival

You rivived it around new year last year too. Something about the time of year?

In this case they buried the bad news under New Year's Eve.

I think NV must get some kind of 'British Right-Wing Twats' advent calendar. That includes New Year.

Academic colleague of a colleague https://telescoper.wordpress.com/2017/12/20/why-im-moving-to-ireland/

Not to be a smartarse but were I him I'd double-check that 'final salary's pension scheme

'Is that a terrorist?' Prince Philip makes joke about bearded bystander

Apparently it's not allowed on here to joke we're joining ISIS, so can I joke I want to slice this bastard and all of his kin up? #hny

schools with wheelchair ramps and libraries that stock the complete works of a widely acclaimed novelist, what a dystopia

also of course he picked Twain because detailing the horrors of racism is a task that should be left to good hearted white men

I know this is fish in a barrel stuff but jesus

xp
No point slicing up a flatworm, they just become multiples. Hydrogen peroxide or holy fire will exterminate this type of 20th century fascist detritus!

Young is a vile eugenicist, and deserves to die very fucking painfully.

Like as if he is some fucking alpha specimen as well ffs!

Just come back and read that Young clip. You'll be shocked to hear that he's lying about the relationship of the Equality Act and exam regulation - the handbook on access arrangements for the AQA specifies frequently that no adjustment can be made that compromises the integrity of an exam.

Don't suppose we should expect better of a worm who's happy to publicly acknowledge his contempt for disabled people.

Sorry for political correct overreaction, obviously his invective is mere banter.

He needs stamping on. What the fuck do they think they're doing

Young makes me think of a half remembered quote from a Hitler book, where some Nazi or other had said in other words about Himmler: I'd be wary about preaching about Aryan purity looking like he does. I'm not wanting to get into shaming territory here, but I will in Young's case. Without his privilege and whiteness, the ugly lil' bald buffoon wouldn't fare well in the cruel natural selection society he wants to make a case for. Without his trappings, that don't include intelligence, nor valuable insight, the cunt is truly unemployable outside of his pathetic bubble. Sorry, shooting fish here again, but pissed!

always thought it was great that the sexed-up screen version of toby in the film adaptation of his immortal memoir i am a cunt was played by... simon pegg

‘i wonder who’ll they’ll cast as me in the movie about my life? clooney? pitt? crowe? oh it’s the guy from run fat boy run who looks like a rodent, cheers’

Sometimes I think Young, Pegg and Gove would look poetically beautiful in a death pit trio b+w photograph, freshly shot. Old b+w footage of the execution featuring Young having a Antonescu moment, where he just puts his hat down neatly on the floor, so he can get it back after they have shot him and then thinks about this for a second.

Without his privilege and whiteness, the ugly lil' bald buffoon wouldn't fare well in the cruel natural selection society he wants to make a case for.

you just described the entire Tory party

The reality of our establishment: a white man with no qualifications but good connections always gets the job. pic.twitter.com/8vCqlDO1H0

— Sunny Hundal (@sunny_hundal) January 1, 2018

counterpoint: Young's appointment is fine because of the lack of protest by the opposition party about a matter that is in any case reserved for diplomatic channels

The warped priorities of @UKLabour. Silent about violent suppression of protests against Iran's brutal theocracy. Vitriolic about appointment of free school founder @toadmeister to Office of Students board.

— Nick Boles MP (@NickBoles) January 2, 2018