[Tubby Isaacs]

You could probably make a decent case for taking it away from individual firms, which must have varied enormously in the quality of what they did. But as you say, it's dishonest to suggest it all dropped away because of a fetish over university.

I can recall members of my family working in our butcher's shop and also doing some day release stuff at the Tech. Don't think they thought of that as apprenticeship. How they must look back and wish the Coalition had been around to liberate them.

This is a good link.

https://fullfact.org/education/apprenti ... bour-30026" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Look at those over 25s doing apprenticeships and all those who were already working where they do the apprenticeship.

The government aren't even passing the test of their own Richards Review, which sought to get the focus on "true apprenticeships".

Note how he talks up engineers and all. No mention of the biggest provider of apprenticeships- Morrison's.

We used to call those "jobs".

[Malcolm Armsteen]

At the time of the Thatcherite revolution I was working in Wandsworth, where there were both many small employers (even bookbinders, light engineering and craft trades like that) and access to big employers such as London Transport and British Rail. All took apprentices, and c1977 I was filling in references for twenty or more apprenticeship applications a year. By 1982 - none at all. I don't think I ever saw another one after that.

And the thing wasn't driven by universities, it was employers who suddenly wanted everyone to have 'five good GCSEs' - even a hopeful apprentice hairdresser who I worked a lot with, but she didn't get a C in English, so no job. That was widespread, 5 GCSEs to do shop work. The average kid (remembering an 'average' GCSE grade was an F) didn't stand a chance unless schools inflated grades...

[Tubby Isaacs]

Yes, I was agreeing with you that the universities are a red herring- though the implication from government and their press mates is that people who would have been apprentices went there.

I suppose they just had a lot more unemployed young people to choose from in the early 80s, so could ask for these grades. A lot's been made of the birth rate now, which is apparently the highest since 1972. So in the early 80s you're looking at a heck of a lot of school leavers hitting the job market at a very bad time.

[Tubby Isaacs]

Let's see Hancock claim credit for this. Perhaps Cable will. Walking around in a hardhat.

http://news.tes.co.uk/further-education ... laims.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

In a report from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Bis), multinational companies place the UK second only to Germany for its overall workforce skills.

The data was collected through a survey of employers across a number of industry sectors, including financial services, ICT and advanced manufacturing. The UK was compared to six other countries: Germany, France, the USA, Netherlands, Denmark and China.

[Tubby Isaacs]

From the other day.

Sunny Hundal
‏@sunny_hundal
Andrew Neil asks Tory MP Matt Hancock how Lib Dems had stopped Tories from cutting immigration. He's lost for words.

[new puritan]

[Tubby Isaacs]

Have we mentioned his new SPAD?

Lottie Dexter.

[new puritan]

Today's corruption.

Tens of thousands of pounds from wealthy individuals and companies connected to Newmarket's horse racing industry have been paid into the local Conservative Party branch of Business minister Matt Hancock, who opposed a controversial housing development the racing community believes will jeopardise the town's international reputation.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/po ... 73862.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Seems unlikely that these houses are intended for the riff-raff, so we can only surmise that the Tories don't even want to build houses for the middle classes.

[Tubby Isaacs]

He's back, and nicked.

An MP has been made to repay £1,674 after being found to have misused House of Commons facilities.

Business Minister Matthew Hancock, Conservative MP for West Suffolk, sent letters trumpeting the government's achievements to 3,000 homes.

The Parliamentary Standards Commissioner upheld a complaint from a constituent in Suffolk that it was "blatant campaigning"...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-29162678" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Messianic Trees]

Tory minister deletes tweet saying Labour Party is "full of queers"

[Big Arnold]

N A FLAP says:
October 2, 2014 at 5:38 pm
As the writer of said ditty, can i be expecting a royslty for each time it is used? Also due to limitations of twitter it is a bit misleading as it actually refers to people like special ed who is a very queer fish indeed.

Yeah, right.

[Bones McCoy]

Have we mentioned his new SPAD?

Lottie Dexter.

Has she given up on the "ministry for hacking" job already?

[Tubby Isaacs]

MagsNews retweeted
YorksLass ‏@ChrissieOAP · 1h1 hour ago
.@MagsNews Tory MatthewHancock is thick, he accused Labour of bringing up JimmySaville in debateThey, were talking abt LordSavlie re Coal

Dear O Lord.

Why would they bring up Jimmy Savile in the context of coal?

[Malcolm Armsteen]

MagsNews retweeted
YorksLass ‏@ChrissieOAP · 1h1 hour ago
.@MagsNews Tory MatthewHancock is thick, he accused Labour of bringing up JimmySaville in debateThey, were talking abt LordSavlie re Coal

Dear O Lord.

Why would they bring up Jimmy Savile in the context of coal?

Because he was well into minors.

Too soon?
I'll get m'coat.

[Andy McDandy]

What links Thatcher and Savile?

They both fucked Yorkshire min(e/o)rs.