Current Affairs 2025

[david63]

New year. New affairs.

[Onelife]

New year. New affairs.

I don’t think any of the forum Gentlemen or Ladies are going to disclose those kinds of indiscretions…but rest assured they always end in tears.

[Mervyn and Trish]

I'm too old for new affairs.

[Stephen]

It’s taken all these years to train up the one I’ve got. I haven’t got enough years left in me to go through that again

[Mervyn and Trish]

And breaking in a new Mother-in-Law......

[Ray B]

Well I will kick off with an article I read on BBC.
Apparently the government has a problem that is causing concern with Benefits.
The trouble being that today's young generation just do not want to work. They seem to be unfit to work.
Just makes you wonder what's going on with the youngsters today.
Obviously this situation can not be allowed, something will have to be done to reverse this trend .
Have they gone through the education system with no physical activity or is it the benefits are to generous.
On the other hand , cutting benefits to deter laziness will also hit the genuine claimant who physically can not work.
It's a growing problem that is facing the government.
On another story, the Armed forces are saying the half the men would be useless in a conflict. I thought that the training was to prepare them for conflict , or are they trained by someone like Sargent Wilson, Dads Army.

[Onelife]

Hi Ray, I think your first question has a multitude of answers but to pick two I would say that disillusionment and low expectation has played their part. I may be completely off track here but I think many from poor backgrounds grow up with low expectations, partly because they have seen their parent/s struggle to make ends meet and who then fall into accepting this is how their lives will pan out.
Growing up in deprived areas where work opportunities are scarce often results in working in jobs with little to no job security with minimum wage being the best they can hope for….so, the cycle continues from one generation to the next.
So, how do we reverse this trend? I think we need to accept that some will never have the upbringing/educational to get into better work opportunities, especially in jobs where just applying for better paying work now requires higher education/skills just to get an interview.
I’m not suggesting this as the solution, but more of a way of giving some the opportunity to feel that society hasn’t moved on without then. To this end I think we need to look at our education system in different way, with more emphasis placed on vocational education rather than keep trying to find what isn’t there. By changing the school syllabus to accommodate this, I feel we could fill the lower skilled work market with a home-grown work force and give those who fall into this category the opportunity to leave school and start earning at the same age I did which was 15…three years on it gave me the chance to save for a car and start my own business and despite it being low skilled work I still managed to make a success of it…which as you all now know has afforded me a country estate, a deer park and a shed load of chickens….not to mention my 20 year old vintage Rav 4

Oh’ and before towny (John) puts in his ten pence worth, I do realise that creating these job opportunities will require a shift to a more industrialised/self-sufficient outlook.

[towny44]

Hi Ray, I think your first question has a multitude of answers but to pick two I would say that disillusionment and low expectation has played their part. I may be completely off track here but I think many from poor backgrounds grow up with low expectations, partly because they have seen their parent/s struggle to make ends meet and who then fall into accepting this is how their lives will pan out.
Growing up in deprived areas where work opportunities are scarce often results in working in jobs with little to no job security with minimum wage being the best they can hope for….so, the cycle continues from one generation to the next.
So, how do we reverse this trend? I think we need to accept that some will never have the upbringing/educational to get into better work opportunities, especially in jobs where just applying for better paying work now requires higher education/skills just to get an interview.
I’m not suggesting this as the solution, but more of a way of giving some the opportunity to feel that society hasn’t moved on without then. To this end I think we need to look at our education system in different way, with more emphasis placed on vocational education rather than keep trying to find what isn’t there. By changing the school syllabus to accommodate this, I feel we could fill the lower skilled work market with a home-grown work force and give those who fall into this category the opportunity to leave school and start earning at the same age I did which was 15…three years on it gave me the chance to save for a car and start my own business and despite it being low skilled work I still managed to make a success of it…which as you all now know has afforded me a country estate, a deer park and a shed load of chickens….not to mention my 20 year old vintage Rav 4

Oh’ and before towny (John) puts in his ten pence worth, I do realise that creating these job opportunities will require a shift to a more industrialised/self-sufficient outlook.

Strangely enough I totally agree with you, we made the mistake of calling our lower grade academic schools "Secondary Modern", which gave both the staff and pupils the feeling that they were second class, then we made the even bigger mistake of trying to teach all standards of pupils in the one establishment, which IMHO has been a total disaster. So a move to a range of teaching establishments, more suited to the pupils abilities, but with options to move as pupils mature and feel they may thrive better taking an alternative path, would seem a far superior system.

[Stephen]

Get your A levels and such then get yourself an apprenticeship and a real taste of working life instead all swanning off to university, because it’s trendy, and landing yourself in debt.

