General Election 2010 Page 24

Quote: Aaron @ April 14 2010, 3:14 PM BST

I think that the point is not that you run a school, but that parents and communities have the power and ability to do so, should they wish.

View original

Sorry, but I don't wish. That's the point of the authorities, they do all the things we haven't got the time, inclination or knowledge for.

Quote: Aaron @ April 14 2010, 3:14 PM BST

It's about opening up options and giving the people choice

View original

It's about abrogating responsibility. We've already got far too much choice as it is.

You're a fan of the big state then, I see...

Quote: chipolata @ April 14 2010, 3:19 PM BST

It's about abrogating responsibility. We've already got far too much choice as it is.

View original

Quite. You don't want to go giving people a say in running things. Have you seen 'people'? Awful bunch.

Quote: Aaron @ April 14 2010, 3:21 PM BST

You're a fan of the big state then, I see...

View original

Not at all, but there are some things I think the state should do.

Quote: john lucas 101 @ April 14 2010, 3:22 PM BST

Quite. You don't want to go giving people a say in running things. Have you seen 'people'? Awful bunch.

View original

They bloody are, especially in picture-houses.

Quote: chipolata @ April 14 2010, 3:26 PM BST

They bloody are, especially in picture-houses.

View original

Ah yes, the old Electric Kinema. Yes, they're blighters in there, they are.

Quote: chipolata @ April 14 2010, 3:26 PM BST

Not at all, but there are some things I think the state should do.

View original

Well it's not like they're selling off and/or otherwise unloading every state school onto the sole responsibility of the parents, is it? They're just giving other parties the opportunity the play part in communities. It's not being forced on anyone!

Quote: Aaron @ April 14 2010, 3:34 PM BST

Well it's not like they're selling off and/or otherwise unloading every state school onto the sole responsibility of the parents, is it? They're just giving other parties the opportunity the play part in communities. It's not being forced on anyone!

View original

It's just a weird central plank for a manifesto.

But, to be fair. Can't parents already become Governors of their schools and have a considerable say on how it's run?

Quote: bigfella @ April 14 2010, 3:48 PM BST

But, to be fair. Can't parents already become Governors of their schools and have a considerable say on how it's run?

View original

They have an input, but as I understnad it there are only a certain percentage of parent governors at any school. Ultimately they're still the responsibility of the local council (in the majority of cases - neither of the schools I attended were council run). The idea here is to give people a lot more powere to shape and/or reform a school from the ground up.

Quote: Aaron @ April 14 2010, 3:21 PM BST

You're a fan of the big state then, I see...

View original

Oh Yeah 'rolling back the state' the old Laissez-Faire mantra... This kind of state is the 'biggest' state imaginable because all of the government's resources are directed at maintaining the police force, property rights, the 'free' operation of the market, enforcing contracts, extracting labour and enshrining one political model. It is in fact hugely centralised. ideological and 'big'

Quote: Jack Massey @ April 14 2010, 2:49 PM BST

Think of it like this, my constituency (Oldham East & Saddleworth) is very tight between Labour and the Lib Dems, the Conservatives have absolutely no chance of winning the seat and it is basically a 50-50 chance between Labour and the Lib Dems. Nationally, only two parties have a chance of winning the overall election, Labour and the Conservatives (this goes without the mind boggling and not going to happen 'Hung Parliament'). So by me voting for the conservatives, I'm actually not really having an impact on the election nationally, yet if I voted for the Lib Dems, I would be having an impact in favour of the Conservatives as it will increase Labour's chances of losing the seat and giving them less chance of winning the election overall.

So going to vote Labour just to play a part in hopefully (yet unlikely I'm sorry to say) stop David C**tameron moving into number 10.

View original

But you won't be increasing the chances pf the Tories gaining an overall majority, you will simply be shifting the balance of probability from a Labour overall majority to a hung Parlaiment.

In fact the chances of a Tory overall majority are slim in any case; the way the votes stack up inthe constituencies mean that the Tories would need well in excess of 40% to for an overall majority, and they are not polling anything like that. Labour in contrast could probaly do it on less than 35% of the vote. But a hung parliament remains at the moment by far the most likely outcome.

'Likely' based on ... well, the real word, or 'likely' based on the polls?

Likely based on the fact that electoral boundaries favour Labour, so the Tories would need to poll a landslide to win a majority. And I am just not feeling the Cameron love out there.

There is the remote possibility of a Grand Coalition or Government of National Unity, which happened after the last election in Germany. Of course, you probably need some kind of national crisis to make this come about. I'm sure, given time, Gordon Brown can bring this about.

As for schools being run by parents or whoever, I don't see any demand for it apart from coming from dodgy religious groups, the worst kind of pushy middle class parents or Toby Young (shudders).

Quote: Timbo @ April 14 2010, 5:37 PM BST

Likely based on the fact that electoral boundaries favour Labour, so the Tories would need to poll a landslide to win a majority. And I am just not feeling the Cameron love out there.

View original

But I heard I news report yesterday, that in the midlands where a big number of key marginal seats are the Conservatives have something like a 18 point lead.

Really these national polls make no differance. Its the key 100 seats that are going to be the issue.