Cool. Made me wonder how many people know the acronym but not the words.

It will never happen, how would we maintain the class distinction without it?

Studying Latin helps with math because britishers don't roman numerals work!

God, Latin is still a manatory subject in the UK???

I have nothing against Latin...you need it if you are going to study Roman or even Medieval History//but it should be offered not required.

Thje Penguin he ain't.

No, it isn't mandatory. Around 50% of private schools offer Latin, though whether it's mandatory in even those schools I couldn't say.

I can't quite see why you might 'need' it when studying Roman history. We can study Greek, Chinese, German or any other kind of history without knowing a damn thing about the language. Way back at 'grammar school' in the UK ('62-'69) we did a hefty amount of Ancient Roman history, but I'd opted for German rather than Latin in my second year. Latin wasn't involved in those history lessons so my choice didn't disadvantage me.

I did a year of Latin in secondary, but that was decades ago.

It was compulsory in my private school - everyone had to study it to GCSE level. Our option was to pick one of art, music, German, Ancient Greek, or biology. As I type that I wonder if that’s why the Tory party of my generation and those above seems illiterate on health matters.

"I feel again a flame of that ancient spark!" ~ Virgil Boris Johnson

Sounds better than 'Who can I shag next?'

Conservative donors have no influence on policy, insists Grant Shapps

Tory donors are not "immoral" and have no influence on government policy, minister Grant Shapps has insisted, amid cash-for-access questions.

Last week, the Financial Times reported those who donated £250,000 could get access to the PM and chancellor.
Mr Shapps - a former Tory chairman - said the party adhered "very carefully" to the rules on donations.
The "advisory board" was developed by Conservative Party co-chair Ben Elliot, who connected major Conservative supporters with ministers - including Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.
Conservative donor and businessman Mohamed Amersi told the newspaper it was a "very elite" club with people required to "cough up £250,000 per annum or be a friend of Ben" in order to join.

Asked about the group on the BBC's Today programme, Mr Shapps, now the transport secretary, said there were "a lot of people in this country who believe in this country" and that there was "nothing inherently bad or wrong" about joining a political party.

"It doesn't change any policies but you're certainly welcome to hear about the policies," he added.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-58098887

In which case those donors are just plain stupid, giving money away to the Tories for nothing. Why not give it to charity instead: I recommend Young Minds or Barnado's or NSPCC, all of whom used to do (still do when they can) some sterling work for local authorites until the "coalition" cut council funding , because "austerity". So if these folk really do "believe in this country" they could donate to charities damaged by the Tories and their Lib Dem enablers.

And Boris strikes again, clearly looking to sway all those voters in former mining areas:

Thatcher helped climate by closing coal mines, says Boris Johnson

I didn't say which way he was going to sway them...

I suppose in a way it is true. Closing coal mines helped, but it is not as if Thatcher did anything about increasing the use of renewable energy.

A bullet is too good for him.

:)

"how many times" seems to have been answered with "unlimited" :(

I'll leave this - https://www.theguardian.com/politics...vel-test-firms - here rather than in one of the Covid threads, as it seems to illustrate broader issues about "chumocracy", nepotism, corruption, incompetence, the utter lack of democratic oversight and all in our current body politic.

“…. When things (inevitably) go wrong, it’s the NHS and the public paying the price. Has this government learned nothing 18 months on?…”

Of course they have - They’ve learnt they can get away with anything.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/...ent-in-england

Even if we allow for any apparent effects of lackdown, this one has been brewing for over a decade.

Before 2010 we were not over-supplied with specialist services for eating disorders anyway (long-term CAMHS bod here); after 2010 many of those were cut, 'cos austerity and treating dangerously ill young folk wasn't important.

And then we had the effects of re-tendering for services...Up here the in-patient services and specialist community support were run by a part of my service, by folk I've known and worked with since the late '80s, who have forgotten more about this area than most will ever know; the in-patient beds were originally in Newcastle and then moved out to a far less accessible location, but still local (it's Northumberland...); contract was up for renewal, bids came in and the IP beds were awarded to Darlington and a bunch of folk with no experience on this sort of IP care but were cheap, with fewer beds and miles south of the old unit; the specialist community support up here was reduced, throwing more of this on normal CAMHS community services, which were also being cut; the bairns who came to us were further down the line than before, as school nursing services, who would have picked folk up, were also hacked to bits.

And then CAMHS were getting shot of experienced folk like me, because we were expensive (well, in nursing terms) and I'd certainly pissed off enough managers by breathing.

Just goes to show: you can't trust Tories with healthcare and they will try to kill your bairns.

‘I’M DOING IT!’ ~ Dominc Raab, Foreign Secretary
 

The UK’s foreign secretary was spotted sunning himself on holiday as the news emerged that Kabul in Afghanistan had been taken over by Islamist military group the Taliban.

Dominic Raab was reportedly enjoying some time off on the beach while the Afghan capital fell.

But where did he go on holiday, and did he cut short his getaway to return to the UK?

Where did Dominic Raab go on holiday?

The foreign secretary was seen relaxing at a five-star resort in on the Greek island of Crete.

According to the Sunday Times, Mr Raab was ordered home from his trip in Crete by Downing Street on August 13 but stayed for two more days at his five-star hotel on the Greek island because Boris Johnson told him he could.