[Portsmouth]

So now we have T levels which are meant to be equivalent to 3 A levels .....and yet Oxford won't accept them as they don't accept them as appropriate preparation

[Onelife]

Hi Ray, I think your first question has a multitude of answers but to pick two I would say that disillusionment and low expectation has played their part. I may be completely off track here but I think many from poor backgrounds grow up with low expectations, partly because they have seen their parent/s struggle to make ends meet and who then fall into accepting this is how their lives will pan out.
Growing up in deprived areas where work opportunities are scarce often results in working in jobs with little to no job security with minimum wage being the best they can hope for….so, the cycle continues from one generation to the next.
So, how do we reverse this trend? I think we need to accept that some will never have the upbringing/educational to get into better work opportunities, especially in jobs where just applying for better paying work now requires higher education/skills just to get an interview.
I’m not suggesting this as the solution, but more of a way of giving some the opportunity to feel that society hasn’t moved on without then. To this end I think we need to look at our education system in different way, with more emphasis placed on vocational education rather than keep trying to find what isn’t there. By changing the school syllabus to accommodate this, I feel we could fill the lower skilled work market with a home-grown work force and give those who fall into this category the opportunity to leave school and start earning at the same age I did which was 15…three years on it gave me the chance to save for a car and start my own business and despite it being low skilled work I still managed to make a success of it…which as you all now know has afforded me a country estate, a deer park and a shed load of chickens….not to mention my 20 year old vintage Rav 4

Oh’ and before towny (John) puts in his ten pence worth, I do realise that creating these job opportunities will require a shift to a more industrialised/self-sufficient outlook.

Strangely enough I totally agree with you, we made the mistake of calling our lower grade academic schools "Secondary Modern", which gave both the staff and pupils the feeling that they were second class, then we made the even bigger mistake of trying to teach all standards of pupils in the one establishment, which IMHO has been a total disaster. So a move to a range of teaching establishments, more suited to the pupils abilities, but with options to move as pupils mature and feel they may thrive better taking an alternative path, would seem a far superior system.

I agree John, especially from a teaching perspective. Whilst I’m not qualified to make this assumption, I would have thought teaching at a certain academic level would be far easier than trying to spread oneself across all levels of learning capabilities.

[Onelife]

So now we have T levels which are meant to be equivalent to 3 A levels .....and yet Oxford won't accept them as they don't accept them as appropriate preparation

Hi Portsmouth, if we adopted towny’s suggestions there wouldn’t be any need for selective education schools, such as Oxford/Cambridge etc.

[Jan Rosser]

Get your A levels and such then get yourself an apprenticeship and a real taste of working life instead all swanning off to university, because it’s trendy, and landing yourself in debt.

I agree with you Stephen university is not for everyone - my eldest granddaughter left school at 16 after her GCSE’s to take up a 4 year apprenticeship in electronic and electrical engineering with MBDA in Bolton who work principally for the defence industry. She went to college on day release and got her BTEC HNC and graduated with a HND last year. She completed her apprenticeship in 2023 and is now employed by MBDA. She has had to sign the Official Secrets Act due to the nature of the work.

She met her boyfriend in work and last year they bought a house together - she has no student debt - she was paid a salary during her apprenticeship and she is now paid extremely well plus a bonus every year.

They have a great life - holidaying regularly - she loves clothes and shoes and bags and can afford them!

The only thing I would say about apprenticeships is there aren’t enough of them and the process Olivia had to go through was arduous but it has been so worthwhile!

[Onelife]

Get your A levels and such then get yourself an apprenticeship and a real taste of working life instead all swanning off to university, because it’s trendy, and landing yourself in debt.

I agree with you Stephen university is not for everyone - my eldest granddaughter left school at 16 after her GCSE’s to take up a 4 year apprenticeship in electronic and electrical engineering with MBDA in Bolton who work principally for the defence industry. She went to college on day release and got her BTEC HNC and graduated with a HND last year. She completed her apprenticeship in 2023 and is now employed by MBDA. She has had to sign the Official Secrets Act due to the nature of the work.

She met her boyfriend in work and last year they bought a house together - she has no student debt - she was paid a salary during her apprenticeship and she is now paid extremely well plus a bonus every year.

They have a great life - holidaying regularly - she loves clothes and shoes and bags and can afford them!

The only thing I would say about apprenticeships is there aren’t enough of them and the process Olivia had to go through was arduous but it has been so worthwhile!

Hi Jan, I’ve often thought that no matter what achievements we personally achieve in life, they seem to fall into insignificance to that of what our children and grandchildren achieve in life.

Your granddaughter has done extremely well…no wonder you are so proud of her… love the name ‘Olivia’ btw

[Onelife]

The brutes who did this should be released without further notice…

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... son-attack

[Stephen]

His days are numbered.

