Indy Ref 2

[ThistleWhistle 251]

5 hours ago, TDYER63 said:

Everyone is screaming out for governments to give control to local authorities but I agree,  a minimum standard should be set . 

I agree it can't be done by diktat but their needs to be some sort of minimum standard else there is going to be schools absolutely smashing it whilst others take the piss. If there is no minimum standard either it leaves parents with nothing tangible to raise issues against. They'd either have to accept the school is doing the best it can or point ad-hoc at what they hear others doing.

[AlfieMoon 29]

2 hours ago, phart said:

My mate is a researcher at university. She teaches one class and is a point of contact for 3rd years think. To get ready to start the new year back in last september she now does no research, no one with teaching responsibilities does it seems, it takes all their time just to deliver the lesson support the pupils. After every lesson she has to transcribe the entire lecture in it's entirety.

The amount of work seems mental. There isn't any time left now to provide a minimum standard for my mind.

What steps should they be taking to provide that standard?

Totally agree. It’s admirable wanting minimum standards but is just idealistic headlines. The situation is about best endeavours for the circumstances and trusting local authorities and schools to push to do the best they can.
 

As others have said, the vast public opinion and direction of travel for years has been empowerment of LA’s and headteachers/schools. 

 

ScotGov has already provided 25,000+ laptops/chromebooks and paid for internet mi-fi devices for digitally excluded pupils via Connecting Scotland programme since this all kicked off. 
 

The practicalities of delivering livestream learning are not as easy as folk would like to think. From equipment, to broadband performance, to engagement of students, to the adaptability of teachers to effectively deliver learning in a completely different manner.
 

Additional pressure to deliver a minimum standard is likely not helpful. 

Edited January 10 by AlfieMoon

[Newryrep 23]

You still need to address the the mud slinging /scare stories that will be slung re the border - it will be their biggest weapon even more so than the currency I believe 

[ThistleWhistle 251]

1 hour ago, phart said:

My mate is a researcher at university. She teaches one class and is a point of contact for 3rd years think. To get ready to start the new year back in last september she now does no research, no one with teaching responsibilities does it seems, it takes all their time just to deliver the lesson support the pupils. After every lesson she has to transcribe the entire lecture in it's entirety.

The amount of work seems mental. There isn't any time left now to provide a minimum standard for my mind.

What steps should they be taking to provide that standard?

I would say 3-5 hours of quality online teaching via Zoom isn't unreasonable for secondary like WM have requested. In fairness to two secondary schools my mates have kids at they're trying to deliver the timetable unchanged. Genuine question - if the lesson is delivered via Zoom and is recorded does it still need transcribed? 

My wee lass is in primary and we've been told no change from last time. Now with the best will in the world a system put in place during such unprecedented circumstances last year can't have been perfect. That we are going to review it over the next month suggests they know it isn't perfect but also that it hasn't been reviewed in the last 8 months including at least a month where online provision was being pushed for.

Last time there was zero group teaching, zero Zoom and everything was passed to the parent, online platforms and Joe Wickes. I'd have liked the SG to put a minimum amount of hours for actual teaching to be provided even if it was only 5 hours a week for primary.

From a selfish perspective last time around my wee lass, aged 5, came out of it reading books, counting to 20 in four languages, finished top 100 out of 35,000 on SumDog national Championship and shit hot at colouring in. The lack of seeing her mates definitely had an adverse impact. However, there was kids when we got back who'd gone backwards that could already be lost and that'll be compounded this time given more parents are having to work. 

My daughter will be sound but what bothers me is the kids with both working parents, single parents or parents who don't really give a shit.  Without specific demands placed on the school it makes it impossible to measure and if you can't measure it you can't manage it. If you can't manage it holistically then you can't improve synergistically.

 

[phart 521]

I think every lesson has to be transcribed by law, what the specifics are I have no idea.

I agree there should be some sort of uniformity for the reasons outlined. How high you can push that bar in reality is open for debate I guess.

I don't have kids so it's very easy for me to say shit like this though as no skin in the game, I appreciate that!

[TDYER63 846]

1 hour ago, ThistleWhistle said:

I agree it can't be done by diktat but their needs to be some sort of minimum standard else there is going to be schools absolutely smashing it whilst others take the piss. If there is no minimum standard either it leaves parents with nothing tangible to raise issues against. They'd either have to accept the school is doing the best it can or point ad-hoc at what they hear others doing.

I agree with you. I really dont think setting a minimum standard is an unreasonable request. No doubt the opposition will have a moan that its too low, no matter what is set, but for the reasons you have stated I think its necessary.  

[aaid 795]

7 minutes ago, TDYER63 said:

I agree with you. I really dont think setting a minimum standard is an unreasonable request. No doubt the opposition will have a moan that its too low, no matter what is set, but for the reasons you have stated I think its necessary.  