Afghanistan Happinesstan

"Are you all sitting comftybold two
Square on your botty? Then I'll begin ..."

Once upon a time in a land of blues
Where the sky was silky soft
And full of coloured dreams
Deep inside a rainbow
Lived Happiness Stan
On holiday in Crete
Evening will be here quite soon
Dom can sit and watch the moon
Watching as Kabul calls
‘I’m on holiday’ – get the clerk to ring
Hours slipping by whilst disaster falls

‘I’M DOING IT!’ Dominic Raab, now, posing in photoshoots looking busy busy busy on the blower, working night and day.

What next? Geoffrey Boycott, ambassador for Women & Equalities.

If Simon Hughes' memoir about his time as a county pro, including playing with Botham at Durham when we were raised to first class status, is any guide, Botham's answer to most arguments was "How many test wickets did you take?".

Which means that the Australians need to wheel out Warne and McGrath as their lead negociators...

If things start looking bad perhaps we can get Mike Brearley to take over.

Makes more sense than a load of other things.

Dave Podmore for PM….

He couldn’t be worse than Johnson.

:D:D

Better gags definitely.

And even Julio Geordio would be more intelligible.

I would give Ed Reardon a go at the job.

Ping for Chancellor and Elgar would make a better Foreign Secretary.

The sea was closed
I went on a drive to test my eyesight
I can’t sweat

Keep em coming!

Before we reach judgement, do we know whether Rabb, on a beach, disconnected from the corridors of power is actually better for the country or remarkably could it be worse?

Last week

Dominic Raab: "I didn't bother calling my opposite number in Afghanistan as there was no point talking to a corrupt & failing regime"

This week

Dominic Raab: "Been a bit quiet this week hasn't it?"

Just listened to the footage of Dominic Raab being grilled by the parliamentary select committee
Thick, underprepared and confused, how on Earth is he our Foreign Secretary?
He even had to ask for the source of one question that turned out to be from his own report!

He cites “intelligence failure” as cause of his disastrous decisions over Afghanistan
I think “intelligence failure” perfectly describes his entire political career!

remember, the proximity of Dover and Calais came as a shock for him.

Lord Carrington was bad but he resigned because of what he called the ''humiliating affront'' of Argentina's seizure of the Falkland Islands.

Carrington was a political and diplomatic giant compared to Raab and Johnson. He resigned as a matter of principle, something these dullards will never understand.

This is what happens when ministers are appointed for loyalty not skill.

That also describes the Prime Minister and many (if not all) of Raab's cabinet colleagues. It's par for the course in the current Conservative Party IMO.

The proletariat seem to love a "Tim, posh but dim" character. :rolleyes:

They wouldn’t take his calls?

He tried to ring him but the sheikh was closed.

I see what you did there :thumbsup:

Social care must be adequately funded, Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has said, amid reports ministers plan to raise national insurance.

Downing Street did not deny reports of an increase of at least 1% to improve social care and tackle the NHS backlog.

The justice secretary said he would not "speculate" but said there should be a "grown-up conversation" about how to pay for rising social care costs.

The move would break a Tory manifesto commitment at the last election.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-58430364

Not only a Manifesto commitment but a personal promise and guarantee from the Prime Minister.

And if we know one thing about our PM it is that he is a man of his word….


(Wow my nose didn’t grow!)

The Ministry of Justice are delighted to announce that it will no longer be legal to steal another person's pet.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/p...n-on-pet-theft

"A new criminal offence for pet abduction is set to be introduced under government plans to crack down on pet theft following a reported rise in pets being stolen during the pandemic"

And as repeatedly said by legal bloggers it doesn't matter what the offence or penalty is if it never gets to trial because of the underfunded legal system.

I am unable to understand why GPs in England not being able to order blood tests because of a shortage of sample bottles is not headline news.

It was a feature story on BBC news last week on both PM and Today.

Daily Mail headline, Daily Express or even the Mirror?

The entire cabinet is full of idiots. There's Gavin Williamson who thinks schools are safe because 'they have meters that measure CO2 levels'. There's Priti Patel, sacked by the previous PM for treason and conspiring with foreign powers whilst claiming to be on holiday, Suella Braverman who claimed it was all right for Dominic Cummings to break the law (her being the Attorney General!), both Raab and Johnson away for the fall of Afghanistan, the comedy of errors is just never-ending.

That will be thanks to Carrie.

Children's rights campaigner and footballer Marcus Rashford speaks out again:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-englan...ester-58460197

So much for "levelling up" :rolleyes:

Ministers trying to frame Boris Johnson breaking his manifesto promise not to raise taxes or NI as him keeping his promise to fix social care.
He told us he had a ready-made plan to do that during the exact same election he made the tax and NI promise.

In all this discussion about NI and how it will impact younger folk more, why is no-one talking about removing the cap at £50k, i.e. when the rate drops from 12% to 2%, which benefits the very high paid at the expense of the lower paid?

I have yet to hear or read a mention of this in much discusssion lately.

Disclaimer: I'm married to a former pay roll bod, who does their ends at the apparent ignorance of how NI actually works.

I think, in real terms, food is cheaper now* than at almost any other point in history (Brexit / Covid may be about to change that) which makes this even more shocking.

*https://www.which.co.uk/news/2019/11...-be-surprised/