[towny44]

His days are numbered.

Before that I want to know why he beat her as badly as he did, because if it was due to cultural or religious reasons, this needs highlighting so that govt can take action to deport anyone who supports these actions.

[Ranchi]

Changed my mind!

[screwy]

Well this may come as a surprise, but I left school in 66 with no Qualifications at all, in fact I never took any GCSE’s or whatever they were back then.I got a job as a driver’s mate going to abattoirs for Hides and Sheep skins etc. Joined the Army at 19,got my HGV license.Left the Mob and went Trucking across the UK and Europe. Joined HMP and spent 26 years locking up villains.Ive had a great life and earned good incomes and pensions.In my case I only needed the University of Life to get me through.

[screwy]

The brutes who did this should be released without further notice…

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... son-attack

It was inevitable. I always giggle when it’s reported ‘ a prison source ‘ that means a Con with an Illicit mobile phone. Not sure about getting stitches inprison? In my day,prison Healthcare would not ‘stitch ‘ a wound for the fear of being sued if the stitching left an unsightly scar! They would always go to outside hospital. Laughable I know,it was a pain in the a*se on hospital escorts.

[Stephen]

Well this may come as a surprise, but I left school in 66 with no Qualifications at all, in fact I never took any GCSE’s or whatever they were back then.I got a job as a driver’s mate going to abattoirs for Hides and Sheep skins etc. Joined the Army at 19,got my HGV license.Left the Mob and went Trucking across the UK and Europe. Joined HMP and spent 26 years locking up villains.Ive had a great life and earned good incomes and pensions.In my case I only needed the University of Life to get me through.

[Onelife]

The brutes who did this should be released without further notice…

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... son-attack

It was inevitable. I always giggle when it’s reported ‘ a prison source ‘ that means a Con with an Illicit mobile phone. Not sure about getting stitches inprison? In my day,prison Healthcare would not ‘stitch ‘ a wound for the fear of being sued if the stitching left an unsightly scar! They would always go to outside hospital. Laughable I know,it was a pain in the a*se on hospital escorts.

Hi Screwy, will the identity of the two prisoners stay withing prison walls and will there be repercussions for them?

[Onelife]

Well this may come as a surprise, but I left school in 66 with no Qualifications at all, in fact I never took any GCSE’s or whatever they were back then.I got a job as a driver’s mate going to abattoirs for Hides and Sheep skins etc. Joined the Army at 19,got my HGV license.Left the Mob and went Trucking across the UK and Europe. Joined HMP and spent 26 years locking up villains.Ive had a great life and earned good incomes and pensions.In my case I only needed the University of Life to get me through.

Not at all Screwy, Stephen was only saying to me the other day that he thought you were a bit of a rough diamond…. I returned his message saying that his comments were rude and uncalled for.

[screwy]

The brutes who did this should be released without further notice…

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/202 ... son-attack

It was inevitable. I always giggle when it’s reported ‘ a prison source ‘ that means a Con with an Illicit mobile phone. Not sure about getting stitches inprison? In my day,prison Healthcare would not ‘stitch ‘ a wound for the fear of being sued if the stitching left an unsightly scar! They would always go to outside hospital. Laughable I know,it was a pain in the a*se on hospital escorts.

Hi Screwy, will the identity of the two prisoners stay withing prison walls and will there be repercussions for them?

OL. With it Belmarsh being a High Security Prison it has a Secure unit within the Prison itself. There will be CCtv across all wings so it would more than likely be easy to establish who did it.whether they would be named openly? Not too sure, May we’ll be it goes to a prosecution in which case probably. Assault is Assault when alls said and done. If it turned out to be just minor injuries then it’s more likely to go before a Judge within the Prison.As for repercussions? It would depend on what sentence they are serving, only a Judge can awarded added time now,that’s why they are brought in, If they’re lifers then not a lot except a lengthy spell in segregation I suppose.

[screwy]

Well this may come as a surprise, but I left school in 66 with no Qualifications at all, in fact I never took any GCSE’s or whatever they were back then.I got a job as a driver’s mate going to abattoirs for Hides and Sheep skins etc. Joined the Army at 19,got my HGV license.Left the Mob and went Trucking across the UK and Europe. Joined HMP and spent 26 years locking up villains.Ive had a great life and earned good incomes and pensions.In my case I only needed the University of Life to get me through.

Not at all Screwy, Stephen was only saying to me the other day that he thought you were a bit of a rough diamond…. I returned his message saying that his comments were rude and uncalled for.

I’ve been called a lot of things, but hey, I’ll take a rough diamond , the ladies seem to like it.Lol.