They'll simultaneously claim that any standard is both too low and is an unfair burden on teachers. 

[TDYER63 846]

6 minutes ago, aaid said:

They'll simultaneously claim that any standard is both too low and is an unfair burden on teachers. 

😂👍

[ThistleWhistle 251]

18 hours ago, phart said:

I think every lesson has to be transcribed by law, what the specifics are I have no idea.

I agree there should be some sort of uniformity for the reasons outlined. How high you can push that bar in reality is open for debate I guess.

I don't have kids so it's very easy for me to say shit like this though as no skin in the game, I appreciate that!

It's difficult not to go full partisan when the first learning activity comes through at 9.45am 'tell us about your Christmas' - red rag meet bull. 

 

[phart 521]

23 minutes ago, ThistleWhistle said:

It's difficult not to go full partisan when the first learning activity comes through at 9.45am 'tell us about your Christmas' - red rag meet bull. 

 

Isn't the BBC doing some things?

My friends who are all parents of preschoolers are not enjoying it atm either. My bets mate has older children in Secondary and finding it hard to motivate them to even give remote learning a fair shake.

It's difficult times.

[davy-hay 35]

What's this pish about using the viking dosh Krone as currency?? 

[McDange 24]

5 hours ago, davy-hay said:

What's this pish about using the viking dosh Krone as currency?? 

Where did you read this? The Daily Mail / Express? 

[davy-hay 35]

2 hours ago, McDange said:

Where did you read this? The Daily Mail / Express? 

express yes.  you seem to have a problem with that newspaper?  Is it different to others like?

 

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1382566/nicola-sturgeon-news-scotland-independence-referendum-currency-norway-krone-spt

[McDange 24]

1 hour ago, davy-hay said:

express yes.  you seem to have a problem with that newspaper?  Is it different to others like?

 

https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1382566/nicola-sturgeon-news-scotland-independence-referendum-currency-norway-krone-spt

A far-right publication known for its accuracy on economic affairs. Yeah, I'm sure this is legit. 

[davy-hay 35]

38 minutes ago, McDange said:

A far-right publication known for its accuracy on economic affairs. Yeah, I'm sure this is legit. 

they probably got the story from another paper.

 

might be some truth in it.    daft idea but

[ThistleWhistle 251]

Nuclear button just been pressed?

https://wingsoverscotland.com/a-duty-of-candour/#more-123214

Too big to be swept under the carpet or will NS's popularity currently ride it out piece of piss?  

 

[davy-hay 35]

26 minutes ago, ThistleWhistle said:

Nuclear button just been pressed?

https://wingsoverscotland.com/a-duty-of-candour/#more-123214

Too big to be swept under the carpet or will NS's popularity currently ride it out piece of piss?  

 

Pleasing 😂

[hampden_loon2878 152]

58 minutes ago, ThistleWhistle said:

Nuclear button just been pressed?

https://wingsoverscotland.com/a-duty-of-candour/#more-123214

Too big to be swept under the carpet or will NS's popularity currently ride it out piece of piss?  

 

Wait a second, @ErsatzThistlethinks its just some chauvinistic  conspiracy and anyone who questions the stitch up or reads anything from WOS is some kind of monster.

[Haggis_trap 17]

1 hour ago, ThistleWhistle said:

Nuclear button just been pressed?

https://wingsoverscotland.com/a-duty-of-candour/#more-123214

Too big to be swept under the carpet or will NS's popularity currently ride it out piece of piss?  

 

there is no doubt Alex Salmond was stitched up (chuck mud and hope something sticks).

however : can someone explain to me....

Q1) what is the motivation of Jackie Baille (et al) to skewer Leslie Evans. Do opposition simply want Sturgeon to resign? Or are they driven by a sense of natural justice.

Q2) what is Sturgeons motivation in all of this? did she really intend to stab Alex Salmond in the back? or has she simply been caught up in some kind of honey-trap.

[exile 494]

On 1/10/2021 at 11:49 AM, aaid said:

Here's a prediction of what will transpire as regards who knew what and when as regards allegations of sexual misconduct against Alex Salmond.

Liz Lloyd - NS's chief of staff heard whispers some time in March 2019 about it, she may or may not have shared that "gossip" with NS, that's not particularly relevant in the context.  

She met with Geoff Aberdein - Salmond's former CoS - shortly after to see if she could get any more detail - he didn't know anything about it.   He then spoke to Salmond to say - to the effect "I've just heard rumours that the SG are investigating you", to which Salmond replied - "They're not rumours".   They may or may not have gone into the detail, again that's not relevant.

Then on the 29th March LL and GA met, either dragged NS in - or she knew in advance, again neither particularly relevant.

GA, said - to the effect - Alex needs to speak to you about these allegations, but doesn't go into the detail, either because he doesn't know the detail, or because he's agreed with Salmond that he should speak directly.

NS goes into the meeting on 2nd April, aware that Salmond wants to speak to her about allegations but not aware of the exact details until Salmond tells her.   In fact, subsequently, NS has said she thought it was that the Edinburgh Airport allegations - which first surfaced in December 2018 - had resurfaced.

In this scenario, the submissions and statements by both side are consistent and - from their perspective correct.

We are yet to hear of the specific detail of the 29 March meeting.

If that scenario is correct then the FM hasn't misled parliament and hasn't breached the ministerial code - at least in this regard - as she always said that she only became aware of *the* allegations on 2nd April - ie, the specific details - not that there were allegations, either on the 29th March or earlier via gossip.   

That may sound like a technicality, it is and its lawyerly language as you would expect from a lawyer.  However, its a technicality that the opposition and now Team Salmond are trying to hang her on.

This all initially blew up in January 2019 following the collapse of the judicial review into the investigation.   Later on that month Salmond was charged and so that essentially stopped all comment both in parliament and the press.   Its interesting to go back and review the official report - Holyrood equivalent of Hansard - from that along with the claims and counter-claims in the media.   The positions - on both sides - haven't shifted one inch since then.

This sounds like a plausible default scenario, until/unless proven otherwise.

[hampden_loon2878 152]

34 minutes ago, Haggis_trap said:

there is no doubt Alex Salmond was stitched up (chuck mud and hope something sticks).

however : can someone explain to me....

Q1) what is the motivation of Jackie Baille (et al) to skewer Leslie Evans. Do opposition simply want Sturgeon to resign? Or are they driven by a sense of natural justice.

Q2) what is Sturgeons motivation in all of this? did she really intend to stab Alex Salmond in the back? or has she simply been caught up in some kind of honey-trap.

I have stated from the off i think sturgeon has been outmanoeuvred, @thplinth disagreed or disagrees, however the “plants” have managed to snare salmond and catch sturgeon in the crossfire. I believe there are plants Very high up in the party. Sturgeon has fallen hook line and sinker into a trap.. 

Edited Tuesday at 07:34 PM by hampden_loon2878

[Haggis_trap 17]

^ thanks for thoughts....
no doubt something doesn't add up in all of this. 

I still think Sturgeon believes in Independence.  She is flying high in the polls.  So a forced resignation (just months before next Holyrood election) would be catastrophic.

Someone somewhere is certainly trying to divide the party!

[aaid 795]

56 minutes ago, exile said:

This sounds like a plausible default scenario, until/unless proven otherwise.

That's just my take on things based on what's in the public domain.  That could change obviously if there's more to come out, but the basic facts haven't really shifted for months.

I suspect there will a big amount of he said/she said going on though. 

[aaid 795]

2 hours ago, ThistleWhistle said:

Nuclear button just been pressed?

https://wingsoverscotland.com/a-duty-of-candour/#more-123214

Too big to be swept under the carpet or will NS's popularity currently ride it out piece of piss?  

 

All that stuff relates to the civil service arm of government, not the political side.

Even if true, it would reflect on Leslie Evans, not sure how it would be linked to the FM apart from indirectly given she's backed her.

An awful lot of conjecture in there.

Also looks like Alex Salmond is using Wings as a cut-out to leak stuff to.

[Alibi 100]

On 1/10/2021 at 6:19 PM, Newryrep said:

You still need to address the the mud slinging /scare stories that will be slung re the border - it will be their biggest weapon even more so than the currency I believe 

We now know what the border would look like if we join the EU.  We also know that the exit deal more or less allows NI to remain in the EU to all intents and purposes.  The logic of that is that after indy the border between NI and the rUK could just be replicated along the to Gretna-Berwick border and England couldn't really put up any credible argument against that.  The threat that they would refuse to trade with us is nonsense - we have stuff they want to buy or need to buy.  There are no tariffs between the UK and the EU (allegedly), so how could they put tariffs in place against Scotland?  Would they not more pragmatically want a zero tariff regime, particularly as that would be forced on them when/if we joined the EU?  They will threaten all sorts in an indy campaign but they have no real ammo left.

Regarding Tidy's view about S30, if you accept that a section 30 is needed, you accept that Scotland is subservient to WM.  That is what the court case that is now under way is about.  If it is ruled that an S30 is needed, there needs to be an alternative route or else we are in a prison, not a union.  Margaret Thatcher said that all we needed was for Scotland to elect a majority of pro-indy MPs and frankly that statement should carry more weight than some mere figure of speech about once in a generation. I think NS has been too soft in insisting on the S30 process.  Boris can just say no with impunity and keep refusing.  NS has painted herself into a corner.  We've waited long enough for the paint to dry and if she tries to kick the can down the road again with more vague promises, her time will have run out.